Rachel Brosseau, founder of Story Hill Connect, said unsafe driving along West Wisconsin Avenue has long been a top concern for neighbors in Milwaukee's Story Hill neighborhood — and residents are now taking action.
Organizers are hosting a Walk and Roll Audit starting at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Doyne Park, right after the Brewers game, to assess how traffic moves through the neighborhood and identify areas where pedestrian safety can be improved.
"So this has been at the top of the list for trying to get improvements and figure out a way that we can get traffic to slow down and be mindful of people that are trying to cross the street with their dogs, with their kids," Brosseau said.
The audit comes after a series of safety concerns raised by residents. Back in March, on Brewers Opening Day, two pedestrians were struck along West Wisconsin Avenue by an alleged impaired driver.
WATCH: Story Hill residents hold walk and roll safety audit
At the intersection of 53rd and West Wisconsin Avenue, residents say drivers are routinely failing to stop, failing to yield for pedestrians, speeding in both directions, and driving illegally in the bus lane.
During a visit to the intersection Wednesday morning, I observed many vehicles failing to yield at the flashing pedestrian signal — including a Department of Public Works vehicle. DPW was contacted for comment, and a spokeswoman responded in part:
"The safety of pedestrians and motorists is a top priority for DPW, and we expect all of our employees to follow traffic laws and exercise caution behind the wheel, especially around crosswalks," the spokeswoman said.
Dave Steele, executive director of Mobilise and a Story Hill resident, said unsafe driving habits are widespread and urged everyone to reconsider their behavior behind the wheel.
"I think every one of us, myself included, need to make better choices because overall I think the choices that we're making as a society are leading to a lot of people unfortunately being killed that really shouldn't — really we shouldn't have to accept," Steele said.
The Walk and Roll Audit is open to all residents. The event begins at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Doyne Park, where participants will walk a one-mile route through the Story Hill neighborhood to get a real-time look at how traffic moves through the area.
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