At least 10 pedestrians hit in last 4 days in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The danger of being a pedestrian on the streets of Indianapolis has been on display in the last few days: 10 pedestrians hit across the city.

One pedestrian died Monday on East Washington Street.

Now, we’re hearing from city leaders and potential future leaders about how they’ll fix the problem.

Thirty-nine of the 61 candidates running for either mayor or Indianapolis City-County Council seats recently responded to a questionnaire sent by the group Indianapolis Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Crisis. The group advocates for improvements to roadways to increase pedestrian safety.

Every candidate got the same survey, 19 questions in five categories. It asked candidates about specific policy changes they support, how they would budget to cover the cost of improving pedestrian safety, and which forms of pedestrian travel they themselves engage in. Their responses are posted online.

Cam Walton is a runner and a manager of a running-shoe store. He did not know that at least 10 pedestrians had been hit in the last four days alone, with one being fatal.

“It’s not surprising, it’s not,” Walton said, because of his own experiences as a runner when he encounters cars. “If you cross an intersection, you don’t know if they see you or not. I’d say two to three times on an average run, that would happen.”

Walton told I-Team 8 he cares how politicians responded to the questions. “I think it shows people care and are willing to make a change, because something needs to change.”