MILWAUKEE — Two people have been killed in separate crashes along the same Milwaukee street in the last 10 days. Milwaukee police say the two crashes have another similarity.
The department says the two men who were killed were both in vehicles running red lights.
"When people do that, they play Russian roulette,” said Mabel Lamb.
Lamb lives along Sherman Blvd. and advocates against reckless driving as the Sherman Park Community Association’s executive director.
"My condolences to the families of the victims, but I would definitely say this could be avoided if people just take their time,” she said.
Just down the street from Lamb’s home, police say a 36-year-old passenger died Thursday morning in a t-bone crash at Sherman and Roosevelt. A week earlier, surveillance video near Sherman and Villard shows a similar collision that took an 18-year-old driver’s life.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen if you do run that red light so I would highly recommend people don’t,” she said. “Just slow down, take your time. Your life matters.”
Milwaukee Municipal Court records show more than 2,500 red light citations were issued to drivers in 2022. That’s the most in at least a decade.
"This is the norm to me now, I’m seeing it all the time,” said Michael Hoskins. “It doesn't surprise me to go down the street and see cars flipped over now."
Michael Hoskins says he wants to see police issue more tickets to deter the dangerous behavior.
"It is out of control,” he said. “It's so many people dying, we're seeing deaths all over the place."
Lamb thinks the biggest factor is getting drivers to hold themselves accountable for their actions.
"These cars are not being driven by anybody but people who live in the community so we really would ask that people slow down. I think that way their lives would be saved,” she said.
Several lawmakers believe one solution is to put red light cameras at the most dangerous intersections in every aldermanic district across the city. A bill to do that is being introduced on Monday in Madison. The same bill failed to pass the legislature each of the past three years.
