Wake up and slow down: City leaders work to fight reckless driving in Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE (CBS58)-- City leaders say reckless driving is a major concern in Milwaukee. It's causing a number of families to shed tears.
“When they drive recklessly and you see these fatalities that you saw this week, it’s very disappointing," Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said.
Mayor Barrett and other local leaders say it’s time for people to wake up and slow down. He says the council is involved in creating a task force to address the problem. The group is mainly made up of representatives and citizens. Barrett is currently looking at a grant to help him fight against the ongoing problem.
“I think it would be such a mistake to turn down this $9.7 million grant from the federal government because not only do I want to have some of that money going towards violent crime, but I want to be able to dedicate more resources to reckless driving," Barrett said.
Chantia Lewis is the alderwoman for the 9th district. It is the same district where 7-year-old Londyn Quesada was killed in a hit-and-run crash. She’s also a member of the City-County Carjacking and Reckless Driving Task Force.
“Because we are in budget time, we can’t just continue to allocate an additional million dollars for reckless driving, we have to start implementing what we’ve already sat aside for," Lewis said. "From road diets to enforcement on MPD side, we have to make sure we are doing our part.”
Milwaukee police say they know they play a mayor role in keeping people safe, but they also say it’s ultimately up to the public.
“We need you to talk to your peers, to your acquaintances, talk to your neighbors about the role they play and discourage them from engaging in reckless driving," Sgt. Efrain Cornejo said. He works for the Milwaukee Police Department.
Celia Jackson with the Coalition for Safe Driving MKE says the city needs an all out initiative to get to the root of the problem
“We have a group here doing this, we have a group here doing that, we have MPD doing something here. Everyone needs to be collaboratively working together and making sure the message Is getting out," Jackson said.