VILLAGE OF WAUKESHA — A Waukesha woman is raising concerns about pedestrian safety on Big Bend Road after experiencing several close calls with speeding cars while walking her dogs.
Kelli Villis has lived in the Village of Waukesha for 17 years, and said the road, which runs from Highway 18 south to Interstate 43, is increasingly dangerous for pedestrians.
“I love to walk my dogs; my dogs are my life,” Villis told TMJ4 News. “But over the years, there’s been dangerous situations. Some drivers don’t want to move or don’t realize they need to. It seems to be happening more frequently.”
Although the area is mostly residential, Big Bend Road has no sidewalks or shoulder—and according to Villis, it's become a hotspot for speeding drivers.
Earlier this month, she said she had another close call.
“A driver almost hit me,” she said. “I take up as little space as I can, and the driver didn’t even try to move over.”
With no sidewalks, Villis walks facing traffic, wearing a reflective vest, and keeping her dogs leashed close.
Still, she said it doesn’t feel safe.
“There’s no room for error,” she said. “I feel very vulnerable. It makes me feel like I can’t be safe in my own neighborhood.”
Watch: Waukesha woman calls for safety improvements on Big Bend Road after close calls
Villis reached out to the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office, which she said acknowledged the dangers, but said pedestrians do not have the right-of-way on the road.
TMJ4 asked the sheriff's office about Big Bend Road and if there are different rules in place regarding pedestrian right-of-way.
It said the road is not a highway, thus, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation advises people to walk facing traffic and stay as far from the roadway as possible when sidewalks aren’t available.
Villis doesn't think that guidance is enough.
“That’s why I called TMJ4,” she said. “Hopefully, we can come up with a better solution so pedestrians can be safe.”
Her message to drivers is simple: slow down and share the road.
“We should all feel like we can go outside on our block,” she said. “Slow down, move over, give people room to be safe.”
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