World Day of Rememberance for Road Traffic Victims...plus more updates

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Hi Everyone,

Veteran's Day is a sobering day. While many get the day off from work, which is nice, it nonetheless feels a little awkward saying, "Happy Veteran's Day." It's a day of reflection, reasonably so, regardless of one's politics. 

Today the city acknowledged a different yet equally sobering cause for reflection, the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in an event held this afternoon at Burr Jones Park. I was asked to speak and here were my remarks: 

I've served on Common Council since April 2019 when I was first elected alder for District 13. I can say from experience that the single biggest concern of my constituents over the years has been traffic safety.

That is to say, I get more phone calls, more emails, more individuals stopping me in public to express their concern about speeding, about cars going too fast on main thoroughfares like South Park Street and Monroe Street, about cars going too fast on neighborhood streets, about cars going through stop signs and red lights, about cars not yielding to pedestrians in cross walks, including those with flashing beacons -- I get more concerns about this than any other topic. And I suspect this is true for my colleagues, the other 19 alders on the Council.

Many of these constituents ask for more enforcement, and when I get these complaints, I always turn them over to Captain Blackamore in the Midtown District or Captain Zanders in the South District, and there's invariably a quick and timely response with resources applied to that particular street or intersection. But enforcement resources are not unlimited. We cannot put a cop on every corner to catch every violation of our city's traffic laws. And while I support adding a new Traffic Enforcement Safety Team, I understand that depends for now on the availability of matching funds from the federal government. 

Sometimes the complaints I receive are about street design, recognizing that there are inherent safety issues that can be rectified by engineering traffic calming measures or new geometry in the layout of a particular street or intersection. But the waiting list for these improvements is long and the cost of implementing them is considerable. 

Enforcement and Street Design are two of the branches in our city's Vision Zero program, but there is a third, and that's education. And while both enforcement and street redesign are resource-constrained, our commitment to education is much less so. 

In September, Council adopted a new Pedestrian Plan for our city. Safety is a key consideration. While pedestrians are involved in just 2% of traffic crashes, they make up 22% of serious injuries and fatalities. The Pedestrian Plan sets specific goals for reducing these serious incidents. Whereas the 2026 baseline for serious incidents involving pedestrians is approximately 20 per year, the plan sets the goal of eliminating these incidents entirely by 2035. 

There is a role for each of us to play in this regard. 

The key point I wish to make is this -- Driving more than the speed limit is a choice that puts others at risk. 

It's my hope that speeding will eventually be regarded in the same negative light as smoking. When I was younger you could smoke on a plane and at most places of work. You could smoke in bars, in nightclubs, and in restaurants. Johnny Carson smoked from his desk on the Tonight Show! When I was very little, I'm told even doctors smoked in their doctor's offices! Now all that has changed, because people realize smoking not only harms one's own health but also negatively impacts the health of others. It's my hope that speeding will soon be regarded as a decidedly selfish choice that needlessly puts other lives at risk.

Last night, Common Council approved our budget which included an amendment to enhance the city's education efforts around Vision Zero. I anticipate we'll be seeking help from PR firms and from marketing students at UW. I have my own ideas, and I've even made suggestions to Director Tao that this could include bumper stickers that say: “Yes, I Drive The Speed Limit."  And if someone gets irritated with you, that's fine. Smile and know you are doing the right thing.

All of us here can and should make a commitment to always driving the speed limit, never prioritizing our destination above and beyond the health and safety of our fellow Madisonians. 

We can and must change the culture around traffic safety. Let's start today, each of us, by making a commitment to always driving the speed limit.

Thank you.

After the event, I met Nadya Rosen, Sasha Rosen's mom. Many of you will recall the tragedy that occurred in February when young Sasha lost his life while crossing S. Park on his way to school. Nadya is asking all of us to slow down, to drive the speed limit, to pay attention and be attentive. Please do your part to make Madison's streets safer for everyone so we can avoid needless tragedies like this from occuring.

Here is the rest of what's happening in and around the city:

Updates and Notices 

  • Scheduled Leaf Collection Ends in November: Make sure you know when you are scheduled to put out your leaves and yard waste for pickup.  Get the set out dates for your home on our website or by calling us at either 608-266-4681 or 608-246-4532. 
  • Sign Up for Schedule Update Emails: You can be the first to know if weather forces leaf schedule changes or if it will allow for an extra pickup.   Sign up to get Brush & Yard Waste Schedule Updates. When you sign up for this, you will get an email alert about schedule changes for these services. 

Public Information Meeting (PIM's) 

Learn What's Next for Pathways to 2050: The Greater Madison Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) works with 36 communities across Dane County to plan for the region's transportation needs and help direct millions of dollars in federal funding to local transportation projects. Right now, the MPO is updating Pathways to 2050, the region's long-range transportation plan. The plan will help guide transportation priorities and investments over the next 20–30 years, including roads, public transit, biking, and walking. 

Over the summer, the MPO gathered feedback from community members through surveys, focus groups, and community events. Now, they're hosting virtual public meetings to share what they heard, how that feedback is helping shape the plan, and what's coming next.  You're invited to this upcoming virtual public meetings: 

Announcements and News Releases 

Please visit the City news webpage to find additional news and announcements and to subscribe to receive notification of news releases as they are posted. 

Events 

Parks Alive Fall! 

Parks Alive builds stronger neighborhoods and connects neighbors to their parks through fun, family-friendly activities, music and free food. Events are held in parks across the city and throughout the fall. Connect with your neighbors and engage with your community at a Parks Alive event near you!  

Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar. 

Lastly....

We passed the 2027 budget at our Council meeting last night. I will include more information in a subsequent post.  Also, Alder Figueroa-Cole introduced from the floor a proposed ordinance change that would pause the Police Civilian Oversight Board while the council seeks guidance from NACOLE, the National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement -- which will come to a vote at our November 24th meeting. I'll share my thoughts on this matter as well in post before that date.

That's all for now.

Take care and stay safe,

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