Whitefish Bay joins Wisconsin Bike Fed to emphasize pedestrian and bike safety
When Jessica Reddy moved back to Whitefish Bay last fall from California, she started to become fearful for her kid's safety while she biked around the village.
Within the first two weeks of living in their new home, she said her 13-year-old daughter was almost hit by a car three separate times while biking to school.
"(Drivers) aren't looking for bikers. They're not looking for pedestrians. That's the thing — nobody's looking for pedestrians," said Reddy.
The village acknowledged concerns like those expressed by Reddy and will continue to take steps to improve pedestrian and bike safety, said Village Engineer John Edlebeck. Whitefish Bay has partnered with Wisconsin Bike Fed, an organization devoted to advocating for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, the village confirmed on Jan. 20.
As a member of the Wisconsin Bike Fed, the village will receive support in filing an application with the League of American Bicyclists "Bicycle Friendly Community Program," which provides a roadmap and hands-on assistance to build places more welcoming to people who bike.
The Bike Fed will also work with the village to determine the best pedestrian and bike-friendly changes. Additional road safety education materials will also be an emphasis, said Wisconsin Bike Fed spokesperson Michelle Bachaus.
"A lot of it will likely be education and networking," said Bachaus, such as one of the Bike Fed's programs that provides education to teach children how to safely bike in their community.
Other Wisconsin Bike Fed participants in the Milwaukee-area include Milwaukee, Shorewood and River Falls, among others in the state.
Prioritizing bike and pedestrian safety in Whitefish Bay
Most of the village's previous road safety initiatives centered on reducing vehicle crashes, said Edlebeck.
Whitefish Bay won a 2021 National Roadway Safety Award, a program sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration and the Roadway Safety Foundation. Crashes involving vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists in the village have decreased more than 50% between 2015 and 2020, said Edlebeck.
"With encouragement by residents, we have continued to work on safety. And the next step that we're pursuing is specifically pedestrian and bicycle safety," he said.
Village officials will discuss their short and long-term goals during their Feb. 13 Public Works meeting. Some of those goals include working with the Bike Fed to put out education on the website about safety measures, such as wearing reflective clothing at night.
"Motorists need to learn defensive driving, but I think the bicyclists and pedestrians need to be educated as well. Some of the near misses have been pedestrian- or bicycle-caused," he said. "Instead of pointing a finger at one group, everyone needs to be educated to be safe."
The village will also analyze what physical improvements can be made at some of the intersections, said Edlebeck.
Parents like Reddy said they're hopeful the village will make the changes necessary to improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists.
"I think that the officials have an interest. They have their intentions in the right place," Reddy said. "But we just need more emphasis on pedestrian safety, and that would get more people making it a priority."
Contact Alex Groth at agroth@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @grothalexandria.
RELATED:City Market Café in Whitefish Bay is closing, Stone Creek Coffee to take over the space
RELATED:A new Colectivo Coffee location could be coming to this North Shore suburb
Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.
DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Whitefish Bay partners with Wisconsin Bike Fed to improve bike safety
