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A Republican state legislator and former Indianapolis City-County Council member is on the verge of thwarting an attempt by Indianapolis lawmakers to install no-turn-on-red signs at nearly 200 downtown intersections.
Sen. Aaron Freeman, whose district includes southeast Indianapolis and parts of Johnson County, tacked the measure onto an omnibus motor vehicle bill after learning about the city’s effort. On Thursday, the House and Senate approved the legislation, sending it to the governor’s office, where it will become law unless Gov. Eric Holcomb vetoes it.
The local proposal was introduced earlier this month by City-County Council President Vop Osili, Vice President Zach Adamson and council member Kristin Jones. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett also got behind the measure, which looked to address an increasing number of pedestrian deaths in the city. A record 40 pedestrian fatalities were reported in 2022.
Council members behind the proposal couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday night, but they previously called Freeman’s move “unfortunate” and “disappointing.”
Freeman, who served on the City-County Council from 2010-2016, previously told IBJ that the council’s effort was “astronomically dumb” and part of an attempt to get more residents to use public transit.
Democratic State Rep. Justin Moed, whose district includes downtown Indianapolis, said state lawmakers shouldn’t be taking away local control.
“It shouldn’t be a state policy, and for pedestrian safety, it’s something that’s really important,” Moed said.
IndyGo, the city’s bus service, has frequently found itself in Freeman’s crosshairs in recent years.
In 2021, Freeman introduced an amendment that would require the Indianapolis transit authority to pay for utilities to be moved during construction of the agency’s dedicated bus lanes.
The year before, Freeman authored legislation that would have penalized IndyGo for not raising enough private money by withholding income tax dollars and prohibiting further expansion of rapid transit lines.
Neither measure passed into law.
Taylor Wooten contributed reporting.
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Freeman should run for mayor of Indianapolis if he wants to exert so much control on the city
Once again, Freeman votes to literally kill more Indianapolis residents with this overreach.
I hope the Governor can recognize that cities should be able to make their own traffic laws and vetoes this nonsense.
Adam Freeman apparently has Ray Skillman ( king of buy here pay here) filling his pockets. Of course his main concern is that people might ride public transport, lol. Why isn’t this connection being investigated? Adam Freeman is a joke of a politician. Why do these corrupt, unqualified politicians from outside our city exert so much control over our decisions for OUR citizens?
Not good. Hope the city can find a workaround, or just add these in one-at-a-time instead.
Indy doesn’t need to ban right turn on red. Pass a law that says you can only turn right on red after you get out of the car and stand in front of your vehicle to make sure it is clear. If you don’t do that before turning on red, THEN you get a ticket.
The new signs would read, “Right turn on red permitted only after driver inspection”.
Whether you agree with the law or not, it should still be under local control
I don’t understand his argument that banning right-on-red would cause more people to ride public transit. Further, I don’t understand why he thinks that’s a bad thing. Why is Sen. Freeman so obsessed with hating public transit? Who in the auto industry is lining his pockets?
It’s Ray Skillman and it’s well documented.
Another Big Government conservative. Freeman is an absolute joke. Parading around the Statehouse in his ridiculous suits and stiff hair. I, really think the hair gel has penetrated his brain.
If the original law was ever practiced or enforced properly, the proposed ban would never have been needed. Right turn on red (RTOR) is only allowed after a full stop, and only when no traffic or pedestrians are in the lanes of traffic. Obviously the modern driver, bicyclist, or pedestrian has cheated on the law to the point they all ignore the full stop and full observation of a clear path.
Multi-modal transportation requires all modes to work together, not just the car-truck.
This is a spot on comment. Stand on any corner downtown for 5-10 min and you will witness countless cyclists blowing red lights and peds jaywalking.
Distracted drives ARE an issue but the peds & cyclists are also contributing to the issue.
Good middle-of-the-road conclusion. I hate to fault peds and bicyclists because they suffer most in a collision with cars, but they are culpable some of the time.
That said, this is still a local issue and the statehouse should not feel that, simply because it operates in the Mile Square, it can override local decisions.
The only way Marion County Republicans can have any say in Indianapolis is at the state level, where they can punch down all day long even though they can’t win Marion County elections.
Aaron Freeman finds a measly $8 million in road funding that had been owed the city for decades and he can’t resist getting a dig in towards Indianapolis by requiring them to find a match for the funding.
If I were the mayor of Indianapolis, I’d rip out all those roundabouts that were installed in his district in Marion County that made east-west travel possible and leave a sign that we can’t afford such traffic measures thanks to the leadership of folks like Aaron Freeman.
Meddling: intrusive or unwarranted interference.
That’s the dictionary definition. Hoosier dictionaries might want to include a group photo of the Republican legislature’s super majority for context.
So much for trying to improve public safety. The republicans in state house can best be described as an avalanche of stupid.
Right turn on red is a good thing. Left turn on red is good also. I love driving in downtown Indy. Stout shoes, 5/3 Bank, CVS, Sutton Garten, Waymires, Tide Cleaners, Kroger, just today so far! Indy was designed for the automobile. Rock on great freedom machines. Once around the circle for one and all.
James W. — The Mile Square was designed by Alexander Ralston in 1821, so it was impossible that “Indy was designed for the automobile.”
We call this weenie wagging in my family– a way to show off your power for no apparent reason.
Ok. I still appreciate being able to turn right and left on red.
It’s like 30 total stoplights in our massive city.
You’ll survive.
More vindictiveness by Aaron Freeman and gross interference in local area planning. Planning by statute without justification. No Turn on Red is people and pedestrian friendly. No Turn on Red, however, is most appropriate in area where pedestrian volumes are high and the likelihood for pedestrian deaths or injuries is great. Furthermore, many drivers to not stop before turning on red, further decreasing pedestrian safety.
Specific intersection legs –not all — should have No Turn on Red restrictions. It is ever more important to clearly delineate pedestrian walkways and ensure walk signal clearance times are sufficient.
What a waste of time.