RACINE — The City of Racine Common Council voted 11 to four this week to accept money from the Douglas Avenue Business Improvement District to increase traffic and speed enforcement along the road in Racine.
The measure was approved after a conversation on the matter that lasted more than an hour.
The $32,500 will fund 340 hours of police officer overtime for traffic and speeding enforcement along a three-mile stretch of the road, from State Street to Three Mile Road.
Racine Police Chief Alex Ramirez asked the council to deny the agreement. He said at Tuesday's meeting that as department staffing has improved in recent years, so has enforcement. He said behavior is what ultimately needs to change.
I spoke to business owner Jim Seeger and resident Kevin Neidinger, who are both located along Douglas Avenue. They say this increased police presence is needed along the main road lined with businesses and homes.
Seeger owns Douglas Hardware, which has been on Douglas Avenue since the 40s. He says the speed of vehicles on the road can hinder business.
Watch: Racine business owner, resident welcome increased enforcement along Douglas Avenue following council vote
"Making turns into businesses is harder because of the speed of cars coming," Seeger said.
"It's not safe for anybody. It's actually not even safe to drive on Douglas Avenue," Seeger said.
"It'd be great. It's been needed for at least five years," Seeger said.
"It's a good idea," Seeger said.
Neidinger wants to see driving behavior change. His front door is about 30 feet from Douglas Avenue. He says his kids do not play in the front yard, and they do not walk to school despite their proximity.
"And so there is a concern that a car is going to come up the curb and into my front yard at some point in time," Neidinger said.
"Once you do it enough times, you forget that there can be a danger to what you're doing. Driving's no exception," Neidinger said.
Neidinger is optimistic that more officers means more awareness from drivers and a safer Douglas Avenue.
"Them being here would make people recognize, oh, I gotta be more careful," Neidinger said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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