MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee’s rapid implementation initiative is working to help reduce reckless driving in the city.
The initiative creates quick, low-cost street improvements to increase the safety and comfort of people walking, biking, and driving. The project uses pavement markings and flexible posts to create curb extensions and pedestrian islands.
City leaders worked with the Near West Side Business Improvement District and Crisol Corridor Business Improvement District in 2020 to pilot rapid implementation curb extensions along portions of N. 27th St. and S. 13th St.
Robert Montemayor is the owner of Milwaukee’s Monterrey Market and also the board chair of the Crisol Corridor.
“When we began these initiatives, it’s something that was going to be a positive connection to our community,” he said.
It was important for him as a business owner to help make this initiative come to life.
“Nobody walking along the street wants to cross the street with their child and see a car fly by at 40 or 50 miles an hour,” said Montemayor. “It does nothing for this community.”
Marissa Meyer is the Senior Transportation Planner with DPW. She said the traffic calming posts that were placed on the roads help slow traffic by making the streets narrower.
She said not only are these posts are cheaper and more flexible than concrete, but they are faster to put up. Meyer said the posts may serve as a temporary measure until the city can replace them with permanent concrete slabs.
She said the city’s “Vision Zero” goal is for zero traffic-related deaths.
DPW selected locations by starting with corridors in the city with the highest crash risks. Since the initiative started in 2020, excessive speeding has gone down by 40% overall.
On N. 27th St., speeding decreased by 17.5% and by 9.6% on S. 13th St.
Montemayor said he’s glad the city has done so much to address the reckless driving issue in the city.
“Because it is such a tight Knit community, we’re always trying to find the initiatives that are going to be valuable for our community,” he said.
He said safer driving is a community effort and one all should work toward achieving.