Brady Street; Milwaukee committee weighs options to make street safer
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee's Brady Street might soon look a lot different. The goal is to make it safer for everyone. There are a lot of ideas of how to accomplish that – things like removing parking or partially closing the street to vehicles. On Wednesday, June 7, the public got to weigh in.
After an hour of people voicing their opinions, it was clear. People say something needs to be done to make Brady Street more safe for people on foot or on bikes.
"It’s a critical moment for the neighborhood," said Mike Eitel, a business owner.
"We don’t want to wait until the next tragedy and the next tragedy," said Milwaukee Alderman Jonathan Brostoff.
Milwaukee Alderman Jonathan Brostoff
The discussion Wednesday came after three hit-and-run crashes happened in just 2023. The most recent was in May when a 41-year-old man was seriously injured while crossing the street.
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"Horrific as these are, they are also preventable. Today moving forward we are going to set the works in motion to start that process," Brostoff said.
Brady Street, Milwaukee
Alderman Brostoff said city leaders are looking at what to do. Some want to see the street closed to traffic, have more police patrols, or even speed bumps.
"When people are crossing, people are flying up and down it," said Jena Cataldo, a business owner.
Others worry that will negatively impact business and public transportation.
Brady Street, Milwaukee
"You’re going to close off this area. You are going to assume these erratic drivers are just going to drive the other streets safely. They’re not," said Marchella Barzuzzini, who lives near Brady Street.
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The Brady Street Improvement District has been studying options since September. It is looking at the impact closing off part of the street would have on traffic.
Brady Street, Milwaukee
Brostoff said that will be finished soon, but as for immediate action?
"I think we should look for temporal closures," Brostoff said.
Brostoff thinks weekend closures to cars could be a place to start. Nothing was decided Wednesday.
Brostoff said there will be plenty of other opportunities to say how you feel about the Brady Street situation. Those meetings are not yet scheduled.
Search for driver
Milwaukee police need the public’s help in catching the driver of the SUV. Anyone with information is asked to contact the MPD at 414-935-7360, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-Tips or by using the P3 Tips app.
Vehicle suspected in Brady Street hit-and-run (Courtesy: MPD)