Author: Paul Lata

Welcome to the update. Looks like we’re in a rapid transition to winter. Cycling in winter can still be fun and practical. We just need some time to adapt. This week’s well timed Winter Bike Social can help with the adjustment process.
Here’s the latest.

Winter Bike Social is Tuesday

Join Madison Bikes on December 3rd for a Winter Bike Social at Working Draft. Stop by any time between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Bring your bike and your favorite piece of winter bike gear. A chance to compare notes and enjoy a beer or warm drink before winter really sets in.

Report Winter Bike Trail issues

Just a reminder for winter riders. When you encounter an icy area on a bikeway, help keep other path-users safe. It’s easy to do. Just go to “Report a Problem” on the City of Madison website and fill out the form. It usually takes me a minute or two. This improves the city’s ability to prioritize plowing and clearing of trails and helps keep us safe.

Southwest Area Plan:

Two virtual meetings will be held on December 3rd. One at noon and another at 6PM. Similar to the open house held on Nov. 19, there will be an introductory presentation and opportunities to ask questions or provide feedback.
Registration is required via the project website. The website also includes maps and descriptions of the project.

Southeast Area Plan

An in-person meeting will be held on December 4 between 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at La Follette High School. This is an opportunity to meet in person with staff from city departments to learn about projects and provide input. There will be a short introductory meeting.
A virtual meeting will be held on December 5 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Registration is required to attend this meeting. The project website includes transportation maps.

E Mifflin Diverter

The diverter test on the E Mifflin Bike Boulevard at E Mifflin St and Paterson St will be removed the week of December 2. It is likely the future of the diverter will be discussed at the Transportation Commission meeting on Dec 11. The deadline for completing the survey regarding the diverter has passed but you can still submit comments or register to speak at the meeting at this link.

“Built for Safety” Video series

As part of the Vision Zero strategy, Madison has implemented a significant amount of new infrastructure to protect bicyclists and pedestrians. Not all motorists or cyclists understand the logic behind the improvements or how to use them most effectively. Some motorists have pushed back against the improvements because of concern about slowing motor vehicle traffic.

The Bike Fed recently released an excellent video, “Built for Safety: Complete Street Features for All Users.” This video, produced by the Bike FED in partnership with the Wisconsin DOT and NHSTA, helps bicyclists and motorists understand some common traffic calming features. English and Spanish versions are available.

This video can be a valuable tool for helping those impacted by infrastructure changes to understand the changes and behave appropriately when they encounter them. Feel free to share it with those who you think would benefit most.

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.

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.

Northeast and West Plans in Final Stages

Progress on the Wilson St cycletrack near the convention center 8/21/2024. Photo: Chris Collins

The Northeast and West Area Plans will be considered for approval in the next two weeks. These plans will be reviewed by the Plan Commission (August 26). The Plan Commission recommendations will then be considered by the Common Council when they approve the final version on September 10.

Recent changes to the Northeast Area Plan include:

• Recommendations to add additional bike connections including an off-street path on the east side of Highway 51 between East Washington Avenue and the planned Hiestand Path south of Highway 30
• A grade separated crossing for pedestrians and cyclists on the south side of the Highway 30/Stoughton Road interchange.

Recent changes to the West Area Plan include keeping the east-west connection through the Sauk Greenway. However, there are changes to the specific language that include the requirement that all options for location of the crossing are evaluated for making the east-west connection across the greenway rather than specifying the site of the crossing. The north/south path through Sauk Creek is still not in the plan but protected bike lanes on Westfield and High Point roads should make travel safer.

See the Madison Bikes August 5^th Update for more details on the current status of the plans. Also see Ben Varick’s excellent discussion of these plans as they relate to students and their families from a recent Bike Fed communication.

Despite some shortcomings, there is a lot of good in these plans. Overall, they will make bicycling and walking safer, and hopefully reduce carbon footprints by encouraging active transportation. Decision makers need to hear the good along with the bad from bicyclists. The plans are going before the Planning Commission on August 26th. Click here to submit comments to this committee. The Common Council meets on September 10th. Support the West and Northeast Area Plans by writing to your Alder or the all of the members of the Common Council.

Implementing Vision Zero is a major initiative for Madison and will make transportation safer and improve quality of life here.  However, it is not without financial costs. Check out this interview with the mayor about the rationale for Vision Zero and the role of federal funding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEzCFG2983g

Be safe out there. There are more bike crashes in Madison in September than in any other month.

That’s all for this week. Enjoy the early fall weather.

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.

Riders enjoy infrastructure tour during Bike Week

Bike Week Wrap-up

What a week! Organizations from the community put on a mindboggling (86 if you’re counting) number of events.  Mother nature threw a few challenges at us but, overall, events were well attended. Here’s a link from “Portraits on the Bike Path” courtesy of Saris.

Andy, the “BikeFarmer” gives approval at the vintage bike ride.

Three infrastructure tours illustrated issues relating to current problem areas as well as solutions implemented by the city. The city of Middleton tour included a number of sites with the mayor and alders in attendance. The signal and detection tour had good attendance despite a rain forecast. There was lots of new information this year, so repeaters were not disappointed.  Board member Craig Weinhold lead a tour of south Madison which brought home the issues created by the beltline and railroads and the problems faced by individuals who need to bicycle but can’t do so safely.

Jerry Schippa from the City of Madison shows participants the inner workings of traffic signals.

There was an opportunity to ride with the mayor of Madison at her press conference.  It was great to hear mayor Rhodes-Conway and board member Robbie Webber describe how Madison is becoming a national model.

Enthusiastic cyclists at the mayor’s press conference ride.

Commuter stations provided bicycle repair, sustenance (e.g. biscuits, bacon)  and learning opportunities.  Bike Week 2024  featured several E-bike events.

A bicyclist’s best friend on  “Ride with the Pack.”

Bike Week participants had opportunities to try out the on-board racks on the new electric “bendy busses” which will be used for BRT.

Several hundred bicyclists had a great time at the Friday party. The beer was transported to the site from the Hop Garden in Paoli in a sustainable manner during “Fetch the Keg” event. Click here to see keg transportation video.

A big thank you to our sponsors, event organizers, the city and those who attended or assisted at events. Looking forward to next year!

Help us make Bike Week even better in 2025

Madison Bikes is interested in your feedback on this year’s Madison Bike Week. No matter if you participated as an attendee, an event organizer, or a sponsor, we’d love to hear from you. Please complete this quick survey, and we’ll use the results to make next year’s Madison Bike Week even better: https://forms.gle/dArS6La8YN7iRDGf7

Want one of those cool shirts?

They are still available from the Madison Bikes Webstore along with other Madison Bikes T-Shirts. Click on the following link to order: https://madison-top-company.printavo.com/merch/madison-bikes.

The Bicycle Film Festival Comes to Madison!! Get Your discounted tickets this week only! 

Bicycle Film Festival is coming to Madison October 3, 6:30 pm at the Barrymore Theatre. 

Bicycle Film Festival has been celebrating bicycles through art, film and music over the last 24 years. BFF spans the world in over 100 cities worldwide to an audience of over one million people. We’re excited to bring the festival to Madison for the first time!

BFF Madison presents a new short film program. These stories will appeal to a wide audience from film connoisseurs to avid cyclists and everyone in between. Curated documentaries, narratives, animations, award-winning directors, and emerging talents – all share equal billing. For lovers of gravel, road cycling, mountain biking, and bike packing, and the advocates who are pushing the bike movement forward in their communities.

This program will take you on a journey around the world featuring: 

• Kailey Kornhauser and fellow “fat cyclist” Marley Blonsky are on a mission to change the idea that people with larger bodies can’t ride bikes
• A family gives up everything to be together in their motorhome, traveling from bike park to bike park across Europe
• The 1900 mile bicycle journey by Erick Cedeno (Bicycle Nomad) retracing the original route of the Buffalo Soldiers
• A charismatic Ghanaian immigrant in Amsterdam teaches refugee adult women how to ride bikes
• Cycle sport as relief from genocide (Oscar nominated director)
• A Diné mountain biker hosts the first ever Enduro race in the Navajo Nation
• And more…

Check out the trailer here!!: Bicycle Film Festival Madison – Trailer on Vimeo

We are extending the Bike Week 30% discount through Friday, June 14th. Use the code BIKEWEEK2024 to get your discount. 

Get your tickets here: https://barrymorelive.com/event/bicycle-film-festival-madison/

Gammon Road gets media attention:

The Wisconsin State Journal recently highlighted the safety issues on South Gammon Road. Some safety improvements have been made but many more are needed. Comments are still being accepted and will be reviewed before review of the Final Draft Plan.  Click the following link to access the story:

https://madison.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/madison-gammon-road-bicycle-safety-memorial-high/article_8d132d30-1e8e-11ef-b496-cba00c3ae917.html

Bikeway Project Construction

UW Arboretum West Entrance. June 10.  Construction of a 10- foot shared use path connecting Manitou Way with McCaffrey Drive and the installation of a RRFB (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon) pedestrian crossing. Completion expected in July.

W Lakeside Street. June 24. Pavement replacement and construction of a two-way cycle track on the south side of W Lakeside St on a one-block section connecting two sides of the Bay Creek Neighborhood. Parking will be removed on the block. Sidewalks will remain open on at least one side for the duration of the project. Completion expected in mid-July.

Elver Park Path and Greentree Park Path. July 22. Repairs and culvert construction. Paths may be closed during, some or all of, construction. Completion expected in early August.

Details on these projects are available at : https://www.cityofmadison.com/news/2024-06-06/bikeways-projects-2024-construction

It’s been an exciting, inspiring week. Don’t forget to purchase your film festival tickets and fill out the Bike Week survey. We will have more Madison bicycling news for you next week. Watch the calendar for upcoming events.

Here’s to another great Bike Week in 2024!

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.

Bike Week Approaching

Less than two weeks until Madison Bike Week!. Lots of events have already been posted on the event schedule including a vintage bike ride, infrastructure tours, lots of commuter stops, and of course the mayor’s press conference and the awesome Friday party. Start planning today!

Bike Week Merch Now Available

Check out the new Bike Week short-sleeve T-shirt and sleeveless top. Madison Bikes short-sleeved and now long-sleeved T-shirts are also available. Click on the following link to order: https://madison-top-company.printavo.com/merch/madison-bikes.

Transportation Committee Actions

The locally approved alternative (LPA) for N-S BRT was approved by the Transportation Commission at the May 15 meeting. This plan includes over 50% dedicated bus lanes. Overall, there will be less bus conflicts with bicycles, but bicycle infrastructure for much of the route will be substandard because of challenges inherent in engineering the narrow corridor and the status of S. Park Street as part of the National Highway System. Next, the LPA will go to the Common Council for final approval.

For the north section, the addition of BRT will not change bike infrastructure significantly. Bicycle accommodations along Northport Dr. will still not meet All Ages and Abilities guidelines and there are not bicycle facilities on Packers Drive. Madison is developing a grant application to develop plans for better connections between the Northside and other parts of the City. Significant work remains.

West Washington Ave. to Fish Hatchery Rd: This section of S. Park St is not being reconstructed, making it impossible to conform to All Ages and Abilities standards. In an attempt to improve the situation, bicycle facilities on alternate routes will be strengthened. However, these routes provide a less direct north-south route and these routes would not be helpful for those who need to access businesses on S. Park St.

Parking for motor vehicles will be retained on S.Park in 3 areas between W. Washington to Cedar. The longest area, between Vilas and Erin, will be 3 blocks and is not likely to significantly impact bus traffic.

Bike parking will be added on side streets off S. Park just south of W.Washington because of the lack of bicycle parking in the area.

S. Park from Fish Hatchery Rd. to Badger Rd. reconstruction:  There will be a center running bus line with an 8-10 foot shared use path on the west side of S. Park St, with a standard 5-foot sidewalk on the east side.  The path will replace the current shared bike/bus lane. The terrace will be wide enough to accommodate shade trees. Because the path only services one side of the street, crossings, including new traffic signals, reduced speeds, and continental cross walks will be added.

For all of the details you can listen to a recording of the meeting and/or check out this document from the city.

Upcoming Planning Meetings

Just a notification that these are coming up. More details next week.

West Area Plan – May 30: Virtual meeting on transportation

Northeast Plan drafts –Virtual meetings on May 28 @ 6:00 pm ( register) and May 29 @ 12:00 pm ( register) or attend the In-person open house events on May 29 @ Reindahl Park, 5:00-8:00 pm and May 30 @ Sycamore Park, 5:00-8:00 pm 

E. Mifflin St. Bike Boulevard Virtual Public Input Meeting – Mon, June 3 at 6:30pm Register for the Zoom meeting 

West Towne Path Zor Shrine Phase Public Meeting – public information meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., May 28, 2024, via Zoom. https://www.cityofmadison.com/engineering/projects/west-towne-path-phase-2a

Bike Rally for Infrastructure

This event at 6pm on Thursday May 23, hosted by assembly candidate Thad Schumacher, will start with a 3- mile slow roll from the Vilas Park tennis courts to Neff Cycles traveling through the Arboretum. All ages welcome! Check out the route here: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit…

The ride ends at Neff Cycles at 6:30 pm, where there will be a rally advocating for continued development of Madison’s bike/ped infrastructure.

Badger Rusk Shared-Use Path

A proposed design for a street reconstruction project which would improve bike/ped access across the beltline was presented at an informational meeting on May 14. The project would replace the existing sidewalk along the north side of W. Badger Rd and west side of Rusk Ave. with a 10-ft grade separated, lighted, shared-use path by narrowing the street. Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons would be installed to improve the crossing at the pedestrian overpass. The project should be reviewed at the Transportation Commission in July and it is hoped that construction can be completed in October of 2025. https://www.cityofmadison.com/engineering/projects/badger-rusk-shared-use-path

Capital Brewery Bike Club – E-Bike Riders Group, Inaugural Ride

Thirty bikes showed up for a very successful first event. Weekly rides will continue on May 22nd (Wednesday) at 5:30 PM and continue on that schedule throughout the summer. Rides start and end at Capital Brewery in Middleton. Non-members welcome.  Check out all the details at www.capitalbikeclub.org

That’s this week in a nutshell. Watch the calendar for upcoming events, including Madison Bike Week 2024 events in June.

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.

RoundTrip’s Spring Roll Challenge

Earth day (April 22) is approaching and it’s a perfect time to shake off the rust and get in the commuting habit again if you haven’t already. The RoundTrip transportation options program is jump starting this process by launching the Spring Roll Challenge to encourage car-free and car-light trips during April.  The news release from the City of Madison is here:   https://www.cityofmadison.com/news/2024-03-27/roundtrips-spring-roll-challenge-to-celebrate-green-trips-this-earth-month

FAQ:

How much does it cost to enter? Nothing, it’s free!

Which activities are included? Any trip made by walking/rolling, bicycling, riding the bus, carpooling or vanpooling—instead of driving alone.

Who can enter: Anyone 18 years and older in Dane County.

Are there prizes? Four winners are chosen each week from participants who log at least six one-way green trips (three round trips). Four grand prize winners will be drawn from those who log twenty-four one-way green trips (12 round trips) throughout the month. Prizes include $100 Slow Roll Cycles gift cards, $50 CommuteRewards gift cards, Madison BCycle memberships, travel mugs, and Metro Transit passes

Why should I enter now? The first 50 individuals to join will receive a starter prize pack, including a free slice from Ian’s Pizza, a 30-minute BCycle pass and a two-ride Metro Transit pass.

How do I enroll? Register with RoundTrip at www.RoundTripGreaterMadison.org. Then start logging your miles!

Callaway highlights community meeting

Renee Callaway, Pedestrian Bicycle Administrator for the city of Madison gave an update on all things bicycle related in the city of Madison. Her slides are available here: Madison Bikes Community Meeting 03252024.

Transportation committee actions

The following projects were approved and will go to the Board of Public Works:

Tancho Drive Path. This path will link Tancho Drive in Madison to bike paths of Sun Prairie.

Pheasant Branch Trail. A rerouting of current trails in the area of Deming Way and Excelsior Dr to avoid new drainage ponds and provide better connectivity. A new path connecting to Fourier Dr. will be added.

Hermina St foot/bike bridge. Narrowing street and preservation of tree canopy on Hermina and bridge over Starkweather Creek. This project will allow bicyclists and pedestrians traveling east or west to avoid using Milwaukee Street.  Possible new B-cycle station near the bridge.

What are stroads and how we can fix them

OK, what the heck is a stroad? Actually, you are actually very familiar with them.  An informative communication from Wisconsin BikeFed describes the safety and efficiency issues created by stroads. There is also an excellent video on stroads and a link to an easy to use interactive map that facilitates analysis of all types of crashes.

Gammon Road and bike/ped safety issues in the vicinity of schools are used to illustrate how problems can be identified with crash data. The safety improvements implemented on Sherman Avenue are used to show how stroads can be made safer and more efficient.  

This one is well worth your time.

Deadline approaching for Smart Cycling class

The registration deadline for the April 20 League of American Bicyclists Smart Cycling Class is Friday, April 12.  The course will be held in Fitchburg and covers bike maintenance basics, rules of the road, on-bike skills, and crash avoidance techniques. This class is also a prerequisite for League Cycling Instructor training.

Other items on the calendar:

April 6, 10AM – 3PM: Rescheduled Huge Dream Bikes Parking Lot Sale. 1131 N Sherman Ave.  https://www.facebook.com/events/932940418274741/

April 21: Two opportunities for free bike maintenance:

Madison Bikes and Freewheel Bikes will be providing a Spring Bike Wash and Lube from 1 pm to 4 pm at Clark Court and South Brittingham Place right next to Brittingham Park. Bike wash stations and supplies will be provided by Madison Bikes and Freewheel will have two bike mechanics for safety checks and minor adjustments. Right off the Brittingham Park path for people with bikes downtown, west and south sides of Madison.

For people with bikes on the east and north side of Madison, the Tenney Lapham Neighborhood is offering a Bikes and Brews event from 3 pm to 5 pm at Tenney Park also with free bike resources and adjustments.

https://tenneylapham.org/events/2024-events/bikes-brews/

Free Bicycle Benefits Ambassador fanny pack

Follow the link between now and June to get a fanny pack and a $25 gift card. [Facebook link]

That’s it for this week. Watch the calendar for upcoming events, including Madison Bike Week 2024 events in June. Enjoy the spring riding.

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.