MILWAUKEE — You’ll find no shortage of cars speeding down Prospect Avenue in Milwaukee. The one-way street connects downtown with the east side and runs through a mainly residential stretch.
Dangers on that road brought together a packed room of concerned pedestrians to St. John’s on the Lake, advocating for safety changes; people like Bill Lau, who’s lived on the avenue for eight years and on the east side before that.
Lau says he often sees drivers going 50 miles per hour down the road, though the speed limit is 35 mph. He says it endangers the people who walk, work, and live along Prospect.
“We’re trying to take it step by step by step and tonight is just one more step in the process of trying to make it safer for pedestrians and slow the traffic down.”
Residents shared safety concerns with the city’s police chief, the Department of Public Works (DPW), and area Aldermen.
There have been 272 crashes, including one fatal crash, on Prospect Ave. in the past five years alone.
Representatives from DPW say any long-term construction plans to alter traffic on the street could take between five to eight years. That timeline is dependent on funding from the state.
Residents in the crowd were looking for quick fixes in the meantime.
“We’re not looking for lots of money to be spent,” said Lau. “We’re looking for practical things to be done with crosslight and stopping signs.”
Aldermen Bob Bauman and Jonathan Brostoff shared that quick fixes like those can happen, but likely at the cost of homeowners.
Other changes suggested are longer crosswalk times and adding protected bike lanes.
