MILWAUKEE — You might have noticed speed bumps popping up around town recently. Or perhaps, like me, you noticed them just a little too late to slow down in time.
It can be frustrating, trust me, I get it. But after speaking with staff at St. Philip Lutheran School, a neighbor living near one of the bumps, and a contractor responsible for adding more signage, I can tell you—it’s working.
"People in the neighborhood are really excited. Hopefully, this will slow people down," says contractor Jered Miller.
Miller is adding more signage to the speed bumps on Holton Street.
"It does seem to be slowing people down, and as you can see, some cars are coming to a crawl," Miller adds.
This is all part of a new initiative with the city called "Safe Routes to School." Ten-speed bumps have been installed outside local schools to help control traffic speeds and curb reckless driving.
Watch: Neighbors hopeful new speed bumps will slow drivers
"It keeps the kids safe," says a staff member from St. Philip Lutheran School.
Barbara Allard, the office manager at St. Philip Lutheran School, is currently enrolling new students and preparing for the upcoming school year. She's fully supportive of the changes on the road.
"We didn’t request it, but we’re happy it’s there," Allard says.
She explains that speeding on Holton Street is simply out of control.
"Last year, we had an accident right here. See that damage? It tore the whole concrete slab out. Our students exit through the back door now, so we don’t have to deal with traffic at 3:30 p.m.," Allard recounts.
I met Alfredo Gonzalez, a neighbor, and we watched car after car fly over the speed bump.
"There you go, man, there you go…we just saw it for ourselves twice now, and that’s a big vehicle," Gonzalez says, expressing his frustration with the speeding on Holton Street.
"I think they all should slow down," Gonzalez adds.
Most of the cars I observed did slow down, but some distracted drivers missed all the signs and paid the price.
"You’re gonna get to your destination. Take a minute," Allard advises.
"People really want to speed, but we will be adding more bumps and signs as the project gets completed," Miller states.
A small inconvenience for drivers, but one that will protect young students as they walk to school.
"It is a good thing—it slows people down," Allard concludes.
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