Month: April 2025

Ride to the ribbon-cutting

One of Madison’s newest bike paths opened to users during the deep, brumal chill of December. So, on April 16, the city is throwing a vernal celebration for the Autumn Ridge Path, a north-south route anchored by a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Highway 30. The path connects neighborhoods divided by the highway, eases access to another bridge over Highway 51 to tie more of the city’s bike infrastructure together, and opens the door to future path extensions to the northeast.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday at 4346 Commercial Ave., the new bridge’s landing spot on the north side of Highway 30. Join Madison Bikes and other path-appreciators for a ride to the Autumn Ridge Path and the event, kicking off at 8 a.m. Wednesday at the BCycle station near Machinery Row Bicycles, 601 Williamson St. The leisurely ride — exclusively on bike paths and relatively quiet streets — will pass the BCycle station at Garver Feed Mill, 3241 Garver Green, around 8:20 a.m., and proceed east and north over the venerable Highway 51 bridge, through Hiestand Park and adjacent greenway, and across the new Autumn Ridge span.

Get a good look at the new route before planning your estival jaunts across the city.

More upcoming April Madison Bikes events

• April 23, Driving Federal Bike Safety Legislation: a meeting at Machinery Row to provide the newly motivated and the long-time advocates and everyone in between with updates on bike-related legislation and ways to take action on behalf of bike safety.

• April 27, Two Wheels, Many Stories: a mini-documentary screening and talk at the UW Arboretum with Julia Bourdet, French artist and author who traveled across the United States by bicycle and train, interviewing climate activists and collecting material for her upcoming graphic novel.

Ride the Drive set for 2025

One more, longer-term save-the-date: Madison has picked Aug. 10 for this year’s Ride the Drive event, planning for biking on more than 2 miles of closed streets connecting three hub parks.

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.

Thanks to our sponsors who make our events possible!

Apologies for the delay in getting this week’s newsletter sent to you.

Spring Bike Wash this SaturdaySunday!

The weather this week does not look too promising, but on SaturdaySunday things should be perfect for our Spring Bike Wash! From 2-4 pm, come join us and our friends from Freewheel on Clark Court (right next to Brittingham Park) to get that winter gunk off your bike and have the bike checked for safety and minor mechanical issues. You bring the bike; we bring the power washers, chain lube, rags, and mechanically inclined volunteers. Watch the news clip from last year’s event to get you in the mood! If the weather forecast starts looking questionable, please check the event’s Facebook page the day of for last minute updates.

A new street on the Southwest Side

The Transportation Commission is meeting Wednesday. One item of interest on their agenda: An extension of High Point Road at its southern end. The whole area, formerly home to the Marty Century Farm is being redeveloped.

The proposed street would include unprotected on-street bike lanes and a multi-use path on one side of the street. The road would either be divided by a median or have a center two-way turn lane in the middle. The intersection with Raymond Road would either be a traditional intersection or a roundabout. If you have input on the design, you can email transportationcommission@cityofmadison.com or register to speak at the meeting. https://www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/committees/meeting-schedule/register

Save the dates: Driving Federal Bike Safety Legislation & Two Wheels, Many Stories

Not this week, but save the date for two more exciting April events that Madison Bikes is co-organizing: On April 23, we’ll host an event on federal bike safety legislation. And on April 27, we’re partnering with the Center for European Studies for an event with graphic artist Julia Bourdet on her journey by bike to interview climate activists across the US. Some more information on both events:

Are you interested in getting involved in bike advocacy, but don’t know where to start? Join us April 23rd at Machinery Row to learn about progress being made on federal bike safety legislation, hear first hand accounts of advocacy work, and take action though a guided communication to your elected officials. Alicia Bosscher, Dirk Debbink, and Mike Ridgeman will share the story of Sarah Debbink Langenkamp’s tragic death to traffic violence, share details about the bill named after Sarah and its progress, and help attendees to write letters to their own representatives. Whether you’re a long time advocate or just getting started with bike advocacy, come by to learn something new and take action!

Please note that the event is from 7 to 8:30 PM, not from 6:30 to 8 PM as the graphic says.

Join Madison Bikes, in partnership with UW European Studies, in a speaker session and mini-documentary screening with Julia Bourdet, a French artist and author who traveled across the United States by bicycle and train, interviewing climate activists and collecting material for her upcoming graphic novel. The presentation will include previews of the upcoming book, which combines real-life observations, fictional storytelling, and journal fragments to create a story about climate and ecological awareness.

In keeping with her commitment to reducing her carbon footprint, Julia Bourdet will be joining us virtually from France to discuss her project and virtual mini documentary screening.

This event is part of Earthfest, (April 21–29) a week dedicated to conservation and sustainability. https://europe.wisc.edu/event/earthfest/

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.

Thanks to our sponsors who make our events possible!