INDIANAPOLIS — On Aug. 12, 2024, the Indianapolis City-County Council passed a Vision Zero plan.
The goal of the proposal is to eliminate all pedestrian and cyclist fatalities in the city by 2035.
Vision Zero plans have made positive impacts in other cities, including ones similar to Indianapolis.
The city has seen a rise in the number of people killed by drivers since the COVID-19 pandemic.
In July, the Vision Zero proposal was unveiled. It passed through the Public Works committee and onto the full council.
It was already budgeted into Mayor Joe Hogsett's 2025 budget, even before the council had its final vote on the proposal.
"We need to keep up this work until no one loses a family member or neighbor to preventable traffic crashes," said Hogsett, while unveiling his 2025 budget proposal.
But now that the plan has passed, what happens next?
A Vision Zero Task Force
The first step will be appointing a Vision Zero Administration position by Jan. 1, 2025. This person will be a full-time, dedicated manager for the Vision Zero project and its goals.
Then, the 15-member Vision Zero Task Force will be created. Eight members will be appointed by the council president, and the other seven will be appointed by the mayor.
Three of the council president's picks will be members of the City-County Council, including one minority party member. Other selections will represent:
- "The older adult community"
- "A local advocacy organization"
- "The county prosecutor's office"
- "The recreational cycling community"
- "A public school corporation in Marion County"
The mayor's seven appointments will include representatives for:
- "The Department of Public Works"
- "The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department"
- "The Department of Metropolitan Development"
- "The Department of Business and Neighborhood Services"
- "The Indianapolis Fire Department"
- "The Office of Financial Management"
- "The Indianapolis Public Transit Authority"
Public meetings
By Oct. 1, the task force will hold its first public meeting.
The task force will hold at least two public meetings every year, with help from support staff through the administrator.
Progress will be reported to the City-County Council every quarter and posted on a new webpage to be added to the city website.
Why Vision Zero?
According to data from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization, pedestrian fatalities in the city increased by 25% from 2020 to 2023. There were also more than 300 reported incidents involving cyclists in the past three years, many resulting in serious injuries.
The Indy Pedestrian Safety Crisis website tracks pedestrian incidents and fatalities. By July 19, they had tracked 23 pedestrians and cyclists killed by drivers in Marion County.
They sent letters to City-County councilors before the Aug. 12 meeting, urging them to support the Vision Zero proposal.