Speeding, street racing among majority of complaints to City-County councilors
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A few Indianapolis City-County Council members have major concerns about the increase in speeding they are seeing in their districts.
Councilor John Barth who represents District 7 said he receives complaints about dangerous driving daily.
“With the exception of protests this summer, it’s the No. 1 driver of complaints I’ve gotten over the past few months,” Barth said.
Barth said the issue began at the height of the pandemic and since then neighbors in his district have dealt with property damage, injuries and death. He said the issue is bigger than just speeding, he and neighbors have witnessed racing on city streets.
Just this week, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department added a motorcycle officer to patrol Illinois Street. An area president of the Butler-Tarkington Neighborhood Association, Bryan Bradford, said he has witnessed people driving from 70-80 mph.
“We have had one fatality there on 38th and Cornelius night before last and then a fatality on 38th and Washington boulevard about a month and a half ago,” Bradford said.
Barth said he has heard from neighbors that IMPD’s efforts have helped, but unfortunately dangerous drivers don’t discriminate districts.
“I think it is to some degree a balloon that IMPD pushes, on the balloon at Madison then some of the bad actors head up here and start going up Michigan or MLK (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street), that gets pressed on they head to Lawrence,” he said.
Lawrence was the sight of a deadly crash over the weekend. Two brothers ages 11 and 15 crossed North Post Road and were hit by a car; the 11 year old was killed. The crash sparked the attention of Indianapolis City-County councilors La Keisha Jackson and Keith Graves who said, in part, “We implore motorists in our Districts and across the city to slow down and be extra careful to look out for your neighbors on foot or bicycles. Doing so can reduce the number of preventable and senseless accidents and help other families avoid this type of tragedy.”
Barth said there are two signs around the city that show drivers how fast they’re going. He is working with neighbors in Butler-Tarkington and Meridian-Kessler to find money to pay for their own.