INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indy Pedestrian Safety Crisis is urging the city to do more to protect pedestrians and bikers after it tracked the highest number of crashes since the organization started in May 2022.

According to the group’s website and social media accounts, Indy Pedestrian Safety Crisis’ role is to “track incidents and fatalities involving pedestrians and bicyclists.”

The page says there were 77 total crashes involving pedestrians and bikers in April. Five of those crashes were fatal.

Eric Holt founded the page to collect and understand this data. The website explains that all crash data is aggregated from 911 calls about a pedestrian or bicyclist crash with a vehicle. That data started on May 7, 2022.

The data on fatalities is manually tracked and verified. That data set stared on January 1, 2022.

“We’re continuing to see these numbers going up and we’re not even to the height of summer yet which is when we saw the worst of the summer last year,” Holt said. “So, that’s definitely really concerning as to how bad is the summer going to be.”

Holt said the city could look to Milwaukee and implement lower-cost changes now ,and work on larger-scale projects over the next few years.

Holt said examples include restriping roads to have narrower lanes, adding sidewalk bump-outs so cars turn slower, and strictly enforcing traffic laws.

“They’re not spending a ton of money to do it,” Holt said. “We’re constantly hearing that funding is problematic. We don’t have the funds to do these things, and my response to that would be, ‘What are the costs of 107 human lives?’ Because that’s how many people we’ve lost since this project started tracking this data.”

Starting in July 2023., the number of crashes has increased for that month as compared to the month in the previous year, according to ‘Indy Pedestrian Safety Crisis’ data.

The Indianapolis Department of Public Works sent News 8 this statement highlighting improvements the city is making this year, and explaining the Fatal Crash Review team which serves to help understand and find solutions to problem areas on the road.

“The COVID-19 pandemic increased reckless driving, but it also changed the way we use our infrastructure – people began walking, cycling, using trails more, and that has shifted the way that infrastructure needs to be designed and maintained in our city.

In 2024, Indy DPW is adding more than more than 17 miles of new trails to the City’s trail network as part of Mayor Joe Hogsett’s five-year, $1.1 billion capital construction program, which includes $50 million dedicated to trails as a result of the Circle City Forward initiative and a funding award from the Lilly Endowment. Additionally, utilizing the City’s Complete Streets Policy, Indy DPW is transforming roadways to accommodate all road users.

Bike and pedestrian infrastructure programmed in the 2024 construction season includes:

• 21 miles of new bike lanes.
• 84 new signalized intersections.
• 17 miles of new trails – including the 10.3 mile Nickel Plate Trail and expansion of the Cultural Trail along South St and Indiana Ave.
• 1,053 new crosswalks.
• 25.5 miles of sidewalk construction.
• 2,232 new ADA ramps.

Indy DPW is committed to exploring creative solutions utilizing existing tools in our toolbox to address resident concerns as part of a continued effort to address bicycle and pedestrian safety, as well as an observed increase in traffic violations.

The Fatal Crash Review Team was formed as part of the 2022 update to the Complete Streets Policy to review fatal collisions and assess infrastructure that can be updated to prevent future crashes. The commission consists of a sworn IMPD member appointed by the chief of police, an Indy DPW employee appointed by the director of public works (preferably a traffic engineer,) an Indy DMD employee appointed by the director of metropolitan development (preferably a transportation planner,) and two persons appointed by the City-County Council, at least one of which shall represent an organization which advocates on behalf of pedestrians and bicyclists.”

Indianapolis Department of Public Works