CUDAHY, Wis. — Milwaukee County continued the Safe Streets Roadshow Friday when the county's Department of Transportation (DOT) visited Cudahy. The plan is for the DOT to visit all 19 municipalities to hear directly from concerned citizens about the issues they experience on the roads.
"I'm glad that I was able to come in here and talk and speak my mind because these people do drive like maniacs," said Ruth Peterson. She lives in Cudahy and she and many of her neighbors met at the library for this chance to drive home concerns about reckless driving in their Milwaukee suburb.
"We're all experiencing these issues every day," said Wayne Stenglein, who attended the meeting with his wife and daughter. "It is 24/7 by us."
From people blowing red lights to backfiring mufflers and tinted windows, neighbors shared all of their concerns about what they're seeing on the streets of a community that is otherwise typically rather quiet.
"We're seeing issues that are just affecting our quality of life and it's also affecting the actual people that are living in the community that could be killed," said Stenglein.
The group moved through stations, participating in small group discussions, filling out surveys, even mapping out mobility, and playing around with safe street designs via interactive activities.
All of these things are things that the county hopes will help leaders get a better idea of how to spend more than $1 Million in state and federal grants to update roads. A task they hope to begin in the next couple of years.
"We have an epidemic of willful reckless driving," said County Board Supervisor Steve Shea, who was there to gather feedback from residents, as well. Shea serves on the county's Transportation, Public Works, and Transit Committee.
"We usually hear from the same people over and over and over again," said Shea. "Not to suggest that those people don't have something valuable to say, cause they do, but the overwhelming majority of people in the community we never hear from. At least not face-to-face. So, it would be great if people would take the opportunity to come to one of these to express their opinions."
Shea said he hopes, as the roadshow continues, it grows in popularity so that they can hear from ordinary people dealing with dangerous drivers on Milwaukee County roads.
"It's not just one part of the county, it's everywhere," Shea said.
For a full list of upcoming Safe Streets Roadshow dates and times, click HERE.
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