INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Roughly two people are hit by cars daily in Indianapolis, according to numbers compiled by the Indy Pedestrian Bicyclist Safety Crisis group.

Now, the group wants to know what candidates for city government are going to do about it.

Aaron Short is a bicycle mechanic who fixes bikes after people get in accidents with cars. “At least every two weeks, we see at least one.”

In 18 years of fixing bikes, Short has seen a range of injuries. “I’ve seen it as bad as death to casts, broken bones, broken bikes.”

The problem isn’t just bikes.

According to Indy Pedestrian Bicyclist Safety Crisis group, pedestrians and bikes were hit 453 times in 2022. Of those, 43 were deadly.

So far in 2023, the city has had 68 incidents with five deaths.

When Short sees those numbers, he said that he thinks about “a way to try and make it better.”

That’s one reason the pedestrian advocacy group sent questionnaires to every candidate running for city office, to see what they would do to improve safety.

“The simple fact is that nearly 2,000 miles of our roads in Indianapolis don’t have sidewalks, which means kids walking to the park or men and women trying to catch the bus to work end up having to walk in the road. I will be unveiling a bold new plan in the coming weeks to install miles of badly needed public sidewalks across Indianapolis and adopting a citywide safe sidewalks plan – particularly in neighborhoods and along school bus routes. I will also have plans to better protect cyclists in Indianapolis.”

State Rep. Robin Shackleford, a Democrat who is running for mayor of Indianapolis

“This issue combines two areas of our campaign platform, public safety and public works. Citizens should not have to worry when they go for a walk or bike ride. Part of my plan includes working with the legislature to dedicate a penny from either the sales tax on gasoline or gas tax to improve streets and sidewalks, so pedestrians and cyclists don’t have to worry while they are out and about. In addition, we should step up our efforts to apply for federal funding also to help alleviate the problem and make our streets, lanes and sidewalks safer.

“And beyond ensuring we have the safe infrastructure to support pedestrians and cyclists, habitual traffic offenders must be taken seriously – all too often, the one behind the wheel in these situations is a driver with a history of DUIs and other traffic violations. I will use the mayor’s office to build bridges between public safety and criminal justice stakeholders and advocate for meaningful accountability for those who have demonstrated a dangerous recklessness that jeopardizes our pedestrians and cyclists.”

Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, a Republican running for mayor of Indianapolis

“Pedestrian and cyclist safety is a concern that the Council shares with our constituents and my colleagues and I are committed to ensuring that our city streets are safe for everyone. That is why in June 2022, we passed Proposal 175, 2022, which updated the City’s ‘complete streets’ ordinance. Some of the updates included enhanced transparency in the planning process, more accountability, and the establishment of the Fatal Crash Review Team. We also worked with Mayor Hogsett to approve $443 million for 2023 capital projects for the Department of Public Works, which includes funding for new sidewalks, upgrades to new sidewalks, and trails like Pogues Run Trail and Nickel Plate Trail. One of the city’s largest on-street bicycle infrastructure projects will soon be taking place in my district on West Michigan Street. This will include improved sidewalks, reduced travel lanes, and better connectivity, which the area has historically not seen before. Everyone deserves to make it safely to their next destination, whether they are carpooling, riding their bike, walking, or taking the bus. I look forward to continuing to engage with constituents regarding pedestrian safety.”

Vop Osili, president of the Indianapolis City-County Council and a Democrat seeking reelection to the council

“As a commuter that cycles to work most days, safety and infrastructure are at the forefront of my vision.  As someone who helps parent two young children that don’t even have sidewalks reaching the school they attend, I have to ask how this happened in our city.

I have volunteered and led events for the most prominent cycling activist group in town, BikeParty Indianapolis.  We see the streets up close.  We have to plan safe routes to take people through the city, as the streets are unsafe. 

As a board member of the Citizens Alliance for Public Safety, I speak to officers, and they feel this administration has restricted them from doing the policing that should be done to keep the roads safe.

We need protected bike lanes, we need sidewalks for every school and to fix the crumbling infrastructure in the neighborhoods most other politicians won’t step into.  We need to empower officers to enforce the rules of the road and make it clear that unsafe driving will result in not only tickets but vehicles being taken away from repeat offenders.

We can do this simply by allocating the money we have now by planning better and requiring accountability from the Department of Public Works.”

Clifford Marsiglio, a Democrat who is running for mayor of Indianapolis

If your summer plans include going to the beach or other outdoor activities, there are a few safety factors you’ll want to keep in mind. Firefighter Tim joined us today with tips to help keep you and your kids stay safe and healthy this season. Watch the video above for all the details.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Kids are heading back to school this week amidst a country in mourning over two mass shootings –one in El Paso, Texas, and another in Dayton, Ohio — that killed 31 people over the weekend.

The El Paso shooting that killed 22 people happened at a Walmart where many families were doing back-to-school shopping.

Central Indiana is about two hours away from Dayton, where a shooting killed nine people in a popular nightlife area early Sunday morning.

Mathias Beier, associate professor of pastoral theology and mental health counseling at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, strongly suggests that parents speak with their kids if they fear for their safety.

“They might say that they don’t feel like going to school or have a more depressed mood, or they might be more quiet than usual after this happened,” Beier said.

According to Beier, it’s not uncommon for children to think of the possibilities of a tragedy happening locally as a reality.

“We want to reassure kids that basically the world is safe,” said Beier. “The way we create our world here. We cannot do anything about the larger political world out there.”

Beier believes that mental health issues are not the only problems leading to these tragedies, adding it can have an impact on children who suffer with mental health issues.

“They might need to be held, they might need to have hugs and be reassured you know, ‘I love you.’ That’s really important,” he said.

Beier also said that bullying is a common factor that could lead to violence at school and recommends parents talk with their kids.

“Among friends, you can point out, you know, ‘That wasn’t cool what you did’ and to not reward that behavior,” Beier said.

If your child’s behavior of anxiety and fear continues, he recommends speaking with a counselor.