Officials dig deeper into safety issues in Whitefish Bay two weeks after woman killed crossing the street



WHITEFISH BAY -- Two weeks after a woman is killed crossing the street in Whitefish Bay, the crash is still causing a lot of concern. Village leaders say they are already addressing those concerns.

The Whitefish Bay Village manager tells FOX6 News this is a walking community, where folks take pride in the fact that their kids can walk to school -- he explains village leaders need to regularly address traffic and pedestrian safety issues.

Among those who walk, it's all the talk.

"Everyone here knows about it, about this accident. Everyone is talking about it," said Nancy Backes, Whitefish Bay resident.

The fatal pedestrian crash of May 26th is still very fresh in the minds of many in Whitefish Bay. Where the idea that a 26-year-old woman was struck by a vehicle while crossing Silver Spring Drive is making folks feel vulnerable.

"There's a lot of traffic on this road and a lot of storefronts that people want to walk past and they need to feel safe getting across the street," said Thomas Gonring, works on Silver Spring Drive.

"Obviously, if you have a tragic incident, it really jumps into the forefront in the minds of your citizens," said Whitefish Bay Village Manager, Steve Scheiffer.

And to the top of the village's June 2015 traffic report.

Whitefish Bay Village Manager, Steve Scheiffer, says the report is part of a larger, ongoing traffic study which also involves public feedback.

"We should encourage citizens to comment on pedestrian and traffic safety in the village," Said Scheiffer.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the fatal crash, the village also decided it would be best to accelerate the hiring of a traffic engineer so that person can be named next week. And soon after, begin to review those citizen comments along with the safety issue as a whole.

"Take a fresh look rather than saying, "well you dealt with this five years ago," we'll say, "this is Whitefish Bay. We do it new, and we do it repeatedly," said Scheiffer.

FOX6 News told the engineer will be out walking the streets of Whitefish Bay with the chief of police and the public works director among others. They will be examining traffic situations and looking for short-term improvements.