The goal is to reduce Traffic Fatalities over a 10 year period
The City of Gary has unveiled a comprehensive draft Safety Action Plan that outlines a two-decade strategy to significantly reduce traffic fatalities and severe injuries, with a stated goal of cutting both metrics by 40% by the year 2042.
The document, dated April 2025, represents the city’s formal adoption of the “Vision Zero” philosophy, a proactive approach built on the belief that roadway deaths are not inevitable accidents but preventable failures of street design. The plan’s release is a critical first step in addressing a documented rise in dangerous traffic incidents.
At the heart of the strategy is a stark finding: half of all fatal and severe crashes within the city occur on just 6% of its roadway mileage. By focusing resources and interventions on this small but disproportionately dangerous network, the city aims to make the most significant possible impact on resident safety.
The urgency of the plan is underscored by alarming national trends cited in the report. Across the United States, traffic fatalities grew by 22% between 2010 and 2022, while the danger to pedestrians increased even more dramatically, with fatalities surging by 77% in the same period. In Indiana, pedestrian deaths rose from 62 in 2010 to 114 in 2022, reflecting a statewide challenge.
The plan also brings a critical equity issue to the forefront, noting that these tragedies disproportionately affect certain populations. According to national data, Black Americans are twice as likely to be killed by a vehicle while walking and four times as likely to be killed while biking when compared to White Americans. The Gary Safety Action Plan is positioned as the city’s commitment to reversing these trends through an evidence-based approach.
The core of the city’s analysis is the “High-Injury Network,” or HIN, which pinpoints the specific streets and intersections where severe crashes are most concentrated. This network was developed by scoring locations based on a combination of systemic risk factors and the historical number of fatal and serious injury crashes.
“The City of Gary is dedicated to addressing traffic safety and ensuring safer streets for all residents. In support of goals set by the Indiana Department of Transportation Strategic Highway Safety Plan, the City of Gary aims to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries by 40% by 2042, with the eventual goal of eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries.” Gary Mayor Eddie Melton said in a statement. “This Comprehensive Safety Action Plan outlines the key challenges and sets a clear course of action to address them and achieve our goals. Our leadership stands united in leading this effort and ask for a shared commitment across the entire community to help us achieve safer streets.”
The HIN is broken into a two-tiered system to guide interventions. The Tier 1 network, representing the most dangerous 3% of city roads, accounts for just 16.8 miles but is the site of 32% of all fatal and severe crashes. The Tier 2 network, the next most dangerous 3%, covers 15.7 miles and saw another 17% of the city’s severe crashes between 2018 and 2022.
The analysis found that state-owned arterial roads with more than three lanes have more than double the average risk for severe crashes and triple the risk for pedestrian-involved incidents. Signalized intersections on these major roads are 50% more likely to see a severe crash than a typical Gary intersection. A resident’s comment included in the report captured public fear of these corridors, stating, “US-12/20 is super scary. […] Semi-trucks drive too fast […] and there aren’t any sidewalks”.
To address these hazards, the plan proposes transformative concepts for specific locations. In downtown Gary, a key proposal aims to tame traffic on 4th and 5th Avenues. Currently, these three-lane, one-way streets function as high-speed conduits for East Dunes Highway, carrying heavy traffic through the downtown core with little to signal drivers to slow down. The plan suggests converting both avenues to two-way streets west of Virginia Street to disrupt the perception of the roads as a fast bypass.
This conversion would force drivers to pay closer attention and would recapture road space for uses that better serve a downtown environment, such as on-street parking or dedicated bus-only lanes. The concept also includes countermeasures like curb extensions to shorten pedestrian crossing distances and further calm traffic.
Another major conceptual redesign is proposed for the intersection of 25th Avenue and Grant Street, where one concept includes a multi-lane roundabout. The report highlights the proven safety benefits of roundabouts, noting they can reduce fatal and serious injury crashes by 78% by eliminating many of the conflict points found in traditional intersections. This concept also features dedicated bus lanes on Grant Street and medians with pedestrian refuge islands to provide safer crossings.
To ensure that investments are directed effectively, the plan establishes a project prioritization framework based on a 50-point rubric. Projects are scored across categories including Safety & Speed Impact and Streets for Everyone. A project located on the High-Injury Network receives 10 points, while a project that specifically targets speeding receives eight. The framework also prioritizes equity, awarding five points for projects near schools or parks and five points for improving walking and biking access to transit or regional trails.
Accountability is a cornerstone of the plan, which obligates the city to monitor and transparently report on its progress. The plan sets specific performance measures with interim targets for 2032 and final targets for 2042. Beyond the overall 40% reduction goal, the plan aims for a 67% decrease in pedestrian fatalities, cyclist serious injuries, and speeding-related fatalities. These metrics align with key performance measures identified in the 2022 Indiana Strategic Highway Safety Plan.
The plan was prepared by the consulting firm TYLin upstream and guided by a steering committee of local leaders. The committee included Police Chief Derrick Cannon, Fire Chief Larry Tillman, City Engineer Will Allen, and representatives from the Gary Chamber of Commerce, the local school district, the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, and the Gary Public Transportation Corporation.