INDIANAPOLIS — Thousands of students returned to school Monday, prompting a focus on safety during their commutes. In response, local officials are making changes near Mary Nicholson School 70 Center for Inquiry to enhance safety for all.
A new flashing beacon will be installed at the intersection of 46th and Park Avenue. The beacon will alert drivers to slow down, particularly for students crossing the street. The initiative will benefit schoolchildren, pedestrians and cyclists in the area.
“This intersection is very dangerous. I live at the corner, and we see accidents all the time,” shared a neighbor who lives in the area.
Funding for the project comes from the City’s Community Powered Infrastructure Program, which has invested $10 million in 65 projects since 2018. Adam Pinkser, a spokesperson for the Indianapolis Department of Public Works, emphasized the importance of making public spaces safer for everyone.
“If you have a problem in your neighborhood, you don’t have to wait; you can actually do something,” said Pinkser.
Karissa Hulse is the Safe Routes to School chair for the School’s Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA), echoed these concerns, noting the alarming frequency of speeding and reckless driving around the school.
“Drivers not only speeding through our intersections, disregarding traffic lights, disregarding a crossing guard, and our students in the crosswalk, too,” Hulse said.
“I can’t control what happens when they’re [my kids] outside my front door. It’s a bit nerve-wracking,” Hulse added.
With support from local leaders and the PTSA, construction is underway to install the new beacon. Hulse explained the functionality of the flashing signal. “This push button control will only flash when there is something to pay attention to,” she said.
Neighbors are hopeful that these measures will provide long-term solutions to the safety issues at the intersection, easing parental concerns about sending their children into the community.
For more information on how to sign up for the Community Powered Infrastructure Program, click here.
