Madison transportation staff and community press for short-term fixes and long-term redesign after Park Street pedestrian death

Madison transportation staff and community members on Feb. 18 called for immediate and sustained action to reduce dangerous speeds on South Park Street after the recent death of 17-year-old Sasha Rosen.

City Transportation Director Christophe Spiehler opened the discussion by emphasizing the human cost of crashes and the limits of any single presentation to address community grief. Spiehler said staff would present what is known about Park Street, the city’s approach to street safety and how the city responds to fatal crashes.

“We are here not just to present, but to listen,” Spiehler told the commission. He described a reconstruction project tied to the North–South bus rapid transit (BRT) route that would rebuild Park Street from south of Wingra Drive to Fish Hatchery Road and add pedestrian and bicycle facilities, but said that project requires federal funding and is on a multi-year schedule.

Yang Tao, who leads the city’s Vision 0 safe-systems program, summarized the city’s safety strategy — design, speed management, enforcement and data-driven targeting — and the city’s progress since adopting Vision 0 in 2020. Yang said the city has delivered…