Crash Analysis Studio: Deadly design threatens state’s premier greenway
Crash Analysis Studio: Deadly design threatens state’s premier greenway
The intersection of East 86th St. and the Monon trail in Indianapolis, Indiana. 5 people were struck and killed within a mile of this site in 2021 alone.
Crash Analysis Panel produces recommendations to repair deadly intersection
[INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA] — Indianapolis residents teamed up with local and national transportation experts Friday, Jan. 27 to perform an in-depth analysis of the intersection of the Monon Trail with East 86th St. This is the site where, one October morning in 2021, a driver struck and killed 69-year-old Frank Radaker, fixture of the local cycling community.
The team produced a list of recommendations that will, if implemented, make the intersection in question safer for cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists. It was released Monday.
During the hour-long studio, which resembled a medical review panel, participants repeatedly highlighted how the current signage and signaling scheme at the intersection fails to indicate the presence of a major trail system crossing.
“Traffic lights, telephone wires, and business signage all draw the driver’s gaze upward, away from where people will cross,” Edward Erfurt, Director of Community Action at Strong Towns, observed. “This resulted in an environment where motorists might not realize someone is in their path until they’ve already struck them.”
“There’s a lot of apathy in this intersection. There’s apathy in the way it’s been designed.”
Other recommendations for the crossing included consolidating the many access points to nearby establishments, narrowing travel lanes, and widening the crosswalk.
The panel comprised Connie Szabo Schmucker, an Indianapolis resident and cycling advocate who lost a coworker at the same intersection; Melany Alliston, a civil engineer with Toole Design; Matt Duffy, an engineer for IndyGo, Damon Richards, Executive Director of Bike Indianapolis, Edward Erfurt, Director of Community Action at Strong Towns, and Charles Marohn, retired engineer and president of Strong Towns.
“The standard way of handling these incidents is to go out, clean up the mess, and point blame at somebody. The Crash Analysis Studio is a model anyone, from any community, can apply to dig deeper and prevent further tragedy on their streets.”
“This studio is an impactful way for us to approach a crash—particularly a fatal crash,” Marohn said. “The standard way of handling these incidents is to go out, clean up the mess, and point blame at somebody. The Crash Analysis Studio is a model anyone, from any community, can apply to dig deeper and prevent further tragedy on their streets.”
Download the Crash Analysis Studio Recommendations Document here.
Find documents and images used in the Crash Analysis Studio here.
Press Contact:
Lauren Fisher
lauren@strongtowns.org
844-218-1681
Published Feb. 21, 2023
Find documents, images, and reports from the Crash Analysis Studio here.