The Brady Street Business Improvement District released four options Tuesday to make East Brady Street more pedestrian friendly, ranging from enhanced intersections to pedestrianizing four blocks.
Following a fatal hit-and-run accident in September, one of many vehicle-pedestrian crashes on Brady Street, the BID launched a study and hired two Milwaukee firms, GRAEF and The Kubala Washatko Architects, to look into closing a portion of the street to vehicular traffic.
Brady Street, which once welcomed German, Polish, Irish and then Italian immigrants, is now the heart of a residential area, a home for small businesses and a thriving entertainment district all at once. It draws walkers, bikers and drivers and is home to a massive summer street festival.
“The study imagines a transformed Brady Street, a place filled with people comfortably and safely enjoying one of Milwaukee’s great neighborhoods,” said Craig Huebner, leader of GRAEF’s Planning + Urban Design Practice Team, in a press release.
“Our team was driven by a singular goal: create one of the world’s great streets,” added Chris Socha, partner with TKWA.
The BID will gather feedback from residents, businesses and other stakeholders this summer and then will choose a final design, according to the release.
“Brady Street is a bustling and vibrant area, and it is essential we make our streets safe for all people,” said Alderman Jonathan Brostoff, who represents the area.
Options 1 and 2: Access for all users
The least transformational of the four, option one would allow road access to all users, but install pedestrian enhancements such as curb bump outs, bollards and speed tables to three intersections in the Brady Street commercial “core.”
At Franklin Place, Arlington Place and Warren Avenue, vehicle traffic would be raised to pedestrian level on speed tables, creating a “noticeable change and signaling to motorists they have entered a different type of space.”
The speed tables, which are designed to extend north and south partially along side streets, serve the dual purpose of placemaking in addition to speed reduction, the study says.
“The extensions of the speed tables create plaza-like spaces along each side street that can be closed for events,” the study says.
This option would allow for expanded sidewalks, which could be used as patio space, and would remove six on-street parking spaces.
The second option also allows for all users to have access to the road, but instead of enhancing key intersections, an entire corridor would be enhanced for pedestrians.
From North Humboldt to North Farwell avenues, Brady Street would be outfitted with the same enhancements as option one, plus planters.
This option would require removal of about 50% of the parking on the corridor.
“An enhanced corridor, which becomes more like a shared street than a main traffic route during times with high pedestrian volumes can provide a safe, low-speed environment with the right driver education,” the study says.
Options 3 and 4: People only
The final two options propose creating people-only spaces for either two or four blocks of Brady Street.
One option calls for closing off Brady Street from Franklin Place to Warren Avenue (two blocks) with some enhancements extended one block on either side. The other option proposes closing off Brady Street from North Humboldt to North Farwell avenues (four blocks).
These options drastically narrow the drivable portion of the street, making it accessible only to public transit, emergency vehicles and loading vehicles and would include signage and other structures to deter non-authorized traffic from entering the space.
“(Pedestrianization) creates a large social space that is unique in Milwaukee,” the study says. “The impact is large enough to draw significant excitement across the city/region.”
All street parking would be removed in the corridor in exchange for more pedestrian space and outdoor dining or commerce. The study also cites the decrease in traffic noise as a benefit of these options.
Resident and business input
The release of the study comes after a city Public Works Committee meeting earlier this month where some neighbors had concerns about pedestrianizing the street, saying that the Brady Street area is a neighborhood first and an entertainment district second.
Similarly, business owners had reservations about closing the street to traffic, proposing the street be closed weekend nights only and implementing other safety measures instead.
But some people who frequently walk and bike the street said it’s dangerous because of the cars and closing the street to cars is the only way to make impactful change.
The committee took no official action at the meeting but members agreed that something needed to be done to improve safety on Brady Street.
Some residents said closing the street would likely push drivers into the surrounding residential streets ― likely at similar speeds and recklessness.
To avoid this, the pedestrianization study proposes that if Brady Street were to be closed off, traffic heading east could be diverted north to East North Avenue via North Humboldt Avenue and traffic headed west be diverted south via North Farwell Avenue and East Ogden Avenue.
