This week’s image is just a reminder that we see so much more when we are biking. I spotted this sandhill crane next to the Campus Dr Path. We watched each other from a distance of a couple dozen feet for about 15 minutes, until we both got bored. When we bike, we are more likely to see amazing sights such as this, and we can easily stop to enjoy them.
It’s been a quiet week, and the week ahead is pretty sleepy as well, if you don’t count construction that will either close or slow parts of two important trails. Ah, road construction even hits the paths we use.
The week ahead
Monday
Pedal and Paddle Community meeting
Do you like to bike? Do you like to paddle? Then July’s community event is for you. 6:00-7:00 pm at the Central Library on W Mifflin, Room 104. Beverages and snacks provided.
Local author and silent sports disciple Timothy Bauer will offer a fun and informative presentation on combining pedaling and paddling, along with helpful basics, tricks, and considerations to get things started. All are welcome, no experience necessary.
Wisconsin has oodles of dedicated trails throughout the state — most of which cross over or even run alongside beautiful rivers. In Madison, we have beautiful lakes visible on almost every bike ride.
Bike Fitchburg monthly meeting
Also on Monday, Bike Fitchburg will hold their monthly meeting 7:00pm – 8:30pm, Fitchburg Senior Center, 5510 Lacy Rd
Thursday
The Joint Campus Area Committee – a city committee comprised of UW entities and representatives from surrounding neighborhoods – will meet virtually at 4:45 pm. The committee receives various updates on campus projects, holes in the ground, and the buildings you see going up. The primary item of transportation interest will be an update on the survey and planning for updates to the Howard Temin Lakeshore Path – the subject of a recent public meeting and some discussion on the Madison Bikes Facebook discussion group – and improvements to the path where it passes the Limnology building.
Construction and detours
Post Farm Path in Shorewood Hills to close
Also a reminder that the portion of the Post Farm Path from Marshall Ct to Perdue in Shorewood Hills – that’s the piece that runs between the pool and the RR tracks – will be closed starting Monday. You can still get through by using the old path north of the pool, but please be careful and yield to the many pedestrians, including lots of kids, that are in the area.
Sometime in August, the entire route from Shorewood Blvd to Marshall Ct will be completely closed, and the only option will be local streets through Shorewood Hills or crossing to the south side of University Ave. More on that as the time approaches. All this inconvenience is due to the need to replace a large sewer pipe that is directly under the path.
Cap City Trail
Sections of the Capital City Trail will be undergoing maintenance July 22 – Aug 2, 2024 from 6:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. The trail will remain open but expect to slow or stop when you see maintenance signs, vehicles on trails, or staff working. Staff will help direct trail users around areas where culverts are being installed. The sections of trail that will be impacted are: Syene Road to Verona Rd. and Syene Road to Glacier Valley
Request for participation in UW study
Students from the UW-Madison Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture are conducting research on bicycle habits and safety perceptions in the Madison area. Your participation will be greatly appreciated, and will be used with local partners to help improve bicycling in Madison.
You can complete the survey here: https://arcg.is/1yr9yy0
You are encouraged to share this survey with those around you, both riders AND non-riders, as this survey has questions for all people, regardless of how much riding they do.
Community rides
Friday is the weekly e-bikes lunch ride from Machinery Row, although all types of bikes are welcome. It is described as, “a casual-pace ride starting at noon from Machinery Row Bicycles to a local eatery for lunch.”
Sunday is the weekly Century Training Ride with two pace groups leaving from Machinery Row at 8:00 am. Routes vary.
For more information on both of these rides, connect with @machineryrowbikes on IG or FB for the route each week or contact lauren@machineryrowbicycles.com to join the email list.
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.