Vigil remembers road traffic victims, as Indianapolis sets a bicyclist fatality record this year

The group was silent as it watched an organizer hammer wooden stakes into the ground. Five laminated paper signs were erected along Raymond Street by the I-65 off-ramp.

The first sign stands next to a bicycle painted white painted, a ghost bike, to remember Dillan Lee Roger, struck by a car and killed while biking home from work in February.

Four additional signs for Alan Marcelo Salas-Garcia, Cristobal Salas, Erin Bailey and Jeff Gillard were also placed along a roughly half-mile stretch of Raymond Street — for people who have either been killed or seriously injured by motor vehicles in 2025.

The vigil and memorial walk were a part of the annual World Day of Remembrance that honors road traffic victims. Central Indiana Cycling and Health by Design organized the event. It was attended by advocates, city officials and family members of those who were killed or hurt.

Billie Jean Peterson said her partner Rogers was an avid rider who obeyed traffic laws and wore his helmet.

“He was in full reflective gear, and, you know, I blame the driver. But this intersection is just poorly designed, and what INDOT [Indiana Department of Transportation] has done for me is just not good enough,” Peterson said.

Now she and her kids try to go to his memorial everyday to find peace. While there, Peterson said she continues to see people risk their lives crossing the street.

“We meet so many people at the memorial, and we see there’s an older gentleman in a wheelchair that can’t, we have to, like, help him across the street,” she said. “It’s so dangerous out here. It’s, it’s astounding.”

Central Indiana Cycling Executive Director Athony Cherolis said 2025 will set a record for bicycle rider fatalities, with 10 so far this year, the most recent last Friday. He says the city needs a Vision Zero plan to reduce fatal and serious crashes.

“It is not rocket science, it is traffic science, and they have lots of data on what works for safety interventions and types of enforcement. So we want that plan to look like a successful plan, and then be funded locally,” Cherolis said.

Vision Zero is a strategy developed to eliminate traffic fatalities and injuries. The concept originated in Sweden in the 1990s and has grown in the United States — including Chicago, Austin, Boston and San Francisco. The plans create a safety strategy that include lowered speed limits, protected bike lanes and enhanced visibility.

The record for bicyclist fatalities in Indianapolis was seven in 2021 according to data from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization (IMPO).

Last year the city created a Vision Zero task force. The group met a few times this year and collected public feedback. It released a draft safety plan last summer but has yet to finalize that proposal.

In the 2026 city budget, passed in October, councilors invested millions into road repairs as well as $1 million for Vision Zero initiatives.

Councilor Andy Nielsen (D-District 14) attended the vigil and said more needs to be done.

“This past budget we did take a significant step in demonstrating that this is a priority,” Nielsen said. “But we also recognize that in a county as large as ours, in the city as complex as ours, that we need to be more nimble.”

There are policy challenges. The state banned the use of automated red light and speed cameras for traffic enforcement. Though in 2023, it did allow INDOT to pilot the use of automated cameras to ticket drivers speeding in active construction zones.

Councilor Michael-Paul Hart (R-District 20) also attended Sunday’s vigil and said some state regulations limit city powers, but he also said there are avenues for change.

“I would be very supportive of having those cameras in school zones, I think that's a very high visible area with a lot of children, and I think there’s no reason for that,” Hart said.

During the vigil, walking between memorial signs, Councilor Kristin Jones (D-District 18) said creative solutions are needed to work around enforcement barriers.

“Tactical urbanism projects with traffic calming are very, very productive,” Jones said. “And so I hope that our neighbors can take advantage of those projects even more.”

Cristobal Salas was one of the people hit by a car in 2025. He and his 4-year-old son, Alan Marcelo Salas-Garcia, were hit when a driver ran a red light and hit another car that collided with them. His son died. At the vigil, he helped place the signs for his son and himself.

“I never see my baby anymore,” Salas said. He warns people to be vigilant when crossing the road checking multiple times even when you have the green light.

Contact WFYI All Things Considered newscaster and reporter Samantha Horton at shorton@wfyi.org or on Signal at SamHorton.05.