Bayside Police Keep Close Eye on Fairy Chasm Road Safety Issues

Bayside resident sounds the alarm on bicyclist, motorist and pedestrian safety on the busy, narrow road, but police say they actively enforce the speed limit to ensure the road is safe.

In the more than 25 years Captain Scott McConnell has been with the Bayside Police Department, he says there has never been a serious motorist vs. bicyclist or pedestrian accident on Fairy Chasm Road.  But that's not to say it can't or won't happen. Tuesday in a blog on Patch, resident Tom Noble, who is running for Bayside Village Board, put a call for changes on the road because he says the many bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians who use it are asking for trouble.  "We have been very lucky that we have avoided any major incidents, especially involving our children who actively play in the area," Noble wrote. "Sadly, I think we are living on borrowed time." He says the easy fix would be to add more "Slow Down" and "Watch for Pedestrians…

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Bayside Police Issue 25 Citations During Sting Operation

To bring more awareness of pedestrian safety, Bayside police ran a sting operation at Brown Deer and Regent roads. Lt. Tom Henkel would click the pedestrian crossing light and when cars didn't stop, they got pulled over.

The fluorescent lime green pedestrian crossing signs at Brown Deer and Regent roads blink furiously, indicating someone wants to cross. As the pedestrian takes a couple of steps onto the road, cars continue to fly by, not even slowing for the full-grown man trying to cross the road. And what about a small child, half his size and less visible? Bayside Police Department Lt. Tom Henkel ran a sting operation Tuesday to get people to slow down and stop for the pedestrians that have the right to cross the road safely. "People who are not stopping we are cited today. They have ample time to see it," Henkel said.  But after given the ticket, Henkel said many people were trying to talk their way out of the ticket — even with children of their own …

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Heard in the Hall

Pedestrian Safety: An Alternative Thinking Competition

Can you come up with the best design?

Did you stop for the pedestrian in the crosswalk this morning? As we know, all interior roads have a speed limit in the village of 25 mph, but do you really think about how fast you're going?  The Village is exploring a non-traditional way to slow traffic on village streets: unique street signage.  We're having a contest for residents to design unique, empathetic, and thought provoking street signs.   We're looking for designs that grab the attention of drivers and make everybody think… How fast was I really going, and am I paying attention to my driving? Signs bearing slogans such as "We know your car is fast, slow down,” and “You will stop for a duck, but you won’t stop for a child’ are just some of the unique ways communities have …

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