A new initiative by the Indianapolis Metro Police Department and Health by Design aims to improve the safety of both pedestrians and drivers in the downtown area.
Over the next few months, IMPD officers will be monitoring eight busy intersections and looking for drivers failing to yield or stop for pedestrians who have the right of way.
One such intersection is at College Avenue and Mass Ave. Gregory Gilmore lives and works near the intersection, and says he often sees drivers putting pedestrians at risk.
"Specifically at this intersection, the people who are turning from northbound College onto Mass Ave, they aren't mindful of the crosswalk and the pedestrian going through," Gilmore said. "The pedestrians normally have the walk signal on when the light is green for the northbound college folks."
Kim Irwin, executive director of Health by Design, hopes the initiative will be a step towards educating drivers and pedestrians.
"Downtown has by far the highest number of pedestrian crashes across the city," Irwin says. She adds that 16 percent of all pedestrian crashes in Marion County happen downtown, and 76 percent happen at an intersection. The most common reasons are drivers failing to yield to people walking, and pedestrians crossing the street without the right of way.
Irwin hopes the initiative will make downtown Indianapolis a safer place.
