It’s a very quiet week for bike news in Madison, but not for traffic out on our bikeways. Seems like everyone’s out biking somewhere — maybe for fun, maybe to get to work, maybe for exercise. Whatever your reason, enjoy!
This Week
On Monday at 5pm, the Transportation Policy and Planning Board (TPPB) meets virtually. You can read the full agenda here but probably the most interesting item to note is the discussion titled “Speed Policy on Shared Use Paths”. It’s a 27-slide deck that, if you are a user of any shared use paths, you absolutely must read. Then, after being reminded what an absolute mess we are in together, go out and ride our paths bringing your patience, awareness, and kindness.
On Monday evening at 7pm, join Madison Bikes and returning special guest (and friend of the show) Dr. Dirk von Schneidemesser for an informal social hour at the Memorial Union Terrace. Important note: This replaces next week’s scheduled Community Meeting!
This month, Dr. Dirk von Schneidemesser is in Madison again and will be joining us for an informal social hour. As a board member for the German nonprofit Changing Cities, Dr. Schneidemesser helped organize a grassroots ballot initiative that was instrumental in the 2018 creation of Berlin’s “bicycle law.” This law, the first of its kind in Germany, legally required Berlin to build certain types of infrastructure to improve bike and pedestrian safety. Similar laws have since been passed by local governments all over the world, and can be useful in shielding transportation safety initiatives from the whims of local politics.
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.