Thirty-five People Struck By Cars Since 2009 Near UWM Campus, Records Show

Imagine this. It’s a little before 7 p.m. on a Friday night in December. You’re walking north on N. Oakland Ave. towards E. Geneva Place. As you’re crossing Geneva Place, a UW-Milwaukee Boss van, stopped at the intersection, doesn’t see you crossing because the driver was still looking north. You put your hands up, hoping that the driver stops making the turn. They don’t. The van hits you, and next thing you know, you’re on the ground.

The following incident occurred on Dec. 6, 2013, according to a UWM police report. This incident is one of six pedestrian and/or bicycle versus automobile accidents that occurred since last year within UWM police jurisdictions, according to UWM Public Records and Police Statistics obtained by Media Milwaukee.

Overall, since 2009, 35 traffic accidents have occurred against pedestrians, bicyclists and one skateboarder, with pedestrians accounting for the most, in the UWM police jurisdiction.

However, overall, the number of incidents that UWM Police handled has generally gone down since 2009.

To try to reduce accidents, the City of Milwaukee installed new “push-to-walk” signals or Accessible Pedestrian Signals at two intersections on campus at E. Hartford Ave. and N. Maryland Ave. and at E. Kenwood Blvd. and N. Maryland Ave, on Oct. 6, according to Dept. of Public Works Communications Manager Sandra Rusch-Walton.

“APS are devices that communicate information about the ‘Walk’ and ‘Don’t Walk’ intervals at signalized intersections in non-visual formats to pedestrians who are blind or who have low vision,” said Rusch-Walton in an email interview. “These devices were installed following discussions with University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee officials.”

When the devices are pushed, the devices speak the word “wait” when it is not safe for people to cross. When the signal shows walk, the device makes a thumping noise and alternates which device makes the sound to indicate the direction where it is safe to walk, according to Dr. Robert Schneider, a professor in the School of Architecture and Urban Planning. When the don’t walk signal starts flashing, the device makes a pinging sound when the countdown clock is on.

“Without this equipment, visually impaired pedestrians must rely solely on other techniques to cross the street and many of these techniques are often unreliable,” Rusch-Walton told Media Milwaukee. “Additionally, the locator tone for the APS helps visually impaired pedestrians arrive at the push button and detect the intersection.”

In regards to more of these devices installed on the UWM campus in the future, Rusch-Walton said that the city is currently discussing that with UW-Milwaukee officials and that they haven’t received “immediate feedback” as a result of installing those devices.

In addition to the incident on Dec. 6, 2013, other notable incidents, according to police reports, which occurred within UWMPD jurisdiction include:

• A man was hit on the sidewalk of the Northwest Quadrant’s southwest entrance as the car was leaving on Jan. 21 and did not suffer any injuries.
• A bicyclist was hit by a car on Nov. 4, at Hartford and Maryland. The bicyclist was headed westbound on Hartford on the north sidewalk when the car, headed west on Hartford as well, turned right to head north on Maryland and hit the bicyclist.
• A vehicle hit a bicyclist on Thursday Oct. 17, 2013 in the Kunkle Center parking lot, located at 2002 E. Kenwood Blvd., between 11:20 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. The bicyclist was traveling north on the west side of the lot near the parking stalls on the inside of the lot. The bicyclist was riding toward the northwest corner of the lot as she tried to see oncoming vehicles through parked car windows. The bicyclist thought she saw a car through the window and tried to stop but couldn’t due to poor breaks. The vehicle hit the bicyclist, as the westbound car was turning southbound. The driver stopped to check on the bicyclist and said she was fine and went on her way. The next day, the bicyclist sought medical care and was treated at a local “health center” for unknown injuries. The driver is unknown.
• A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle outside of the Student Union on Jan. 30. A Lamer’s bus was stopped at a cross walk inside the bus lane, when the pedestrian was walking southbound in the cross walk. The driver of the car didn’t see the pedestrian crossing because the bus was in the way and struck the pedestrian. The pedestrian “suffered bruising on both legs, just below the knees…” and “swelling and bruises on shins.” The pedestrian refused ambulance medical treatment.

Still, the numbers show a drop over the years. According to Schneider, the reason for the decline in accidents could be a number of reasons. In addition, he cites the three E’s when it comes to pedestrian and bicycle safety: Engineering, Education and Enforcement.

In terms of engineering, Schneider cited redesigning roadways and the signs in the roadways, like the ones that clearly say, “State Law Yield to Pedestrians” on them. These signs can be found on Hartford between Downer and Maryland as well as on Maryland Ave, in front of Lubar Hall and Sandburg Hall, just to name a few.

“They’re very visible in the middle of the street and really remind drivers that when a pedestrian steps in the crosswalk it is their right of way,” Schneider said.

One example of redesigning roadways done by city, according to Schneider, are curb extensions, where the curb sticks out into the street near intersections. According to Schneider, these help pedestrian by making them more visible to drivers and making the distance to cross the street shorter, help slow down drivers by making the roadway narrower, so they have to slow down more to make the turn at an intersection. Schneider said there are a few of these on Brady St. near Prospect Ave. and North Ave.

On the educational stand point, according to a report called Pedestrian Planning: Best Practice Case Studies for Milwaukee’s Pedestrian Projects, Programs, and Policies, “would be sessions in which traffic officers would teach commonly violated rules to the public… An opportunity would be to be stationed around busy intersections during events, engaging pedestrians in conversations about safe habits.”

In regards to PSA pamphlets and posters, according to the report, “Pamphlets would be small, 1/3 sheets of paper the would have diagrams and text relating to safe pedestrian habits. Additionally, one would be created to discuss the need for drivers to be attentive to pedestrians.”

From the enforcement standpoint, Schneider says that the City of Milwaukee has been focusing on speed issues by having police stings last year along with the Wisconsin Bicycle Federation. The police would have staged pedestrians crossing the street and if drivers failed to yield to pedestrians, they would issue tickets for drivers disobeying the law.

Schneider said that drivers on Kenwood were given citations for failure to yield to pedestrians. “That helps get the idea across – that it is important to be looking for pedestrian and to follow the law to keep pedestrians safe and to yield to them,” said Schneider.

And speaking of enforcement, in the incident in the beginning, UWMPD issued a citation two days later for failure to yield to a pedestrian with a bond amount of just over $235, according to police reports.