Advisory Bike Lanes (ABLs), a new type of bike lane, have recently been installed on Edgewood Avenue. The new road design features a single lane for cars and two bike lanes on both sides of the traffic lane. The change is part of a growing shift within the Milwaukee area to increase the number of ABLs in an effort to reduce car speeds and encourage cycling. 

However, the new design has faced a fair amount of community pushback, with many calling the design inconvenient and dangerous: cars are expected to merge into the bike lanes to pass each other, putting both cyclists and drivers into a single lane of traffic. 

The project had been under consideration and construction for over a year, and was completed during November 2023. Because Edgewood is on the border of Milwaukee and the Village of Shorewood, the $630,000 project was split evenly between the two communities. This amount includes the cost of the road’s repavement in addition to the ABLs. 

Jonathan Brostoff, Milwaukee Common Council member, describes the installation as an inexpensive investment.

“When you’re repaving the streets, you have to paint it, so [changing the design] didn’t cost us anything extra,” Brostoff said.

Furthermore, Chris Anderson, Assistant Village Manager for Shorewood, shares one main reason for the new road design. 

“The Village of Shorewood likes to pride itself on being bike friendly, and I think that adding bike lanes, while not protected, is still adding an amenity to the community, especially with that connectivity very near the campus,” Anderson said.

The Village of Shorewood installed the lanes in part to create preferential space for cyclists instead of drivers. Many cities that have ABLs have installed them in order to encourage cycling, which helps to eliminate carbon emissions produced from cars. The Village of Shorewood cites the ABL systems of Fort Collins, Colorado and Ann Arbor, Michigan as models for their new road design.

Additionally, because cars must share one lane of traffic, advocates say that ABLs force drivers to be more aware

of their surroundings and drive slower.

“The City [of Milwaukee] is actually collecting metrics and data…looking at various things like reduced speed,” Anderson said. “Instead of having a full on open road where people see it as, ‘Oh, great, now this is a speedway,’… it changes the driver’s mentality of what’s available to do on a street.”

Amelie Riebau, a commuter on Edgewood, agrees with the idea of ABLs, but she also recognizes the issues voiced by others.

“The purpose of the advisory bike lanes is to enhance safety,” Riebau said. “I understand the choice of locations because the area encompassing UWM’s campus is pretty busy most of the time…but I’m not entirely sure how necessary it was.”

Brostoff disagrees with the sentiment expressed by Riebau, viewing the new infrastructure necessary as a helpful adjustment that reduces speeding and other reckless driving habits.

“We’ve got a huge issue of reckless driving in the area right now that absolutely, positively has to be addressed,” Brostoff said.

Brostoff continued stating that the design will force drivers to slow down.

“I think it will ultimately make things safer for pedestrians and bikers,” Brostoff said. “It’ll help drivers be more attentive and slow down, and it might also help set the precedent in other areas where we want people to be more cognizant drivers.”

Furthermore, many residents both agree and disagree with Brostoff’s claims, with many community members voicing their concerns and excitement on Facebook. The site became a forum to spread a wide range of opinions regarding the new road design.

On the safety of driving versus biking on Edgewood, Riebau is unsure as to what mode of transportation is

significantly safer.

“I guess I don’t know if one is significantly safer than the other…if you asked me if I would rather bike or drive

down there, I would pick a car,” Riebau said.

The Village of Shorewood offers online resources on how to use ABLs, including suggestions of using the acronym A.B.L to remember how to navigate Edgewood: Assess what’s going on around you, Bear into the bike lane, and Lane it up. 

“We’re definitely appreciative that, while [ABLs are] new, folks are taking the time to really assess,” Anderson said.