Picture a future where every intersection, crosswalk and roadway is designed with safety at its core, and every life lost to traffic accidents is a tragedy of the past.
As Indianapolis gears up for a critical city-county council vote, the Vision Zero initiative promises to transform the city’s streets into safer spaces for all. This ambitious plan aims to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries through a blend of smart infrastructure, vigilant enforcement and community engagement.
“The idea of Vision Zero is a commitment to zero traffic fatalities by the year 2035,” said Natalie Van Dongen, deputy director for policy and planning at the Department of Public Works.
The 2024 Dangerous by Design study by Smart Growth America ranks the most dangerous cities in the U.S. for pedestrians. The Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson area ranked 51 out of 100, higher than New York, Seattle and San Francisco. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization reported that the pedestrian fatalities increased by 25% between 2020 to 2023.
The mission of the Vision Zero plan is to take Indianapolis off that list by establishing a 15-member task force between community organizations and government agencies to improve infrastructure and roadways. The proposal, number 224, was advanced to the full city council on July 18.
While the plan is progressing, the challenges the Department of Public Works faces are in the collaboration’s complexities.
“I think the challenge can be working with other departments and piecing everything together for a final vision,” said Nathan Sheets, deputy director of engineering for the Department of Public Works. “I think the some of the challenges in regard to the implementation (of Vision Zero) is the age of our infrastructure.”
Indianapolis is not the first city to introduce Vision Zero. The initiative was launched in Columbus, Ohio in 2021 and updated in 2023. The 25 mph speed limit established in the downtown area cut their fatality number in half, according to their annual report.
Hoboken, another city that implemented infrastructure changes, has been free from traffic-related deaths since 2017 and seen injuries decline by 62%.
The work on roads, infrastructure and sidewalks is a significant part of the plan. In the digital world, however, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization launched a Vision Zero Toolkit to supply support for cities to implement the initiative. The toolkit provides the following:
- Data collection and benchmarks
- Planning and policy strategies
- Design strategies
- Resources
- Communications
The task force aims to help Indianapolis reach their goals by 2035, but the toolkit aims to take those goals and extend them to other towns in Indiana.
Although the final product is not expected until 2035, the plans for roadways are already being constructed.
“We are at the point in which some of these roads that are being constructed are operating under a different standard,” Sheets said.
While the full council won’t hold a hearing until August 12, the Department of Public Works is eager to have their project move forward.
“I think this is something we’ve been working towards for a while and we’re excited to take this next step,” Sheets said.
For more information about Vision Zero and to view the toolkit, visit indympo.org.
Indianapolis infrastructure impacts pedestrian safety – Indianapolis Recorder
Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.
