MILWAUKEE — A food truck was smashed into pieces by a driver Monday night near Capitol Dr. and Holton on Milwaukee’s north side.
City leaders have long been concerned about safety issues with food trucks along the busy street. The Common Council passed another food truck ban on a stretch of Capitol Drive.
The legislation was in the works well before the horrific crash. Now, some think food trucks should be prohibited from parking on the road whatsoever.
There are all sorts of reasons Ashley Baker likes to support food trucks in Milwaukee.
"Most of them are ethnic and I support the ethnic groups,” she said. “The food is good. It’s flavorful. They're very friendly, they're nice, they're speedy. I actually enjoy their customer service more than going to restaurants."
But there is only one reason why visiting them on Capitol Drive makes her feel unsafe.
"The drivers, they drive crazy,” she said. “They're real fast, just real busy street. Like, even sitting here doing this interview I'm seeing stuff over here in my peripheral that's making me nervous."
There are two food truck zones in the city with specific rules that operators must follow. One covers downtown and the other is next to Burnam Park on the south side.
But food trucks aren’t welcome in more than a dozen other spots in the city.
For the past decade, they haven’t been allowed from 51st to 76th Street on Capitol Dr.
"I'm trying to protect the owners of these food trucks,” said Alderman Lamont Westmoreland.
Westmoreland led a successful effort Tuesday to extend that Capitol Dr. food truck ban from 76th St. all the way westbound to Wauwatosa.
“It's too dangerous for anybody to be out there,” he said. It's dangerous for me to drive up and down the street."
Westmoreland passed the ban without knowing about Monday’s crash. We showed him video from the scene. It happened on a section of Capitol Dr. where food trucks are still allowed.
"I am looking to prevent exactly what happened down on E. Capitol,” Westmoreland said.
“After this incident, do you think this food truck ban should extend throughout Capitol Drive?” TMJ4 reporter Ben Jordan asked.
"Shorewood to Wauwatosa,” Westmoreland replied. “I mean we're talking the deadliest road in the state. It's not safe for anybody to be on the side of the road."
Westmoreland wants to designate another zone for food trucks like the ones currently parked along Capitol Dr., just on streets that aren’t nearly as busy.
Baker says she could see the pros and cons of forcing food trucks to say goodbye to Capitol Dr. altogether.
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