Advocates say Vision Zero needs funding now, ask council for $35 million annual investment

Advocates for traffic safety told the Indianapolis City–County Council during the 2026 budget public hearing that the Vision Zero ordinance passed in 2024 lacks funding for implementation and asked the council to allocate substantial resources starting in 2026.

Connie Zavo Schmucker, advocacy director for Bicycle Garage Indy, told the council the 2025 budget funded only a Vision Zero administrator and that the city has yet to produce a Vision Zero action plan. “Here we are with no Vision Zero action plan, no money in the 2026 budget to implement a forthcoming Vision Zero action plan,” Schmucker said. She outlined a funding proposal totaling $35,000,000 annually: $8,000,000 for quick fixes after crashes, $25,000,000 for investments in high‑crash corridors and $2,000,000 for other Vision Zero plan implementation.

Schmucker pointed to recent crash figures presented during her remarks, citing 23 people hit while biking or walking in the prior week and stating that crashes occur disproportionately on about 15% of the road network where 60% of crashes happen. She testified that the city knows where crashes concentrate and urged the council to provide resources immediately rather than wait for a completed action plan.

The transcript records detailed testimony and a named funding request but does not show that the council adopted any of the proposed amounts during the meeting. No formal motion to allocate Vision Zero funds to the 2026 budget was made on the floor during the hearing.

Schmucker and other advocates framed the ask as both moral and fiscal, saying investments would reduce injuries and deaths and likely lower long‑term costs tied to crashes and emergency response. The hearing record reflects strong public concern from traffic‑safety advocates; the council did not take formal action on the funding amounts at the session.