East side planters, helpful or not? Several smashed up by cars

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- East siders are voicing their concerns over new safety measures for bicyclists that are causing confusion for some drivers, and even making a mess. Several planters have been spotted around the East side; their purpose is to add an extra player of protection for bikers.

"Every morning I hear someone either running into either a white and green stripe post or running into the flowerpots full speed," said Jae Carter, a mechanic on North Ave.

Carter said smashed up pots is not an unfamiliar sight on North Ave. That damage seen on these pictures captured by Carter.

 

"They're just a distraction, they're not for help," said Carter.

A sentiment was shared by long time east side resident Trina Velez who's lived in this community for over 50 years.

"There's also no, like, reflective anything on these, so when somebody's driving by, if they're not familiar, they're going to hit em,'" said Velez.

About 100 of these planters popped up on the east side in August after the East Side Business Improvement District implemented them to act as safety barriers for bicyclists.

In a statement, the Executive Director David Smulyan said:

"The fact that some of the planters have been broken suggests that they have served their intended purpose."

This was a move in part of the city's plan to make Milwaukee more bicyclist friendly.

"This is one project in like a much larger city-wide vision that the mayor has for protective bike ways. This is an example of something more temporary in nature. Again, the planters are movable, the posts are you know- all relatively inexpensive," said Kevin Muhs, city engineer for the City of Milwaukee.

These initiatives were kick started after the Department of Public Works saw an increase in pedestrian and cyclist fatality rates in 2020.

Still, some east siders say those planters aren't doing much to address that problem.

"If they're ignoring the planters, they're probably going to ignore some people too. Milwaukee is just not the safest area for driving anyway," said Makayla Sharp, an east side resident.

As of Friday, the city of Milwaukee was given a $4 million grant from the Biden administration to advance traffic safety initiatives. Some of that money addressing safety concerns on the east side and neighboring communities.