Month: May 2020

Madison Bikes is a bike advocacy organization, and I was scheduled to write one of our weekly posts “about all things bike in Madison.” But on a day like today, I find it difficult to care and write much about this city meeting or that “open street.” (we’ll still have a weekly update tomorrow). I’m full of grief and anger. The following is a personal post and not a Madison Bikes position statement.

In Minneapolis, a city not far from Madison, police officers killed a black man, George Floyd. And George Floyd’s death is only one in an unbearably long list of Black people killed by police. And let’s not pretend this doesn’t happen in Madison. In 2015 a Madison Police Department officer killed Tony Robinson, an unarmed black teenager.

What does this have to do with bikes? Madison Bikes has a vision of a city where anyone can bike conveniently and comfortably to any place in the city. But who is that “anyone”? “Convenient and comfortable” for whom? Is a “protected bike lane” or an “open street” truly protected or open for people for Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color (BIPOC) — like Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot and killed while out for a run? Is Vision Zero, the idea to eliminate all serious injuries and fatalities in the transportation system, worthwhile if it relies on police enforcement, which has been shown again and again to be racially biased, and too often ends up with a BIPOC person dead or arrested?

I grapple with these and similar questions a lot, in my personal activism, my role as a member of the city’s Transportation Commission, and of course in my role as president of Madison Bikes. And part of finding answers is to try to listen to and learn from those for whom these questions are less abstract than me. No matter how uncomfortable that may be. In that spirit, I will share some recent writings.

Our Streets Minneapolis (formerly the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition) issued this “Statement on George Floyd, white supremacy, and our work.”

“Confronting Power and Privilege” by Tamika Butler (Director of Equity and Inclusion at Toole Design)

“How do we make sure open streets are truly open for everyone” by Courtney Cobbs of Streetsblog Chicago

“A Tale of Two Truths: Transportation and in the Time of COVID-19” by Ariel Ward

“Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights” by Professor Gretchen Sorin (there’s also podcast episode about the book)

This Week

No surprise – the week of Memorial Day is light in biking content, especially in the time of COVID. Get out on the trails, give distance, and enjoy the weather. If you’ve been able to enjoy one of the car-free streets like Arboretum Drive, send us a pic to share on our social media. (And don’t forget to tell your alder that you love that the city has opened streets to people!)

We’re sad to learn that DreamBikes West is closing. DreamBikes provides opportunities for teens to learn professional and bike skills, and its loss will be felt in that area.

We have two new Facebook groups for you to join: Haul it by Bike and Car-Free Madison. Join if you’re car-free-curious – as someone who sold my car a bit over a year ago, I can only recommend it.

The Urban Design Commission meets Wednesday, May 27 at 4:30 pm. The agenda, at first glance, is not bike-heavy; however, a number of the proposals on this list include massive increases in parking structures in downtown attached to offices, retail, and more. Consider speaking in favor of a more balanced approach to the transportation needs of who will use these future buildings, such as bike parking, bike lanes, safe crossings at intersections for cyclists and pedestrians, buses, and more.

Learn to Ride webinar, el 28 de mayo: Este seminario web está destinado a padres, madres, tutores, maestros u otros cuidadores que apoyan a los niños que aprenden a andar en bicicleta. También para adultos que deseen aprender a andar en bicicleta.

Coming up: Virtual Book Club: Join Us June 12 at 7 pm!

We moved the date of our virtual bookclub back a few weeks so more of you could join us. We are reading How Cycling Can Save the World by Peter Walker and will meet (virtually) on June 12, 7pm. Reach out to marybeth@madisonbikes.org for more info, or RSVP to the Facebook event.

As always, you can find an overview of all bike events on our Community Bike Calendar. Email us at info@madisonbikes.org to add your events. And if you value our newsletter and other work, consider donating to Madison Bikes. For construction updates, check out the city’s Bike Madison page.

Atwood Ave. with a lane closed for people on bikes

A few virtual events happening this week, but there are some ongoing items we’d like to mention.

We already mentioned it last week: The City of Madison Parks Division has entered Phase II in the plan to make some major improvements to Vilas Park, several of which directly impact cycling through and around the park. There are three separate proposals detailed, but a well-designed survey does a great job of helping you identify which elements from each of the proposals you liked and disliked, so we can presume that the resulting plan may incorporate elements from each of them. In addition to important cycling changes, you can also comment on ice skating, parking, shelter placement and wetland planning. Something for everyone!

As part of Virtual Bike Month, Madison Bikes has a Love to Ride Group where people can log their miles and help Madison Bikes reach a goal of burning 1000 tacos by the end of the month.

Madison Bikes has also started a Virtual Bookclub where we’re reading bike-themed books to get through social distancing. The first book: How Cycling Can Change the World by Peter Walker. The book can be found online including in e-reader format. We recommend purchasing ASAP as some delivery times are impacted. Consider purchasing from a local bookstore. Additionally, the library does have some copies and is now doing pick ups. The book club will meet virtually on Friday, June 12. If you’re not on Facebook and would like to participate, send an email to marybeth@madisonbikes.org.

Starting Monday, the UW will be closing down sections of Arboretum Drive to car traffic to enable social distancing among walkers and cyclists. This follows Madison restricting car traffic several streets or lanes to enable better social distancing on popular bike routes. Most recently Madison has shut down Sherman Ave. near Tenney Park.

Arboretum Drive

Monday, May 18 is the monthly meeting of the Madison Bikes Board. The meeting will be held virtually at 6 PM. We’re currently working on identifying and prioritizing gaps in Madison’s low-stress bike network.

On Thursday, May 21 at 12 PM there is a free Learn to Ride Webinar in English and Spanis. This webinar is intended for parents, guardians, teachers or other caregivers that are there supporting children learning how to ride a bicycle. Also for adults that would like to learn how to ride a bicycle. Sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/learn-to-ride-online-aprende-a-montar-la-bici-en-linea-tickets-104150342478

BCycle is continuing it’s Virtual Bike Week celebration this week with a Lake Loop Challenge. Take a picture on your ride around the lake (Monona or Mendota) and submit it to BCycle’s social media for a chance to win prizes!

As always, you can find an overview of all bike events on our Community Bike Calendar. Email us at info@madisonbikes.org to add your events. And if you value our newsletter and other work, consider donating to Madison Bikes. For construction updates, check out the city’s Bike Madison page.

We’re a third of the way through May already and let’s hope that we’re done with the snow until November. Go ahead and take those studded tires off — you heard it here firstlast! There’s a lot going on this week so we’ll dive right in.

The City of Madison Parks Division has entered Phase II in the plan to make some major improvements to Vilas Park, several of which directly impact cycling through and around the park. There are three separate proposals detailed, but a well-designed survey does a great job of helping you identify which elements from each of the proposals you liked and disliked, so we can presume that the resulting plan may incorporate elements from each of them. In addition to important cycling changes, you can also comment on ice skating, parking, shelter placement and wetland planning. Something for everyone!

Vilas Park Master Plan Concept B Drawing. Source: VPMP

Just gotta’ give another shout-out to the Bike Madison team who are delivering comprehensive email updates on cycling in Madison every Friday. With construction season in full-swing, this is an important way to stay on top of things and plan your safe routes. A few highlights from last week’s blast:

• It’s chip sealing and crack sealing season again and it will affect roads all over the city throughout the summer.
• Trying to reduce the load on the heavily-used SW Commuter Path? Don’t plan to use Gregory St. as your alternate route because it’s under construction until October.

The Dane County Farmer’s Market is pickup-only for now at an alternative site near the Colosseum (aka The Alliant Energy Center). On both Wednesdays and Saturdays there are dedicated windows for bicycle and pedestrians. Many of the smaller farmer’s markets in town are taking similar precautions, so do your research before you head out to pick up your chard.

This Week

On Monday at 4pm there is a free Health-Oriented Transportation (HOT) webinar titled Reducing Car Use: Project by Project. You can RSVP here.

On Wednesday at 5pm there is a virtual Transportation Commission meeting and you can read the full agenda here. You might take the opportunity to hit the subscribe button on the City of Madison Youtube Channel if that’s your thing, or there are several other ways to participate.

On Thursday at 12pm there is a free Spanish-language Learn to Ride Webinar with Q&A that is “intended for parents, guardians, teachers or other caregivers that are there supporting children learning how to ride a bicycle. Also for adults that would like to learn how to ride a bicycle.” This is happening every Thursday in May, alternating between Spanish and English.

B-Cycle bikes are out and about and maybe you’ve seen an uptick in riding this month due to their Virtual Bike Month Challenges? This week’s prizes will be given for longest individual trip and most total miles for the week. Click through the link to read more about how to use B-Cycles safely today and for the the month-long challenges.

Contented B-Cyclist Last Weekend. Source: Harald Kliems @ Cyclists of Madison.

Last Week

The Isthmus posted an in-depth article about how our local bike shops are adjusting to our new ways of life.

There was a lively discussion on the Madison Bikes Facebook community about plans to accelerate existing plans to reallocate space on the roadways due to decreased automobile traffic. This will be on the June Transportation Commission agenda, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel posted an article about how Milwaukee is testing out the Saris Wave dividers with some of their bike lanes. You might have seen these in use at various events around Madison, including last year’s Bratcakes on the Bike Path as part of Bike Week.

As always, you can find an overview of all bike events on our Community Bike Calendar. Email us at info@madisonbikes.org to add your events. And if you value our newsletter and other work, consider donating to Madison Bikes. For construction updates, check out the city’s Bike Madison page.

Like many others my daily routine has changed in the last month and I spend a lot more time at home. My switch to telecommuting has disrupted my daily bike commute routine, so I need to plan extra activities on the weekend to stay healthy and make up for my weekday largess. Thus I was very happy to learn Governor Evers reopened many state parks starting this last weekend including all of the state rail trails. I took advantage of the excellent weather this weekend and went for a ride with my family. The warm temperatures and limited car traffic just beg us to go out and explore the world. Of course, please remember to follow social distancing requirements and minimize contact with others in public places.

Bike Month!

May is National Bike Month and Madison Bikes usually has major events planned to celebrate biking welcome in the summer, however this year Madison Bike Week is delayed until September due to COVID-19 and the Ride-the-Drive is cancelled. However, with the wonderful weather and reduced car traffic there has never been a better time to encourage others to try and realize the benefits of biking. Here are a few Bike Week activities you can do this week:

Bike to School Anywhere Week 2020 –⁠ The annual bike to school week put on by the City of Madison, Healthy Kids Collaborative had to be modified this year because kids are attending school virtually. Bike Anywhere Week: From a Distance has a family bike activity or two planned every day this week.

Love to Ride –⁠ you can sign up for this challenge if you’re looking for encouragement to bike more!

Learn to Ride webinar for parents –⁠ Thursday 5/7 @12pm. This online event put on by the City of Madison is a great first step to teaching your kids to bike safely.

County Highway AB and US Highway 12/18 Interchange

A $37 million project to reconstruct the County Highway AB and US Highway 12/18 interchange east of the Interstate 90/94 will be presented for approval at the Transportation and Planning Board on Monday and the Common Council on Tuesday. This expensive project is proposed to improve one of the most dangerous intersections in the state but doesn’t include low stress bike and pedestrian accommodations. Please read the excellent action alert written by Robbie Webber to learn more.

Greater East Towne and Odana Area Plans

The City of Madison is gathering input to determine the future of the East Towne and Westgate/Odana area malls. The results of the first public input survey branded “Mall Madness” are available. “Comfortable and safe bike routes” and “walkable and pleasant streets” ranked 3^rd and 4^th respectively in the final round. This is an excellent opportunity to encourage new equitable and bikeable/walkable developments in Madison.

• Week 1: Issues facing malls and potential impacts from Covid19
  Monday May 4th 12:15-1 pm, and Thursday May 7th 5:15-6 pm
• Week 2: Case Studies – Mall & Office Redevelopment Examples
  Monday May 11th 12:15-1 pm, and Thursday May 14, 5:15- 6 pm
• Week 3: Odana Area Plan Focused Discussion
  Monday May 18th 12:15-1 pm, and Thursday May 21th 5:15-6 pm
• Week 4: Greater East Towne Area Plan Focused Discussion
  Monday June 1st 12:15-1 pm, and Thursday June 4th 5:15-6 pm

As always, you can find an overview of all bike events on our Community Bike Calendar. Email us at info@madisonbikes.org to add your events. And if you value our newsletter and other work, consider donating to Madison Bikes. For construction updates, check out the city’s Bike Madison page.

A big, very expensive ($35 million) interchange is planned for the intersection of Hwy 12/18 and County Hwy AB, and it has the potential to create yet another barrier to walking and biking in an area already nearly impossible to reach without a car. It is up for approval on Tuesday at the Council, and a few well-placed letters to alders and our transportation officials might avert this horrible project, or at least delay it long enough to make it more multimodal.

The project will be at the Transportation Planning and Policy Board on Monday evening and the Common Council for final approval on Tuesday evening. Links will access documents, register to speak, submit comments, and/or watch the meetings.

Where is this intersection? Unless you frequent the Ho-Chunk Casino or regularly drive to Cambridge, it’s easy to overlook this corner of the city. A map below shows you where in the city the project is located: ESE of the intersection of Interstates 90/39 and Hwy 12/18 (aka the Beltine.) To the south of Hwy 12/18 is the Ho-Chunk Casino and the Yahara Hills golf course, and to the north is a lightly-developed area that will likely be filling in as the city expands.

The current surface crossings of Hwy 12/18 at Millpond Rd and Cty AB have been the site of several very bad crashes, including a pedestrian killed last fall. But a better solution might be to make Hwy 12/18 a better surface road instead of making it an extension of the Beltline.

Wisconsin DOT has stated that, “there would be [bicycle and pedestrian] accommodations through the interchange, potentially along CTH AB, and along the frontage road. There would be side paths through the roundabouts.” In the future there is the possibility of a dedicated grade-separated bike/pedestrian crossing, and Meier Rd–west of Cty AB–will eventually also be an available crossing, but neither of those projects are part of this construction. It is unclear how low-stress the planned facilities will be on AB or through the interchange, and we know that “planned” projects often take years, or even decades to come to fruition.

The Yahara Hills golf course sits just west of the proposed new interchange. It will likely be developed soon into residential or mixed-use development. The Ho-Chunk nation wants to expand their facilities and is contributing some funding for the interchange project. Both of these impending developments are just more reason to assure that there are appropriate active transportation facilities and access now rather than at some uncertain future date. Not to mention, crossing at Cty AB is quite a detour if one is trying to reach the current land uses that are closer to the interstate.

Although Wisconsin no longer has a Complete Streets law, the city of Madison does, as does the Madison Area MPO. We must make sure that we uphold those policies, even when the project is difficult. The entire project is anticipated to cost $37 million. Why are we willing to spend that sort of money to facilitate faster motor vehicle access, but not the minimum facilities for those on foot and bike?

If you want more detailed information, here is a link to the presentation included as part of the city documents, including more detailed maps. And the text in this document—also part of the packet for the two city meetings—has justifications (if you can call them that) for both building the interchange and why better connections for active transportation are not part of the current project.

As always, you can find your alder and contact information on the Council website.