MILWAUKEE — New concrete bumpouts are nearly finished along Commerce Street near Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee.
Neighbors in the area say they're already working to deter reckless driving and slow drivers down.
Commerce Street is a street that can quickly connect Downtown to the East Side, winding along the Milwaukee River, connecting Pleasant Street and Humboldt Street.
"Before the bumpouts, a lot of speeding, a lot of recklessness," Leslie Stamps said. Stamps lives in a condo that overlooks the street where crews are installing the bumpouts.
The infrastructure is a tool that the Milwaukee Department of Public Works says will help to reduce speeding.
"The problem is, everybody is a little confused," said Stamps.
The bumpouts are still being painted and are so new that they're catching drivers off-guard, he said.
Drivers are not yet used to the more narrow road, so the bumpouts quite literally force them to hit the breaks and slow down.
"A lot of it has to do with the city leaving the obstacles out here and it squeezes in everybody a little tighter, but I think when the city gets the barrels up and everyone gets used to the new conditions it will be a smooth flow," said Stamps.
Another neighbor, who has lived off of Commerce Street since 2001 is Fredy Canales.
"My opinion is, perfect! That's what we need," Canales said.
Canales' opinion is unique because he is a retired infrastructure engineer who spent years working for Milwaukee's Department of Public Works.
He said it will likely take a while for the community to adapt once the project is installed.
Canales said the street has become increasingly busy over the years now that it goes all the way through to connect Downtown and the East Side neighborhood.
He also said traffic is already slowing down, creating an environment more desirable for pedestrians and bicyclists.
"It's completely safer," Canales said. "Especially in this area where there's a lot of condominiums and apartments. People have a lot of dogs, and I see people with strollers and stuff like that."
While both neighbors are pleased with the engineering updates, Stamps said enforcement is still something he'd appreciate more of.
"Back in the day, what would happen was, it was known that the police was going to be in certain corners and you automatically kind of cleaned up your act so I think more of a police presence particularly target to high problem areas, it would do more than the bumpouts," said Stamps.
A traffic-calming measure that appears to be doing its job even if it will take time for the community to better adapt.
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