This Modern World

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SAFETY THROUGH EDUCATION

Schwendau, Bill and others said the police most certainly will have a part to play in getting the fatality and crash numbers back under control. Their preference, though, is to see safe habits promoted through less heavy-handed means.

Schwendau said of the four “Es” of transportation safety—enforcement, emergency management, education and engineering—the greatest stress is now being placed on the last two. WisDOT’s education efforts in large part consist of a series of public-service campaigns like its “Click It or Ticket” initiative reminding people to buckle up.

More notable is the work being done to redesign streets and roads to make them less conducive to speeding and other risky behaviors. Schwendau said the federal transportation bill passed by Congress last year demands the “safe systems approach” to road construction. This generally calls for the installation of traffic-calming measures like speed humps, rumble strips and narrower lanes. Intersections are often redesigned as roundabouts or in so-called double-diamond configurations – which prevent vehicles from crossing traffic when turning left. And to protect other users of the road, bike lanes and pedestrian crossings can be installed and clearly marked.

“WisDOT wants to make our roadways a more forgiving system, so that when something does happen, you are more likely to survive, because people do make mistakes,” Schwendau said. “But when a crash does occur, we’re hoping these things will help prevent people from suffering serious injury.”

HUMPS, BUMPS AND CURBS

Milwaukee officials have been moving in this direction for years with the installation of separate bike lanes, speed humps, barriers and extended curbs used to narrow driving surfaces. In April, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson called for using $8.5 million collected in four city tax-increment finance districts to pay for improvements to North Van Buren, East Kilbourn, West Fond du Lac Avenue, West Congress Street, West Capitol Drive and other city streets. Brian DeNeve, spokesman for the Milwaukee Department of Public Works, said traffic-calming measures are separately planned for 16 other sites throughout the city. They include Oklahoma Avenue between Howell and Clement avenues, Locust Avenue between Sherman Avenue and 40th street and Appleton Avenue between 60th street and Burleigh Street.

Schwendau said he’s confident this work will bear fruit.

“But it’s not going to happen overnight,” he said. “The good news is that this is the first time in a couple of generations when there has been so much money put toward making infrastructure better and safer.”

Until more streets can be rebuilt with safety in mind, transportation officials will largely have to rely on the cooperation of the public, Bill said. History has shown that the right mixture of policies and enforcement can produce the desired results.

“We know that we can change that culture of speeding,” Bill said. “We have to remember it’s our family and our neighbors we’re talking about here. And we need to reverse this trend that’ going into its third year here.”

Dan Shaw is an editor and writer with 20 years in the industry. His experience includes jobs at daily newspapers in the U.S. and overseas. Besides his freelance writing, he now edits both a daily construction newspaper and the Wisconsin Law Journal.