News, Events & Summer Traffic Safety

Summer Traffic Safety Initiative through September 1, 2026

The Madison Police Department (MPD) has launched a data-driven, proactive Summer Traffic Safety Initiative to improve roadway safety throughout our community. MPD remains committed to reducing hazardous driving behaviors and preventing traffic crashes that too often result in serious injuries and loss of life. While there are many strategies used to accomplish this goal, such as Safe Streets, Vision Zero, traffic engineering, and targeted enforcement, long-term success depends on strong community partnership and public participation. Community members can support safer streets by taking the following actions:

Drive Safely and Responsibly

• Monitor your speed and obey posted speed limits.
• Use traffic apps such as Google Maps, Waze, and similar navigation tools to calculate realistic arrival times based on traffic conditions.
• Remember: speeding is not the solution for arriving on time.

Follow Traffic Laws

• Obey traffic signals and stop signs.
• Pay close attention to crossings and yield to pedestrians and bicyclists.

Report Visibility Concerns

• If overgrown bushes, trees, or vegetation create unsafe visibility conditions at intersections or crossings, report the issue to Building Inspection through the City's Report a Problem page.

Promote Neighborhood Awareness

• Consider posting traffic safety signage on residential lawns.
  • Residents may contact their local police district to request a “Slow Down" yard sign.
  • 20 is Plenty Signage: Stop by the Traffic Engineering office located at the Madison Municipal Building (215 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd Suite 109) anytime between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm Monday through Friday
• Learn more about Vision Zero Signage and neighborhood traffic safety efforts.

Report Dangerous Driving

• Report erratic or hazardous driving behavior to the Speeder's Hotline at 608-266-4822. Including vehicle descriptions and license plate information.
• Report ongoing traffic safety concerns and hazardous driving areas through the Madison Police Department website.

What Residents Can Expect from MPD

As part of the Summer Traffic Safety Initiative, MPD officers will actively enforce traffic laws and address hazardous driving behaviors that negatively impact neighborhood safety and quality of life.

Enforcement efforts will focus on:

• Excessive speeding
• Reckless driving
• Distracted driving
• Impaired driving
• Aggressive driving
• Signal and stop sign violations.
• Other dangerous traffic behaviors that place community members at risk

Additional safety measures include:

• Deployment of speed boards throughout the district, including major thoroughfares and intersections
• Increased traffic enforcement operations
• Collaboration with community organizations, elected officials, Metro Transit, the Streets Division, and other city agencies

While there are no quotas or mandatory citation numbers, this initiative is data-driven and focused on meaningful proactive traffic safety activity. Officers are expected to conduct enforcement professionally, consistently, and in accordance with department policy.

The Summer Traffic Safety Initiative will run through September 1, 2026.

Is It Worth It?

In this economy, even a single traffic citation can create a major financial burden.

What could $100 buy at the grocery store today?

What could $400 cover for a weekend road trip or a short getaway with family?

Speeding tickets are expensive and often include a long list of mandatory surcharges and fees established under Wisconsin state law. For many members of our community, a citation can mean difficult choices between essential needs and unexpected costs.

Planning can make a difference:

• Leave earlier and account for traffic and road conditions.
• Use transit when available.
• Never drink and drive.
• Pay attention to your driving habits and patterns.
• Challenge yourself to slow down and make safer decisions behind the wheel.

Is It Really Worth It?

Madison has experienced far too many fatal crashes this year alone. Tragedies that, in many cases, could have been prevented! The impact of these crashes extends far beyond those directly involved. Families, friends, first responders, emergency personnel, and entire neighborhoods bear the emotional and financial consequences long after the incident.

Many of the behaviors that contribute to serious crashes, such as speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, and reckless driving, are preventable. Road safety is one of the few public safety issues in which every individual has both responsibility for and control over the choices they make each time they get behind the wheel.

Safer streets require more than enforcement alone. They require awareness, accountability, patience, and a shared commitment to protecting one another.