MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee County Department of Transportation kicked off its Safer Streets Workshops Tuesday evening at the Milwaukee Public Library Good Hope branch.
Residents could take a look at some of the traffic solutions the county is considering to help curb reckless and unsafe driving for what they’ve labeled corridors of concern.
The workshop took place just a few blocks from where Talise Dunmore was killed in a hit-and-run while crossing 76th Street over the weekend.
Previous Coverage: Reckless driving claims life of young Milwaukee woman, sparks call for action (tmj4.com)
N. 76th Street along with N. 60th Street, N. 91st Street-N. 92nd Street, Good Hope Road, Mayfair Road-N. Lovers Lane Road, and Silver Spring Drive were the focus on Tuesday evening.
These are roads that Dr. Anna Mirer knows well. She drives them frequently to check in with patients. She said she was worried about her patients, some scared to even go outside due to the uptick in reckless driving.
Watch: Milwaukee Co. drivers share their concerns, solutions at Safer Street workshop
“I definitely see drivers looking impatient and like they can't regulate their emotions, and they take it out on the other drivers by swinging around them in unsafe ways,” said Dr. Mirer.
She’s not alone in seeing this type of reckless driving.
"This morning I saw the aftermath of the crash on the way to work, so, yeah, this is constant,” said Nana Yorke.
He was at the library and attended the workshop on Tuesday night.
“It kind of seems like people don't really pay that much attention to the actual speed limit,” said Yorke.
Both Yorke and Dr. Mirer have also seen people passing in the wrong lanes or failing to signal or even stop at times.
The county broke down some of the tools they’re considering into three categories: low-cost tools, medium-cost tools, and high-cost tools.
Some of the low-cost tools included lane narrowing, high-visibility crosswalks, slow zones, and reduced speed signs.
Some of the medium-cost tools included left turning lanes, residential road traffic calming, and mid-block crossing.
High-cost tools included intersection realignment, road diets, automated enforcement, and roundabouts.
Not all of the solutions discussed on Tuesday were physical. The county provided coloring books and interactive displays to get kids and young adults more familiarized with traffic safety before getting behind the wheel.
This is something Dr. Anna can get on board with.
“Catching young people early before they learn to drive, and when they're first learning to drive, I think that might help a lot,” said Dr. Mirer.
She’d also like to see a harm reduction approach for those who are reckless drivers, where those drivers would get some education in other ways, like familiarizing themselves with pedestrians in their neighborhood.
She also believes that elevating the voices of people who’ve been affected by this type of driving is important.
Yorke would like to see more public transportation options available, helping reduce the number of cars on the road.
It’s feedback like this that the county needs to steer communities in a safer direction.
“If you're sick of seeing all the speeding and all the recklessness, come to our workshops. It is essential,” said Jeff Sponcia, Transportation Program Planning Manager, Milwaukee Co. DOT.
Some of these ideas could become a reality in the near future once the county finalizes its Comprehensive Safety Action Plan. They anticipate completing that by February 2025.
Learn More: Complete Communities Transportation Planning Project (milwaukee.gov)
Upcoming Safer Street Workshops:
Wednesday, Sept. 25 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Whitefish Bay Public Library
Featured Corridors of Concern: Green Bay Avenue, N. Lake Drive, Port Washington Road, Silver Spring Drive, Teutonia Avenue
Tuesday, Oct. 1 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Gee’s Clippers
Featured Corridors of Concern: Capitol Drive, Fond du Lac Avenue, Hampton Avenue, North Avenue, Sherman Boulevard, 27th Street
Saturday, Oct. 12 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. at West Allis Farmer’s Market
Featured Corridors of Concern: S. 60th Street-Hawley Road, S. 76th Street, S. 92nd Street, S. 108th Street, Miller Park Way, National Avenue
Tuesday, Oct. 15 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Milwaukee Public Library, Mitchell Street Branch
Featured Corridors of Concern: 27th Street-Layton Boulevard, S. Lake Drive, Layton Avenue, Lincoln Avenue, National Avenue
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