A Look at Milwaukee’s Vision Zero Efforts

The city is making slow but steady progress on reducing traffic deaths. Some advocates say changes aren’t being implemented fast enough to save lives.

1 minute read

October 17, 2023, 7:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Aerial view of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin at sunset

Sean Pavone / Milwaukee, Wisconsin

An article by Chuck Quirmbach for WUWM looks at the progress Milwaukee is making on its Vision Zero goals, which purport to eliminate traffic deaths by 2037. “Officials say the city is on a path for a lower number of transportation-related deaths this year — the projection is 77, compared to the 87 deaths of 2022.”

Quirmbach outlines the efforts the city is making to implement traffic calming and improve infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists on some of the city’s roads, but some of the changes are met with the usual backlash. Challenges to road safety include larger vehicles, speeding—and road design that encourages speeding—and a lack of urgency on the part of the city to make improvements on the most dangerous streets.

“Direct federal grants and federal money steered to Milwaukee by state government are providing several million dollars to make the changes.”

Monday, October 16, 2023 in WUWM (Milwaukee Public Radio)

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