Welcome to the Madison Bikes newsletter. We have a lot of events coming up, including two in the next 7 days, so read on to learn about them!
Advocacy Event @ Machinery Row
This Wednesday from 7-8:30pm at Machinery Row, Madison Bikes is partnering with WI Bike Fed to host Driving Federal Bike Safety Legislation, an event where you can learn how to be more involved in bike advocacy by making your voice heard. If you want to get more involved in bike advocacy but don’t know where to start, this is the event for you. Hear a first-hand account of pushing for change in the wake of tragedy. Madison Bikes board member Alicia Bosscher and her father Dirk Debbink will share the story of the loss of Sarah Debbink Langenkamp to traffic violence, the inception of the bill named her, and it’s progress through congress.
While Madison is already a great place to ride a bike, we still have a long way to go to make transportation outside of a personal vehicle safe and comfortable for everyone. Especially now with the current federal political climate, it’s more important than ever to let our representatives know we won’t back down and accept road and street infrastructure that is not safe for all users, and that they should support funding for alternative transportation options like biking.
Transportation Commission: Safe Streets
On the topic of safe street infrastructure, Transportation Commission is meeting on Wednesday, and the agenda includes discussing a number of new safe streets projects. The Safe Streets Madison program aims to improve the safety and accessibility for all users, including those who walk, bike, drive, and take transit. The program uses data from a High Injury Network that records incidents like crashes around the city to prioritize and plan future projects, including the ones on the agenda for approval this week. You can watch the meeting online on Wednesday at 5pm or find info about submitting feedback here.
Mini-Documentary Screening @ UW Arboretum
If you are interested in art, film, and traveling by bike, we have an exciting event planned for you! On Sunday, April 27th, Madison Bikes and UW European Studies are hosting an event featuring Julia Bourdet, a graphic novelist who traveled across the US by bike and train, while journaling and sketching her voyage. She is making the compiled material into a graphic novel, as well as a mini documentary, which we will be showing at the UW Arboretum at 11am. The event will be held in the Arboretum visitor center. Julia will be joining us virtually from France to discuss her documentary and work. You won’t want to miss this exciting and moving story about human-powered travel, adventure, and climate awareness!
That’s all for this newsletter. Thanks for reading and we hope to see you at one of our upcoming events.
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!
