Common Council adopts West Allis 20-year bicycle, pedestrian and mobility plan

The Common Council voted to adopt the City of West Allis bicycle, pedestrian and mobility plan after a staff presentation that framed the document as a 20-year roadmap to improve safety, connectivity and multimodal options.

Steve Sher, director of city planning and zoning, introduced the plan and turned the presentation over to Jack Kavneski, city planner, who said the city’s last comparable plan dated to 2008 and that the new plan responds to updated safety data, travel patterns and community feedback. The plan identifies sidewalk gaps, a future bike network tied to the 2045 comprehensive plan, crash hot spots (2019–2024), measurable objectives for safety and connectivity, and strategies to prioritize capital improvements through alignment with county, state and federal projects.

Kavneski and Sher described funding strategies that combine the city’s capital-improvement program with state and federal grant opportunities, noting coordination with the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation and citing design guidance from the Federal Highway Administration and Wisconsin Department of Transportation manuals. Sher said the plan aims to make the city more competitive for future federal and state funding and to guide street redesigns, traffic-calming and target investments where they will deliver the greatest safety benefits.

Alderman Haas moved to adopt the resolution (Item 4). The clerk called the roll; the motion carried on a recorded vote of 10–0. Council members during the discussion emphasized that sidewalk additions remain subject to council approval and local input, and staff said decisions about sidewalk installations on particular blocks can be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

The plan will be available through city planning channels and will be considered alongside the Public Works Committee’s agenda items for scheduling and implementation details.