IndyGo wants to get a better understanding of safety for riders before they even get on the bus.
The public transit agency will use cameras at some of the city’s most dangerous intersections and bus stops to analyze times when drivers come close to hitting pedestrians.
The project, known as a near-miss analysis, will also include a survey of riders to ask about safety.
Eventually, information collected from the cameras and surveys will help IndyGo make bus stops safer.
“There’s a correlation in the number of near misses and crashes that might occur,” Christian Cambron, a project manager for IndyGo, told Mirror Indy.
The data can get really specific, Cambron said, like figuring out how many times a car comes within 3 feet of a pedestrian while turning right at a red light.
In that scenario, the only thing preventing injury — or even death — could be if the driver slams on the brakes or the pedestrian jumps out of the way.
Normally, there wouldn’t be any kind of official report to capture that incident. But if a camera from the near-miss analysis picks it up, IndyGo can start to piece together how safe some intersections actually are.
The project is expected to be completed this year, with most of the work happening during the summer and early fall.
The Department of Public Works recently completed a similar project along 38th Street at Michigan Road and Illinois Street. Cameras were up for five days, a department spokesperson said, and the data will be used for a future improvement project.
Where will IndyGo’s cameras be?
There will be 30 cameras throughout Indianapolis. Most will be downtown. Others will be on the east, north and west sides, and one will be south of I-465.
Placement of the cameras is based on a map from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization that shows where the most serious crashes happen. Other cameras will be at bus stops that have high ridership or are close to schools and jobs.
IndyGo awarded a $300,000 contract to CHA Consulting to run the project. Most of the funding came from a U.S. Department of Transportation grant.
What changes could come from this?
Cambron, the IndyGo project manager, said some adjustments could be as simple as working with the city to add a no-turn-on-red sign at a busy intersection.
Even though drivers routinely ignore those signs and turn anyway, Cambron said it could be a starting point for enforcing the no-turn rule.
“That’s a low-cost, high-impact way to make pedestrians feel safer when they’re crossing,” he said.
Another possible adjustment could include moving a bus stop from one side of an intersection to the other.
Cambron said riders can expect safety changes to be made in 2026 or 2027.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick and Bluesky @tyfenwick.bsky.social.
Indy Documenter John Guy covered the IndyGo board meeting on March 20, 2025. 📝 Read more about what happened.
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