WHITEFISH BAY, Wis. — New temporary islands have been installed along Lake View Avenue in Whitefish Bay with a goal of slowing down traffic.
The new measures are affordable, according to the village, and they're already working, according to neighbors who live in that area.
Matt Drvaric and his neighbors said careless drivers who speed down their block have been a constant concern in the area on Lake View Avenue between Lydell Avenue and Bay Ridge Avenue, just across the streets from the Kohl's and Target at Bayshore Mall.
"With the amount of children in the neighborhood, and those going to and from Bayshore, it created sort of a jam of an accident waiting to happen. It was inevitable," said Drvaric.
So, he started a petition, gathered hundreds of signatures, and took on the Village Board, asking for traffic calming measures to be researched and installed.
"If we start engaging with the Village and the community and come up with a solution together, we could avoid a tragedy that was imminent," said Drvaric.
Whitefish Bay's Director of Public Works, John Edlebeck, said over 6,000 vehicles travel on that particular one-block stretch of Lake View Avenue per day. He said two temporary islands were installed after a traffic study, which led to a 10-point recommendation on how to create safer streets.
"We wanted to put them in temporarily, it would be low cost to do that, get a feel for what people think of it, and then in the fall, if things go well and it's supported by the village board, make those permanent," said Edlebeck. "The idea is to narrow the driving path to slow people down."
Drvaric said he's already noticing a change.
"In the one week that it's been installed, it has been a night and day difference that we've experienced," he said.
He also believes this action that he and his neighbors took to spark change, could inspire neighbors in any community across the nation.
"It comes down to making your voice heard," said Drvaric.
A persistent push to be more proactive to avoid tragedy in Whitefish Bay.
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