Permit
Before Speed Study – 10th and 16th St
10th St Renderings
16th St / Anna Brochhausen Renderings
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you with the city?
No. This project is being led by neighbors in the Community Heights Neighborhood Organization. We met with DPW’s engineering and maintenance divisions to secure a permit for this project under their tactical urbanism policy.
Where can I learn more about DPW’s tactical urbanism policy?
View DPW’s tactical urbanism policy
Where can I learn more about tactical urbanism and traffic calming in general?
We would recommend starting at the AARP’s website with their lovely and FREE booklet series. View all of the AARP booklets and/or order all or some of the the booklets.
We have specifically used the AARP’s Roadmap to Livability series, Community Engagement, and Creating Places That Pop! for this project.
Isn’t this illegal?
Nope. We have a permit for this project under Indy’s Department of Public Works Tactical Urbanism policy. Learn more about this policy.
Why don’t we just have cops come out and write tickets?
Great question! We got this suggestion several times during our two-year planning process. We researched many possible options to slow traffic down, and police presence does slow down cars and prevent reckless driving, while they are visible to drivers. In order to provide 24-hour police coverage on 10th St, Community Heights would have to raise $500,000 to provide for three 8-hour shifts every year. Community Heights is an all volunteer organization and this sum is simply impossible to ask an organization with zero paid employees to raise. If you are interested in implementing your suggestion, I can put you in touch with others who would like to see more police presence (stronger together! ). We worked with engineers, urban planners, and the maintenance crew at DPW, to design this $50,000 project, which will hopefully work (we are collecting data before and after to determine if it does calm traffic). The barriers, if they work, will provide that 24-hour coverage we are looking for. Also, hopefully, we will be able to rent out the barriers afterwards to bring more investment into our community. Lastly, we will pass on the collected data to give to DPW to help make decisions around a more permanent fix to reduce reckless driving and help induce drivers to obey the speed limit.”
Where will the barriers be installed?
On 10th St, we will be extending the center turn lane barriers from Emerson to Arlington. The bike lane barriers will go from Ritter to Arlington so the travel lane width will match the travel lane width from Ritter to Emerson. Unfortunately, the road is not wide enough to add bike lane barriers from Ritter to Emerson.
On 16th St, the center turn lane barriers will be in the center turn lane around Graham and Bolton Ave.
What about people who have to turn into their driveway?
Every driveway on 10th St can be turned into from the left turn lane. Please keep in mind, if you are used to entering the left turn lane at 35+ mph and slowing to stop before turning left, you might have to adjust your behavior and slow down before entering the turn lane (be sure to use your signal, so the drivers behind you know what you’re doing!), and then get into the turn lane and turn left. DPW engineering has reminded us that they are under no obligation to construct center turn lanes, and in restricted urban areas, 50-75′ of turn lane is commonly used. Remember, our goal is to prevent dangerous passing in the center turn lane, not to make life more difficult for anyone obeying traffic laws and trying to get around safely.
Will I still be able to turn onto the neighborhood streets?
YES! There will be room for several cars to queue in the left turn lane at each neighborhood street. Remember, our goal is to prevent dangerous passing in the center turn lane, not to make life more difficult for anyone obeying traffic laws and trying to get around safely.
Won’t the trees die?
We consulted an arborist on trees most likely to survive, the best pot size for keeping the roots from drying out, as well as a platform for keeping the tree off the hot surface. We have secured a watering tank. We have a plan to water them every day and twice per day on the hottest days.
What will happen to the trees after this project is over?
They will be planted in Community Heights. If you want one, please email chnoindy@gmail.com.
What about at night? How will we see the barriers at night?
All sides of the barriers that face traffic have a 3M tape that is certified by the national Department of Transportation. View the data sheets and other information on this product.
If someone can’t see this tape, they should not be driving!
How long are these barriers going to be up?
It is a temporary installation. They will be in place until November 4, 2023. We collected data on the speed of cars and neighbors’ perception of how safe it is to use 10th St before the installation. After all elements are installed, we will collect speed data and neighbors’ perceptions again and pass the information along to DPW. Then they can make an informed decision about making 10th St safer for everyone. It’s an experiment to see if our design elements make things better, before spending a lot of money on permanent infrastructure.
What about emergency vehicles?
This is a question we have received at least once before during our two-year planning process. Just like any other two lane road, like 10th St east of Arlington or 10th St west of Emerson (if neighbors are parking in the outside lanes, as they are allowed to do), if an ambulance can’t get around you, drive forward until you can pull over! We also made purposeful design choices that allow for an ambulance to drive around cars. There is 200 ft between the center turn lane street tree barriers. The average car is between 10-15 ft. If an ambulance is behind you, please do not stop right next to the center turn lane barriers, drive forward, so the ambulance can use the center turn lane to pass you.
I don’t like the “Men Working” sign?
We are working to replace it with a more inclusive sign. We rented these signs and that’s what they had available.
Doesn’t making the road narrower make it more dangerous?
This is a very common question we get. And the answer is an overwhelming NO. For many years, engineers believed a wider, flatter, straighter roads, with wide shoulders to pull off on, was the safest design. This design could be called the “Drag strip” model or the “Runway” model. Wide, flat, straight lanes induce drivers to speed up, even those who are inclined to follow the law. This is to say nothing of folks who are comfortable breaking the law. After all, if it looks like a drag strip, why not use it as a drag strip! At higher speeds, wrecks are deadlier and more likely to result in severe injuries. Average car speeds are set by road design. We are narrowing the lane of traffic between Ritter and Arlington to match the width of the west bound lane of traffic between Ritter and Emerson. That way, nearly all of 10th St will have travel lanes that are 11 ft wide. An 11 ft wide lane leaves enough for the largest fire engine to get through but isn’t so wide as to induce highway speeds in drivers. Adding elements to the center turn lane is another technique to break up the “drag strip” design. There’s a saying that I can’t find a credit for that goes something like, “When streets are designed like gun barrels, cars act like bullets.”
Who’s going to maintain these?
A team of Community Heights neighbors is monitoring these barriers, replacing the reflective tape, removing trash from the center of center turn barriers, and in general, looking after them. We had to have a maintenance plan as part of our tactical urbanism application to DPW. We also have spares to replace any that might get damaged by someone breaking the law. We would love to have some help from Anna Brochhausen families and friends, and from the Irvington side, if anyone wants to volunteer to monitor the barriers and trees, please contact us at chnoindy@gmail.com.
Community Heights Neighborhood Organization 