Project Summary

Toole Design worked with the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works to develop the City’s first comprehensive pedestrian plan. Through pedestrian counts and an extensive public outreach component, we developed a GIS-based model of existing pedestrian use across the city to identify high-priority areas for improving pedestrian safety.

The Plan describes the benefits of providing a safe and comfortable walking environment, issues facing people walking in the city, and recommendations to improve walking conditions for all city residents and visitors. It also includes an innovative Pedestrian Safety Toolbox that details how to improve pedestrian safety and demonstrates how to apply the tools to actual locations in the city.

In 2019, the Plan won an APA Planning Award from the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Planning Association.

The Pedestrian Safety Toolbox provides a series of improvements that make walking safer, more accessible, and more enjoyable. Here, a reimagined right-turn lane illustrates how the design can help slow motorist speeds, improve visibility of pedestrians, and reduce the crossing distance.

The Plan also includes illustrations of applied treatments along actual high-crash intersections in Milwaukee. We suggest both short- and long-term improvements.

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