MILWAUKEE – A road project on Milwaukee’s upper east side drew a large crowd Thursday to City Hall, where at one point leaders of the city’s Public Works Committee threatened to clear the room.
The project in question concerns a stretch of Lake Drive in need of extensive repairs. The road has been marked with pot-holes and uneven concrete for years.
The point of contention for many is the addition of protected bike lanes to the road, a staple of many Milwaukee road improvement projects this year; Mayor Cavalier Johnson has been pushing to build a protected bike lane network throughout the city, with plans for 50 miles of protected bike lanes funded or under construction by 2026.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Milwaukee continues to build its protected bike lane network
Below on the left is a look at how Lake Drive between Hartford and Edgewood Avenues is currently constructed; to the right is that stretch with proposed changes:
At the start of the meeting, 4th District Alderman and head of the Public Works Committee Bob Baumann reminded those present that the design plans have already been confirmed, and that the meeting was purely to address the installation of a sidewalk on the west side of the street. “We’re going to limit the testimony to sidewalks, and not to the design of the road…because that ship has sailed years ago” said Baumann, which was met by dissent from some in the room.
Still, several residents DID speak out against the plan’s inclusion of protected bike lanes, including Jennifer Abele, wife of former Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele. “In my opinion, after riding my bike on that street many times, the way that this bike lane is designed is not safe for my children to ride their bikes” said Abele. A 2023 study conducted by Karen Dixon and Maryam Mousavi Seyedeh of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute concluded that converting traditional bike lanes to a separated lane could reduce up to 53 percent of bicycle-vehicle crashes.
Lake Drive resident Laura Pfaff also spoke against the lanes, citing other bike lane and traffic calming projects that were not aesthetically pleasing and presented additional safety concerns.
“Whatever you guys did to North Avenue is ridiculous, with those planters and the parking” said Pfaff.
“Okay, I get it, you’re against traffic calming measures of any kind”, responded Baumann.
“But do you know what that looks like? It looks terrible, it looks tacky” retorted Pfaff.
After the exchange, 5th District Alderman Lamont Westmoreland warned the crowd further jeering would not be tolerated. “We’ve heard from four people that are in opposition of this project. Not one person that’s in support of this project laughed at any of you…blurted out when you were all speaking…so please give them that same respect, otherwise as the chairman said we will clear the room.”
The North Avenue stretch in question is part of a larger traffic calming project on the east side including that street, Prospect, and Farwell Avenues. 3rd District Alderman Jonathan Brostoff told me last year the planters are a temporary part of the project, with more permanent fixtures expected by the end of this year.
Others in support of the plan said in addition to safety, the changes to the road would increase property values. “Speaking as one of the youngest people in here…you’re planning out the city that my generation will inherit. And my generation doesn’t drive as much” said East Town neighborhood resident Cade Gerlach. A 2023 report by London School of Economic and Political Science professor Dr. Stephen Jarvis found that while younger generations in general don’t drive more or less than older generations, within urban areas Millenials drive significantly less than urban Baby Boomers, with some evidence they substitute towards trains and bikes.
As for the Lake Drive project, the committee voted 4-1 to send the plan forward to a full Common Council vote, with 6th District Alderwoman Milele Coggs the lone member in opposition. A date for a full council vote has not been determined.
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