Milwaukee Road Safety Efforts Paying Off

Street safety projects in Milwaukee are having a positive impact, according to data released by the city, report David Clarey and Drake Bentley in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Of the 14 projects completed from 2020 to 2023, all of them show a reduction in speeding and fewer drivers traveling over the speed limit by 10 mph or more, according to the latest data released in August by the city's Department of Public Works.”

The number of car crashes in the city dropped by 1 percent in the last year, but fatal crashes remain more frequent than 15 years ago, with annual traffic deaths nearly doubling from an average of 39 between 2008 and 2012 to 72 per year between 2018 and 2022.

According to the article, “On the city’s north side, where residents have taken the brunt of the reckless driving blow, bump outs, traffic circles, and road diets, when a street's lanes are reduced or repurposed, were added to some main streets. For example, on North Avenue between 59th and 44th streets, speeding is down 15%, while between 30th and 24th streets, speeding is down 18%.” In other areas with traffic calming treatments, speeding was down by as much as 86 percent.

In addition to road design changes, the city and state have been cracking down on reckless driving. “Last year, a city committee approved a measure that allowed for the impounding of vehicles involved in reckless driving under certain conditions. The year prior, the city enacted a policy that allowed unregistered vehicles involved in reckless driving to be towed.”