Some merchants in the Village are asking for the city to take steps to make it easier for customers to get to their businesses. We'd like to get your taken on what it's like to navigate in and out of the Village -- and, if you think it's a problem, offer some suggestions on how to make it easier to get around.
Share your views in our online forum.
Come on folks... a few extra minutes to get in and out of the village. Big Deal! My only pet peeve is that parking is allowed on Watertown Plank going toward the Village. A couple of parked cars really make things grind to a halt.
It has been very difficult for business owners in the village and we have seen many leave. The planning for repairs and notification to owners and residents could be much better. Also contractors don't always seem to make the most effecient use of space. It's not just a few extra minutes particularly at certain times.
As a business owner I often hear about the difficulty in getting around the Village. There are streets that you can't turn onto at certain hours of the day. The one way streets are confusing for people who aren't familiar with the area. They don't seem eager to come back after their Village experience sometimes. It's frustrating as a business owner to know that they aren't coming into shop or dine because they feel it's too much of a hassle to get to parking and navigate the streets.
I have mentioned this to village business people in the past, and that is; 1. The Village's Harwood Avenue's one-way is going in the wrong direction. It is a natural tendency for cars to turn off of State street and north on Harwood Avenue (as it is on the street in front of the hardware store). To actually get onto Harwood Avenue and to the business part on Harwood, is a nightmare for some looking to do so, and a further detriment to the Village.. 2. The barriers to a 2-way traffic flow currently on Harwood Avenue need to be removed, namely the islands that jut out on the west side of Harwood, and the street needs to be straightened, made into a 2-way street traffic flow street, and the street needs to go thru what is now the park-like area in front of the old Drews. 3. The old Drews needs to be torn down and made into a multi-story parking structure to increase Village parking space, with a creative looking facade so as to not make it look like a parking structure, with retail/restaurant/office space on it's first floor. If necessary, the City of Wauwatosa should purchase the old Drews building and make this possible. Lee Kujawa Village Resident
Really not a big deal. If this is what people spend their time worrying about, you might say there are no other problems in our state. I hardly notice the construction unless I want to go south on 68th, and then I take *gasp* 70th instead. Oh what a headache!! The horror!
I think people are making way too big a deal about driving. Sure parking can be frustrating, but it really wouldn't kill most of us to park a little further away and walk a few blocks! One way streets are actually very good for controlling traffic, think of the difficulty of turning east onto Harwood from southbound State street if that were a two way road. Traffic would be blocked back to the Harmonee Bridge! It seems like contempt is breeding contempt, and if everyone just took driving and parking in stride, there would be less need to get worked up.
why don`t they assign problem solving 101 at Tosa least and fire anyone involved with running this silly town government into the ground, all the help offered in these difficult days.
I don't think getting to or around the Village is too difficult. Part of the appeal of the Village, is the pedistrian friendliness of the area. To open up Harwood Ave to two-way traffic would be a mistake. However, the non-stop construction of State Street around 68th Street is a big annoyance, and cannot be good for the local businesses.
There is no plan to open Harwood to two way traffic. The businesses want some creative problem solving for the challenging and counter intuitive path to get into Harwood. Some people who have lived in the area all their lives dont think it is an issue because they have figured it out but plenty of people who are not as familar but still wanting to come into the Village to spend money at the businesses (how they survive) have complained, expressed frustration or have just given up and avoided the area. Also the current traffic pattern from the Starbucks area into Harwood is a very dicey situation with cars driving often driving too fast or the wrong way for the area in their haste after getting their coffee and heading to their next destination. They are not looking out for any cars who are backing out of the angle parking and there are plenty of near misses and accidents.
"Nightmare", "Headache"...babies. I attended a planning meeting where it was lamented that the students at ANEW/QHO a block away on Harwood were "confused and frustrated" when they drove to the village during thier lunch breaks. A whole block away! Get off your fat butts and walk, people. Perhaps I'm in the minortiy, but the less pedestrian friendly the village becomes, the less my family and I will visit it. So if you are considering this question from a (very narrow, IMO) economic impact perspective, consider the way(s) businesses will SUFFER by increasing vehicle traffic. Plus the loss of green space that will occur with new streets will decrease the appeal of the village as a destination. Animated pedestrian activity is what make the village an appealing destination in the first place.
I have lived in Wauwatosa for 30 years and the village is STILL confusing when trying too explain to people how to get around. For those of us who live in the area, we enjoy walking to the village to shop, eat, and drink-there is great appeal in this. However, those of us who do this are in a minority and there just aren't enough people who are willing to walk to the village or look for parking a few blocks away. The biggest issue is how to keep the village business viable-for property owners like myself, the health of the village directly relates to the value of my home and the success (or failure) of them does matter to me. The concerns are not about people being lazy, it's about being user friendly to the people who don't live close enough to walk to the village. The fact is there is not Wauwatosans supporting these business so we must rely on those outside of the village to help support our shops and restaurants. Thursday through Saturday the Village looks very busy, but the reality is that most of the businesses find it hard to stay financially stable, especially during these economic times. Listen to the needs & concerns of our businesses-their success plays a big part in the future economic success of Wauwatosa home owners. Making the village more user friendly is a necessity. Opening up Harwood again makes sense. So does changing the 30 min. and 1 hour parking meters to 2-3 hours also makes sense. Keep in mind, that when the remainder of state Street is completed it will take away the primary route through, around, and into the village of Wauwatosa.
I have lived in Wauwatosa for 30 years and the village is STILL confusing when trying too explain to people how to get around. For those of us who live in the area, we enjoy walking to the village to shop, eat, and drink-there is great appeal in this. However, those of us who do this are in a minority and there just aren't enough people who are willing to walk to the village or look for parking a few blocks away. The biggest issue is how to keep the village business viable-for property owners like myself, the health of the village directly relates to the value of my home and the success (or failure) of them does matter to me. The concerns are not about people being lazy, it's about being user friendly to the people who don't live close enough to walk to the village. The fact is there is not Wauwatosans supporting these business so we must rely on those outside of the village to help support our shops and restaurants. Thursday through Saturday the Village looks very busy, but the reality is that most of the businesses find it hard to stay financially stable, especially during these economic times. Listen to the needs & concerns of our businesses-their success plays a big part in the future economic success of Wauwatosa home owners. Making the village more user friendly is a necessity. Opening up Harwood again makes sense. So does changing the 30 min. and 1 hour parking meters to 2-3 hours also makes sense. Keep in mind, that when the remainder of state Street is completed it will take away the primary route through, around, and into the village of Wauwatosa.
What a joke. State street was left in disrepair for years. Now the 68th street bridge will be out of commission for a year. I'll be voicing my opinion at the polls. Its a shock that any businesses stick with this community at all.