INDIANAPOLIS — Recently, Anna Brochhausen IPS School #88 joined schools worldwide in celebrating International Walk to School Day and highlighting October as Pedestrian Safety Month.
Approximately 30 students from IPS #88 walked or rolled to school, accompanied by parents, teachers, and community leaders, including representatives from Bike Indianapolis, Health by Design, and the Marion County Public Health Department.
“Walk to School Day is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the importance of safe, accessible routes for children and youth walking in our neighborhood,” said Leslie Schulte, Community Heights neighborhood leader and advocate. “It’s exciting to see our school celebrating for the third year in a row, showing the lasting commitment to safer streets and stronger community connections.”
Schulte’s leadership in the tactical urbanism space has resulted in a success story on 10th Street that was recently featured in the Smart Growth America blog.
It has also been announced that Indy DPW is in the beginning phases of a project that aims to make 10th St. between Arlington and Emerson safer for both drivers and pedestrians. Last year, a months-long tactical urbanism project along 10th, including barriers in the middle turn lanes and protective barriers along the bike lanes, was shown to significantly reduce speeding and improve pedestrian safety. A study done after the barriers were removed noted a 73% decline in crashes between August 1 and October 31. The average driving speed along East 10th dropped to 34-26 mph from 40 mph. The area is mainly residential, with many walkers and bikers. The Community Heights Neighborhood Organization spent nearly $150,000 on the project. Next year, the city will begin the design phase of a permanent solution on the same stretch of road, and will be seeking input from the community.
In addition to the traffic-calming project, the neighborhood also sought to slow down traffic in front of School #88 with painted murals on East 16th St. and additional lights to warn drivers to slow down. The brightly painted pavement was done by community volunteers, as well as parents and children who attend the school.
