Vision Zero Task Force Meeting of June 25, 2025: Draft Action Plan Presented
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Vision Zero Task Force Meeting: Draft Action Plan Presented
On June 25, 2025, the Indianapolis Vision Zero Task Force met at the City-County Building to review the draft Vision Zero Action Plan, hear from the new Vision Zero Administrator, and discuss next steps. Chair John Barth opened the meeting, emphasizing the importance of community engagement and a data-driven approach.
Presentation of the Draft Action Plan
Maria Cantrell of Burgess & Niple presented the draft Action Plan, which includes 25 strategies and 75 action items. Key data points:
- The High Injury Network comprises 5% of city streets (approximately 200 miles) and accounts for 43% of fatal and serious injury crashes.
- A High Risk Network was developed proactively based on roadway characteristics, speed limits, and vulnerable road user data.
- Transportation Impacted Neighborhoods were identified using census block data on zero-car households, poverty, race/ethnicity, disability, limited English proficiency, and age.
- Interactive maps are available online via the city's Vision Zero landing page.
Community Engagement Results
Mark McAlevy (CEO of Health by Design) and his team conducted 19 in-person pop-up events across every township, engaging 286 people in person, plus flyers at 7 additional events. An online survey garnered 339 responses, for a total of over 600 participants.
Survey results:
- Current modes: Most use personal vehicles, but many also walk, bike, or use transit.
- Preferred modes if conditions improved: Increased interest in biking and transit; less desire to drive.
- Top safety concerns: Pedestrian infrastructure, lack of separated bike lanes, high-traffic roads/intersections, speeding/aggressive driving, lighting.
- Priority for limited resources: Pedestrian infrastructure, traffic calming, intersection improvements, bike lanes, and enforcement.
- 490 survey participants provided 1,487 map comments, with the most common being intersection/pedestrian crossing improvements, dangerous driver behavior, and sidewalk improvements.
Discussion Items
- New Vision Zero Administrator LeAndre Level introduced himself, noting he has been in the role for a little over a month and has begun coordinating with departments. He emphasized that the Action Plan is a living document and that achieving Vision Zero by 2035 requires will and funding.
- Councilor John Barth highlighted the need to align the plan with resources, noting upcoming budget constraints due to state property tax reform. He cited the recent allocation of $500,000 for the Fatal Crash Review Team as an example of progress.
- Councilor Neil Nielsen stressed the data-driven nature of the plan and the importance of the safe system approach, which includes enforcement and education alongside infrastructure.
- Controller Abby Hansen acknowledged the financial challenges ahead and noted that the plan's phased approach allows time to prioritize funding.
- DPW Director Todd Wilson welcomed Level and thanked consultants. He noted that DPW already works on safety projects like the Nickel Plate Trail and Kessler Boulevard road diet.
- Mark McAlevy shared personal experiences with traffic danger and emphasized the trauma in the community, urging continued commitment.
- Other task force members expressed support and noted the collaborative nature of the effort.
Key Outcomes
- The draft Action Plan is already posted online; public comment will open on July 1, 2025, via an online form.
- A more comprehensive final document (20–30 pages) with full methodology and narrative will be released in fall 2025.
- Implementation can begin immediately, with LeAndre Level working on integrating Vision Zero into existing projects and identifying funding sources (e.g., SS4A grants, state funding, Complete Streets modifications).
- The task force will hold one more meeting later in 2025 to formally adopt the Action Plan.
No votes were taken at this meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Okay. We're gonna kick off this meeting of the Vision Zero Task Force. I have some opening remarks to make. Before I do that, I'm going to ask members of the task force to introduce themselves. Damon, why don't we start uh with you and work our way around? I'm Damon Richards. Citizen Representative I'm Mark McAlevy, the CEO of Health by Design and the Indiana Public Health Association. Addison. Hi everyone, Addison Pollock, Director of Community Engagement with AERP Indiana. Abby Abby Hansen, City Controller. Afternoon, Todd Wilson, Director of Department of Public Works. Ernest Malone, Indianapolis Fire Department. Good afternoon, Lucas Kneekamp with Marion Kenny Prosecutor's Office. Carmen Lethig, Deputy Director at Department of Metropolitan Development. Derek Cahill, City County Council. And I'm John Barth, represent District 7 on the City County Council in have the honor of chairing this committee. Task Force members. We have been given a task, and that is from Channel 16 to make sure if you make comments you speak into the microphone. Okay, so there's a lot that has happened since this last meeting, and I'm really excited about what we're going to present today and uh where the work of uh this important um task force is. Um we have the when we have um our presentation um from our consultants, you will see um that we have an initial draft of the um action plan and uh we will meet our vision zero administrator uh who who is now with us and um we'll be getting an overview of all the great work that has been done out in the community. I'll have more to say about that when we get to that point, but um the uh the work that um our friends at Health by Design have done um with multiple um pop-up um events all around the city has been incredibly impressive, and I think when you see the numbers you'll see how many people um who probably would want to weigh in um on the work we're doing here but wouldn't normally have done that or understood the pathway to do that is uh is really uh impressive and has informed this first draft of the um of the uh action plan. So just a technical note. The ordinance does require for us to adopt the action plan by 7-1. So I'm gonna take um uh some uh benefit of being the chair and delay that formal adoption because today is the first time we'll be socializing the action plan and we need to make sure that people um have the opportunity to weigh in on the action plan and its results. So that to me is um really important that the um action plan uh Leandre, give me a thumbs up, is already posted on our on our web page. Oh it'll be posted on July 1st, thank you. So we'll be getting an overview of it today. It will be posted on July 1st, and then there will be a public comment um document so folks will have the opportunity to review it, dig into it, weigh it, um, uh assess the um proposed um interventions that have been listed in the action plan, and then we'll have a meaningful period for um people to comment on it, make recommendations to um weigh in at weigh in on it just in general. So that's coming up on um July 1st. So um with that, we can go ahead and start jumping into the agenda. Uh the first thing I would like to do is pass it on to our Vision Zero administrator. I do want to thank our friends at DPW who have done um uh a very thorough uh process of looking for and identifying um uh vision zero administer. We were fortunate to have a lot of great applicants. And it took them some time to sort through that. And at the end of it, we ended up having just an A plus candidate and now employee of the city to be the Vision Zero administrator. And I can tell you, and I'm sure other folks on the task force who have been working with Leandre can tell you he has jumped in with both feet uh very quickly. So we're very happy to have him with us. So Leandre, can I pass it over to you to do a quick introduction? Great. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Again, sorry, quick clarification. My apologies might have got ahead of you. The the proposal is actually online now. I apologize. But the uh public uh online form for public comment and feedback will be available on July 1. My apologies. Okay, thank you for that clarification. So anyone who wants to go and go ahead and dig into the details on this, it's already there. Yes, sir.
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