MILWAUKEE — The Brady Street Business Improvement District released its plan Monday to find ways to make Brady Street safer for pedestrians and improve their experience in the bustling corridor, among other goals.
Design alternatives are laid out in the report — ranging from simple additions that force drivers to slow down, to a plan for full pedestrianization which would ban drivers from a four-block stretch (Humboldt Ave. to Cambridge Ave.).
This comes after a recent hit-and-run left a Milwaukee man in the hospital. After hitting the victim, the driver sped off. A number of other people have been killed by vehicles on the street.
RELATED STORY: Another pedestrian death on Brady Street; no movement on pedestrianizing
The new study identifies four design approaches to change how we use the area. According to the study's summary, "The study explores options for 'pedestrianization' on the eastern portion of Brady Street between Humboldt Avenue and Farwell Avenue. While people who walk were strongly considered, the study analyzed all modes of transportation including general vehicular traffic, transit, emergency vehicles, loading vehicles, bicycles, and micro-mobility. Brady Street is imagined to be 'pedestrian-first,' while carefully accommodating these other modes."
The four designs can be split into two catergories, a pair that adds traffic calming measures but would maintain access for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists — and a pair that would block drivers from a two or four block span of Brady Street. All the design options include unrestricted access for transit, loading and emergency vehicles.
The study continues, "To develop the findings, the Brady Street BID Pedestrian Subcommittee held monthly meetings to ensure the study’s progress met the needs of the business community and neighborhood. Pedestrian Subcommittee members include Rachel Taylor (BID Executive Director), Leroy Buth (BID Chair), Pat Suminski (BID Treasurer), Lataija Brown (business owners and BID member), and Alderman Jonathan Brostoff."
Taylor, the BID's Executive Director, said the newly released study will serve as a tool for the community. "In the short term, we're going to use it to kind of start off our discussions. What we want to do is enable people to discuss it at the same level. This report includes the terminology and the concepts so that we can have those discussions," she exlpained. "I'm hoping that people will read the full report so they can get their heads around it — and then we can take it from there as we continue to have these discussions with residents and business owners."
Taylor says the BID is also considering the addition of a multi-level parking garage near Brady Street to offset potential lost parking spaces.
A community meeting will be held Tuesday, June 27th at 5:30pm at St. Hedwig. Those who attend will see a presentation about the study results and can take part in a conversation about how Brady Street can be reimagined as a more pedestrian-friendly area.
The Brady Street BID has created a web page dedicated to the pedestrian-first study where you can download the study and leave comments. Click here to visit the new webpage.
Read the full study below:
Previous reporting below:
Citizens call on City of Milwaukee committee to increase safety along Brady Street
By Andrea Albers, Jun 07, 2023
As police continue to search for the driver responsible for the latest hit-and-run on Brady Street, some who live in the area are afraid that without change it will happen again.
The alderperson for the area, Jonathan Brostoff, says Brady Street is a neighborhood first, not an entertainment district and pedestrians deserve to feel safe. That's why he's asking the city to act now. "We have some incredibly smart people who work at DPW who work very hard... I wasn't fully satisfied with what I heard today," said the alderman after leaving a Public Works Committee meeting on Wednesday morning.
Alderman Brostoff wanted to hear ways to immediately take action to improve safety. "As far as the immediate, I think we should look toward temporary or temporal closures," he added.
Initial suggestions from Milwaukee's Department of Public Works centered on restricting street parking to improve visibility.
It was the committee chairman who asked about re-directing drivers during peak times, typically Friday and Saturday nights, similar to Water Street.
"I mean, are we looking at that? That — you could start that this weekend," said Chairman Robert Bauman.
The seats in the audience were full of people, and those people were full of opinions — some spoke in favor of banning drivers from a stretch of the street, others advocated for speed humps, lower speed limits, better lighting and more police presence.
"I'm here for a couple of reasons today, as someone who's seen their revenue and sales and traffic decline 51%" said Katy McHugh, who owns Sip and Purr Cat Cafe. The cafe sits on nearby Ivanhoe Place which is now Ivanhoe Plaza — part of the street has been blocked off from drivers and transformed into a pedestrian-friendly space.
McHugh says the lack of parking has her considering a move to Brady Street, but she's leery of any plan that would mirror the pedestrian plaza outside the cafe's front door.
"The speed bumps and more lighting seem pretty easy," she continued. "Completely closing it down to vehicle traffic I think is super drastic."
No timetable for any changes has been set. A discussion about long-term solutions is being led by the Brady Street Business Improvement District and a study looking at the potential impact of pedestrianization is expected to be released in the coming month.
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