Early Data Shows Mayor’s ‘Vision Zero’ Traffic Deaths Plan Is Working

Mayor Cavalier speaks at 2026 Vision Zero press conference. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

The City of Milwaukee’s efforts to eliminate all deaths on its roadways by 2037 are showing early indicators of success, but still have a long way to go.

The number of deaths fell from a high of 77 in 2022 to 57 in 2025.

“In Milwaukee, traffic deaths declined 19% compared to 2024 and are down more than 26% from the peak year in 2022, when we committed to Vision Zero as a goal in the city of Milwaukee,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson at a press conference Monday. “That progress is not accidental. It’s a result of coordinated action across city government … what that means is we layer engineering, education, enforcement, emergency response and policy because that’s what helps to save lives.”

Upon taking office in late 2021, Johnson declared reckless driving a public safety crisis as his first act. The city adopted a formal Vision Zero policy in 2022, joining an international movement to eliminate traffic deaths. An action plan was released in 2025 in an attempt to unify disparate efforts by different departments.

Data indicate the city must continue to invest substantial time and resources into its “High Injury Network” streets if it wants a chance of getting the death toll to zero. Fifty-three percent of deaths in 2025 occurred on streets already identified as part of the network of dangerous roadways.

“Understanding where these tragedies are happening helps guide our work and ensures that we are prioritizing safety where we can have the greatest impact,” said City Engineer Kevin Muhs.

There is another factor the city must consider: speed.

“Speed is the critical factor in the majority of crashes,” said Muhs. “Last year, 52% of traffic deaths in Milwaukee were speeding-related. This is why so much of our work focuses on designing the streets to discourage speeding.”

A new dashboard, in addition to the existing Traffic Violence Dashboard, shows performance evaluation data on the street design changes DPW is making on a project-by-project basis.

That includes W. Lapham Boulevard, the street in front of South Division High School, where the press conference was held.

The median vehicle speed fell by 17% after a 2023 project added protected bike lanes and reduced the number of travel lanes. “We also saw a nearly 70% drop in the number of drivers traveling above the speed limit,” said Muhs. “Most importantly, no crashes causing life-changing injuries occurred in the year after the project was completed, and crashes causing any injuries were cut nearly in half.”

South Division High School Principal José Trejo said when he was hired seven years ago, safety improvements were demanded. “One of the most pressing concerns that was brought to my attention from our parents was the speed with which cars traveled on Lapham Boulevard,” he said.

Trejo said the design changes have made it safer, and the bike lanes have increased the number of students biking and their safety.

New pavement, improved concrete islands and green infrastructure improvements are planned for construction this year, said Muhs. It’s one of several projects DPW is expected to announce for 2026 construction. He said many others would target the network of dangerous streets, which includes many of the city’s busiest and fastest streets.

Wisconsin Bike Fed Assistant Director Jake Newborn praised the city’s push to redesign its roadways. “I really have seen an extreme difference in not only the changes in the streets, but the attitude in City Hall and the mayor and his administration towards safe streets has been a very welcome and awesome partnership,” said Newborn. He said data showed prior efforts, before Johnson’s 2022 election, weren’t working. “The initiative and willingness to kind of try new things has been really appreciated, and it’s working.”

“When we say Vision Zero is working, we are not just talking about data, we’re talking about people,” said Jessica Wineberg, the city’s Vision Zero policy coordinator. She said through deliberate outreach, the city connected with 8,300 people about its Vision Zero efforts in 2025.

The mayor credited Wineberg with coordinating efforts across city departments.

“Now the Department of Public Works is prioritizing safety over speed, in street design and implementing traffic calming. The Department of City Development is aligning investment to support safer walkable neighborhoods. The Milwaukee Police Department has improved its processes for addressing dangerous and unlicensed drivers more quickly. The Milwaukee Fire Department has strengthened trauma response for crash victims. The Milwaukee Health Department is convening community partners to ensure that this is rooted in public health and equity. And our city attorney, Evan Goyke, has stepped up prosecuting anti-reckless driving laws, and municipal judges in the city of Milwaukee have reduced the number of reckless driving cases that are pled down to lesser offenses,” said Johnson.

Also attending the press conference were MPD Assistant Chief Steven Johnson and area school board member Mimi Reza.

“Vision Zero is successful because departments across the city and community organizations are working together with a shared goal of making our streets safer,” said Muhs.

More people will get the chance to join the effort on June 10 during a Vision Zero summit at the Central Library.

Johnson called the event “more than just a conference. It’s really a call to action. So I invite everyone who cares about safe streets to come.” More details are available on the event webpage.