Indy Leaders Look At Plan To “Eliminate” Traffic Deaths

Source: Photo by: Education Images. Universal Images Group via Getty Images

INDIANAPOLIS — City leaders in the Circle City are looking at rolling out an overhaul to try and eliminate traffic-related deaths over the next ten years.

Known as Vision Zero, it’s an initiative being pushed by several advocacy groups who say that the growing number of traffic-related deaths in Indianapolis is alarming and needs to be a priority. The initiative has caught the attention of City-County Councilors John Barth (D) and Andy Nielsen (D).

“The plan is to set an expectation and a vision that we can eliminate traffic deaths by 2035 by paneling a cross-functional team of community leaders, councilors, and other experts to come up with an actual plan that we can attach budget dollars to every year,” Barth said.

Put a little more simply, the plan is to create a 15-person task force of experts and stakeholders in the city in order to shape infrastructure changes and policy changes and implement roadway strategies in order to cut down the number of people killed in traffic incidents.

The task force would host public meetings to gather community input as well.

“Now is the time to act. We also need to add that this is a solvable problem. This isn’t something that is just a lofty goal. This can be achieved. It’s just going to take implementation and action,” said Nielson.

The plan did not elicit any reaction from the five Republicans on the council, although some on social media have expressed concerns about what this may do to one’s ability to drive their own car, especially in downtown Indy.

The plan is similar to those already being implemented in places like Hoboken, New Jersey and Denver, Colorado.

“Proposal 224 reflects what other cities and municipalities have done in eliminating traffic fatalities and crashes that involve serious bodily injury,” Nielsen said. “So we need to continue to be vigilant in how we’re addressing this in the upcoming budget process but we have seen the need to act now.”

The proposal to create the task force will soon be discussed in the city-county council’s Public Works Committee. If approved by the committee on July 18th it will be considered by the full council at their next meeting. The goal of supporters like Indy Pedestrian Safety Crisis, which is a group of activists, is to have the task force put together by October so it can begin putting together a Vision Zero plan to roll out by July 1st of next year.

The post Indy Leaders Look At Plan To “Eliminate” Traffic Deaths appeared first on WIBC 93.1 FM .