BAY VIEW, Wis. — After a second serious crash in the same Bay View location, a group dedicated to bike and pedestrian safety wants changes.
Milwaukee’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee wants to see more done to make Howell Avenue safer for everyone to use.
Mitchell Suiter lives in Bay View and walks his dog Hazel along Howell Avenue. He sees firsthand how fast cars go near Humboldt Park. He says he is worried about getting hit every day.
"There are crosswalks all up and down by the school. It is like you aren't even there. You are making eye contact with the driver and they go right through,” said Suiter.
The City's Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee are looking at Howell Avenue between Dover and Fremont Place because of a recent crash. On Christmas Day, a driver smashed into a home. Three years earlier, a woman was killed in the same location while walking her dog. The committee says something needs to change.
"My goal is to identify the problem or at least the pattern of the problem and make a recommendation to address those,” said Mitchell Henke, co-chair of the committee.
The TMJ4 I-Team found since 2013 there have been 37 crashes on a quarter-mile stretch of Howell that left 10 people hurt and one person killed. In the past few years, the Department of Public Works (DPW) has tried to make the street safer. It has lowered the speed limit and added high-visibility crosswalks.
"We are certainly within DPW well aware of the challenges within Howell. This hill is certainly a unique challenge along with the curve,” said Kevin Muhs, a city engineer for DPW.
During the meeting on Friday, the committee presented a letter to DPW that it plans to send to the city. It asked the city to consider three changes.
- Installing traffic control elements southbound on Kinnickinnic Ave. to require drivers to stop at least once before reaching the downhill segment
- Adding barriers along the curve to ensure pedestrians and cyclists are not in harm’s way if a driver fails to navigate the turn
- Close the slip lane at Howell Ave and Russell Ave
Suiter says he is not sure what needs to be added on the street, but he hopes something changes fast to make drivers slow down.
"I don't know, something to get their attention because no one is really paying attention,” said Suiter.
Alderwoman Dimitijevic tells TMJ4 an improvement already in the works for this year is to add a raised crosswalk that will be put in along this area near Humboldt Park and Parkside School.
