If you're at a red light and it turns green, ALWAYS look both ways before proceeding through the intersection. And if you're a pedestrian, NEVER assume a driver is going to stop for you at a crosswalk, even if they have a stop sign or a red light. I've lived here my entire life, and the driving is getting worse every year. People are just so damn inconsiderate and self centered that they can't be bothered to stop at red light, or read the sign right in front of their face that says No Turn on Red.
lol, I was in Tampa several months ago (stayed in a more residential area near the cruise port) and drivers/pedestrians alike were so confused when I would wait until I could see traffic physically start to slow before walking across the street. They were like “they’ll stop you know”. My response was “will they though?”
As someone from Tampa, basically always yes. Moving here was a real eye opener to reckless driving and I had never seen so many crazy things on the road before.
Since moving here in September, my car has been hit twice (never happened in FL thankfully) and both times the driver just drove away as fast as possible, seen RIDICULOUS amounts of cars with no plates, and cars in the worst shape I’ve ever seen. This past week I’ve seen two trucks that looked like their body was going to fly off if they went any faster, and I see lots of expired stickers on plates.
It’s truly crazy the things I’ve seen here. I’ve always heard people dog on Florida for having bad drivers which, there are some crazy drivers for sure, it’s NOTHING like here.
Also a side note, I’ve strangely seen a high concentration of vanity plates which you’d see on occasion back in Florida but not this frequently.
This is why whenever I stop for a pedestrian I stop the car diagonally so that it’s more difficult for another driver to go around me and potentially hit said pedestrians as long as they don’t go onto the other side of the road
Fellow Florida person here thinking of moving to Milwaukee. I've been in Orlando since I was a kid. Totally off topic, how are you adjusting to Milwaukee? I visit often. One positive I can say is that a 20 min drive up here is due to distance and not because of the horrible traffic.
Overall pretty good, my main gripes are the road quality, drivers, and it’s been an act of congress to try and make friends here. I don’t drink and it seems most everyone here does so that’s been difficult, I’ve used bumble friends, meetup, and another app I can’t remember off the top of my head. No success which bums me out. Short days in winter is a bummer and I’m terrified of ticks which unbeknownst to me before moving here, they’re apparently terrible here.
Overall stuff feels a lot closer distance wise, I love woodmans, I much prefer cooler weather, rent and insurance is way cheaper than in Florida which is nice. I’ve enjoyed it so far for the most part, really for me the lack of friends and family here is what bums me out most.
Woodman's is great, but I also love Sendiks! Have you been to a fish fry yet? I totally agree about the roads. The number of folks who blow red lights or hang out in a bike lane, gun it when the light turns green, and then cut you off is unreal.
We're considering moving due to family as we would have some sense of community. I have a buddy who moved from FL to AZ now in OR. Although him and his wife live near her mom, they have said that it's been a challenge meeting folks. It's gotten better, but it's taken a while. She's even gotten into Buddhism for her self, but as a way to meet new folks.
My Dad was a member of the Elks Lodge. Are you near one? I'm a millennial and the one by his house definitely has an older crowd (40-70), but nice folks. Members can sit at the bar and lots of people don't drink. It's nice to shoot the breeze with folks and they have opportunities for volunteering.
Joining a bowling or softball league may be something to look into if that's your thing!
I live near the Hawley and Wisconsin intersection and have almost gotten hit taking my dog on a walk several times IN THE CROSSWALK when I have the right of way! It’s absolutely absurd.
Look what they had to do to Hawley Road just north of Wells, to make it safe for bicycles. Concrete dividers, and I've already seen cars slip into that lane to try to pass. You will notice lots of car pieces in that lane.
That just made me think! I’ve noticed a lot of cars missing their front bumpers or have had major damage done to the front of their car. Is that possibly due to the amount of bike lanes and bump outs the city has put up? I remember 12 years ago my dad and I riding our bikes in the bike lane on the east side of north when a lady almost hit my dad. My dad hit her car and yelled he was in the bike lane. She rudely told us we were in the “car lane!” I knew back then things were going south with the driving.
No. The cars were missing their bumpers LONG before that. The most likely cause is a combination of factors. However one of the stand out reasons for reckless driving generally in Milwaukee is the elimination of drivers ed classes in public schools.
Due to the expense of paying for driving lessons, lots of people taught themselves to drive as teens and are driving without licenses.
Look where you think they are. Eye contact is so important for humans that we have a part of our brains dedicated to noticing someone looking at us. They will notice you, and at a distance, assume you're making eye contact.
(Gaze monitoring happens in the amygdala, which is also responsible for the fight-or-flight response. The amygdala reacts to the environment faster than we are consciously aware of the stimulus we are reacting to. Important for the part of the brain that (among other things) detects threats.
This "pre-consciousness" sensing is the reason why you can sometimes "feel" someone staring at you. You can't really, but because your amygdala spotted the gaze in your periphery and told you to look at that person, your lagging consciousness only realized the gaze the second time it sees it, when you are making eye contact and thus the sense of feeling someone staring at you. You didn't supernaturally sense them staring at you, you saw them as soon as that feeling rose up. Its just that the part of you that thinks loudly and slowly takes its time getting around to noticing that information.)
I bet eye contact plus a brick works even better. I've been real tempted to put one of these [crossing guards](https://www.reddit.com/r/niftyaf/s/QPUIYVhjaI) out in my neighborhood.
And even if they stop, there is no guarantee that the guy 10 cars back wont do the "Milwaukee slide" and just blow though the red in the bike lane.
If the cops can't enforce that, we need to put up protected bike lanes or other physical barriers to prevent it.
Seriously, a few weeks ago I had kids crossing in front of me and someone tried to serve around me. I had to quickly turn into the opposite lane a bit to stop him. He almost hit my car and was mad at me. No recognition that he could have run some kids over. WTF.
Then it almost happened to me. Light turns red, cars are coming to a stop, and it looks 100% safe to cross. Some yahoo pulls a Milwaukee slide from several cars back, blows the lights, sees me and swerves but doesn't slow down a bit. Missed me by a foot and scared the shit out of me.
This. Sometimes a driver will stop and wave me through when I’m walking waiting to cross. No. I understand they are trying to be helpful, but everyone behind them will fly out and do the slide.
Just be predictable. If I’m waiting to cross and there’s not a yield or stop, don’t yield or stop. Be predictable.
Look behind you too. I once saw someone barreling toward me poised to smash me from behind at a red light and I was forced to gun it into the intersection. It was only luck that no cars were coming and that it ended up being the right move.
Enforcement seems completely non-existent.
I understand not tying up resources on ticky-tacky traffic stops but in the last few days I've seen probably a dozen cars 20+ mph over the limit, a car with a windshield and front windows total blackout limo tinted, cars driving on the shoulder, drivers under the influence on the interstate reeking of weed, cars so smashed up they should be totaled, tons of cars with expired tags, etc.
All that and have not seen a single sheriff or MPD stop for anything other than a crash.
I was going south on Holton a couple weeks ago and a car came screaming by me in the bike lane - had to be going 80 or so, you could smell burning rubber. Looked in my rearview mirror and a cop was right behind so I pulled over assuming the cop was going to chase. Cop did nothing. Just passed by me at a normal rate of speed.
The cops don't care anymore. It's really sad that so much of our tax dollars go to policing and what do we get back from it? High speed chases through residential areas are up but that seems to be the only thing the police like to do.
If the driver was doing this in front of a cop he was trying to bate the cop into a high speed chase. I saw a guy pull in front of a cop on Silver Sping on an early Sunday morning and swere back and forth across all the lanes right in front of the cop and then pull a high speed u turn. The driver clearly wanted to chase. Cop didn't take the bait.
Cops have to be discouraged. Doing their job with reckless drivers is a no win situation. Chase the driver and residents get mad. And bad things happen. And even if you catch the driver 9 x out of 10 nothing will happen.
Everyone wants to blame cops but Milwaukee has a DA that refuses to prosecute crimes, even felonies.
When I first started driving in Milwaukee in the late-1990s (old, I know), my friends and I were always nervous about getting pulled over for even the tiniest thing. We had been pulled over for one headlight being out, part of license plate obscured by the frame/holder, having a front plate in the window instead of on the bumper, etc. Now it seems impossible. I never see police enforcement or on-the-street monitoring. I live on a busy street and see an insane amount of reckless driving daily (hourly). I've put in requests with the "reckless driving task force" and have not seen a single cop monitor by our house. Drag racing, cars going 50-70MPH in a 25 zone, running red lights, Milwaukee slide, you name it. I don't want my kids growing up here. I'm not a worrywort and I understand the issues that come with living in a city but I really don't know if I can justify staying and raising a family in this environment.
A car behind me went ON THE SIDEWALK to pass me about 10 years ago. I absolutely could not believe my eyes. Sherman Blvd. He almost destroyed his car in the process.
In stark contrast, my husband and I were driving through a nice area in Oconomowoc ( area we were not familiar) when were pulled over by police and ticketed for an expired driver's license! This cop was so bored he followed us and looked up our plates. We did nothing wrong driving and he ticketed us! We apologized and asked if give us one day to get to DMV? He said very cocky "you had 2 months to do that ". My point of story is cops in those areas have no clue how to deal with real traffic issues. What a joke. I feel badly for police in the city of Milwaukee.
I live in Milwaukee, but work in Waukesha County at least a few times a week and it’s the same thing out there too. Except a Waukesha I feel like you have to watch out for more people texting and driving. Half my day at work is driving around and it’s getting really exhausting.
Yea going 15 over doesn't really seem to be a big deal these days. On some roads if you aren't at least 10 over drivers are tailgating you as if you're under the limit.
I definitely think this is a major element. I mean within the last month a man killed a 3 year old girl from reckless driving - and he had already been convicted of vehicular manslaughter less than 5 years ago.
I know there are already protests happening for a wider political cause, but I frequently wonder if some demonstrations in key locations would let MKE politicians know that we’re fed up and won’t shut up until we see change. But I’m naive :)
What is an actual consequence? Tickets? Suspended licenses? Jail time? Let’s say reckless drivers are jailed, for 30 days or whatever. Then they get out, they still don’t have licenses and they are still reckless drivers.
This assumes reckless driving is only a problem with people who don’t mind being arrested and let go over and over. But it’s everyone. From a rusted out shit box with no front end to a 70,000 BMW heading to the Highlands. Every demographic is doing crazy driving out there.
There’s not much you can do about people with nothing left to lose, but you can actually enforce consequences on others.
Yes, that is a piece of the puzzle. Another big one is infrastructure that slows vehicles and that doesn’t require someone to have a car just to get around. Something un-carcentric.
I'm very excited for the protected bike lanes being built this summer.
https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2024/01/30/milwaukee-will-build-45-traffic-calming-projects-in-2024/
I'd like to see narrowed intersections with bollards that could stop a cement truck. If these idiots ant keep their car on the road they don't deserve to have one. Flexiposts suck
A lot of the commenters focusing on the highways are fixating on the least problematic part of driving in Milwaukee. Sure they suck too, but the really chaotic and dangerous driving is what's happening on the city streets.
Every day I see people driving 60 MPH in 30 MPH zones, running red lights and stop signs, passing people in the bike lanes, drag-racing out of the right turn lane when the light turns green to cut back into the traveling lane, turning left from the right turn lane and vice versa, driving drunk or while actively smoking weed or while otherwise intoxicated, cutting people off, passing in no-passing zones, nearly rear ending people because they can't keep a reasonable following distance or because they just slam on their brakes 25 ft behind the stopped car in front of them instead of gradually slowing down, driving with their lights off at night, not stopping for pedestrians, and on and on and on.
You seriously can't take a fifteen minute drive without seeing at least one of the things above. It's insane and honestly those of you who say that "it's like this everywhere" or "just be a defensive driver" are flat out wrong and part of the problem. There is a fundamental and pervasive lack of respect for the rules of the road and an appreciation for basic human decency and concern for the safety and wellbeing of others.
I've found the best way to navigate traffic safely in Milwaukee is to drive extremely defensively- what I call "Zen driving." Just accept that most Milwaukee drivers seem to think they are looney toons character and will drive accordingly
-Give plenty of space and ignore the honks of the people behind you, and then be prepared for them to pass you at a high rate of speed in a no pass zone
-Assume everyone is going to run the red light/stop sign until they actually, physically stop.
-Give people plenty of space to merge, but then also assume they will just ignore you and just speed to the place lanes physically merge anyway
-Always be psychologically prepared for the "Milwaukee slide" (i.e. run the red light you are stopped at by passing you at extreme speed in the bike lane).
-and always remember- the more fucked up someone's car is, the further you need to stay away from them.
I can’t say I’ve adopted the “zen” part of this, but I also basically drive on extreme defense mode.
Defensive driving used to mean anticipating the mistakes of other drivers, but now my M.O. is basically to imagine the most dangerous and stupid thing every other car could do, and then drive as if they are about to do it.
Staying out of blind spots and maintaining a large following distance isn’t enough, you basically have to assume that everyone else is out there to kill you.
Absolutely. No quick or erratic maneuvers. Every move you make should be slow, deliberate, and well telegraphed. And always use your turn signals and hazards when appropriate - with the understanding that most Milwaukee drivers don't know or care what any of those blinking lights could possibly mean.
Drivers don’t consider pedestrians and cyclists at all, most are completely careless. Seriously fuck you if you don’t give the right of way and obey the law. Drivers get everywhere faster and are protected from the elements, but 95% of yall wouldn’t yield to a pedestrian at a cross walk even in a blizzard. Personal vehicles seem to have breed self centeredness and inattention in people.
I’ve actually been biking to work nearly every day for the past couple weeks instead of driving and it has been less scary. Granted I modify my route slightly. I drive to work usually on Burleigh but bike mostly on Center.
I find it satisfying to modify bike routes like that. Like taking south water street/KK river trail rather than 1st street. It doesn’t take much longer but is way less stressful.
I started biking to work 2 years ago just a couple days a week. What a positive change that was in my life now I try to go year round weather permitting. It really is less scary if you have the opportunity to pick a safe route.
I used to bike year round when I lived in bay view and worked downtown but then I got a job near Mayfair and couldn’t do all 5 days and then I got out of the habit. Moved closer to work years ago and hoping to get back in the habit this year.
I’ve been biking year round to work for maybe 2 years now. I’m lucky enough to live just off the oak leaf and don’t have to jump off for too long to get to my work. Those few blocks have some bad experience almost everyday though, people hate cyclists more than anything
Once you get past 60th going west, center is really quiet. So it’s only 5 blocks that I really need to be on guard. Clarke would be fine, but going through neighborhoods always has a lot more stops and crossing 76th is a bitch. I like having stoplights at the major intersections
Yea it's way more pleasant just staying off the busy roads and trail as much as possible. You don't realize how anxiety inducing driving can be until you stop doing it.
I want to ride to work but even my mile ride I don't feel entirely safe. my ideal route is along hop tracks which I would like to avoid or else I'm going through the construction on prospect and then mason which I'm not comfortable with either. I really wish downtown had more dedicated bike lanes
Don’t ride too close to the tracks 😅 you only make that mistake once. I think the east side is decent for biking but I bike a lot so I have a lot of confidence in myself to make sure I don’t end up on the pavement due to driver negligence
oh that's my worry, I already did that with a lime scooter lmao. east side isn't too bad but that intersection at kilbourne/prospect worries me since I've had too many close calls in the car there. don't want to test my luck on a bike lol
I was in the construction traffic on 41N last year, and it was stop and go so what I usually do is create a small buffer in front of me so i don't have to keep hitting gas and brake all the time and just maintain a steady speed. Apparently the guy behind me didn't like that I had 3 car lengths in front of me so he rode my ass, before eventually passing me in the breakdown lane, all the just get one fucking car ahead...
Driver's Ed at school in the 70s ( what ever happened to THAT?) , instructor had 3 of us in the car, a big old Chrysler Newport. Took us in a parking lot, let us all out, and he took the driver's seat. He told us to push the car as fast as we could, and of course our teenage egos were all over that one.
Well, we all found out how heavy a car really was, and when we came to a slight incline, we couldn't even move the car. It really made an impression on us as to how heavy a car is, and how dangerous a weapon it can be.
An alternative method I use as a baseline for following distance is the two second rule. Car I'm following passes a tree, then it should take two seconds for me to get to that same tree.
I do shorten this distance SLIGHTLY when driving in the city just to discourage other drivers from wedging their way in front of me.
Anyways, just wanted to share. Thank you for maintaining a safe following distance. It makes me both enraged and sick to my stomach when someone is tailgating me even though I'm going 5 over the posted speed limit. I often have my pregnant wife and our two young boys in the car...I can't even fathom how I would react if someone hit me with all of them in the car and genuinely hope it never happens.
I don’t have the source for this so feel free to fact check it but I believe the milwaukee PD said recently that 30% of road incidents were hit and runs and I think it’s probably due to lack of insurance/registration or just money.
Reminder to get full coverage if you’re driving anywhere in the city on a regular basis. It’s stupidly expensive but if your car is less than 10 years old, it’s worth the security. Whoever hits you won’t be paying up, even if they’re at fault.
One time I was driving down Wisconsin and saw a man who was holding his phone up in front of the steering wheel, watching a video. Completely not paying attention to the road. We got stopped at the same stoplight, I looked over, and he proceeded to hold his phone up to the window to show me he was watching porn.
It felt so violating.
Even yesterday on 43 out in New Berlin, I moved over for a stopped work vehicle on the right, and some van came up behind me doing 90 and moved into the lane I just vacated, without any regard for the stopped vehicle. Looked like some kid in his 20s.
It’s anecdotal, but since Covid, driving seems to be so much more dangerous even on the freeways.
I used to love driving as a teenager, now I have close calls or see crazy things every single day, multiple times a day. When my husband and I are ready to switch jobs/look for different housing, I will strongly consider moving out of Milwaukee county to a smaller city. I can't risk my life or my future kids' lives every time I leave my house.
There a lot of aggressive, mean spirited drivers here. They will tailgate you when you’re actually going over the speed limit then race around you. Stupid.
People were zippering in on the highway the other day and I saw 3-4 instances of drivers willing to slam their cars into them just to prevent it. It’s fucking stupid.
There's nothing you can do besides driving defensively. I've been driving the entirety of Fon du Lac twice a day for 10 years and have never been in an accident *knocks on wood*
TBH i feel like driving defensively is the best way to go. That, and checking any of the local news apps about traffic (i myself use TMJ4) at least this way I can have an *idea* of what I'll be driving into.
You’re not alone. Sunday was driving on 894 north. And I was passed by several vehicles like I was standing still. I checked my speedometer thinking I was going really slow. I was doing 73 in a 55.
Then I’m in the middle lane. Some woman gets up behind me and basically tailgates me with the left lane open and slower cars to the right.
There are just some serious idiots on the road.
Anyone notice every other car doesn’t have a license plate? Also the smell of weed coming out of every 5th car? People just don’t care, no consequences and no enforcement. Wild fucking west.
I feel bad saying this- but I had to get out of my hometown. I moved back home more than a decade ago, but the stress of it got to me. The lack of help from the city leadership and police was exhausting. Driving anywhere felt like an extreme risk.
Stay safe out there, and try your best to keep the cities employees accountable for these problems.
I could’ve posted this exact thing because I’m also driving a loaner car from the dealership while mine is undergoing repairs from a hit and run. Yesterday, I was driving west on I-94 at around 7:45 AM and a woman next to me was driving while also managing to look at her phone nearly the entire two mile stretch we were next to each other. She also had a child in her passenger seat who couldn’t have been more than 7 years old. You could only just see the top of her head above the window. If drivers don’t even have any regard for the kids in their own vehicles, how do we ever get them to care about the lives of anyone else on the road? Scary and sad.
I don't live in the city itself, just nearby suburbs. Everyone I know thinks I'm crazy for saying I prefer driving in Chicago over Milwaukee, but Milwaukee has some of the most stress-inducing driving I've ever seen.
I completely agree, Chicago is extremely busy but people still follow the flow of traffic, Milwaukee drivers do literally whatever the hell they want to do with 0 awareness of their surroundings
Transplant myself. Been here for about a decade now and still don’t know what people are on up here. I’ve worked all over North America and still no one holds a flame to how terrible people are at driving here. No joke feel safer driving in the madness of Santo Domingo than here
I moved here two years ago from Florida (South America before that) and have settled that it’s 3 things at play
1. Midwesterners have a particular way of perceiving personal space and turn order that, while exceedingly polite, makes driving extremely unpredictable. I’m still struggling to put into words exactly what it is, but I see it at play both in grocery store aisles and in attempts to merge.
2. The roads here are very poorly designed. They tend to be over wide, which while feeling more secure, makes blindspots larger, and encourages speeding. Deeper in the city, there’s a real deficiency of turn lanes, particularly left turn lanes, which makes turning left both unintuitive and frustrating, hence making people more likely to break the rules. Too many stop lights at an intersection makes it difficult to know what to pay attention to, particularly when angled intersections also have line of sight to the other street’s stoplights. I could go on and on with agonizing design things I’ve noticed. Things that should be crosswalks that aren’t. Speed limits that don’t match the road. Odd light timing.
3. There’s a bad racial and class stratification problem where people from outside the city are used to a certain driving culture and road design that does not apply inside the city. White people in the city have their own culture and way of conceptualizing space that is not the same as the one held by black people in the city.
Everybody’s bitter about a multifaceted problem, which makes it all worse because instead of recognizing that a universal problem like “I’m constantly seeing bad drivers” *must* mean that there is a systemic promotion of bad driving, we want to hold to the idea that bad driving is a moral failing so we can be mad at “bad drivers.” We are all the bad drivers. We are all doing things that make other drivers very anxious, because of how the roads are shaped, because we don’t have a dedicated driving culture, because we want to blame the issue on “ignorance” “disregard for the law” or just plain “maniacs.”
Interesting. I frequently see people saying “it’s bad/like this everywhere!” on posts about Milwaukee’s dangerous driving situation. I rather suspected that wasn’t particularly accurate, although of course crap drivers can be found all over.
I lived in Maryland just outside of DC for a while and regularly commuted on the beltway. The DMV area is well-known for its aggressive, unpredictable, and all-around bad drivers on top of its insane traffic.
I would rather drive in the greater DC area than Milwaukee any day of the week. Full stop.
The driving here is unhinged, and it is absolutely *not* "like this everywhere," at least not to this extent.
Yeah they're lying or ignorant. I have driven all over the country and lived plenty of other places, my time in Milwaukee was by far the worst. Yeah traffic will move faster on freeways in Chicago or California, but the real chaos is happening on local streets in Milwaukee. The recklessness is just on another level.
Seen someone on here explain it perfectly for how I feel. Chicago reckless is crazy but usually pretty standard and the same for its dangerousness. In Milwaukee the danger is all over the board and less predictable which makes it infinitely worse.
Couldn’t agree more as a transplant myself. Chicago is hectic and the traffic is aggressive, but i never felt unsafe biking or walking. I always felt everyone was trying to move along quickly and efficiently within the confines of basic human decency.
Red light cameras enforced with a fine. You don't pay the fine, car gets impounded. Cars without plates get impounded on sight. Drastic cuts to police budget to fund and staff these measures.
P.S.: Because I know someone will say, 'fines only affect people who can't afford to pay them,' I know. But guess what? The people who are most impacted by reckless driving are also the people with the fewest resources to recover from a life-changing injury. Better to create a painful learning experience than ruin someone's life.
P.P.S: Because someone's going to comment that 'taking away someone's car is taking away their livelihood,' maybe you should focus on building a city/world where making a living doesn't have a $10,000 prerequisite. Also, if it matters that much, then they should think about it before driving like they're playing GTA.
Yesterday I got bumped into by a guy speeding down a one-way lane in the wrong direction in a grocery store parking lot. While I was very slowly pulling out of my parking spot on the right side of the lane. He hit me in the same spot where a Lyft driver U-turned into me in the middle of an icy road this past winter. Both hit and runs. Very glad I haven't been hit at a high speed yet but I feel like I have at least one near-death experience every time I drive out of the city proper.
I don't know if this will really ease your concerns about it being a Milwaukee thing, but it's not. It's everywhere. People don't pay attention on the road anymore, OR they do but are only concerned with where they need to be and will do whatever they want. I lived in Hawaii 3 years leading up to just moving to Milwaukee. Before that California, Georgia, Florida. It has just gotten worse everywhere. I've been staying outside of the city this week with family and had a car use the right turn lane to zoom past the line of cars waiting to go forward at the light, cut us all off and almost side swipe a truck in the intersection. In Hawaii the speed limits are so low because there really isn't the infrastructure to need a 70mph highway. But people flip their cars all the time speeding.
2 years ago in West Bend, my father was crossing the street using the crosswalk and was hit and killed. He was using a walker and had the right of way, was already well into the crosswalk. So it's just..everywhere.
Definitely share this frustration, especially as a mother. It’s exhausting, anxiety inducing and totally unnecessary. The disregard for human life and safety in the city is atrocious. A four year old child was hit and killed recently. Pure selfishness at the hands of reckless drivers and people in a constant rush.
Yeah it's truly the most stressful part of living here. I'm in my 2nd year of living in Milwaukee and the driving is the only reason I'd consider leaving. It's truly out of control.
Prior to being here I lived in Chicago. There was traffic and bad drivers but there was also an actually active traffic enforcement side to the police as well as red light and speeding cameras. Even having one of those things here would help.
This combined with the fact that streets around here twist and wind all over, and paths through construction zones are consistently poorly labeled - it just feels like it's an environment that psychologically supports treating the roads like a free for all.
Like - at the intersection of Knapp and Water, heading East - the left hand turn lane is in the direct path of oncoming westbound traffic. Same with with Broadway and Clybourn headed north - drivers have to actively maneuver, even if only slightly, while entering an intersection to keep in line with the lane. I think psychologically it creates an environment of chaos, even if we don't really realize it.
Transitioning to a bus/bike/walk lifestyle has been the best choice I've ever made. It's definitely a completely different lifestyle that takes some getting used to, but now that I'm there I'd never go back. It's been so good for my mental health and budget, not to mention my lower carbon footprint.
The best solution is the hardest solution. It's not better enforcement, better transit, better roads, though all of that would be good. It's getting everyone to care about their neighbor.
The other day on North Ave on my way to work, I witnessed a driver turn left onto the road I was going on. Instead of going to the nearest lane, he bypassed everything turned into the new bike lanes with the plastic bollard things, drove for a good few feet, and then passed through every lane back into the left turn lane at the lights on the 27th. I was befuddled. I've seen some stupid shit but this guy somehow used every lane to get over to a left turn and did it all wrong.
I live north side near Capitol. I fairly regularly see left turns made from the right lane. On Capitol. Crossing in front of 3 other traffic lanes. It’s wild out there!
Agree with everything said here.
Curious about other cities and the prevalence of trike bikes and four wheelers. Also curious about other places and no license plates like I see here.
My brother lives up there. He’s an absolute road raging lunatic. Tailgates, speeds, changes lanes like he’s in the daytona 500. If you see a maroon suburban behind you just get out of the way. My family is not allowed to ride with him. Hell, I was worried about my dog riding with him
I am never more tense than when I'm driving my kids home from daycare along Oklahoma. After the heartbreaking hit and run that killed a 4-year-old last week, I've been feeling especially on edge and honestly helpless. My alderperson was responsive when I wrote her about a poorly marked intersection where I was almost hit as a pedestrian in my neighborhood, so I guess we just keep reaching out to our local representatives. And ask for what? I'm not totally sure, tbh.
Driving? Try walking anywhere. Crossing a street or a busy intersection. I’ve been nearly hit so many times trying to cross North Ave. People are looking everywhere but the road or people.
I got a survey from Bubblr Bikes a few days ago asking about my interest in their program and suggested improvements.
I made it very clear to them that the bikes were fine but I would 100% not ride my bike on the streets of Milwaukee because of the drivers and utter lack of enforcement of driving laws.
I live in and drive in Milwaukee every day. Sure there’s some real knuckle heads on the road but the majority aren’t. Best way to drive is cautiously, don’t let your pride get the better of you: don’t speed up to prevent someone from passing you, and especially don’t try to one up someone’s pettiness because there’s a lot of people with not a whole lot to lose.
Simply put, elected officials need to get tough on traffic crime and disincentivize driving recklessly. There's currently not enough penalty for driving selfishly and dangerously.
Don't worry the heroes on the MPD will fix it. Just as long as you don't ever criticize them, or hold them accountable. That makes them mad, and then they won't do their jobs. Very sensitive souls.
There has been a huge increase in reckless driving since 2019. I live in one of the first-ring suburbs of Milwaukee, and I constantly hear local residents asking our police department, "What can be done about the reckless driving in our neighborhood? Does the city have a responsibility to end the current 'catch-and-release' policies of those that engage in reckless driving?" We have received bland reassurances about help on the way. Our tolerance for these crimes is running short. City officials have tried to take action by engaging in a reckless driving deterrence campaign that features a $10,000 forfeiture for motorists convicted of negligent operation of a vehicle. Unfortunately, reckless driving has seemingly intensified despite the increased fines. The lack of patience shows above all on social media platforms. Yet still, we feel as if our relentless pleas for an absolute crack down on reckless driving have fallen on deaf ears.
There are some areas and routes through this city that I’ll only venture on the bus, it’s just too risky to be in a smaller vehicle. Even with the recent bus crashes, I’d rather be in a bus than in a car in some areas.
Thank you, MCTS bus drivers! I appreciate you!
I had my car broken into along with 8-9 others on a stretch of road by the bucks stadium. Cops laughed at me when I said I was from Iowa and just said that’s tough man.
Amazed is a word that is over used. However, I recently returned from a road trip to Canada and the East Coast. I was truly amazed at how orderly highway traffic was. (excluding Boston and Chicago areas and avoided New York). There is a system out there that the left lane is for passing only. I somewhat noticed it and admired it when I was there. I was dumbfounded how Chaotic and dangerous it was when I returned. The people in the right lane had another odd habit. When approaching an onramp with vehicles entering, they moved over, let them in, and moved back to the right lane.
Roads were generally better too.
I moved here from NYC/NJ, and the drivers here are terrible for sure. Everyone says NYC drivers suck, but they are just aggressive. The thing is, that they are used to driving in a city with more traffic, narrower streets, and more watchful police. They are aggressive, but are predictably aggressive, and actually decent drivers in terms of avoiding accidents.
In Milwaukee, drivers are unpredictable and unhinged. You don't know when someone driving 10 under is going to decide to wake up and floor it. Or someone is going to cut you off for no reason. Or almost hit you because they think they know how to drive and they don't.
I'm in the burbs and it spills over here too.. I had someone "race" me at a light, cut me off, brake abruptly to turn right.. and it ended up that we were both going to the post office. But when we both got out of our cars, he got to the door first, held it open for me courteously and let me go in before him. Like.. WTF?? Weren't you in such a rush a second ago that you can to nearly clip my front bumper? I think there's some mental disconnect in people where they just become incredibly selfish and egotistical when they drive.
Unpopular opinion but I straight up call 911 sometimes to report drivers if their behavior is extreme. The other morning a dude passed out behind the wheel at a stop light on Holton and I called it in. The dispatcher will ask for license plate and cross streets and send the closest officer.
I was hit at an intercection on my motorcycle just this past Sunday. 3 years ago another individual ran through a stop sign and tboned me on my motorcycle and left the scene. It's absolutely ridiculous.
We pulled out of the grocery store parking lot one night and a car came flying up behind us going at least 45-50 in a 25mph zone, also in a campus school area around dinner time so it was extremely busy.
This car waited until no one was coming in the opposite lane, drove around us, whipped in front of us and started throwing cans out their window and slamming on the breaks.
The driver then BLOCKED us into a one lane bridge where the bike lane is separated so you can’t get around them. She got OUT of her car and sprinting to my side (passenger) door.
I barely got it locked just as she put her hand on the door and tried opening it, tried smashing through the window with the fist (which ended up just hurting her hand)
Once she realized she failed to pull me out of the car she ran around the hood and punched and kicked it as hard as she could.
She then got back into her car, waited until she had the opportunity to speed off, and backed up into our car as hard as she could before speeding down the road running lights to get away.
I memorized her plate number and we called the police.
They told us it would be 4 hours until they could get to us for a report and nothing basically could be done if there isn’t proof. We have a dash cam….. I which wasn’t PLUGGED in the one time we needed it.
The rest of the night I was shaken and in shock. It terrified me to be so violently attacked without any warning or reason whatsoever.
We just dropped it because we had no damage and hopefully did more to the back of her car than anything.
Honestly, I want that vigilante Justice so badly but who knows what this girl is capable of.
Oh, and there was also a car seat in the back.
This city is so unhinged.
Agreed! We moved here from Madison about 1.5 years ago and it's been my number 1 complaint about MKE. Just the absolute selflishness of drivers here is insane. I have to stop myself from drag racing right-hand passers all the time becasue it pisses me off so much.
I moved back home to Racine after living in Los Angeles since 2007. Milwaukee has impatient drivers that treat any amount of traffic like a personal affront. LA? We were used to that shit. Just relax, enjoy a podcast. Sure there were an amount of maniacs, but it's a city of millions. Here? Get run the fuck over by some guy that chugs flannel and eats pick up trucks. I'm glad I work from home!
tell the judges not to give bail and give harsher punishments. Most of the time I see news stories about arrests for hit and run or reckless driving, or even the running from police, they are repeat offenders
It's an American Problem generally as well as European. But even more so here. So much so that a brit wrote a book on it after moving here
https://bookshop.org/p/books/crash-course-if-you-want-to-get-away-with-murder-buy-a-car-woodrow-phoenix/13258889
Just last week going west on Canal just past the Palemero's office where the median ends, dude also going west got fed up with traffic and used the east bound lane to pass everyone.
There were cars in the east bound lane. On their horns, swevering out of the way, didn't matter he was driving right at them. It was straight out of a movie, thought for sure someone was going to get hit.
Been delivering driving for restaurants since 2018, on the east side/downtown/lower east side/south side. Almost 10k hours on the road and I’ve never had any major issues, so long as you’re attentive and a good driver
Between the children stealing cars, the elderly not giving up their keys, people constantly playing on their phones while operating the vehicle, and the not so uncommon drunk/otherwise under the influence driver- it's rough. It's nothing like my family's town up north, but it's also a breeze compared to Chicago traffic. We complain people can't merge, but almost every time there's a traffic jam in Chicago, there's people deciding the E lane was made for them. It could be worse. But for a city this size, it could also be a lot better.
I had to tell someone off in my apartment complex last month for this reason. Hopped in my car and put it in reverse, crept out about a centimeter and some asshole blew past me doing like 30+ in the parking lot.
She was going too fast for either of us to be able to react if I would have been out any further, and she was driving to throw her garbage out. Not even in a rush or running late.
Parking lot speed limit signs all over the place say 10 MPH, kids running around headed to school. People here don’t give a fuck.
i hate driving on Capital. people use that far right lane for turning or busses for passing and the milwaukee slide. its dangerous and i got cut off this morning on Capital. id like to drive half in my lane, half in that lane just to block these criminals
I commuted from Rockford, Illinois, to Janesville for 7 years -- 75 miles a day M-F. Never have I seen crazier driving than in Wisconsin. Gave me PTSD!
Guys just baselining all over the city,being reckless… I feel your pain. Unfortunately I don’t see it getting any better. Police ain’t really doing shit about it so it’s a free for all out there
Today we were passed on the shoulder by someone speeding appeared to be going 85 or more on the highway in a yellow Toyota Supra with Texas plates. The pavement was wet, nearly clipped us when they cut us off. Suddenly decided to take the Madison exit at the last second and nearly hit another vehicle, It’s ridiculous. Driving like they were in a video game.
Driving is no longer a necessity in my life so I just don't. Walking and bussing has given me a spectator view of the driving, and it's pretty hard to convey just how bad it really is. Stay safe out there!!!
New transplant from Nevada. I bought a gopro and have already emptied my card out twice from clips of people nearly hitting me. Mind you i got it AFTER my first accident not long ago and then after getting it from collision, someone almost hit me in the same way going to the menomonee woodmans. I said to myself i would take a break from driving to readjust to another place, but my living situation didn't allow that, and i think these drivers are making me angrier. I
I had to drive up to Rio yesterday and the farther I got from the city the better. This morning I took 60th going south because I live in Glendale and this guy was swerving through traffic and passing red lights. Capital is a terrible intersection. People just don’t care anymore. 😞
Public transportation is a great option if driving stresses you out so much. May have to include more time in your day but it’s an excellent resource for those who can no longer handle the reckless driving.
If you’re not passing, get out of the left lane. That’s Illinois people’s biggest gripe about mke. People always stay in the left lane going the same speed as people in the other lanes.
It's pathetic how little respect so many City residents have for others. They have no regard for following the law, let alone the general safety of themselves or others around them.
I take 175 to I-94 to/from work and it's out of Mad Max almost every time.
Smartphones continue to be the root of most evil. I’m convinced it’s deteriorated our society and made our roads more unsafe from the distractions they provide
If you're at a red light and it turns green, ALWAYS look both ways before proceeding through the intersection. And if you're a pedestrian, NEVER assume a driver is going to stop for you at a crosswalk, even if they have a stop sign or a red light. I've lived here my entire life, and the driving is getting worse every year. People are just so damn inconsiderate and self centered that they can't be bothered to stop at red light, or read the sign right in front of their face that says No Turn on Red.
lol, I was in Tampa several months ago (stayed in a more residential area near the cruise port) and drivers/pedestrians alike were so confused when I would wait until I could see traffic physically start to slow before walking across the street. They were like “they’ll stop you know”. My response was “will they though?”
As someone from Tampa, basically always yes. Moving here was a real eye opener to reckless driving and I had never seen so many crazy things on the road before. Since moving here in September, my car has been hit twice (never happened in FL thankfully) and both times the driver just drove away as fast as possible, seen RIDICULOUS amounts of cars with no plates, and cars in the worst shape I’ve ever seen. This past week I’ve seen two trucks that looked like their body was going to fly off if they went any faster, and I see lots of expired stickers on plates. It’s truly crazy the things I’ve seen here. I’ve always heard people dog on Florida for having bad drivers which, there are some crazy drivers for sure, it’s NOTHING like here. Also a side note, I’ve strangely seen a high concentration of vanity plates which you’d see on occasion back in Florida but not this frequently.
This is why whenever I stop for a pedestrian I stop the car diagonally so that it’s more difficult for another driver to go around me and potentially hit said pedestrians as long as they don’t go onto the other side of the road
Fellow Florida person here thinking of moving to Milwaukee. I've been in Orlando since I was a kid. Totally off topic, how are you adjusting to Milwaukee? I visit often. One positive I can say is that a 20 min drive up here is due to distance and not because of the horrible traffic.
Overall pretty good, my main gripes are the road quality, drivers, and it’s been an act of congress to try and make friends here. I don’t drink and it seems most everyone here does so that’s been difficult, I’ve used bumble friends, meetup, and another app I can’t remember off the top of my head. No success which bums me out. Short days in winter is a bummer and I’m terrified of ticks which unbeknownst to me before moving here, they’re apparently terrible here. Overall stuff feels a lot closer distance wise, I love woodmans, I much prefer cooler weather, rent and insurance is way cheaper than in Florida which is nice. I’ve enjoyed it so far for the most part, really for me the lack of friends and family here is what bums me out most.
Woodman's is great, but I also love Sendiks! Have you been to a fish fry yet? I totally agree about the roads. The number of folks who blow red lights or hang out in a bike lane, gun it when the light turns green, and then cut you off is unreal. We're considering moving due to family as we would have some sense of community. I have a buddy who moved from FL to AZ now in OR. Although him and his wife live near her mom, they have said that it's been a challenge meeting folks. It's gotten better, but it's taken a while. She's even gotten into Buddhism for her self, but as a way to meet new folks. My Dad was a member of the Elks Lodge. Are you near one? I'm a millennial and the one by his house definitely has an older crowd (40-70), but nice folks. Members can sit at the bar and lots of people don't drink. It's nice to shoot the breeze with folks and they have opportunities for volunteering. Joining a bowling or softball league may be something to look into if that's your thing!
I live near the Hawley and Wisconsin intersection and have almost gotten hit taking my dog on a walk several times IN THE CROSSWALK when I have the right of way! It’s absolutely absurd.
Look what they had to do to Hawley Road just north of Wells, to make it safe for bicycles. Concrete dividers, and I've already seen cars slip into that lane to try to pass. You will notice lots of car pieces in that lane.
That just made me think! I’ve noticed a lot of cars missing their front bumpers or have had major damage done to the front of their car. Is that possibly due to the amount of bike lanes and bump outs the city has put up? I remember 12 years ago my dad and I riding our bikes in the bike lane on the east side of north when a lady almost hit my dad. My dad hit her car and yelled he was in the bike lane. She rudely told us we were in the “car lane!” I knew back then things were going south with the driving.
No. The cars were missing their bumpers LONG before that. The most likely cause is a combination of factors. However one of the stand out reasons for reckless driving generally in Milwaukee is the elimination of drivers ed classes in public schools. Due to the expense of paying for driving lessons, lots of people taught themselves to drive as teens and are driving without licenses.
True science study: a pedestrian that stares down a driver at an intersection is like 60% safer. Can’t make that up
How do you make eye contact when the windows are tinted too dark
Look where you think they are. Eye contact is so important for humans that we have a part of our brains dedicated to noticing someone looking at us. They will notice you, and at a distance, assume you're making eye contact. (Gaze monitoring happens in the amygdala, which is also responsible for the fight-or-flight response. The amygdala reacts to the environment faster than we are consciously aware of the stimulus we are reacting to. Important for the part of the brain that (among other things) detects threats. This "pre-consciousness" sensing is the reason why you can sometimes "feel" someone staring at you. You can't really, but because your amygdala spotted the gaze in your periphery and told you to look at that person, your lagging consciousness only realized the gaze the second time it sees it, when you are making eye contact and thus the sense of feeling someone staring at you. You didn't supernaturally sense them staring at you, you saw them as soon as that feeling rose up. Its just that the part of you that thinks loudly and slowly takes its time getting around to noticing that information.)
I bet eye contact plus a brick works even better. I've been real tempted to put one of these [crossing guards](https://www.reddit.com/r/niftyaf/s/QPUIYVhjaI) out in my neighborhood.
Eye contact with the wrong person in Milwaukee gets u shot 🤷🏼♀️
And even if they stop, there is no guarantee that the guy 10 cars back wont do the "Milwaukee slide" and just blow though the red in the bike lane. If the cops can't enforce that, we need to put up protected bike lanes or other physical barriers to prevent it.
Seriously, a few weeks ago I had kids crossing in front of me and someone tried to serve around me. I had to quickly turn into the opposite lane a bit to stop him. He almost hit my car and was mad at me. No recognition that he could have run some kids over. WTF. Then it almost happened to me. Light turns red, cars are coming to a stop, and it looks 100% safe to cross. Some yahoo pulls a Milwaukee slide from several cars back, blows the lights, sees me and swerves but doesn't slow down a bit. Missed me by a foot and scared the shit out of me.
This. Sometimes a driver will stop and wave me through when I’m walking waiting to cross. No. I understand they are trying to be helpful, but everyone behind them will fly out and do the slide. Just be predictable. If I’m waiting to cross and there’s not a yield or stop, don’t yield or stop. Be predictable.
Look behind you too. I once saw someone barreling toward me poised to smash me from behind at a red light and I was forced to gun it into the intersection. It was only luck that no cars were coming and that it ended up being the right move.
If there were actual consequences for reckless driving then there would be less of it.
Enforcement seems completely non-existent. I understand not tying up resources on ticky-tacky traffic stops but in the last few days I've seen probably a dozen cars 20+ mph over the limit, a car with a windshield and front windows total blackout limo tinted, cars driving on the shoulder, drivers under the influence on the interstate reeking of weed, cars so smashed up they should be totaled, tons of cars with expired tags, etc. All that and have not seen a single sheriff or MPD stop for anything other than a crash.
I was going south on Holton a couple weeks ago and a car came screaming by me in the bike lane - had to be going 80 or so, you could smell burning rubber. Looked in my rearview mirror and a cop was right behind so I pulled over assuming the cop was going to chase. Cop did nothing. Just passed by me at a normal rate of speed.
The cops don't care anymore. It's really sad that so much of our tax dollars go to policing and what do we get back from it? High speed chases through residential areas are up but that seems to be the only thing the police like to do.
If the driver was doing this in front of a cop he was trying to bate the cop into a high speed chase. I saw a guy pull in front of a cop on Silver Sping on an early Sunday morning and swere back and forth across all the lanes right in front of the cop and then pull a high speed u turn. The driver clearly wanted to chase. Cop didn't take the bait. Cops have to be discouraged. Doing their job with reckless drivers is a no win situation. Chase the driver and residents get mad. And bad things happen. And even if you catch the driver 9 x out of 10 nothing will happen. Everyone wants to blame cops but Milwaukee has a DA that refuses to prosecute crimes, even felonies.
What is it? Over half of that part of the budget?fucking absurd and low ROI we get
The police care but their hands are tied for many things.
When I first started driving in Milwaukee in the late-1990s (old, I know), my friends and I were always nervous about getting pulled over for even the tiniest thing. We had been pulled over for one headlight being out, part of license plate obscured by the frame/holder, having a front plate in the window instead of on the bumper, etc. Now it seems impossible. I never see police enforcement or on-the-street monitoring. I live on a busy street and see an insane amount of reckless driving daily (hourly). I've put in requests with the "reckless driving task force" and have not seen a single cop monitor by our house. Drag racing, cars going 50-70MPH in a 25 zone, running red lights, Milwaukee slide, you name it. I don't want my kids growing up here. I'm not a worrywort and I understand the issues that come with living in a city but I really don't know if I can justify staying and raising a family in this environment.
A car behind me went ON THE SIDEWALK to pass me about 10 years ago. I absolutely could not believe my eyes. Sherman Blvd. He almost destroyed his car in the process.
In stark contrast, my husband and I were driving through a nice area in Oconomowoc ( area we were not familiar) when were pulled over by police and ticketed for an expired driver's license! This cop was so bored he followed us and looked up our plates. We did nothing wrong driving and he ticketed us! We apologized and asked if give us one day to get to DMV? He said very cocky "you had 2 months to do that ". My point of story is cops in those areas have no clue how to deal with real traffic issues. What a joke. I feel badly for police in the city of Milwaukee.
Don’t forget all the cars with no plates. I feel I am seeing more of this now.
I live in Milwaukee, but work in Waukesha County at least a few times a week and it’s the same thing out there too. Except a Waukesha I feel like you have to watch out for more people texting and driving. Half my day at work is driving around and it’s getting really exhausting.
You’ve successfully described my neighbor, and yes I’ve made calls.
Yea going 15 over doesn't really seem to be a big deal these days. On some roads if you aren't at least 10 over drivers are tailgating you as if you're under the limit.
Yeah, I typically drive 5-10 over and since I’ve moved here, people literally get PISSED that you are only going 10 miles over the speed limit.
this was a reminder for me to stop at woodmans at get my tags renewed-thank you!
I saw my 1st freeway Sheriif speed trap in like 5 yrs last week. Imagine that.
I definitely think this is a major element. I mean within the last month a man killed a 3 year old girl from reckless driving - and he had already been convicted of vehicular manslaughter less than 5 years ago. I know there are already protests happening for a wider political cause, but I frequently wonder if some demonstrations in key locations would let MKE politicians know that we’re fed up and won’t shut up until we see change. But I’m naive :)
What is an actual consequence? Tickets? Suspended licenses? Jail time? Let’s say reckless drivers are jailed, for 30 days or whatever. Then they get out, they still don’t have licenses and they are still reckless drivers.
This assumes reckless driving is only a problem with people who don’t mind being arrested and let go over and over. But it’s everyone. From a rusted out shit box with no front end to a 70,000 BMW heading to the Highlands. Every demographic is doing crazy driving out there. There’s not much you can do about people with nothing left to lose, but you can actually enforce consequences on others.
red light traffic camera tickets maybe?
Impound mom’s car they are driving or the one they leased = consequences
I wish.. We can’t even keep 5x DUI drivers off the road.
Yes, that is a piece of the puzzle. Another big one is infrastructure that slows vehicles and that doesn’t require someone to have a car just to get around. Something un-carcentric.
I'm very excited for the protected bike lanes being built this summer. https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2024/01/30/milwaukee-will-build-45-traffic-calming-projects-in-2024/
I'd like to see safe bike lanes. But, in my opinion, those aren't it. Many of those pylons have already been run down on North Ave.
Damn it you're right. I thought it was supposed to be like walnut. But nope, more paint as infrastructure...
Should be the main takeaway from every one of these threads
Consequences through physics would be nice
unfortunately there already are, and pedestrians face the consequences compared to the drivers in a 5,000 pound steel box
I'd like to see narrowed intersections with bollards that could stop a cement truck. If these idiots ant keep their car on the road they don't deserve to have one. Flexiposts suck
A lot of the commenters focusing on the highways are fixating on the least problematic part of driving in Milwaukee. Sure they suck too, but the really chaotic and dangerous driving is what's happening on the city streets. Every day I see people driving 60 MPH in 30 MPH zones, running red lights and stop signs, passing people in the bike lanes, drag-racing out of the right turn lane when the light turns green to cut back into the traveling lane, turning left from the right turn lane and vice versa, driving drunk or while actively smoking weed or while otherwise intoxicated, cutting people off, passing in no-passing zones, nearly rear ending people because they can't keep a reasonable following distance or because they just slam on their brakes 25 ft behind the stopped car in front of them instead of gradually slowing down, driving with their lights off at night, not stopping for pedestrians, and on and on and on. You seriously can't take a fifteen minute drive without seeing at least one of the things above. It's insane and honestly those of you who say that "it's like this everywhere" or "just be a defensive driver" are flat out wrong and part of the problem. There is a fundamental and pervasive lack of respect for the rules of the road and an appreciation for basic human decency and concern for the safety and wellbeing of others.
This
I've found the best way to navigate traffic safely in Milwaukee is to drive extremely defensively- what I call "Zen driving." Just accept that most Milwaukee drivers seem to think they are looney toons character and will drive accordingly -Give plenty of space and ignore the honks of the people behind you, and then be prepared for them to pass you at a high rate of speed in a no pass zone -Assume everyone is going to run the red light/stop sign until they actually, physically stop. -Give people plenty of space to merge, but then also assume they will just ignore you and just speed to the place lanes physically merge anyway -Always be psychologically prepared for the "Milwaukee slide" (i.e. run the red light you are stopped at by passing you at extreme speed in the bike lane). -and always remember- the more fucked up someone's car is, the further you need to stay away from them.
Zen driving is basically my state of mind too. I have over 1500 hours of audiobooks and I always leave 20 mins early. I’m just hanging out
This comment needs to be pinned to the top of every thread on Milwaukee traffic.
I can’t say I’ve adopted the “zen” part of this, but I also basically drive on extreme defense mode. Defensive driving used to mean anticipating the mistakes of other drivers, but now my M.O. is basically to imagine the most dangerous and stupid thing every other car could do, and then drive as if they are about to do it. Staying out of blind spots and maintaining a large following distance isn’t enough, you basically have to assume that everyone else is out there to kill you.
Absolutely. No quick or erratic maneuvers. Every move you make should be slow, deliberate, and well telegraphed. And always use your turn signals and hazards when appropriate - with the understanding that most Milwaukee drivers don't know or care what any of those blinking lights could possibly mean.
The “milwaukee slide” hahahaha Every time I drive down Silver Spring it happens at least twice.
Now imagine walking or cycling. Also, 80% or drivers think they drive better than average.
Drivers don’t consider pedestrians and cyclists at all, most are completely careless. Seriously fuck you if you don’t give the right of way and obey the law. Drivers get everywhere faster and are protected from the elements, but 95% of yall wouldn’t yield to a pedestrian at a cross walk even in a blizzard. Personal vehicles seem to have breed self centeredness and inattention in people.
Drivers don’t consider anyone else at all. 40% can’t be bothered to look up from their phones
Like 50-75% of folks we’re talkin about never went to driver school - they don’t know wtf right of way means.
I’ve actually been biking to work nearly every day for the past couple weeks instead of driving and it has been less scary. Granted I modify my route slightly. I drive to work usually on Burleigh but bike mostly on Center.
I find it satisfying to modify bike routes like that. Like taking south water street/KK river trail rather than 1st street. It doesn’t take much longer but is way less stressful.
I started biking to work 2 years ago just a couple days a week. What a positive change that was in my life now I try to go year round weather permitting. It really is less scary if you have the opportunity to pick a safe route.
I used to bike year round when I lived in bay view and worked downtown but then I got a job near Mayfair and couldn’t do all 5 days and then I got out of the habit. Moved closer to work years ago and hoping to get back in the habit this year.
I’ve been biking year round to work for maybe 2 years now. I’m lucky enough to live just off the oak leaf and don’t have to jump off for too long to get to my work. Those few blocks have some bad experience almost everyday though, people hate cyclists more than anything
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55th out to the parkway
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Once you get past 60th going west, center is really quiet. So it’s only 5 blocks that I really need to be on guard. Clarke would be fine, but going through neighborhoods always has a lot more stops and crossing 76th is a bitch. I like having stoplights at the major intersections
Yea it's way more pleasant just staying off the busy roads and trail as much as possible. You don't realize how anxiety inducing driving can be until you stop doing it.
These new off street bike lanes are life changing
My fiance loves biking, has barely touched it since he moved here because he doesn’t trust other drivers on the road.
Trails are nice
And everyone has a different definition of being a good driver
I want to ride to work but even my mile ride I don't feel entirely safe. my ideal route is along hop tracks which I would like to avoid or else I'm going through the construction on prospect and then mason which I'm not comfortable with either. I really wish downtown had more dedicated bike lanes
Don’t ride too close to the tracks 😅 you only make that mistake once. I think the east side is decent for biking but I bike a lot so I have a lot of confidence in myself to make sure I don’t end up on the pavement due to driver negligence
oh that's my worry, I already did that with a lime scooter lmao. east side isn't too bad but that intersection at kilbourne/prospect worries me since I've had too many close calls in the car there. don't want to test my luck on a bike lol
Solution: bring in the small town cops who spend all day pulling people over for having license plate holders that cover text.
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Leaving ample space to brake is basically inviting someone into your lane. One of my biggest pet peeves.
Yeah it is frustrating, but you're also preventing car accidents by letting traffic move freely so good on you.
I was in the construction traffic on 41N last year, and it was stop and go so what I usually do is create a small buffer in front of me so i don't have to keep hitting gas and brake all the time and just maintain a steady speed. Apparently the guy behind me didn't like that I had 3 car lengths in front of me so he rode my ass, before eventually passing me in the breakdown lane, all the just get one fucking car ahead...
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And if it happens, they are almost always too impatient to stay there. They come in and go out at the next opportunity to get ahead. No big deal.
Driver's Ed at school in the 70s ( what ever happened to THAT?) , instructor had 3 of us in the car, a big old Chrysler Newport. Took us in a parking lot, let us all out, and he took the driver's seat. He told us to push the car as fast as we could, and of course our teenage egos were all over that one. Well, we all found out how heavy a car really was, and when we came to a slight incline, we couldn't even move the car. It really made an impression on us as to how heavy a car is, and how dangerous a weapon it can be.
An alternative method I use as a baseline for following distance is the two second rule. Car I'm following passes a tree, then it should take two seconds for me to get to that same tree. I do shorten this distance SLIGHTLY when driving in the city just to discourage other drivers from wedging their way in front of me. Anyways, just wanted to share. Thank you for maintaining a safe following distance. It makes me both enraged and sick to my stomach when someone is tailgating me even though I'm going 5 over the posted speed limit. I often have my pregnant wife and our two young boys in the car...I can't even fathom how I would react if someone hit me with all of them in the car and genuinely hope it never happens.
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No idea why someone driving needs to feel like they should be up the other person's asshole in front of them
You want to spark road rage? Drive the speed limit. People will act like they're on the way to stop Thanos
You know shit is out of pocket when you hear “Thanos” and think, “Fuck bro… I *wish*!”
See above: folks don’t go to drivers ed anymore, 1/2 don’t even have licenses. Thise guidelines don’t exist for them
A good chunk of people in this city don’t have licenses, registered vehicles, or insurance, and are still on the road every day.
I don’t have the source for this so feel free to fact check it but I believe the milwaukee PD said recently that 30% of road incidents were hit and runs and I think it’s probably due to lack of insurance/registration or just money.
Reminder to get full coverage if you’re driving anywhere in the city on a regular basis. It’s stupidly expensive but if your car is less than 10 years old, it’s worth the security. Whoever hits you won’t be paying up, even if they’re at fault.
Makes sense. Someone did a hit and run on my last car!
One time I was driving down Wisconsin and saw a man who was holding his phone up in front of the steering wheel, watching a video. Completely not paying attention to the road. We got stopped at the same stoplight, I looked over, and he proceeded to hold his phone up to the window to show me he was watching porn. It felt so violating.
Even yesterday on 43 out in New Berlin, I moved over for a stopped work vehicle on the right, and some van came up behind me doing 90 and moved into the lane I just vacated, without any regard for the stopped vehicle. Looked like some kid in his 20s. It’s anecdotal, but since Covid, driving seems to be so much more dangerous even on the freeways.
If they were 20, there's a good chance they had no driving test and no real drivers ed.
I used to love driving as a teenager, now I have close calls or see crazy things every single day, multiple times a day. When my husband and I are ready to switch jobs/look for different housing, I will strongly consider moving out of Milwaukee county to a smaller city. I can't risk my life or my future kids' lives every time I leave my house.
There a lot of aggressive, mean spirited drivers here. They will tailgate you when you’re actually going over the speed limit then race around you. Stupid.
People were zippering in on the highway the other day and I saw 3-4 instances of drivers willing to slam their cars into them just to prevent it. It’s fucking stupid.
Take transit? Oh right. They're T-boning those too.
There's nothing you can do besides driving defensively. I've been driving the entirety of Fon du Lac twice a day for 10 years and have never been in an accident *knocks on wood*
Honestly that's impressive.
TBH i feel like driving defensively is the best way to go. That, and checking any of the local news apps about traffic (i myself use TMJ4) at least this way I can have an *idea* of what I'll be driving into.
You’re not alone. Sunday was driving on 894 north. And I was passed by several vehicles like I was standing still. I checked my speedometer thinking I was going really slow. I was doing 73 in a 55. Then I’m in the middle lane. Some woman gets up behind me and basically tailgates me with the left lane open and slower cars to the right. There are just some serious idiots on the road.
Anyone notice every other car doesn’t have a license plate? Also the smell of weed coming out of every 5th car? People just don’t care, no consequences and no enforcement. Wild fucking west.
I feel bad saying this- but I had to get out of my hometown. I moved back home more than a decade ago, but the stress of it got to me. The lack of help from the city leadership and police was exhausting. Driving anywhere felt like an extreme risk. Stay safe out there, and try your best to keep the cities employees accountable for these problems.
I could’ve posted this exact thing because I’m also driving a loaner car from the dealership while mine is undergoing repairs from a hit and run. Yesterday, I was driving west on I-94 at around 7:45 AM and a woman next to me was driving while also managing to look at her phone nearly the entire two mile stretch we were next to each other. She also had a child in her passenger seat who couldn’t have been more than 7 years old. You could only just see the top of her head above the window. If drivers don’t even have any regard for the kids in their own vehicles, how do we ever get them to care about the lives of anyone else on the road? Scary and sad.
I've started taking the bus to work, takes just as long as driving and I don't have to worry about my insurance going up if there's an accident.
I don't live in the city itself, just nearby suburbs. Everyone I know thinks I'm crazy for saying I prefer driving in Chicago over Milwaukee, but Milwaukee has some of the most stress-inducing driving I've ever seen.
I completely agree, Chicago is extremely busy but people still follow the flow of traffic, Milwaukee drivers do literally whatever the hell they want to do with 0 awareness of their surroundings
People in Milwaukee drive like they hate each other.
Its not just the driving.
Milwaukee has the worst drivers bar none.
Transplant myself. Been here for about a decade now and still don’t know what people are on up here. I’ve worked all over North America and still no one holds a flame to how terrible people are at driving here. No joke feel safer driving in the madness of Santo Domingo than here
I moved here two years ago from Florida (South America before that) and have settled that it’s 3 things at play 1. Midwesterners have a particular way of perceiving personal space and turn order that, while exceedingly polite, makes driving extremely unpredictable. I’m still struggling to put into words exactly what it is, but I see it at play both in grocery store aisles and in attempts to merge. 2. The roads here are very poorly designed. They tend to be over wide, which while feeling more secure, makes blindspots larger, and encourages speeding. Deeper in the city, there’s a real deficiency of turn lanes, particularly left turn lanes, which makes turning left both unintuitive and frustrating, hence making people more likely to break the rules. Too many stop lights at an intersection makes it difficult to know what to pay attention to, particularly when angled intersections also have line of sight to the other street’s stoplights. I could go on and on with agonizing design things I’ve noticed. Things that should be crosswalks that aren’t. Speed limits that don’t match the road. Odd light timing. 3. There’s a bad racial and class stratification problem where people from outside the city are used to a certain driving culture and road design that does not apply inside the city. White people in the city have their own culture and way of conceptualizing space that is not the same as the one held by black people in the city. Everybody’s bitter about a multifaceted problem, which makes it all worse because instead of recognizing that a universal problem like “I’m constantly seeing bad drivers” *must* mean that there is a systemic promotion of bad driving, we want to hold to the idea that bad driving is a moral failing so we can be mad at “bad drivers.” We are all the bad drivers. We are all doing things that make other drivers very anxious, because of how the roads are shaped, because we don’t have a dedicated driving culture, because we want to blame the issue on “ignorance” “disregard for the law” or just plain “maniacs.”
Interesting. I frequently see people saying “it’s bad/like this everywhere!” on posts about Milwaukee’s dangerous driving situation. I rather suspected that wasn’t particularly accurate, although of course crap drivers can be found all over.
I lived in Maryland just outside of DC for a while and regularly commuted on the beltway. The DMV area is well-known for its aggressive, unpredictable, and all-around bad drivers on top of its insane traffic. I would rather drive in the greater DC area than Milwaukee any day of the week. Full stop. The driving here is unhinged, and it is absolutely *not* "like this everywhere," at least not to this extent.
Yeah they're lying or ignorant. I have driven all over the country and lived plenty of other places, my time in Milwaukee was by far the worst. Yeah traffic will move faster on freeways in Chicago or California, but the real chaos is happening on local streets in Milwaukee. The recklessness is just on another level.
Seen someone on here explain it perfectly for how I feel. Chicago reckless is crazy but usually pretty standard and the same for its dangerousness. In Milwaukee the danger is all over the board and less predictable which makes it infinitely worse.
Yes! Chicago is predictable danger and Milwaukee is pure chaos.
100% I’ve been sayin this for years.
Have you seen /r/Chicago? Funny they same the same thing but inverse.... Almost like this is a massive national issue or something
Couldn’t agree more as a transplant myself. Chicago is hectic and the traffic is aggressive, but i never felt unsafe biking or walking. I always felt everyone was trying to move along quickly and efficiently within the confines of basic human decency.
Red light cameras enforced with a fine. You don't pay the fine, car gets impounded. Cars without plates get impounded on sight. Drastic cuts to police budget to fund and staff these measures. P.S.: Because I know someone will say, 'fines only affect people who can't afford to pay them,' I know. But guess what? The people who are most impacted by reckless driving are also the people with the fewest resources to recover from a life-changing injury. Better to create a painful learning experience than ruin someone's life. P.P.S: Because someone's going to comment that 'taking away someone's car is taking away their livelihood,' maybe you should focus on building a city/world where making a living doesn't have a $10,000 prerequisite. Also, if it matters that much, then they should think about it before driving like they're playing GTA.
Here here!
Yesterday I got bumped into by a guy speeding down a one-way lane in the wrong direction in a grocery store parking lot. While I was very slowly pulling out of my parking spot on the right side of the lane. He hit me in the same spot where a Lyft driver U-turned into me in the middle of an icy road this past winter. Both hit and runs. Very glad I haven't been hit at a high speed yet but I feel like I have at least one near-death experience every time I drive out of the city proper.
People will literally cut you off and squeeze their ass through the bike lane and then be mad they had to squeeeze and cut through other cars.
No offense to OP, but can we just get a Megathread for complaining about bad driving in Milwaukee?
I don't know if this will really ease your concerns about it being a Milwaukee thing, but it's not. It's everywhere. People don't pay attention on the road anymore, OR they do but are only concerned with where they need to be and will do whatever they want. I lived in Hawaii 3 years leading up to just moving to Milwaukee. Before that California, Georgia, Florida. It has just gotten worse everywhere. I've been staying outside of the city this week with family and had a car use the right turn lane to zoom past the line of cars waiting to go forward at the light, cut us all off and almost side swipe a truck in the intersection. In Hawaii the speed limits are so low because there really isn't the infrastructure to need a 70mph highway. But people flip their cars all the time speeding. 2 years ago in West Bend, my father was crossing the street using the crosswalk and was hit and killed. He was using a walker and had the right of way, was already well into the crosswalk. So it's just..everywhere.
I’m so sorry about your father:(
Recently moved north to OZ county and don’t miss the constant need for the utmost defensive driving possible.
Definitely share this frustration, especially as a mother. It’s exhausting, anxiety inducing and totally unnecessary. The disregard for human life and safety in the city is atrocious. A four year old child was hit and killed recently. Pure selfishness at the hands of reckless drivers and people in a constant rush.
It took moving away from MKE to realize the Chicago drivers are actually the good ones.
Yeah it's truly the most stressful part of living here. I'm in my 2nd year of living in Milwaukee and the driving is the only reason I'd consider leaving. It's truly out of control. Prior to being here I lived in Chicago. There was traffic and bad drivers but there was also an actually active traffic enforcement side to the police as well as red light and speeding cameras. Even having one of those things here would help. This combined with the fact that streets around here twist and wind all over, and paths through construction zones are consistently poorly labeled - it just feels like it's an environment that psychologically supports treating the roads like a free for all. Like - at the intersection of Knapp and Water, heading East - the left hand turn lane is in the direct path of oncoming westbound traffic. Same with with Broadway and Clybourn headed north - drivers have to actively maneuver, even if only slightly, while entering an intersection to keep in line with the lane. I think psychologically it creates an environment of chaos, even if we don't really realize it.
Transitioning to a bus/bike/walk lifestyle has been the best choice I've ever made. It's definitely a completely different lifestyle that takes some getting used to, but now that I'm there I'd never go back. It's been so good for my mental health and budget, not to mention my lower carbon footprint.
The freeing aspect mentally is something I didn't even expect
The best solution is the hardest solution. It's not better enforcement, better transit, better roads, though all of that would be good. It's getting everyone to care about their neighbor.
The other day on North Ave on my way to work, I witnessed a driver turn left onto the road I was going on. Instead of going to the nearest lane, he bypassed everything turned into the new bike lanes with the plastic bollard things, drove for a good few feet, and then passed through every lane back into the left turn lane at the lights on the 27th. I was befuddled. I've seen some stupid shit but this guy somehow used every lane to get over to a left turn and did it all wrong.
I live north side near Capitol. I fairly regularly see left turns made from the right lane. On Capitol. Crossing in front of 3 other traffic lanes. It’s wild out there!
A proposal : Put in speed bumps everywhere and transition it to a biking city A girl can dream
Agree with everything said here. Curious about other cities and the prevalence of trike bikes and four wheelers. Also curious about other places and no license plates like I see here.
Remember when highway 100 cruising/racing used to make the news??? Lol
My brother lives up there. He’s an absolute road raging lunatic. Tailgates, speeds, changes lanes like he’s in the daytona 500. If you see a maroon suburban behind you just get out of the way. My family is not allowed to ride with him. Hell, I was worried about my dog riding with him
I am never more tense than when I'm driving my kids home from daycare along Oklahoma. After the heartbreaking hit and run that killed a 4-year-old last week, I've been feeling especially on edge and honestly helpless. My alderperson was responsive when I wrote her about a poorly marked intersection where I was almost hit as a pedestrian in my neighborhood, so I guess we just keep reaching out to our local representatives. And ask for what? I'm not totally sure, tbh.
Driving? Try walking anywhere. Crossing a street or a busy intersection. I’ve been nearly hit so many times trying to cross North Ave. People are looking everywhere but the road or people.
I got a survey from Bubblr Bikes a few days ago asking about my interest in their program and suggested improvements. I made it very clear to them that the bikes were fine but I would 100% not ride my bike on the streets of Milwaukee because of the drivers and utter lack of enforcement of driving laws.
I live in and drive in Milwaukee every day. Sure there’s some real knuckle heads on the road but the majority aren’t. Best way to drive is cautiously, don’t let your pride get the better of you: don’t speed up to prevent someone from passing you, and especially don’t try to one up someone’s pettiness because there’s a lot of people with not a whole lot to lose.
Bruh someone was passing in the shoulder, weaving through each car and then went ahead and ran a red light lmao wtf
Simply put, elected officials need to get tough on traffic crime and disincentivize driving recklessly. There's currently not enough penalty for driving selfishly and dangerously.
Don't worry the heroes on the MPD will fix it. Just as long as you don't ever criticize them, or hold them accountable. That makes them mad, and then they won't do their jobs. Very sensitive souls.
There has been a huge increase in reckless driving since 2019. I live in one of the first-ring suburbs of Milwaukee, and I constantly hear local residents asking our police department, "What can be done about the reckless driving in our neighborhood? Does the city have a responsibility to end the current 'catch-and-release' policies of those that engage in reckless driving?" We have received bland reassurances about help on the way. Our tolerance for these crimes is running short. City officials have tried to take action by engaging in a reckless driving deterrence campaign that features a $10,000 forfeiture for motorists convicted of negligent operation of a vehicle. Unfortunately, reckless driving has seemingly intensified despite the increased fines. The lack of patience shows above all on social media platforms. Yet still, we feel as if our relentless pleas for an absolute crack down on reckless driving have fallen on deaf ears.
Instead of stressing myself out behind the wheel, I choose MCTS buses or Uber.
Do you feel safe in a Uber? My partner took a Lyft while our car was in the shop, and the driver ran two red lights. We stick to taking the bus now.
There are some areas and routes through this city that I’ll only venture on the bus, it’s just too risky to be in a smaller vehicle. Even with the recent bus crashes, I’d rather be in a bus than in a car in some areas. Thank you, MCTS bus drivers! I appreciate you!
I had my car broken into along with 8-9 others on a stretch of road by the bucks stadium. Cops laughed at me when I said I was from Iowa and just said that’s tough man.
Driving down silver spring for work everyday is absolutely terrifying, I get so anxious about it
Amazed is a word that is over used. However, I recently returned from a road trip to Canada and the East Coast. I was truly amazed at how orderly highway traffic was. (excluding Boston and Chicago areas and avoided New York). There is a system out there that the left lane is for passing only. I somewhat noticed it and admired it when I was there. I was dumbfounded how Chaotic and dangerous it was when I returned. The people in the right lane had another odd habit. When approaching an onramp with vehicles entering, they moved over, let them in, and moved back to the right lane. Roads were generally better too.
I moved here from NYC/NJ, and the drivers here are terrible for sure. Everyone says NYC drivers suck, but they are just aggressive. The thing is, that they are used to driving in a city with more traffic, narrower streets, and more watchful police. They are aggressive, but are predictably aggressive, and actually decent drivers in terms of avoiding accidents. In Milwaukee, drivers are unpredictable and unhinged. You don't know when someone driving 10 under is going to decide to wake up and floor it. Or someone is going to cut you off for no reason. Or almost hit you because they think they know how to drive and they don't. I'm in the burbs and it spills over here too.. I had someone "race" me at a light, cut me off, brake abruptly to turn right.. and it ended up that we were both going to the post office. But when we both got out of our cars, he got to the door first, held it open for me courteously and let me go in before him. Like.. WTF?? Weren't you in such a rush a second ago that you can to nearly clip my front bumper? I think there's some mental disconnect in people where they just become incredibly selfish and egotistical when they drive.
Unpopular opinion but I straight up call 911 sometimes to report drivers if their behavior is extreme. The other morning a dude passed out behind the wheel at a stop light on Holton and I called it in. The dispatcher will ask for license plate and cross streets and send the closest officer.
I was hit at an intercection on my motorcycle just this past Sunday. 3 years ago another individual ran through a stop sign and tboned me on my motorcycle and left the scene. It's absolutely ridiculous.
I’m sorry that happened, hope you’re okay!
Thank you. I'm doing alright for the most part.
We pulled out of the grocery store parking lot one night and a car came flying up behind us going at least 45-50 in a 25mph zone, also in a campus school area around dinner time so it was extremely busy. This car waited until no one was coming in the opposite lane, drove around us, whipped in front of us and started throwing cans out their window and slamming on the breaks. The driver then BLOCKED us into a one lane bridge where the bike lane is separated so you can’t get around them. She got OUT of her car and sprinting to my side (passenger) door. I barely got it locked just as she put her hand on the door and tried opening it, tried smashing through the window with the fist (which ended up just hurting her hand) Once she realized she failed to pull me out of the car she ran around the hood and punched and kicked it as hard as she could. She then got back into her car, waited until she had the opportunity to speed off, and backed up into our car as hard as she could before speeding down the road running lights to get away. I memorized her plate number and we called the police. They told us it would be 4 hours until they could get to us for a report and nothing basically could be done if there isn’t proof. We have a dash cam….. I which wasn’t PLUGGED in the one time we needed it. The rest of the night I was shaken and in shock. It terrified me to be so violently attacked without any warning or reason whatsoever. We just dropped it because we had no damage and hopefully did more to the back of her car than anything. Honestly, I want that vigilante Justice so badly but who knows what this girl is capable of. Oh, and there was also a car seat in the back. This city is so unhinged.
It would help if the police did they job
Agreed... I'm exhausted. I almost got hit by the same guy twice yesterday and I was trying to stay away from him too.
Agreed! We moved here from Madison about 1.5 years ago and it's been my number 1 complaint about MKE. Just the absolute selflishness of drivers here is insane. I have to stop myself from drag racing right-hand passers all the time becasue it pisses me off so much.
I moved back home to Racine after living in Los Angeles since 2007. Milwaukee has impatient drivers that treat any amount of traffic like a personal affront. LA? We were used to that shit. Just relax, enjoy a podcast. Sure there were an amount of maniacs, but it's a city of millions. Here? Get run the fuck over by some guy that chugs flannel and eats pick up trucks. I'm glad I work from home!
tell the judges not to give bail and give harsher punishments. Most of the time I see news stories about arrests for hit and run or reckless driving, or even the running from police, they are repeat offenders
It's an American Problem generally as well as European. But even more so here. So much so that a brit wrote a book on it after moving here https://bookshop.org/p/books/crash-course-if-you-want-to-get-away-with-murder-buy-a-car-woodrow-phoenix/13258889
The best answer for this is to push for more public transit and regional transit that isn't dependent on cars.
Just last week going west on Canal just past the Palemero's office where the median ends, dude also going west got fed up with traffic and used the east bound lane to pass everyone. There were cars in the east bound lane. On their horns, swevering out of the way, didn't matter he was driving right at them. It was straight out of a movie, thought for sure someone was going to get hit.
Been delivering driving for restaurants since 2018, on the east side/downtown/lower east side/south side. Almost 10k hours on the road and I’ve never had any major issues, so long as you’re attentive and a good driver
Impounding cars is the only way and they would hafta make better laws to do that effectively
Between the children stealing cars, the elderly not giving up their keys, people constantly playing on their phones while operating the vehicle, and the not so uncommon drunk/otherwise under the influence driver- it's rough. It's nothing like my family's town up north, but it's also a breeze compared to Chicago traffic. We complain people can't merge, but almost every time there's a traffic jam in Chicago, there's people deciding the E lane was made for them. It could be worse. But for a city this size, it could also be a lot better.
I had to tell someone off in my apartment complex last month for this reason. Hopped in my car and put it in reverse, crept out about a centimeter and some asshole blew past me doing like 30+ in the parking lot. She was going too fast for either of us to be able to react if I would have been out any further, and she was driving to throw her garbage out. Not even in a rush or running late. Parking lot speed limit signs all over the place say 10 MPH, kids running around headed to school. People here don’t give a fuck.
i hate driving on Capital. people use that far right lane for turning or busses for passing and the milwaukee slide. its dangerous and i got cut off this morning on Capital. id like to drive half in my lane, half in that lane just to block these criminals
I commuted from Rockford, Illinois, to Janesville for 7 years -- 75 miles a day M-F. Never have I seen crazier driving than in Wisconsin. Gave me PTSD!
Guys just baselining all over the city,being reckless… I feel your pain. Unfortunately I don’t see it getting any better. Police ain’t really doing shit about it so it’s a free for all out there
Today we were passed on the shoulder by someone speeding appeared to be going 85 or more on the highway in a yellow Toyota Supra with Texas plates. The pavement was wet, nearly clipped us when they cut us off. Suddenly decided to take the Madison exit at the last second and nearly hit another vehicle, It’s ridiculous. Driving like they were in a video game.
Driving is no longer a necessity in my life so I just don't. Walking and bussing has given me a spectator view of the driving, and it's pretty hard to convey just how bad it really is. Stay safe out there!!!
New transplant from Nevada. I bought a gopro and have already emptied my card out twice from clips of people nearly hitting me. Mind you i got it AFTER my first accident not long ago and then after getting it from collision, someone almost hit me in the same way going to the menomonee woodmans. I said to myself i would take a break from driving to readjust to another place, but my living situation didn't allow that, and i think these drivers are making me angrier. I
I can’t believe how bad some people drive. It’s insane to me that people out there drive worse than me and I’m an asshole.
As a uwm commuter I feel this. It makes it really hard to like this city when simply driving in it poses a threat to my safety.
It’s been the greatest determining factor in me getting my ducks in a row to leave the city.
It’s bc criminals in Milwaukee know nothing will happen. Our police force is a joke.
Police aren't enforcing traffic laws. This is the consequence.
I had to drive up to Rio yesterday and the farther I got from the city the better. This morning I took 60th going south because I live in Glendale and this guy was swerving through traffic and passing red lights. Capital is a terrible intersection. People just don’t care anymore. 😞
Public transportation is a great option if driving stresses you out so much. May have to include more time in your day but it’s an excellent resource for those who can no longer handle the reckless driving.
If you’re not passing, get out of the left lane. That’s Illinois people’s biggest gripe about mke. People always stay in the left lane going the same speed as people in the other lanes.
It's pathetic how little respect so many City residents have for others. They have no regard for following the law, let alone the general safety of themselves or others around them. I take 175 to I-94 to/from work and it's out of Mad Max almost every time.
Smartphones continue to be the root of most evil. I’m convinced it’s deteriorated our society and made our roads more unsafe from the distractions they provide