MADISON (WKOW) -- When a pedestrian was struck and killed Monday night by a driver, it marked the sixth death this year on Madison's most prominent road.
Police say the driver stopped and is cooperating with the investigation. The collision happened near the intersection of E. Washington Ave. and Lien Rd.
The fatal crash occurred less than half a mile from the Home Savings Bank at the intersection of E. Washington Ave. and Mendota St. 37-year-old Ashley Taylor was killed while crossing E. Washington on April 3; police said the driver in that case also stopped and cooperated with the investigation.
The bank's chief financial officer, Alan Zimprich, said Tuesday he was not surprised to hear of another death on E. Washington. He said cars had left the road and slammed into his bank twice since last year.
"The individual flew up through here, ran into this column here," Zimprich said, pointing out where the second indicent occurred. "This all had to be replaced all the way up. Rocks actually flew up, hit the windows; all these windows have chips in them, those all have to be replaced."
Following the second crash, Zimprich said the bank installed four cement bollards at the entrance facing the intersection.
"So far, no incidents," Zimprich said. "We're waiting for somebody to test it for us."
The six deaths on E. Washington are the most since three people died on the road in 2016, according to the Wisconsin Traffic Operations and Safety Laboratory, which is a collaboration between the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and UW-Madison.
The deaths occur while Madison attempts to carry out its "Vision Zero" initiative, which seeks to eliminate pedestrian and cyclist deaths by 2030. In a statement Tuesday, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said, according to the city's own data, its efforts to reduce the speed limit in stretches, increase enforcement, and install more speed boards and traffic signal timing were making a dent in the speeding problem.
"Our efforts in managing the speed on the East Washington Ave. corridor are having a positive effect, reducing the percentage of vehicles traveling over 40 mph by 30-90% depending on the time of day and location," Rhodes-Conway said according to the statement. "But our efforts to understand each death, and address the issues we can address will continue."
Both the mayor's office and police said it was too early Tuesday to comment on factors that may have caused Monday's collision.
Whether it's measures like reducing the speed limit or installing more crosswalk signage, or more drastic measures like curb dividers or even lane reductions, the city must submit its plans to the DOT since E. Washington is also a U.S. highway.
DOT Spokesman Steve Theisen said the agency was making progress in partnership with the city but added public works changes would only do so much to address inattentive, reckless driving or pedestrians and cyclists not using crosswalks and disregarding the rules of the road.
"We continue to work with the City of Madison on mitigation efforts to help prevent these tragic incidents," Theisen said. "Through our partnership with the City, improvements to control devices (i.e., traffic signals/pedestrian lights) can be closely evaluated for pedestrians, bicyclists, motor vehicles, and now Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)."
Still, there were indications Tuesday the changes made to date hadn't done enough. The crosswalk at Lien Road displayed the 'walk' signal for about seven seconds before starting to count down. To cross six lanes of traffic in the time allowed would be a challenge for many older pedestrians or those with disabilities keeping them from moving quickly.
Zimprich said he'd noticed the speed limit changes but was skeptical that alone would make a significant difference.
"I still think you're gonna have the same situation," he said. "You'll have some people that obey the speed limit, others just don't care."
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'Waiting for somebody to test it': Sixth death on E. Washington occurs near business with new barriers - WKOW
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