This Week
Waucheeta Connector Open
What is it about riding along and around lakes? There’s something undeniably satisfying about it, and because the Madison area is defined by its lakes, some of our most-traveled routes involve these sorts of circumnavigations.
Dane County Parks has entered the chat
A handy little connector path from the Lower Yahara River Trail (near Lussier Center) to Waucheeta Trail is now open and it provides convenient access to Capital Springs State Recreation Area, the Waubesa Beach Neighborhood, Goodland County Park and Christy’s Landing and helps cyclists avoid busy Lake Farm Rd. In the longer term, it works towards our goal of a safe and comfortable cycling “Lake Loop” around Lake Waubesa.
Events
On Thursday at 6 PM, attend (or Zoom into, registration req’d) this free talk at Meadowridge Library titled “Care & Repair: Biking Across the U.S. with Sam & Chick Westby“.
Sam and his dad Chick will share about their 3,600 mile journey from Oregon to New Jersey on bicycles. Over 42 days, they pushed through harrowing weather, crossed mountains, and stopped at lots and lots of gas stations. Bike touring comes with many unexpected twists and turns, requiring them to repair their bikes along the way, and care for each other as challenges arose. Join us for an evening of storytelling and education that you won’t forget!
On Friday evening, take advantage of this unseasonable warm and dry weather (yes, I just jinxed it) and join the ¡Pick Me Up at the Border! ride in support of our sister-organization Bike Fitchburg. The ride gathers in Fitchburg at 6:30 PM and is followed by a mass start at 7 PM. Choose your own distance and bring your lights because even though it feels like July, the sun is still going down like it’s mid-September! $15 donation.
Mode Share Analysis
In his blog post, Harald goes deep into an analysis of the Madison area commute mode share numbers from 2023. Spoiler-alert — not much has changed from the 2022 numbers, but read on for his thoughtful analysis of the trends and what to make of them.
Next Week
On Wednesday, September 25 from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM, plan to attend our community event where we will conduct a casual tour/audit of Regent Bike/Walk capabilities followed by a social hour at watering hole TBD. This is our first step preparing for a process where Regent St will be rebuilt by the City. We have an opportunity to provide input and otherwise get our ducks in a row. Expect to hear more about this event soon!
Last Week
West and Northeast Area Plans adopted
Last Tuesday, the Common Council approved both the West and Northeast Area Plans, the latter, with an amendment to remove the Nakoosa Trail road extension near Sycamore Park. These plans project out the next 10-30 years of transportation, zoning, land use, parks, etc. The bike network maps are linked below. Remember that nothing in the plan has budget, timeline, or even a guarantee. In fact, we’re still waiting on items from the 1991 and 1997 plans!
The City has ten (!) more area plans to do, roughly at the rate of two per year and next up are the Southwest and Southeast Area Plans. Be sure to sign up for project updates, especially if you live or visit those areas.
Olin-Turville Detour
Last week, Harald mentioned the that Olin-Turville section of the Lake Monona “Lake Loop” would be under construction until the end of October. He has since posted a video showing what it’s like to ride the detour, if you’re curious. The detour will be in place until work completes in late October.
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.