MILWAUKEE — Deaths at the hands of reckless drivers aren't a new concern within the city of Milwaukee.
Just two years ago the city launched Vision Zero with the goal of having no more traffic-related deaths by the year 2037, but in 2024 residents are still seeing mothers, fathers, and children killed just trying to cross the street.
TMJ4 asked the Vision Zero policy director, Jessica Wineberg, what more needs to be done to stop lives from being cut short on Milwaukee streets.
"Is Vision Zero doing enough to stop these fatalities in Milwaukee streets?" TMJ4's Mariam Mackar asked Wineberg.
"Vision Zero is trying to do everything we can, and we're doing the right things, but they just need to happen on a much bigger scale," Wineberg said.
She has been working with the project for the past year and gave an update Tuesday about the status of the city's project.
"I'm sad to say we have such good timing for this talk," she told the audience. "It shouldn't be that way, we shouldn't be having these tragedies all the time."
Three deaths and one critical injury took place in the span of only one week on two of Milwaukee's busiest streets.
A crash on Teutonia Avenue killed a 4-year-old, and a hit-and-run on Lincoln Avenue took the life of two brothers.
Among the goals of vision zero: changing road infrastructure and investing in driver education.
Mackar asked Wineberg what can be done now to help the fatal crashes on Milwaukee's streets.
"We can only change the streets as our dollars and bulldozers allow us, but everyone today can change how they drive," she said.
Wineberg tells TMJ4 their next big goal is urging the state to reform policies on traffic enforcement in order to better hold dangerous drivers accountable and prevent harm before it happens.
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