MILWAUKEE — The Brady Street Biker Bash officially starts Friday afternoon. Once 4:00 p.m. hits a large stretch of the street will be off-limits to cars. The same thing goes for Saturday.
Nine blocks along Brady Street, from Van Buren Avenue down to Farwell Avenue, will offer parking for motorcycles only.
But during past Harley anniversary celebrations, it hasn't always been that way. "Before we started closing the street to bikes only for the anniversaries, what would happen is — basically, there would be a zillion bikes, and buses and at the time taxis, and tons of cars all really getting congested on the street," recalled Steph Salvia, producer of Biker Bash. "And we're also a really narrow street, Brady Street is just very narrow, so add pedestrians to that mix and it's kind of just an accident waiting to happen."
Salvia says allowing motorcycles only leads to a more controlled environment.
There are ongoing talks about Brady Street potentially shifting to a more pedestrian-friendly design. Organizers say Biker Bash is a chance for people to see how the street can come alive in different ways when it's not car-centric. "I would love to hear Brady dubbed as the slowest street in the city because there's a lot to see on this street and I think if people would just slow their roll, and take it all in, it would be a lot safer," added Salvia, who says she is in favor of efforts to increase traffic calming.
For a lot of businesses, organizers say, Biker Bash will be the biggest weekend of the year, outside of the Brady Street Festival. From a staffing perspective, "it's just a blacked-out day," said Ryan Cooke, who is the Director of Operations at Jack's Bar. "All hands are on deck, whatever plans you have you gotta cancel — because we all have to work."
And it takes a lot of collaboration to prepare for a weekend like this. Many bars and restaurants will be offering food and drink on the sidewalk
"It's a lot of work getting equipment down here, setting up satellite bars outside, making sure you have enough product in-house... but it's well worth it," said Cooke.
Many of Brady's side streets, like Arlington, Franklin, and Astor will also be hosting block parties during the Harley Homecoming Weekend.
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