MADISON, Wis. — Hundreds of people are injured or killed on Wisconsin roadways every year.

What You Need To Know

  • Sunday marks the World Day of Remembrance for road traffic victims

  • Ahead of that, survivors and city leaders gathered in Madison Friday to unveil a memorial

  • A memorial in Olin Park honors lives lost in traffic violence

  • It features a white bicycle and pair of shoes and 71 red poppies, one for every life lost on Madison streets since 2019

Sunday marks the World Day of Remembrance for road traffic victims. Ahead of that, survivors and city leaders gathered in Madison Friday to unveil a memorial.

Wendi Dwyer is blind and relies on her guide dog Lily to help her navigate the world. Last year, Dwyer and Lily were crossing the street in a marked crosswalk when they were hit by a car.

“I was thrown to the ground with such force that I started screaming and did not even recognize my own voice,” Dwyer said.

Dwyer and Lily suffered life-threatening injuries and are still trying to fully recover. She said it’s had a lasting impact on her sense of safety, especially as a blind person who wants to be independent.

“That's a fear I've had for a long time,” Dwyer said. “When for it to really happen and there was nothing I could have done differently and nothing Lily could have done differently.”

She wanted to pay her respects at the memorial in Olin Park to honor lives lost in traffic violence. It features a white bicycle and pair of shoes and 71 red poppies, one for every life lost on Madison streets since 2019.

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway shared a call to action at the memorial Friday.

“It's going to take action from the entire community,” Rhodes-Conway said. “This is about paying attention and being safe no matter where we are or how we're traveling through our community.”

The City of Madison is part of Vision Zero, an initiative to make roadway changes and educate drivers with the goal of zero traffic deaths by 2035. That includes creating separate pathways on John Nolen Drive for cyclists and pedestrians, and lowering speed limits to 20 miles per hour on some neighborhood streets.

“It's about driving attentively, obeying the speed limits, and being mindful that Madison streets are used by all of us, not just cars,” Rhodes-Conway said.

Dwyer said city initiatives like this are a step in the right direction. She believes it’s really up to drivers to change behavior and follow the rules of the road.

She said she shares her own story with the hope that it wakes people up to what can happen.

“I’m glad I'm here,” Dwyer said. “I wouldn't say I'm lucky, I should never should have spent that much time recuperating and still recuperating. But I would say, I want to be a voice because we have people who can't speak up, who had my same experience and died.”