MILWAUKEE — A bike ride is being organized in support of a proposal to ban drivers from part of Brady Street — a very dense entertainment district in Milwaukee.
The ride begins in Bay View at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 23rd at Joy Ride Cafe and will end at Nomad World Pub on Brady Street by 7:15 p.m. where the alderperson for the district, Jonathan Brostoff, will lead a discussion about the idea to pedestrianize a section of Brady Street from North Warren Ave. to North Franklin Place. Anyone is invited to listen in.
An organizer of the ride says drivers tend to be very aggressive on Brady Street, and while there are a lot of businesses along the street that people want to access, he says it's not always safe for pedestrians or cyclists. But he acknowledges that not everyone thinks pedestrianization is a good idea.
Concerns have been raised about access to mass transit, emergency vehicles, and delivery vehicles. And he knows some owners worry that the change would be bad for business.
"There's a mixed opinion among the business owners on the street," said Anthony Casagrande. "Part of the ride will also show that if we can roll up with 30 people and we're all on bicycles and we'd like to patronize your business — we hope that they would take that as a positive message that it wouldn't be catastrophic to close part of the street to motorized traffic."
He says the event is also aimed at encouraging riders to visit or talk with businesses in the area that are more skeptical about the effects of pedestrianization.
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