Wauwatosa is looking to address reckless driving. Here are some ways the city could buck the trend.

Wauwatosa officials are hoping an uptick in visible enforcement and radar speed signs will lead to a decrease in reckless driving across the city.

Reckless driving has been an issue in the Milwaukee area for several months, leading area law enforcement and officials to come up with creative and new methods to try to buck the trend.

"There's been an increase in reckless driving, as we all know, a disregard for speed traffic control signs, signals, rules of the road," Wauwatosa Police Chief James MacGills said during a Wauwatosa Transportation Affairs Committee meeting Tuesday.

"It's been an increase of danger to public safety. It also has made residents feel unsafe," he said, adding that such disregard for the rules of the road can lead to an increase in accidents.

In response, the Wauwatosa Police Department and the Wauwatosa Department of Public Works are hoping some new initiatives will slow drivers down and force them to obey the rules of the road.

MacGillis said the department is taking a 40/40/20 approach: 40% enforcement, 40% infrastructure assessment and modification and 20% informing the public.

"Part of that messaging is letting the public know what are we doing, why are we doing it, what are we focusing on with that behavior," MacGillis said.

Speed-related crashes

From 2016-20, there were 429 speed-related crashes in Wauwatosa.

The department handed out about 30,000 speeding tickets from 2010-22, the majority coming on main roadways in the city, including on North Avenue, Mayfair Road, North 76th Street, Capitol Drive and Bluemound Road, according to a speeding ticket density map.

The city has also tracked intersections across the city where more drivers are going above 10 mph the posted speed limit.

Data has found that 20.31% of drivers at North 99th Street and Grantosa Drive go above 10 mph above the speed limit, 21.09% of drivers at Watertown Plank Road and 85th Street, 20.63% in the 1300 block of 72nd Avenue and 18% at Grantosa Drive and 107th Street.

City now using more speed radar signs

The city used a state grant to purchase eight new portable radar speed feedback signs, which display drivers' speeds when they drive by.

Four of those signs are on Center Street, between 124th Street and Mayfair Road.

The others are being rotated around the city by the Department of Public Works to other areas of concern, according to David Simpson, director of public works.

Some studies have shown that speed radar signs lead to a long-term decrease in the average speeds of drivers.

The city also has a traffic calming program, which is another option to address specific traffic safety concerns.

Residents can submit applications for the program, which could add signs, pavement markings, a temporary digital radar and even targeted traffic enforcement to specific streets.

In some instances, the program could even add speed bumps and traffic circles to a street.

Targeted enforcement patrols remain a tactic

MacGillis said the department has been using data to deploy more officers to parts of the city where more accidents or speed-related complaints have been made.

High-visibility policing in those areas can help decrease reckless driving, MacGillis believes. That includes using "dummy cars," or unoccupied squad cars on occasion.

"If you see a squad car, people will generally slow down," MacGillis said.

The department also participated in three reckless driving reduction initiatives in the last six weeks, where two to three squads work together to perform traffic stops.

However, MacGillis said overtime and staffing for those initiatives have been a problem.

"Visible presence can be effective, but it's the staffing issue that we're still dealing with," MacGillis said.

MacGillis will come back before the Transporation Affairs Committee in three months to discuss how effective some of the new efforts are.

What other communities are doing

Two other Milwaukee County municipalities have also been discussing the issue in recent months.

In West Allis, the reckless driving deterrence campaign, crafted by city administrators, City Attorney Kail Decker and the West Allis Police Department, was approved in 2021 as part of the city's 2022 budget.

Part of the initiative involves charging reckless driving offenders under a different part of the Wisconsin state statutes, using a law against negligent operation of a vehicle instead of reckless driving.

While the reckless driving charge carries a maximum fine of $200, a motorist convicted of negligent operation of a vehicle could face a forfeiture of up to $10,000.

In Milwaukee, police will now tow unregistered vehicles that have engaged in at least one of four infractions: reckless driving, speeding 25 mph above the limit, fleeing police or racing.

Officers can have those cars towed during a traffic stop or whenever an officer comes into contact with a vehicle involved in a crash investigation.

To recover a towed vehicle, owners have to present a valid driver’s license, proof of registration, proof of insurance and pay all associated fees.

In February 2021, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman announced the creation of the Traffic Safety Unit, which includes about 20 officers who saturate specific areas of the city with daily traffic patrols. The department is also involved in recommending road improvements designed to encourage safer driving and awareness campaigns.

Evan Casey can be reached at 414-403-4391 or evan.casey@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter @ecaseymedia.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wauwatosa leaders are looking to address reckless driving