INDIANAPOLIS -- A neighborhood on Indianapolis' east side is taking traffic safety into its own hands by partnering with the city to install temporary traffic calming measures.
The Little Flower neighborhood near 13th and Bosart Avenue has placed tactical urbanism projects around several intersections to address complaints about drivers running stop signs and speeding through residential streets.
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Indianapolis neighborhood uses tactical urbanism to slow speeding drivers
"We were hearing a lot of complaints from neighbors about people blowing through stop signs, unsafe speeds," said Jakob Morales with the Little Flower Neighborhood Association.
Video captured by the neighborhood association shows a car running through stop signs in the area.
"This is the 13th Street Neighbor way, and it's supposed to be a planned pedestrian cyclist route, but nothing has really been done, and so we wanted to bring more attention to that," Morales said.
The tactical urbanism project aims to improve safety for all road users while demonstrating the need for permanent infrastructure solutions.
One neighbor expressed support for the initiative, saying it would help children in the area and encourage drivers to slow down.
"We've seen reduced cases of people just blowing through the stop sign at high rates of speed because the intersection is more clear. People can see the stop signs or people trying to cross," Morales said.
The urbanism project is part of the Indianapolis Department of Public Works' broader effort to improve pedestrian safety citywide through the Community Powered Infrastructure program. The initiative allows residents to work directly with the city to implement changes in their neighborhoods.
The program includes three components:
Indianapolis Neighborhood Infrastructure PartnershipTactical Urbanism Art in the Right-of-Way
Similar projects are being implemented throughout Indianapolis.
"Safety for everyone, for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians alike, we want to decrease the number of conflicts that are even possible on the roadways as we look to achieve Vision Zero," Kyle Bloyd with the Indianapolis Department of Public Works said.
Morales emphasized that the project is not a complete solution to traffic safety concerns.
"This isn't a one size fits all solution. This isn't a silver bullet. It's going to take a range of solutions in order to increase safety and prevent people from blowing stop signs," Morales said.
The Little Flower Neighborhood Association said it received a $2500 grant from the Indiana Department of Health to add bike racks, which will be installed around the neighborhood.
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Adam Schumes is the In Your Community reporter for East Side Indy. He joined WRTV in December of 2021. Adam has a passion for telling stories and giving people a voice they might not have had before. Share your story ideas and important issues with Adam by emailing him at [email protected].