Community members will have a chance to weigh in on design alternatives along North Water Street in downtown Milwaukee.
The project would stretch from East Kilbourn Avenue to East Pleasant Street.
The area chosen comes as no surprise to lifelong Milwaukee resident Montea Williams. He said the corridor is always heavily trafficked due to the many businesses, restaurants, apartments, colleges, and bars.
"Well, it’s dangerous," said Williams. "Five times over the last two years, I was run down, like, literally. They speed down on you. There are a couple of people that, let’s just say, are not next to nice. They’ll even call you racial slurs. I guess what my grandparents went through, I have to go through while crossing the street.”
The idea behind the city's project is to improve traffic safety and increase accommodations for walking, biking, and transit while continuing to support economic growth. It's an issue Williams said should be addressed right away.
"I don’t know what it is, maybe its a young thing but, you know there’s a lot of crossing in the road," said Williams. "There’s a couple people unfortunately have been hit and died anywhere between here and Fiserv Forum."
Williams said he wishes there could be more cameras to help catch violators and even more bump-outs in the roadways.
"It’s quite dangerous more so than just five years ago," said Williams. "We have these bump outs, they’re annoying as drivers but I look at them as safety precautions and we also have speed bumps so those are all needed.”
Williams said things have gotten so bad, he never leaves the house without reflective gear.
Watch: Residents to weigh in on Water Street improvement project.
"Be diligent," said Williams. "As a matter of fact, that’s why at night, I have to wear reflective gear just so they see you. A lot of us walk around dark clothing and since it’s winter time, I suggest wearing this. If you don’t mind I’d like to show you. What it is, is like a sash you wear around you so cars can see you….more recent because I got tired of being close to getting run down.”
The city's first open-house public meeting is Thursday night from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at MSOE Diercks Hall, 1025 N. Milwaukee Street.
The meeting is open to everyone and all points of view are welcome. TMJ4 spoke with one man visiting Milwaukee who thought things were in good shape as is.
"I wouldn’t change anything," Noah Cohan, who was visiting Milwaukee from San Fransisco. "I mean even the cars, when you’re in the crosswalk, they’ll slow down because you have the right of way.”
Cohan said he thought the streets were safe and appreciated the visibility and wide sidewalks.
“The lights are great," said Cohan. "The visibility is wonderful. You can see when you have enough time. There is plenty of time when it starts to count down that you have to get across the street.”
While these opinions differ, that's the beauty of the public meeting. All feedback is welcome as the city considers more ways to support current and future transportation needs.
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