Crowley Signs Zero Traffic Deaths Policy

County Executive David Crowley holds signed Vision Zero resolution. Photo taken Aug. 29 by Graham Kilmer.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley signed off on a policy committing the county to zero deaths or serious injuries on roadways by 2037.

Formal adoption of the policy is one step in a larger project by the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) that will design a number of traffic interventions at critical points in local street network to reduce speeds and improve safety.

“We’re not just hoping for change,” the county executive said. “We’re working to actually create it.”

The commitment to zero deaths is called a Vision Zero policy and the county needs one to be eligible for millions in federal funding to begin building the traffic safety interventions.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed by President Joe Biden in 2022, created the Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program, which has approximately $5 billion allocated for road safety projects across the country.

The federal funding will be allocated by 2026, but, to be eligible, local governments must clear a number of hurdles, including the development of a “Safety Action Plan.” To avoid a patchwork of grant applications and road safety projects and to ensure the entire county is eligible for funding, MCDOT is leading the application process for the entire county, rolling projects for every municipality into its plan.

The Vision Zero commitment is one of eight steps the county must complete before it is eligible for funding, said John Rodgers, MCDOT Deputy Director. With the signing of the resolution Thursday, all eight are finished or or in progress, Rogers said. Once complete, the county will apply for “millions of dollars in federal funding to redesign and reconstruct our most dangerous intersections and roadways,” Rogers said.

The county’s Vision Zero date of 2037 mirrors the one adopted by the city in 2022. Since then, the city has aggressively pursued road projects aimed at constraining reckless driving and reducing these dangerous crashes.

The city’s Vision Zero Policy Director Jessica Wineberg noted that most county residents live in the city and that the shared borders and roadways require a collaborative, countywide approach to reckless driving. Wineberg also noted that Milwaukee County’s roadways have become less safe while most of the country’s roads have become safer.

Next spring, Milwaukee County will begin implementing a handful of temporary road interventions in municipalities around the county, including a temporary bicycle and bus shared lane on N. 35th Street, “which is extremely dangerous right now,” said Jeff Sponcia, MCDOT transportation planning manager. These projects will help local municipalities, and the county learn more, as they decide what to seek federal funding for.

Ultimately, the county executive noted, many projects will require close collaboration with local municipalities, as many dangerous intersections and roadways are streets owned by local municipalities.