INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis leaders say the Vision Zero initiative is already influencing how the city responds to deadly crashes, three months after the city-county commitment launched.
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The program's goal is to eliminate all traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries in Indianapolis by 2035. Leaders outlined the plan's progress Tuesday.
Vision Zero's action plan is a decade-long road map focused on rethinking the way streets are designed, used and shared.
"We want no family members to get a call that their family member has died, or let alone a loved one, and someone they care about, because we want to make sure we bring that number down to zero," Vision Zero Administrator Leandre Level Jr. said.
The initiative involves several city departments, including the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
"We're going to be looking at redirecting behaviors such as reckless driving, speeding, distracted driving — which is a big one — and that's going to be done through the form of citations," IMPD Assistant Chief of Police Michael Wolley said.
IMPD says more traffic officers are now deployed in school zones and other high-crash areas. The department shifted VIN checks to district officers, freeing time for targeted enforcement in those locations.
Police say education is equally critical to the effort.
"I think sometimes we all get distracted with the chaos of life in general, and driving a vehicle on a road is a significant responsibility," Wolley said. "For pedestrians, a lot of times, especially as we get into the later evening, they will wear dark clothing. It's difficult to see. For our bikers, they're required to follow traffic law in the sense of if it's a red light, you stop at the red light."
When a fatal crash occurs in Indianapolis, police investigate, and the Fatal Crash Review Team assesses the site's history and risk factors. After that, the city can determine what actions, if any, are needed to prevent future deadly crashes.
"A fatal crash is very emotional. We want to make sure, as a city, that we treat all fatal crashes appropriately, and that starts with getting the right information," Department of Public Works Director Todd Wilson said.
DPW pointed to 10th Street and Sheridan Avenue as an example, where safety improvements were made after multiple pedestrians were killed.
This spring, work will begin to eliminate a left turn from Keystone Avenue near 63rd Street into a Chick-fil-A and Crew Car Wash location, due to multiple crashes at that site.
"I think it is a bold commitment. I think it's a question of moral that the city is committed to — what number is acceptable — and I think that number is zero, and hopefully the community as a whole agrees with that as well," Level said.
In the coming months, the city will launch a public awareness campaign and create an online dashboard so residents can track progress. The next Vision Zero Task Force meeting, which will include the first six-month update, is set for May.
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