Milwaukee Rising

It looks like the Milwaukee Brewers are sticking shuttle operators for costs related to having traffic cops at W. Bluemound Rd. and N. Story Pkwy. on game days.

The shuttles, though, have nothing to do with the traffic problems there on game days.

Traffic control there has been sporadic since the Police Department took over stadium duties from the Sheriff’s Department a few years ago. On some game days, when there is no traffic cop there, cars are jammed bumper to bumper for a half-mile at least in each direction on Bluemound and are jammed on Story as well. (There are, on occasion,  traffic cops working the intersection on game days and, on occasion, there are traffic cops sitting on their motorcycles at the intersection observing traffic jams).

The big traffic jams are a pain. They prevent residents from getting into or out of the neighborhood and, for drivers caught in them, they certainly add to road rage. If there is an emergency in the neigbhorhood, too bad so sad. Ambulance or fire trucks aren’t getting through.

The lack of traffic control, Ald. Michael Murphy has said, stems from a dispute over who should pay for the traffic cops — the city or the Brewers.

And now, the Brewers are foisting on shuttle operators both costs of staffing both the intersection with cops and shuttle drop-off points with other personnel, according to the Journal Sentinel:

Brewers’ spokesman Tyler Barnes said the $300 fee was imposed because of safety concerns related to the intersection of W. Blue Mound Road and N. Story Parkway and the drop-off point near the home plate area. Those concerns include pedestrian traffic and shuttle activity.

“The best solution in our eyes was to staff the intersection with Milwaukee police officers, as well as add staffing to the drop-off locations,” Barnes said. “The fee will help, but not completely cover the expenses related to staffing.”

The shuttles, though, are not and never were the issue at Story and Bluemound. Look at the pictures here and here.  See any shuttles or shuttle-related problems?

Smooth move, Brewers, the way you shifted the cost to businesses that have absolutely nothing to do with the problem. If you could make trades that slick, the team would be World Series champs.