'It's not as safe as it used to be': Milwaukee County Parks proposes 15 mph speed limit for Oak Leaf Trail, park pathways
CBS 58 MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — Riders in Milwaukee County Parks could soon be asked to slow down.
A new proposal from the Milwaukee County Parks Department would set a 15 mph speed limit on the Oak Leaf Trail and other park pathways where bicycle riding is permitted.
Milwaukee County Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman, chair of the Parks and Culture Committee, said he has worked with the Parks Department over the past year to develop the proposal.
"People are coming from the north to south, the south to north, and they're going and they're going fast," Wasserman said. "We have to do something about it because it's really becoming unsafe on some of our trails."
The proposed speed limit would apply to bicycles, e-bikes, scooters and other permitted vehicles on the trails. Motor vehicles remain prohibited.
"Ultimately, we are just trying to reinforce safety, and it goes hand in hand with all of the other recommendations we're trying to promote around trail etiquette and safe trail usage," said Jim Tarantino, deputy director of Milwaukee County Parks. "Because it doesn't matter if you're a walker, if you have a dog on a leash, if you're riding a bike slowly, if you're riding a bike fast, if you're on a scooter, if you're a kid, if you have mobility issues, we want these to be safe spaces for everyone."
Tarantino said the use of e-bikes has grown significantly, but the county does not want to single them out.
"We don't want to single out e-bikes because we really think the explosion in use of e-bikes has been a really positive thing, that more and more people are using the trail, and we love to see that," Tarantino said.
For Oak Leaf Trail regulars like Michael Rosen, a proposal like this is long overdue.
"I love the trail. It's a great thing for the neighborhood, a great thing for people on bikes or for people walking like myself. I walk four to five miles every day," Rosen said, noting he uses the trail several times a week. "But we have a problem, which is that there are electric bikes on here that really function as motorcycles, and they go exceedingly fast. I've several times been close to being hit here. I've had to yell at people to stay away when you're walking."
The County Board's Parks and Culture Committee is scheduled to discuss the proposal Sept. 29.
If approved by the committee, the full County Board is expected to take it up two days later.
