Marquette residents press Madison Transportation Commission to act on crashes, speeding on Williamson and Jennifer Streets

Mike Tarby, a Marquette Neighborhood Association member, and Bridal Novinska Lewis, representing the Marquette Neighborhood Association, told the Madison Transportation Commission on June 25 that residents are worried about collisions and speeding on Williamson and Jennifer Streets and asked the commission to prioritize safety when projects come before it.

Tarby, who said he lives on the 900 block of Williamson Street and represents Strong Towns Madison locally, asked commissioners to rank safety ahead of speed, volume and cost when evaluating street projects. “Safety should be our top priority,” he said, and urged the commission to pursue low-cost measures that protect people walking and biking while using right-of-way efficiently.

Bridal Novinska Lewis described recent crash history and local speed measurements. “Williamson Street has recorded a 122 crashes between 2020 and 2024,” she told the commission, and said a neighborhood speed study using a handheld radar gun found that about 84% of vehicles on Jennifer Street exceeded the posted limit. She asked the commission to commission updated traffic modeling for Williamson and Jennifer ahead of the John Nolan reconstruction and to reconsider a trial lane change on Billington Street associated with the city’s Vision Zero Action Plan.

Both speakers recommended traffic-calming features such as curb bump-outs, raised intersections and protected planters. They also asked for more bus shelters and other transit amenities to encourage alternatives to single-occupancy vehicles and to reduce crash risk near commercial nodes.

Commission members responded that staff would review the materials submitted by the neighborhood and coordinate with traffic engineering. Commissioner Lynn Olsen thanked the speakers and said she would add the item to the commission’s annual work plan for follow-up; Commissioner Bill Bremer said staff would meet with the neighborhood and return with additional information at a future meeting.

The commission did not take formal action on the requests on June 25; commissioners said staff would meet with neighborhood representatives and with traffic engineering to present options at a later date.

Local advocates supplied the commission with a neighborhood letter and crash/speed data before the meeting; staff said they will review those materials and coordinate a future agenda item for detailed review and potential engineering responses.