A year after the state reduced the speed limit on Indiana State Road 46 through Ellettsville, town officials say the road feels safer.
Last year, the Indiana Department of Transportation reduced the speed limit from 45 miles per hour to 35 miles per hour in both directions of the road between West Arlington and Red Hill roads.
Mike Farmer, town manager of Ellettsville, said before the reduction went into effect, many people were going as fast as 60 miles per hour and even passing in the center turning lane. But now, people are getting used to the lower speed.
“A lot of people, I think, have benefited from the slower speeds,” Farmer said. “It's a lot calmer going through town.”
Ellettsville police have increased enforcement along the state road and have issued hundreds of speeding citations in the last few years. Detective Lieutenant Zachary Michael said the department issued 186 citations in 2024 to those going at least 10 miles above the speed limit. In 2025, officers wrote nearly 600 citations. So far this year, police have written about 150 speeding citations; Michael expects to issue fewer citations compared to last year.
“Since we've seen such a reduction in speed overall from a lot of the motorists, I feel like it's easier to pull into businesses, to pull out onto the highway from businesses,” he said.
While more people are now complying with the speed limit, Michael said police are still very active in the area.
“I can certainly tell you that you are going to gain our attention if you're going somewhere between 10 and 15 miles over the speed limit,” he said.
Farmer understands that some people like to drive fast but thinks the benefits of the speed reduction outweigh the risks that come from excessive speeding.
“If you're in a hurry, and you follow the speed limit, and even take the five miles an hour over, and you go 40, it does seem like a long time to get through town,” he said, “but there's no reason to think it ruins your day.”
Other enforcement efforts
The police department is also targeting drivers who don’t stop for school bus stop arms.
Indiana law bans motorists from passing a bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing and stop arm extended. This applies to all roads except those that are divided by a barrier, such as a grassy median or concrete wall. In that case, only drivers going in the same direction as the bus must stop.
Detective Lt. Michael said State Road 46 that runs through Ellettsville has no barrier, so all drivers must stop if a school bus has its stop arm extended. After witnessing multiple violations, police began an enforcement campaign. Seven Oaks Classical and Edgewood schools are nearby.
“We want to make sure that the children have a safe environment to get on and off the bus,” he said. “And since the highway is busy and that the school bus does have to pick up a lot of students along the highway, that's very important to us.”
In 2024, Michael said the police department issued 36 citations to those who ran a stop arm. Last year, they issued over 100. This year, they’ve written about 50 citations so far and are on track to exceed 100.
