Month: November 2022

It’s a short week for many, but we have some interesting and timely stuff to discuss.

Last week we all got a taste of slippery, variable winter conditions. It’s a great reminder to consider your winter riding plans and experiences and if you have a Facebook account, our community is a great place to start. Look below for more details about our annual winter cycling forum, taking place next week Monday.

This Week

On Monday at 5:30 pm, the Plan Commission meets to discuss establishing a new Transportation Demand Management ordinance. As Harald writes in his post:

Heads-up that the new Transportation Demand Management (TDM) ordinance will be in front of the Plan Commission on Monday. What is TDM? “Transportation Demand Management” means that when a new building of a certain size/in a certain area is built, the developer has to take measures that reduce the number of car trips that the new building generates. E.g. by reducing the number of car parking spots, offering residents transit passes, or having a BCycle station at the building. Sounds great? Yes, but developers often don’t like these kinds of rules. So if you support or oppose the TDM ordinance, you can register in support/opposition, speak at the virtual meeting, or submit written comments.

You can register your support or opposition and/or ask to speak (Meeting: Plan Commission 11/21/2022 and Agenda Item: 2) or send comments by email.

Next Week

Heads up that next Monday, November 28 at 6pm we will host a virtual community forum discussing winter cycling in Madison:

For this month’s community meeting, join us to find answers to your questions about keeping warm and safe on your bike through the winter months.

Whether you need to know how to keep your face and extremities warm, how to keep fog off of your glasses, how to stay upright on ice and snow, how to find safe winter routes, how to keep rust off your bike, or anything else on your mind, we’ll help you find answers.

You can join using the zoom link. If you have questions you’d like to see answered, you can add them as a discussion for the event or email Connor directly.

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.

It was inevitable, winter weather has arrived! Its a good time to gear up for winter and install some studded tires. I have been a year round commuter for over 10 years and I have learned the hard way (twice) that studded tires only work when you install them. Don’t procrastinate! If you are new to winter biking, I highly recommend checking craigslist or stopping by your local bike shop and pickup a pair of studded winter tires. The studs don’t slow you down much and keep you upright on icy surfaces.

The Week Ahead

Monday

Starting at 5pm the Transportation Policy and Planning Board will meet to discuss a few items of interest. First, the Complete Green Streets presentation from October 24th will be brought back for further discussion. If you are unfamiliar, Complete Green Streets is an initiative to design our streets to accommodate all modes of transportation (like bikes!). This discussion will be followed by a Passenger Rail Introduction presentation. You can watch this meeting online here.

Tuesday

The World Day of Remembrance for road traffic victims will be commemorated on Sunday November 20 this year in honor of the many people who have been killed and seriously injured on road ways. On Tuesday November 15th at 10:30am the City of Madison is holding a press conference to build support for road safety initiatives to change the design and operation of our streets. The Mayor, many city staff, alders and community members will attend to highlight this important issue. We encourage you to attend if you have been impact by traffic fatalities or are interested in traffic safety. Learn more…

Saturday

Free Bikes 4 Kids is seeking volunteers this Saturday November 19th to help collect donated bikes. No bicycle experience is required and kids 10 or older can help too. Two shifts are available, tending a bike donation station in the morning and helping to haul bikes in the afternoon. Interested in volunteering? Email FB4K or go to their volunteering webpage to learn more.

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.

In case you missed it

On Halloween Madison Bikes board members Harald Kliems, Robbie Webber, and Caitlin Hussey joined city Pedestrian and Bicycle Outreach Coordinator Colleen Hayes and representatives from other bicycle groups on the WORT Access Hour to talk about biking and walking in the winter. We talked about how to get started – if cold-weather biking is new to you. If you’d like to listen to the program, you can find it in the WORT archives (Monday, Oct 31 at 7:00 pm.)

One topic that came up on the Access Hour was the Round Trip program administered by the Madison Area MPO. Round Trip provides an emergency ride home via taxi vouchers. This allows people to choose to bike, take transit, carpool, or use the state van pool and not be worried how they will get home if a kid gets sick, there is a family emergency, or any of the other things that might make a quick trip home necessary.

If you would like more information, or you know someone that won’t try another commuting mode because of the “what ifs,” here’s where you can get more information. There are other aspects of the Round Trip program, like ride matching and a bike buddy program (coming soon.)

The city and the UW Police Department conducted a Be Bright event on Thursday. This involves officers stopping bicyclists that don’t have lights, but instead of giving them a ticket, volunteers attach a free front and/or rear light to their bikes. Getting stopped by the cops: sad. Getting a free set of lights: glad. 

The week ahead

Monday

If you are interested in what is going on with the design challenge for the Lake Monona Waterfront, there are a number of events to talk a out the progress. One is happening at 6:00 pm  (refreshments and music begin at 5:30 p.m.) at the Monona Terrace Lecture Hall. This is an in-person event, but you can also view a livestream here.

Tuesday 

In case you missed it, there is a big election on Tuesday. Please make sure to vote, if you haven’t already. The people on the ballot will be making important decisions about transportation funding and the types of transportation that are prioritized at the state and national level. Those things are not likely to be featured in the ads you see on TV or that pop up on your social media, but they are important to anyone who moves around by bike – or wants to make that easier for others.

If you have any questions about where to vote, what/who is on the ballot, where to vote, or how to register and vote on Election Day, you can find all the answers on myvote.wi.gov. 

Wednesday

The other big item on the weekly calendar is the public hearing on the transit network redesign. The public hearing will happen Wednesday at 6:00 pm virtually. Follow this link to register to speak, and find all the information about the transit network redesign here.

The city has been soliciting public input for several years as they decide how to change the transit network and also start the bus rapid transit system. It’s going to look very different than it does now, with different routes and frequencies. This is your chance to have your say about what you like and don’t like about the new system. Changes can still be make based on public input. 

Bicyclists may not think much about the transit system, but having convenient, easy-to-access transit can often make it easier to choose biking. New bike commuters often worry about weather, getting a flat tire, or some other reason that might mean biking home would be difficult or unpleasant. Having a back-up plan like a good transit system can make it easier to bike. 

Another reason that transit is important to bicyclists is that every choice that is not driving alone supports all the other modes. We have bike racks on buses to make your overall commute shorter or faster, and to provide that back-up to get home. But being able to bike to a bus or BRT stop that has frequent service also makes it easier to choose to take transit.

Also Wednesday, the monthly Queer Ride will leave Law Park at Blair St at 6:00 pm. Party pace. All bodies welcome. Follow on Instagram for details. 

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.