Contact: Bill Arnold
Public Information Manager/City of Milwaukee/Public Information Division/Office of the City Clerk/Phone: (414)286.3285 / warnol@milwaukee.gov

Statement of Alderman Tony Zielinski:

Running red lights in Milwaukee has become too commonplace, and – in some cases – a reckless gamble ending in death.

Early yesterday morning at N. 35th and W. Capitol Dr. a driver ran a red light and T-boned another vehicle in the intersection. The horrific crash killed a 27-year-old woman and her 11-month-old daughter and seriously injured a passenger. The driver of the striking vehicle fled the scene but was later arrested at a hospital.
We need to be able to do a better job of deterring people from running red lights at all times across our city, and that’s why I am pushing the state Legislature to allow Milwaukee to put in place a citywide red-light camera system. The safety benefits of such a system are clear as the reckless driving epidemic we are seeing across the city (punctuated by people foolishly and dangerously running red lights) is costing lives and causing serious injuries and property damage.

But there’s also the benefit of bringing much needed revenue from red-light citations. In Chicago red-light running violators are fined $100 or more. In some jurisdictions, under-pavement sensors or other technology can allow red-light cameras to capture speeds in addition to drivers running intersections. This possible speeding “multiplier” could bring additional citation revenue to the city.
I urge citizens to join me in pushing for this important tool that could help save lives, make drivers slow down and stop running red lights, and provide much needed revenue to the City of Milwaukee.

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