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Advocates call for $35 million to implement Vision Zero road-safety measures starting in 2026
Summary
Bicycle and traffic‑safety advocates urged the council to allocate $35 million in the 2026 budget to implement Vision Zero actions immediately, saying concentrated investments could reduce crashes on the 15% of roads where most collisions occur.
Traffic‑safety advocates told the City‑County Council at the 2026 budget public hearing that the Vision Zero ordinance passed in 2024 lacks funding for implementation and pleaded for immediate resources to reduce traffic violence.
Connie Zabel Schmucker, advocacy director for Bicycle Garage Indy, said the 2025 budget funded only a Vision Zero administrator and that no action plan or implementation dollars appeared in the 2026 proposals. "We can't wait. People are getting injured and killed," she said, citing recent incidents and a week in which she said motorists struck 23 people walking or biking.
Zabel Schmucker urged the council to allocate $35,000,000 annually beginning in 2026 for a three-part program: $8,000,000 for quick-build safety changes that can be implemented immediately after crashes, $25,000,000 targeted at high‑crash corridors, and $2,000,000 to implement other Vision Zero plans. "You have the power to significantly decrease traffic violence. It's a solvable problem. What is needed are resources and political will to do so," she said.
Her testimony was offered as part of the budget public hearing; there was no formal council action recorded in the meeting transcript to commit funds. Advocates requested that the council and mayor prioritize allocation during budget negotiations so measures can be implemented without further delay.
