Author: Ben Sandee

With the calendar layout of the holidays this year, it’ll be a quiet few weeks on the advocacy front. You can probably look forward to some end-of-year content that reminds us of all of the cycling-related news and changes of 2024, but that’s not today.

Madison LakeWay: Do you even know what that is? I certainly didn’t until I saw this note about a public meeting coming up on January 23, 2025 “to review the ongoing design work for future Madison LakeWay improvements.” Now I know that it’s the catchy, rebranded name of what we’ve all been calling the Lake Monona Waterfront Master Plan. LakeWay. 2025 and 2026 is for planning with construction starting in 2027. LakeWay. 🤷‍♂️ It could work!

Bikes for Kids Wisconsin has opened up their application process for the 2025 season. If your organization is looking to get bikes next year, you have until January 15, 2025 to apply. Sounds like there are a few changes to the process, so go ahead and read through it when you get a chance. Also, before you know it, they’ll be running the volunteer bike cleaning/repair sessions so keep your eyes out for that as the new year gets rolling.

Finally, it’s a good opportunity to revisit the aftermath of the first solid winter storm event of the season with a bit of photographic support. Because both of the photographers were based on the west side and the conditions were pretty lousy for quite awhile, the photos are all from over there. Or over here, if you’re already there, like me.

Here’s an interesting one, taken first thing on Friday morning by Craig Weinhold. These are the flagship 🎉 protected bike lanes that arrived with this year’s Segoe Rd rebuild (stretching from Regent St to University Ave). I don’t know exactly when they were eventually cleared, but I suspect sometime during the day on Friday… 100% by Saturday morning because I rode them myself!

Judging by the shadows, an hour or so later Harald Kliems snapped this pic of a nicely cleared Southwest Path. You barely even need studs, but they do seem like a good idea if you’ve got them. Still, pretty nice riding. Side note: If you do have studs, isn’t it just so flippin’ pleasant when you hit that perfectly thin layer of snow and your ride quiets down to nothing? If you know, you know!

If one were so inclined, one might try to keep track of who’s responsible for the various types of snow removal (streets division, parks department, etc) on any given stretch of bikeway, but the truth is that nobody knows. OK, that’s technically a joke but you’d be forgiven if you didn’t know because it’s confusing. I certainly don’t know! Keep that report-a-problem site handy.

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.

Anyone engaged enough to read this newsletter certainly doesn’t need any more reminders to vote, so I’ll do the bare minimum and leave it at that!

This Week

Madison Bikes is looking for a new board member! If you are interested in joining you can read more about the application process here.

On Wednesday at 5:30 PM, attend an in-person public meeting at the Holt Center discussing future lighting and paving options for the Temin Lakeshore Path. This is a surprisingly contentious issue for a path that’s so heavily used, but there are a lot of stakeholders.You can read an excellent writeup of the issue over at the Cap Times.

A brief note that the Winter Bike Fashion Show, originally scheduled for November 17th, has been cancelled for this year. Can we agree to just cancel winter altogether?

A minor path detour to note: the SW Commuter Path is closed for a few days between Midvale Blvd and Hiawatha for some concrete work. There’s a short (but relatively hilly) detour; the same detour was used a few years back for a much longer time when reconstructing the stormwater management along the path.

For timely notification about detours like this and many other updates that we don’t cover individually here, subscribe to the Bike Madison mailing list. Or just follow the detour signs when you see them, that’s cool too.

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.

It’s largely reruns during this summer filled with big construction projects and some big long-term planning ongoing.

Ride the Drive 2024 is only two weeks away and they’re looking for volunteers. It should be a fun time and we’re glad to see it come back after a hiatus.

Still working their way through the legislative system are the West and Northeast Area Plans. With respect to the West Area Plan, the City sent an email this morning that sums up the review process better than I could:

West Area Plan Review Process

West Area Plan review continues this week with the Transportation Commission at 5pm on Wednesday, July 31.  Other scheduled board/committee/commission review meetings are: 

• August 5 – Landmarks Commission (5:00pm)
• August 14 – Urban Design Commission (4:30pm)
• August 14 – Board of Park Commissioners (6:30pm)
• August 26 – Plan Commission (5:30pm)
• September 10 – Common Council (6:30pm)

Residents may provide written comments at any time. All meetings are virtual, except for the Council meeting, which is hybrid. Instructions to listen to the meetings and provide comments are available via the links above. Residents wishing to speak at a meeting may register once the agenda is published – typically the Friday before the meeting.  

For the Northeast Plan, a similar trajectory awaits. I don’t get the feeling that the City plays favorites, so they likely sent an email just like the above for this plan, but I’m not subscribed to updates on that region. According to the website, it’s up for review and discussion at all the same meetings and commissions.

The end is in sight but your comments are still vital! In particular, this week’s TC meeting has been targeted by opponents of the bike paths in the Sauk Creek Greenway. These paths were originally part of the West Area Plan and intended to provide important north-south and east-west connections, especially to the Alicia Ashman Library, Memorial HS, the Lussier Center, and the neighborhoods in general. 

The N-S path was removed from the draft plan by Alder Conklin (District 9) after she was harangued by constituents about perceived loss of trees in the greenway.  The E-W path remains in the plan, but groups are organizing against that as well.

Anyone should feel free to send comments about either of these plans, especially with regards to needed connections or elements they want to see or feel good are included. The easiest way to do so for this week’s TC meeting (agenda) is probably by sending email to transportationcommission@cityofmadison.com. You don’t need to write a novel — just a brief message saying what you support or oppose is sufficient. I don’t think you get extra credit for length or snark but I could be wrong.

You might not think your opinion matters or you might think that you’re already well-represented, but the truth is that your comments can provide important balance and political cover. As we know from politics at all levels in this country, a vocal and well-organized minority can really shape the trajectory of things. Sometimes you’re in the minority, sometimes you’re opposed to the minority. Sometimes it’s two minorities that are lined up against each other when they largely share the same goals. If you’re feeling exhausted now, you’re not alone!

And on that bright note, enjoy the last week of July!

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.

I have to say, it’s pretty refreshing to be in a period of “relatively normal” rain after many weeks of “terribly excessive.” Enjoy while you can! It’s a pretty slow time of year because everyone’s out loving their biking, so some of this stuff is on repeat.

This Week

Bike Rides

On Wednesday at 6 PM, consider joining the Madison Queer Bike Ride at Law Park.

On Friday at 12 PM, join the Lunch Bunch E-Bike Rides leaving from Machinery Row Bicycles and enjoy lunch along the way with fellow riders.

Check out @machineryrowbikes on IG or FB for the route each week or contact lauren@machineryrowbicycles.com to join the email list.

On Sunday at 8 AM, join one of the Century Training Club rides leaving from Machinery Row Bicycles (same contact info as above).

Path Updates

The short-length-but-vital path connecting Manitou Way and McCaffrey Dr (paralleling Seminole Hwy) is open and although it’s not 100% complete, all that remains is a few landscaping touch-ups and finishing up the new improved crosswalk across Seminole Hwy.

Enjoy a more relaxed Arboretum Loop and skip a sketchy, exposed left-turn across traffic. This was a long time coming!

According to Dane County Parks and our own field research, the medium-length-but-vital path connecting Fish Camp County Park to Lake Kegonsa State Park opened on July 3! Part of the longer Lower Yahara River Trail, this path dramatically improves bicycle connections between McFarland and Stoughton by cutting out some busier stretches of rural roads. This was a long time coming!

Looking Ahead

Save the date for our July Community Event “Paddle and Pedal.” On Monday, July 22, join us at the Central Library for this great talk:

Going for a bike ride doesn’t have to be a loop around the lakes or farmland out in the countryside. Wisconsin has oodles of dedicated trails throughout the state — most of which cross over or even run alongside beautiful rivers. You’ve probably seen some of them, but have you ever wondered what it would be like to actually be on them? Local author and silent sports disciple Timothy Bauer will offer a fun and informative presentation on combining pedaling and paddling, along with helpful basics, tricks, and considerations to get things started. All are welcome, no experience necessary. We’ll have some drink and snacks available.

No RSVP required, but if you’re on Facebook, you can do so there to help us plan the snack situation.

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.

If you’re interested in shaping the future of our Dane County Parks, please consider taking the time to complete the Dane County Parks and Open Space Plan Survey. The survey is open until May 1, 2024 so you’ve got a couple of weeks to collect your thoughts on the subject. The results of the survey will shape the next five year plan so it’s literally a once-in-a-lifetime (of a guinea pig) opportunity!

Also, here’s your once every few months (the lifespan of a flea) reminder to subscribe to Bike Madison email updates. You’ll get tons of useful info about construction, improvements and events; more than we can cover here. Also, try not to be put off by the janky website. Yeah, I know, glass houses and all but they know it and they’re working on it. Reliable sources are telling us that they’re up next for a big revamp, bringing them out of the early 2000’s. We can’t wait!

This Week

On Wednesday at 10:30 AM, join a Zoom call hosted by AARP Wisconsin and Active Wisconsin:

The Active Wisconsin spring network call is this WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17 at 10:30am. Everyone is welcome! Learn about a new resource from AARP, get a heads up on events in 2024, hear about advocacy efforts on active transportation, and learn about what’s going on in health and transportation around the state. 

On Thursday from 6 PM-7:30 PM, join the online Freewheel April Volunteer Meeting (zoom link).

We have been having some great conversations about building up Freewheel’s movement, and invite you to join the effort to bring an accessible, DIY community bike shop back to Madison. See you there! 

On Saturday at 3 PM, stop by Capital Brewery in Middleton for an open house “dedicated to the world of E-Bikes!” Capital Brewery is home to many weekly group rides and is a very popular start/finishing spot for all sorts of riding. For more information, check out the Facebook invite.

On Sunday between 1 PM and 4 PM, Madison Bikes is hosting our annual Spring Bike Wash event. Like all of our community events it’s free, and if you’ve never experienced it before, it’s a great way to get the winter grime off your bike and hang out with fellow cyclists. It’ll be on Clark Ct, adjacent to Brittingham Park.

Also on Sunday from 3 PM to 5 PM, the Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association (TLNA) is sweetening their spring membership meeting with a free Bikes and Brews family-friendly event. Head over to the Tenney Park Wall Family Pavilion and you’ll surely find the party.

Next Week and More

The city is hosting a barrage of public meetings about the proposed North-South BRT Line. On Monday April 22, you can go virtual, on Tuesday it’s at the Urban League on S Park (South Side), on Thursday it’s at the Warner Park Community Center (North Side) and on Monday April 29 it’ll be in Fitchburg. If you’re interested in this topic and none of these events work for you, then keep an eye out for the virtual recording and if that doesn’t work for you, well, we tried.🤷

Looking waaaaay out, Madison Parks is bringing Ride the Drive back on Sunday, August 11, 2024. It’s an ambitious event that will return to the classic format of years past. They’ll need an army of volunteers to make it happen so mark it in your calendar and sign up if you can!

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.

What a week for getting around outside it’s been! With weather and road conditions like this, you’d think it was International Winter Bike to Work Day but it’s not — that’s still coming up in February. This is good practice though, if you want it. However you choose to get around this week, please do it safely and with respect and care for people around you.

It’s easy to forget how much progress we’ve made with regards to winter cycling in Madison. Policies that were relatively recently put in place (within the last five years or so) ensure that the paths are cleared even on weekends, which is particularly noticeable given the timing of this latest snowfall. It would have been made even worse by the MLK holiday on Monday, potentially delaying path cleanup to Tuesday morning.

This Week

On Wednesday, January 17 at 5 PM, the Transportation Commission will meet virtually. You can read the (relatively light) agenda here, which has a bit of bus-nerd stuff in it and some other tidbits.

On Thursday, January 18 at 7 PM, join an in-person discussion about the potential changes to Mineral Point Rd between Glenway and Midvale Blvd. The discussion will be hosted at the Midtown District Police Station, making it a border battle between districts 5 and 11. The proposed changes include safer pedestrian crossings, buffered bike lanes, reduced car travel lanes and removal of on-street parking (something already disallowed during rush hour in either direction). There was a virtual discussion about this last month and this is yet another opportunity to learn about the project.

On Friday, January 19 from 3-7 PM, drop by the first GearShift Gathering at the Bikes for Kids workshop on the south side. From the event description:

Stop by to meet your local bike organizations at this fun event! Local representatives will be available to talk with you about their work, talk about upcoming projects, and about their volunteer opportunities. Or just come and socialize with the bike community! We’ll also have door prizes?

On Saturday, January 20 from 9 AM to 1 PM, experience the legendary 2024 edition of the Brazen Dropouts Bike Swap. It’s always a fun time and a great way to connect with other cyclists in a warm setting during the coldest months of the year.

Abandoned Bikes PSA

There’s been a bit of discussion on our Facebook Community about what happens when the city collects abandoned bikes. First of all, you can report abandoned bikes to the city using this form and also to our aforementioned Facebook community and/or the Bike Index. According to Renee Callaway, City of Madison Pedestrian Bicycle Administrator:

Whenever [Madison Police Department] receives requests for bike donations they donate bikes and if they still have some after that that are in good/great shape they auction them off. The bikes that are heavily damaged or that are missing a lot of parts they do send off to city metals recycling.

Parting Gift

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.

*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:

1. Moorland Rd Shared Use Path – Capital City Trail to Wayland Dr: Improvements include new shared-use path and improved bus stop safety and accessibility.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.