Park East Frwy, Milwaukee,
WI ‘rightsized’

Today a letter came from our alderman saying that our street will be repaved but not permanent altered to 38ft wide from a 50 foot. When the city designed the street to be permanently changed from 50ft. to 38ft I had suggested that a survey being done of residents. Our alderman accepted that idea and twenty eight of those forty one responses were opposed to narrowing the entire street.

Everyone wants Wells street repaved and everyone wants a safer street since our street is main entrance and off road to the two freeways. The disagreement was only about how to do this. Research into a safer road revealed that a narrow street on and off the freeway would not without “traffic calming” measures like parking lanes, bike lanes extended curbs etc. The simpler, least expensive solution would be to paint parking and or bike lanes on our street as many other wide streets in the city have done. This and other methods are called “rightsizing” streets and not permanently narrow the entire street. This is important to us since we have parking on both sides of the street and are near Miller Park so there is parking and other issues during ball games. Will just adding painted lanes to narrow the street be enough to slow down traffic? Perhaps so or we may need other traffic calming measures. Other traffic calming measures could be added in present or in future. But I think we all can agree that narrower car lanes in a new paved street are welcomed.

I am grateful for my neighbors for speaking out and grateful for the alderman for listening. Often, as I pointed out, what people oppose or desire, is ignored by politicians as is the case with the new “right to work” law that was opposed by nearly all at the public hearing. Politicians do listen, at least some of the time.

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