Irvington 'Neighborhood Walk Audit' aims to make sure students have safe routes

INDIANAPOLIS — Irvington neighbors spent Sunday morning walking their streets to make sure kids have safe routes to walk and bike to school.

The Neighborhood Walk Audit was organized by Safe Routes to School Irvington.

“There’s a lot of schools in Irvington and there’s a lot of kids. There’s a lot of pedestrian traffic as well and we want to make sure it’s safe for everyone,” Michelle Pleasant, PTSA president and organizer of the event, said.

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During the audit, volunteers checked for things like cross walk and signal timings, infrastructure issues, driver habits and other safety concerns.

“What is the posted speed limit, are drivers following that speed limit? Are the cross walks marked appropriately? Is it amount of time marked at this intersection enough time for people to cross?” Pleasant said.

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Every school in Irvington and all community members were invited to participate.

The data collected will be used to write a Safe Routes to School Policy for Irvington that will be shared with schools, families and city leaders.

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“The plan is not just data collection or asking the city to make changes, it’s also about educating students and families on how to safely get to school,” Pleasant said.