The city is using restriping, delineators, and other traffic calming measures to fight reckless driving and improve pedestrian safety.
As Jeramey Jannene reports, Milwaukee's Department of Public Works tested three traffic calming improvements in 2021 as "part of a growing effort by the City of Milwaukee to use infrastructure to prevent or deter reckless driving," which some experts have called a public health epidemic.
The projects, which cost the city $300,000, included curb extensions, delineators, and high-visibility crosswalks on three corridors and are intended to test the effectiveness of the various strategies. The traffic calming initiatives reduce the distance pedestrians need to cross and prevent drivers from passing in non-driving lanes.
"The three paint-and-post projects build on five 2020 projects that included lane restriping, paint-and-post treatments and other reconfigurations. One 2020 project, N. 27th St., was already upgraded to include one-ton planters atop the painted curb extensions," according to the article. The city plans to use $3.8 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan to implement 16 similar projects next year, following Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson's pledge to address reckless driving as a public health crisis.
FULL STORY: Three Projects Test Traffic Calming
Milwaukee Traffic Safety Projects To Receive $8.5 Million in TIF Funds
The city hopes to combat a growing reckless driving 'crisis' with traffic calming, bike lanes, and other projects aimed at improving roadway safety.
Chicago Left Turn Traffic Calming Reduces Crashes
The city installed reflective posts and speed bumps at dangerous intersections to induce drivers to take left turns more slowly and carefully.
Federal Highway Administration Bureaucrat Says Rainbow Crosswalks Are a Liability
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Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
New York’s Deadliest Neighborhoods for Pedestrians
Pedestrian deaths rose last year, but remain below pre-2020 levels.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
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