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The following is a press release written by Anthony Cherolis for Central Indiana Cycling. INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, NOVEMBER 14, 2025 UPDATE - Tragically, Jeff Gillard, the pedestrian struck by a pickup truck on October 13th, will be removed from life support on Saturday, November 15th. That will make it three fatalities and two critical injuries on this half mile stretch of Raymond Street in 2025. Jeff’s wife, Tracy Gillard, will be attending the World Day of Remembrance Memorial. On November 16, 2025, communities across the U.S. and around the globe will observe World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, a time to honor those killed and injured in traffic crashes and to call on leaders to prioritize safety in their policies and street designs to prevent further tragedies. Central Indiana Cycling and Health By Design organized a local event including crash survivors, grieving families, elected leaders, public agency representatives, and advocates. The Indy event will be a memorial walk on Raymond Street from Shelby Street to State Street to draw attention to actions needed to prevent traffic deaths and serious injuries. WHEN & WHERE: Sunday, November 16, 2025, 1:00 pm at the intersection of Raymond and Shelby Streets - Residents will gather in the Safeway parking lot across from the IndyGo bus station. WHAT: Local leaders, residents, and family members that have experienced or been impacted by a severe injury or fatal crash in Indy will be invited to speak. After the speakers, the group will proceed with a walk along Raymond Street, placing memorial signs at crash locations. Central Indiana Cycling will have a table with free bike lights, reflective tape, and backpack reflective tags available to residents, bus riders, and bike riders in the area. City County Council Members Hart and Nielsen have confirmed attendance, as well as State Representative Mitch Gore and representatives from the Bean Creek and Garfield Park Neighborhood Associations. BACKGROUND: World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is a global event held every third Sunday of November to remember those who have lost their lives or been impacted by roadway crashes – and to call for actions to improve roadway safety. In the U.S. each year, an estimated 40,000 people in the U.S. lose their lives in traffic crashes, at least one-third of which are estimated to involve dangerous speeds. This year’s World Day of Remembrance in Indy will be held on Raymond Street. The half mile between Shelby Street and State Street is a snapshot of just one dangerous street in Marion County. Here are a few signs that will be placed during the memorial walk: On Feb 13th, 2025 at the Raymond Street I-65 off-ramp crosswalk, Dillan Lee Rogers was struck and killed by the driver of a F-350 truck. Dillan was shown on video to have the right of way in the crosswalk and the driver was charged with driving while intoxicated. Dillan had two children. On May 7th, 2025 at State Street, a speeding driver in a Dodge Charger blew through a red light on Raymond St striking a bicycle rider and killing their 4-year-old in a bicycle trailer. The father was hospitalized with critical injuries. A second vehicle was also struck by the Charger, putting a woman into the hospital with critical injuries. That driver fled the scene and was later arrested. On Oct 13th, 2025 at Raymond and Shelby St, Jeff Gillard received critical injuries when he was struck by the driver of a white pickup truck that initially left the scene. Jeff was crossing the street on his way to the bus stop for his commute to work Downtown. This year’s theme for World Day of Remembrance is Safe Speeds Save Lives, focusing on the need to use effective – but under-used – tools to discourage dangerously high speeds, such as designing streets for safer travel, lowering speed limits and deploying proven technologies, such as speed safety cameras and Intelligent Speed Assist. Reducing speeds by even modest amounts can significantly improve safety, especially for people who are more physically vulnerable, such as kids, seniors, and people walking and biking. Research shows that a reduction of 1 mph in average speed is associated with a 5% reduction in crashes. Recent experiences in U.S. communities – such as these and these – show how reducing traffic deaths and injuries is possible when safety is prioritized over speed. Locally, residents and advocates are pushing for a safer design for Raymond Street, safer walking and biking connections to Indy’s Southside, and meaningful funding for the city’s soon to be released Vision Zero Plan. Quotes: Rich Whitney from the Garfield Park Neighborhood Association said, “Raymond Street has turned into a speedway with too many drivers not paying attention to the lights. It used to be mainly Friday and Saturday nights, but now at any hour of the day or night high speed motorcycles and race-tuned cars tear through Pleasant Run, the Park, Raymond St, and our neighborhood streets. We’ve seen blocks of 125 year old bridges knocked out overnight, cars left in the creek, side-swiped cars, and sections of Garfield Park driven through. During rush hour, cars cut through the north part of our neighborhood, blowing through stop signs and taking turns at 35-40 mph. We don’t want to see anyone else hurt or killed here. Increased police presence, a traffic calming redesign, and speed humps on East and South Garfield would help tremendously!” Debbie Conway, Bean Creek Neighborhood President said, "The Bean Creek Neighborhood Association is heartbroken by the tragic death of 4-year-old Alan Maracelo Salas-Garcia. His father was critically injured when a careless driver ran a red light, hitting their bicycle and trailer. Sadly, this same vehicle also caused harm to another driver nearby. The Raymond Street corridor, where the crash occurred, is known to be one of the most dangerous streets in our city. This area is particularly risky, as a bicycle rider was previously killed near the I-65 off ramp. In light of this recent tragedy, the Bean Creek neighbors are coming together to find ways to make the streets safer for everyone - drivers, bike riders, and pedestrians alike.” City County Councilor Michael-Paul Hart’s district (#20) includes a section of Raymond Street and he said, “On World Day of Remembrance, we honor neighbors lost to traffic incidents and recommit to safer streets in District 20 and across Indy through proven steps like slower speeds, better crossings, and smarter design. I’ll keep working with our partners to turn data into action so every person can walk, bike, and drive home safely.” City County Councilor John Barth (District #7) sponsored the 2024 Vision Zero Ordinance and chairs the Vision Zero Task Force. Last week he co-sponsored a World Day of Remembrance special resolution and says, “The World Day of Remembrance is a solemn reminder of the lives lost on our streets and the need for change. As chair of the City’s Vision Zero Task Force, I’m proud that Indianapolis will soon have its first comprehensive plan to guide our work toward eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries.” City County Councilor Jesse Brown (District #13) co-sponsored the World Day of Remembrance special resolution and said, "The people of Indianapolis deserve safe streets. Our public safety budgets have never been larger, yet more vulnerable road users than ever are dying on our streets. We cannot tolerate the status quo that treats predictable death and injury as unpreventable tragedies; this is a systemic problem that requires systemic solutions. I am committed to achieving the goal of preventing deaths and serious injuries for drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and everyone else on our streets by 2035, and will continue pushing to more urgently take steps towards this goal." Resources: Indy World Day of Remembrance Facebook Event, Nov 16 Indy World Day of Remembrance Information World Day of Remembrance - US Indy Pedestrian Safety Crisis Social Media Tags: @centralINcycling @HealthbyDesign #VisionZero #WorldDayOfRemembrance #DangerousByDesign #TrafficCalming #Roundabouts Press Contacts: Anthony Cherolis Executive Director Central Indiana Cycling 860-204-2704 director@centralincycling.org Ashlyn Devine Director of Advocacy & Grants Health by Design 812-760-1003 adevine@hbdin.org |
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PRESS RELEASE: Indy Residents Rally for Safer Speeds, Preventing Traffic Deaths & Injuries
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