Indy asks residents: What makes your commute unsafe?

Several boards sit on a table with pegs to hang rubber bands and rings at a recent community pop-up event at Riverside Park. Each board asks a question letting participants share how they travel, what makes them feel unsafe when commuting and traffic priorities they feel should be invested in.

The interactive display is part of an effort to bring Indianapolis residents into the conversation that will shape Vision Zero — a national initiative to reduce traffic related injuries and deaths that the city launched its own version of last year.

The survey aims to pinpoint dangerous areas for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

Health by Design partnered with the city to document how people are traveling in Indianapolis and issues that they may experience. Responses will be compiled to create an action plan for Vision Zero.

People can share their input through an online survey and map as well as at community in-person events.

Taylor Firestine is the walk and bike program coordinator with Health by Design. He said the group is trying to meet people where they are.

“We really just want to hear from the residents of Indianapolis who are really their own experts of their own neighborhoods, so they’re going to know, you know, right away, what the issues are,” Firestine said.

The Indy Pedestrian Safety Crisis is a local group that tracks pedestrian and cyclist traffic incidents in the city. In 2024, it reported 832 non-fatal incidents and 41 fatalities. Vision Zero was established following its passage by the City-County Council last August. The task force is supposed to create a plan of action by July 1.

“We know that crashes are becoming a bigger issue in our community,” Firestine said. “We’ve seen the data over the last few years, and so this project is really going to take the support of everyone in the community, not just our elected officials.”

He said responses have been positive to the Vision Zero initiative that city leaders have stated it will take years to implement.

Firestine said more community events are planned and public comment will be accepted through the end of the April.

Contact WFYI All Things Considered newscaster and reporter Samantha Horton at shorton@wfyi.org or on Signal at SamHorton.05.