MILWAUKEE — As thousands took part in the annual Brady Street Festival on Saturday, some shared their feelings on the idea of making Brady Street more pedestrian friendly.

The Brady Street Business Improvement District recently published a study on creating a more walkable street after concerns were raised about pedestrian safety.

Jeff Reitz hung out with his wife and sister-in-law at the Brady Street Festival on Saturday. He said he loves coming out to Brady Street.

“We’ll probably get here 3-4 times a year,” said Reitz. “One of my friends lives just north of Brady Street, a couple blocks, so we visit here and come down here and hang out, hit a restaurant or two.”

The same goes for Diane Rolfs who cycled there.

“I live probably two blocks from Brady Street, so I often find myself walking through Brady Street,” said Rolfs.

The 2023 Brady Pedestrian Study proposed removing on-street parking and limiting vehicle access to deliveries, loading and transit to reduce vehicle traffic.

It’s an idea that Reitz supports.

“I think it’s a pretty good idea,” said Reitz. “I mean this is definitely a destination, particularly on the weekends in Milwaukee and so anything you can do to make it more pedestrian friendly. It’s good for the businesses and obviously it’s good for the pedestrians.”

While Rolfs is open to the idea, she believes there needs to be a balancing act for Brady Street.

“Certainly I want to be able to go to some of the businesses that I may want to use my car for, say, Sherwin Williams and I want to drive there and pull in front and get my can of paint and drive home but at the same time, it’s so much fun to be able to walk to restaurants and not worry about cars so I’m hopeful that there will be a solution that could make everyone happy,” said Rolfs.

For both Reitz and Rolfs said it’s about keeping the magic of what makes Brady Street Brady Street.

“Always unique crafts, things like that are going on and the music. I’m a huge music head. We got multiple stages of things going on. They got a cello down there and that band, so it’s just always a fun time. I just love this place,” said Reitz.

“Brady Street always has a lot of fun and action,” said Rolfs. “So many nice people and a variety of stores, shopping, food. You never know what you are going to see on Brady Street, and that’s kind of what’s so special about Brady Street.”

This is the type of experience that the Brady Street Business Improvement District hopes to create not only at the festival, but every other day of the year.