The same night that members of Frontrunners Lexington were holding a moment of silence for Mia Ibrahim, a pedestrian who was hit by a vehicle and killed in December, a cyclist was killed in a separate crash.

In the midst of a moment of silence, members of the LGBTQ running group realized Ibrahim’s fate could be encountered by anyone. With 2023 being one of the deadliest years on record for Lexington pedestrians with 20 deaths — one of them being Ibrahim — the Frontrunners Lexington group is determined to make Lexington roads safer for all pedestrians.

Frontrunners Lexington is designed to create an inclusive and welcoming space for the LBTQ and allied community to do physical exercise around town, whether they are walking a mile or training for Olympic marathons.

Roy Harrison, project development manager for Frontrunners Lexington, said Ibrahim’s legacy is a key part of making change in the city and state.

“I think it is important we take this opportunity to define what (Ibrahim) meant to us in Lexington, and let their experience be an example for us to channel as we work to make the city better,” he said.

Harrison, along with Taylor Steele and Jason Schubert who are also leaders of Frontrunners Lexington, said providing headlamps and reflective vests can help improve visibility for the group’s members.

Schubert, the community outreach coordinator for the group, said pedestrians need safer environments to run even if there are efforts to increase visibility. Schubert said the group will work with the city and state in 2024 to create better roads.

“When we have a culture where drivers and cars are given complete right of way to do whatever they want, anyone who is not in that situation is hurt,” Schubert said. “The visibility is great, it is important we are doing that, but look at Mia’s situation. They had the right of way, it was a sunny afternoon and they still were killed.”

Steele, a group board member at-large, said Lexington is a “tough place to be” and a “hard place to run.” He, Schubert and Harrison think recently announced initiatives from the city of Lexington will help solve the problem.

The city is seeking ways to improve safety on streets, including the possibility of implementing a Complete Streets Model, a design for roads which aims to increase safety for pedestrians, cars, bicyclists and buses. The city also got a $22 million grant to overhaul infrastructure on part of New Circle Road, with money for a “Vision Zero coordinator” who will help implement traffic safety initiatives.

Harrison said it’s important to recognize the majority of pedestrian deaths in Lexington aren’t casual joggers — they “rely on non-vehicles to get them from point A to point B.”

“It’s existential for a lot of people and for us, it’s leisure on a certain level, so I think it is important that we look at folks who use this mode of transport across all different types as well,” Harrison said.

Police: Officer has to witness traffic violations

The men also said state laws need to be changed to make traffic safety a bigger priority. One of those changes could be implementing red-light cameras at intersections.

There are currently no laws in Kentucky regarding speed or red light cameras, according to Lt. Chris Van Brackel with the Lexington Police Department’s traffic section.

Speed and red light cameras can supplement traffic enforcement already in place, and be a powerful tool to reduce crashes by reminding drivers there is a risk of getting caught, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

The Governors Highway Safety Association reported that more than 12,000 people died in speeding-related crashes in 2021, which had been an increase from the year prior. Additionally, 1,109 people were killed in incidents that involved someone running a red light.

The Governors Highway Safety Association has advocated for red light cameras and speeding cameras in part because traffic cameras can be a more equitable way to reduce common traffic enforcement since cameras do not see race, nationality, gender or other unique characteristics.

Van Brackel said state statutes do not allow an officer to charge someone with a violation that does not occur in the officer’s presence, unless a driver is believed to be under the influence.

“The salience of this issue, public road safety, the safety of someone’s child on a tricycle going down the sidewalk or a middle aged man coming home from work that wanted to get a jog in after work, I think that salient issue is broader than any issue we have dealt with in the past,” Harrison said. “I think it would be to a politician’s best interest to pay attention to those demographics that vote.”

He said traffic safety is a “motivating issue” to voters.

Steele said he knows any change would take time and the group is dedicated to seeing it through.

“It is not going to be something we will be able to do overnight, over the next three months, six months, or a year with some of these things,” Steele said. “But we have a group of people, even if the people switch out, we have a group of people that aren’t afraid of a fight and is not afraid of a fight or what is good for the greater good.”