BAY VIEW, Wis. — Some Bay View neighbors are calling for Humboldt Park to be cut off from traffic after at least three people were struck by reckless drivers this week.
It was just one of the solutions discussed Thursday night during a public meeting on making the park safer for pedestrians.
A few of the measures suggested include adding illuminated stop signs, clearer crosswalks, and adding speed tables.
Danny and Coral Ehnert walk the park with their daughter often. They say adding more measures to keep drivers in line will only help safety in the area.
“Usually it’s very safe, people are respecting the laws and everything else, but there are times that speeds get a little fast and too much and I think there are measures that could be taken,” said Danny Ehnert.
Some park neighbors say additions like added speed bumps and stop signs won’t be enough and are calling for Park Road to be closed off entirely to cars and through traffic.
“Just cut the through traffic like how we had during COVID,” said one member at the meeting. “Everybody survived without it.”
Others say closing the road will affect accessibility for people who aren’t able to walk to the park, emphasizing it’s an important road to keep open.
On Thursday, Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic announced that state funding was approved to bring a raised crosswalk to Howell Avenue within the next year to calm traffic near schools by the park.
These engineering solutions are a step in the right direction, but only represent one piece of the puzzle within the City’s jurisdiction,” Dimitrijevic said in a release. “ I also support Supervisor Clancy’s efforts to pedestrianize streets within Humboldt Park. As the author of Milwaukee’s Active Streets program in the city, I fully understand that the time is now to reimagine public spaces so they benefit all users and are not dominated by cars.”
