Segoe Celebration, UW is Platinum, and More

Scene from the now navigable Hammersley path (photo: Paul Lata)

Welcome to the update.  We’re seeing lots of bicyclists out there enjoying the fall weather. Hopefully recent infrastructure improvements will encourage even more bicyclists to enjoy cycling in Madison.

Here’s the latest:

When: Tuesday, October 15, 2024, 4-5:30 pm

Where: Northwest Corner of Regent and Segoe

Join Madison Bikes for a celebration of newly constructed bike/ped friendly infrastructure on Segoe Road. Madison Bikes will provide apple cider and donuts and some vegan treats.  Alder Bill Tishler will give a short presentation at 5:00 pm. We’re hoping for a good turnout to show the city our appreciation for this major upgrade.

Check out this FB video recently posted by Harald Kliems with a cyclist’s-eye view of the protected bicycle lane on Segoe and the buffered bicycle lanes on Sheboygan. Harald also provides commentary about benefits of and challenges posed by the new infrastructure.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWK0oBF9rv0

UW in Top 3 Bicycle Friendly Universities

The UW joins Stanford and Colorado State as institutions singled out by the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) this week as Platinum Bicycle Friendly Universities.  UW first achieved this status in 2019.

LAB commended UW for:

• 16,540 bike parking spaces (more than car parking spots).
• Five miles of off-street bike paths and five miles of on-street bike lanes
• A woonerf (see sidebar below) that prioritizes bike/peds on the East Campus Mall,
• 14% of students and 17% of faculty and staff use a bicycle as their primary mode of transportation.
• Three percent of students and staff continue to bike throughout winter months
• Hiring a dedicated bicycle educator
• UW’s use of multi-modal traffic counting software
• Creating an annual pavement marking plan to improve cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.

See the full article at:  https://bikeleague.org/the-platinum-standard-bicycle-friendly-universities/

OK, I wasn’t familiar with this term. Here is a brief description in case other readers are similarly uninformed. A woonerf is a type of road design that blends pedestrian and vehicle space. Woonerfs are characterized by shared space, traffic calming (e.g. street furniture, landscaping, physical barriers), and low speed limits, They were first implemented in the Netherlands and Belgium but are now also seen in cities in the U.S. such as Washington D.C. Cool that we have one on campus!

Madison Bikes up in lights, literally (photo: Craig Weinhold)

A large enthusiastic crowd enjoyed films from around the world at the first Bicycle Film Festival in Madison on October 3. Thanks to the sponsors and volunteers who made this possible.

The neighborhood and our bike parking lot was filled with bicycles (photo: Craig Weinhold)

Most of the construction on the Olin-Turville section of the Lake Monona “Lake Loop” has been completed. The detour on John Nolan drive has been removed and bicyclists can return to the former route with MUCH SMOOTHER pavement.

Transportation Commission:  Wednesday, October 16, 5PM. The agenda includes discussion of the North Shore Drive Path.

Draft Preliminary Corridor Plan for Sauk Creek Greenway, Public Meeting, Fall 2024: Tuesday, October 22, 6:30 PM, via Zoom. Register here to attend: https://cityofmadison.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAqcOCvqTsuG9Czw4EMNWDYYQdABnP4x_Z9

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.