CDC gives Indy grant to make city more walkable
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A statewide effort is starting to make Indianapolis more walkable.
The spring board for the project is a $135,000 grant from the Centers of Disease Control. Starting April 1, a coalition of local and statewide agencies are coming together to put together a pedestrian plan for Indianapolis and launch a campaign to promote walking. The grant will fund a 15-month program to get the effort started, but leaders say much more work needs to be done.
“Really as we look largely around the city particularly in the outer townships, much of the infrastructure does need to be improved in order to make it safe and accessible,” Kim Irwin, Executive Director of Health by Design, said.
Irwin said there are really two big reasons for having sidewalks. The first is health. One in three adults in Marion County is overweight or obese. The second is safety.
24-Hour News 8 checked with IMPD and they said just last year alone there were more than 300 pedestrian-involved crashes and 18 of those were deadly.
Irwin said there will be several chances for the public to weigh in on where sidewalks are needed the most. To learn more about Health by Design or to contact them about the project, click here.
The City of Columbus, Indiana also received a grant fromt he CDC for $125,000.