This week, a friend of mine asked me when “they” would be completing the path along the Beltline from High Point Rd to the new Gammon Rd underpass. The High Point Rd bridge was rebuilt several years ago with that path segment in mind, with a nice loopy ramp around heading back to the southeast that just dead-ends in frustration and bewilderment. He said, “Say, who do I have to call to get that done?!” It’s a fair question! The truth is, these things take time but if you’re paying attention you see constant improvement.
One great starting point for someone just dabbling in the idea of “paying attention” would be the Greater East Towne Plan and Odana Area Plan meetings in the upcoming weeks. Both sets of meetings will cover a very broad set of long-term plans for these larger areas. Then at your Memorial Day party, you’ll be well on your way towards answering questions like “Hey, what do you think about putting Odana Rd on a serious road diet?” or “Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a shared-use path heading out towards East Towne, perhaps along the Wisconsin & Southern RR corridor?”
Oh, and my friend? I suggested he drop a note to his Alder and the Transportation Commission to let them know what was on his mind.
This Week
On Monday at 5:30pm (register) or Wednesday at 12:00pm (register), attend a virtual informational meeting discussing the Greater East Towne Area Plan. On the docket will be a wide variety of topics, including updated transit, bike, and pedestrian facilities. Registration required.
On Monday at 6pm you can join us at the virtual Madison Bikes Community Meeting (zoom link). We’ll be focused on planning for the Bike Week event coming up on the other side of summer, in September.
On Wednesday at 5pm, the Transportation Commission is meeting (watch) and the agenda has several items worthy of mention.
- A discussion of the tradeoffs of parking vs buffered bike lines on a portion of the new Cedar St, which will connect Fish Hatchery Rd and Park St as part of the new development effort.
- The Annual Winter Bike Maintenance Report, which will draw from a slide deck that includes overall updates on maintenance of all the cycling facilities in the city, including paths and on-street. Each winter brings a different set of challenges to both the cyclist and those tasked with keeping the routes safe and clear, so it should be an informative discussion!
- A review of the updated geometry of a segment of The Lake Loop through Olbrich Park, including a new 10′ multi-use path and bridge over Starkweather Creek.
- An updated plan for Bayview-Triangle between Regent St, West Washington Ave, and Braxton Pl that includes multi-use path segments.
On Thursday at 5:30pm (register) or June 1 at 12:00 pm (register), attend a public meeting discussing the Odana Area Plan. While not cycling-specific, there are plenty of relevant transit, bike and pedestrian details to share. Registration required.
Upcoming
On Sunday, June 6, plan to Ride the Drive(s) between 9am and 1pm. There is a great need for volunteers for this event, so please consider including a volunteer shift in your agenda that day!
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.