The City of Rushville and the Rushville Public Library have joined forces to launch an urgent, two-stage community campaign aimed at securing a safer pedestrian crossing at the Love Community Center. The focus is on installing a crosswalk and a High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) noise alert system at the facility's south intersection with State Road 3.
The collaborative effort comes as officials note that a full traffic light installation could take between four to five years to complete, a timeline the community is eager to shorten for pedestrian safety.
"The more our community makes their voices heard, the better chance we have of getting a safer crossing here," said the Rushville Public Library spokesperson. "We are asking for the public's help to demonstrate the critical need for this upgrade."
The campaign will unfold in two distinct phases:
Phase One: Letter Writing Campaign to INDOT (October 14-24)
The initial phase is a concentrated letter-writing campaign targeting the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) Greenfield office. The campaign began on October 14 and will run through October 24.
The Rushville Public Library is offering to provide form letters, envelopes, and stamps to make participation easy for residents. Community members are also encouraged to write their own letters, but the library stresses the importance of polite, collaborative language.
"We’re asking INDOT to be our partner and don’t want to insult the groups we need to work with," the library stated in its announcement.
Phase Two: Public Safety Rally and Meeting (November 6)
The second and crucial phase requires a high public turnout for a special meeting on November 6th from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Love Center.
The event will host representatives from the organization Safe Streets 4 All, which partners with INDOT to provide grants to communities for safety improvements. The library is urging residents to attend to show the organization how badly we want a safe crossing at the Love Center.
A large turnout is seen as essential for demonstrating the community's need and commitment, which could significantly boost Rushville’s application for a grant to fund the HAWK system and crosswalk installation. The HAWK system is designed to provide a protective, activated crosswalk that is more immediate and cost-effective than a traditional full traffic signal.