*mumbling to myself* Argh, I don’t know. Studs? Too soon? Yes, too soon. Don’t overreact. *deep breath* Just try to get past the next few days and we should be good again for a bit.
This week
On Monday at 6 PM, join an online session hosted by Madison Bikes (registration) where we’ll be on the receiving end of a presentation from city transit officials about how bikes and the BRT systems will complement each other. This one will focus on the North/South (“B”) route that’s in active planning mode. From Robbie’s event description:
Madison’s first bus rapid transit (BRT) route, going from Junction Road on the West side to East Towne Mall on the East side, is still under construction. But the city and Metro are already preparing for a second route, connecting the north and south side. If all goes well, the route could be in operation as early as 2028.
The project will involve a reconstruction of Park St, and potential changes to the setup of streets such as Fish Hatchery Rd, Packers Ave, and Sherman Ave. A lot of these changes will have an impact on people biking, and getting the route and the design right is important for improving our city’s all-ages-and-all-abilities bike network. Join our meeting for a presentation from Metro and an opportunity to ask questions and provide comment!
On Monday at 7 PM, Bike Fitchburg is hosting their monthly meeting at the Saris facility off of Verona Rd. In addition to the normal meeting agenda items, attendees will get a tour of the facility from Jeff Iverson, Saris Director of Engineering. Sounds fun! From Bike Fitchburg: “All who live, work, and/or bike in Fitchburg are welcome to join their voices with ours to make our city an easier, safer, more fun, and more equitable place to bike!”
On Wednesday at 5 PM the Transportation Commission meets virtually. You can watch online here and check out the full agenda. One item to note is that the city is applying for federal TAP funding (2024-2028) for the following bike path projects:
- Moorland Rd Shared Use Path – Capital City Trail to Wayland Dr: Improvements include new shared-use path and improved bus stop safety and accessibility.
- W Beltline Frontage Rd Shared Use Path – East of Seminole Hwy to Landmark Pl: Improvements include continuation of shared-use path to fill gap in pedestrian network and continue all ages and ability bike connection to neighborhood. Improved safety and accessibility of bus stops.
- Woodland Dr Path – Sheridan Dr to Marcy Rd: New shared-use path along Woodland Dr to connect to Sheridan Dr path, Warner Park path at Forster Dr and Marcy Dr.
- E Rusk Path Extension – N Rusk Ave to Rimrock Rd: New shared-use path that will connect to new paths planned for construction along N Rusk/W Badger and Rimrock Rd.
Last Week
On Tuesday the Board of Public Works met to produce their recommendation on the layout of the proposed multi-use path along the North side of Mineral Point Rd. One issue under discussion is where and how often the path would be narrowed to 5′ vs the 8′ baseline. Previously, recommendations had been produced from both city staff and the Transportation Commission with the city staff preferring more reductions to 5′ widths along the corridor and the TC preferring fewer reductions that require a few more tree removals (see slide).
In this case, the Board of Public Works voted to recommend a middle ground between the staff and TC recommendations (leaning more towards the city staff recommendation). They suggest requiring 8′ at Clock Tower, but settle for 5′ at Kwik-Trip, Nautilus Park, and Isle of View Apts. Alders Slack, Conklin and Tishler all expressed opposition to the TC plan (and presumably support for the city staff plan).
The work now heads to the Common Council who will take the three different recommendations into account when deciding on the final layout.
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.