Resident petition and staff study highlight safety concerns at Arcadian and Oakland; committee takes no action

A resident petition and a multi-year crash analysis prompted a lengthy Buildings & Grounds discussion on Oct. 6 about safety at the Arcadian Avenue and Oakland Avenue intersection in Waukesha City. Resident Daniel Melendez submitted a petition with 30 signatures asking the committee to install an all-way stop, saying the intersection has seen 26 crashes since 2020 and seven crashes in 2025, five of which resulted in injuries. “I have 30 signatures for support,” Melendez said, adding that drivers often travel 33–34 mph down the hill and that a four-way stop would improve safety.

Staff traffic analyst Alex reviewed the study, telling the committee that the site recorded a pattern of right-angle crashes in which drivers on Oakland reportedly ‘‘pulled up, came to a stop, and then said they did not see anyone coming’’ before pulling into Arcadian traffic. Alex said the five-and-a-half-year review found 26 crashes and that the crash history meets the MUTCD criterion of five crashes in a 12-month period for considering an all-way stop. However, the traffic volumes were strongly imbalanced: Arcadian carries roughly three times the entering traffic compared with Oakland, and staff modeling projected queues of seven to eight vehicles on Arcadian if an all-way stop were installed.

Because of those volume imbalances and the modeling results, staff recommended targeted, lower-impact measures instead of an all-way stop: restricting parking on Arcadian (about 175 feet in each direction) to improve sight lines and adding signing and other short-term treatments to draw driver attention to the stop control. Alex also said that most crashes were property-damage-only, with the highest concentration occurring between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Committee members and residents debated trade-offs. Doreen, an alder, said traffic patterns have changed since bypass construction began and suggested the recent influx of crashes may be temporary. Alderman Mike Christine cited increased traffic during construction and urged caution about waiting too long to act. Other members voiced concern that an all-way stop would create delays on Arcadian and could worsen noise and emissions from accelerating vehicles, and some residents argued inattentive driving and construction detours are the primary causes.

No motion to change the intersection control was offered that night. The chair clarified that without a motion the item “dies for lack of a motion,” meaning no formal action was taken and the matter could be reintroduced later in the calendar year. Staff offered to gather additional data and coordinate with police for speed enforcement or to deploy speed tubes; the committee requested PD enforcement data and said staff could return with updated information.

Next steps: staff will provide enforcement and/or additional traffic data for committee review at a future meeting; residents may resubmit the petition or request the committee reintroduce the item.