MILWAUKEE — TMJ4's Project: Drive Safer is a joint effort from TMJ4 News and our community partners to tackle reckless driving in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson spoke one-on-one with TMJ4's Ryan Jenkins about the mayor's S.T.A.N.D for Safer Streets plan. Johnson said the plan is just one piece of the puzzle in an effort to make Milwaukee roads less dangerous for everybody.
S.T.A.N.D. is an acronym. It stands for safe street design, traffic enforcement, accountability, neighborhood engagement, and demand progress.
It's a plan that the mayor rolled out before he officially took office and it coexists with several other initiatives (including Vision Zero) aimed at curbing reckless driving in the city.
"All of these things that we're talking about all fall in line and are encompassed in the program. These are just pieces of the overall strategy," said Johnson.
The mayor said neighborhood engagement is a piece of his plan that he finds to be critical.
"It's a quality of life issue that affects people. So, having neighbors and their voice be a part of this is critically important," said Johnson.
Milwaukee residents agree. At the corner of Sherman and Burleigh, a neighbor who goes solely by the name Mr. Brown expressed his concern about driving in the city.
"They're really out here wrecking the city and they're tearing everything up around here," he said. "It's absolutely astonishing. I've never seen stuff like that."
Mayor Johnson is focusing on updating city infrastructure and supporting law enforcement.
"Am I open to having additional troopers to stem that tide? Yeah, I am. Am I interested in having more TSU officers and more officers generally? Yeah, I am. It's a matter of resources though and I need the State of Wisconsin to send additional resources to Milwaukee," said Johnson.
It's all part of a continued effort to curb reckless driving in Milwaukee.
