A lot of B’s are in this week’s newsletter title, and not all of them stand for “bike.” There are several public meetings and fun events, and we have a recap of some things that happened last week. Let’s get started.
Midvale Boulevard public meeting
On Thursday at 6:30 PM, the city is holding a public meeting about the resurfacing of Midvale Boulevard from Mineral Point Road to University Ave. Improvements for bike facilities are likely going to be on the menu. Some people have also strongly expressed their support for street parking, which may make some bike improvements difficult or impossible. We’ll see what city staff are going to propose. The meeting is taking place in person at Sequoya Library or online. More information and a sign-up link here: https://www.cityofmadison.com/engineering/projects/midvale-boulevard-resurfacing
As we reported last week, the Transportation Commission discussed the situation at the crossing of the Southwest Path with West Washington Ave last Wednesday. Currently there is a button-activated rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB) at the crossing, but the Office of the Commissioner of the Railroads (OCR) has ordered the city to remove the RRFB. City staff presented multiple options for what could replace the RRFB — a full signal, a pedestrian hybrid beacon (formerly known as HAWK signal), or a painted crosswalk without signals — and whether West Wash should go back to 2 lanes in each direction. After a string of crashes this summer, with drivers hitting cyclists in the crossing, the city implemented an experimental lane reduction. The commission provided feedback that staff will now use to develop a proposed solution, to be brought back to another Transportation Commission meeting. Time is tight, as the OCR ordered the city to have a plan submitted by the end of March. The Wisconsin State Journal also covered the discussion, or you can watch the actual meeting on City Channel.
Book club, session 2
The “Killed by a Traffic Engineer” book club, co-organized by the Bike Fed, Machinery Row Cycles, and Madison Bikes, and moderated by District 11 alder Bill Tishler launched yesterday. The second session will take place on February 2 from 4-6 PM. Whereas the first session was in person only, this week you can either join at Machinery Row or by Zoom. More details here. If you can’t make it to the book club, you can watch a webinar with the author here.
Botanizing by Bicycle
On Thursday, head to the Harmony Bar & Grill at 6 PM for a presentation by Wild Ones Madison:
Bike Fitchburg monthly meeting
Bike Fitchburg will have their monthly meeting at the Fitchburg Senior Center in the Syene Room on Monday night at 7 PM. “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!”
Save the Date: Winter Bike Day is coming!
International Winter Bike Day is on February 14 and we have planned a few fun things. We’ll share more details soon, or you can check out the Facebook event.
Winter biking photos are the best, but there’s no snow. Here’s a photo by Harold Kliems from last month to get you back in the mood.
Welcome to the update. Not much snow around which makes some happy and others sad. I’m in the sad group but it is a bit easier to get around by bike. Here’s what’s happening this week.
Madison LakeWay Schematic Design – Public Meeting
This is your chance to learn about the proposed lakeshore and path features along the John Nolen Drive causeway. A virtual meeting, held by Madison Parks, will take place on Thursday, January 23rd, from 6:30-8:00 PM. You can register for the meeting here. Parks and design team representatives will present an overview of the master plan recommendations. The project timeline includes completing the schematic design by early 2025, continuing design development through 2026, and construction anticipated to begin in 2027. Here is a link to the draft of the master plan.
From Lake Monona Waterfront Master Plan Draft
Bicycle Book Club
The book:Killed by a Traffic Engineer, by Wes Marshall. The discussion: Moderated by Alder Bill Tishler When/where: Machinery Row Bicycles, Sunday, January 26, 4-6pm Sponsors: Machinery Row Bicycles, Wisconsin Bike Fed, Madison Bikes
Time to start reading if you haven’t already! Hopefully you were able to find a book. As of January 17, Machinery Row reports they have exhausted their second supply of books donated by Madison Bikes. Demand at public libraries is also high, so there appears to be quite a bit of interest. There will be two unique subsequent sessions. One on Feb 2 at Machinery row with a virtual option, and the other live at Machinery Row on Feb 9. For more information on the series click on this link: https://www.machineryrowbicycles.com/articles/bicycle-book-club-pg202.htm
Vision Zero Newsletter
The Vision Zero Quarterly Newsletter was released last week. It includes coverage of the Autumn Ridge Path and school zone safety
Community Survey for Southwest Plan Input
The City of Madison’s Planning Division mailed out postcards on Wednesday, January 15 to a randomly-selected group of people living in the Southwest Area as part of the ongoing Area Plan process. The survey closes on February 10. If you did not receive a survey, you can participate in the survey via a public link. A second survey will be sent out in the spring after feedback from the first survey is received. Survey results will be posted on the project web page later this spring. Here is a link to the Southwest Area Plan Webpage. Check out the Southwest Area Plan interactive commenting map. Cyclists and others have already entered lots of suggestions. You can quickly and easily add your input as well.
Southwest Plan boundaries. City of Madison
– Upcoming Meetings –
Transportation Commission Meeting
The January 22 agenda includes an update on the W Washington at SW Path lane reduction test. Discussion of this item will cover the impacts of interventions such as RRFBs, fully signalizing the intersection, and pedestrian hybrid beacons, as well as the lane reductions. The meeting will be virtual and starts at 5pm. Here is a link to meeting information where you can enter written comments, register to speak at the meeting, and/or view the agenda with attachments.
Area of SW Path-W Wash intersection (City of Madison)
Midvale Resurfacing Project Public Information Meeting
January 30, 6:30pm: Hybrid meeting (live at Sequoya library and via Zoom) The resurfacing project, from Mineral Point to University Ave, provides opportunities for improved safety updates, such as pedestrian crossings, and possibly bike lanes. This is a chance to provide input. More information in next week’s update.
Welcome to the Madison Bikes newsletter! It seems Winter is finally here and those of us who enjoy fat biking, ice skating, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and more are taking what we can get. I hope you all are doing well in whichever way you choose to fight off the Winter blues.
Tom Lynch Retires; City Seeks New Director of Transportation
After 7 years as Director of Transportation, Tom Lynch is retiring. Over his time as Director, Tom has supported active transportation and improving transportation safety through projects such as Vision Zero, Complete Green Streets, and Transportation Demand Management (just to name a few). He has clearly been a strong ally for cycling and other alternatives to driving, and for that, we say a huge THANK YOU and congratulations!
That also means the city is looking for a new Director of Transportation. The new director will be expected to expand on the work Tom has accomplished and lead our growing city into an even more efficient, safe, and equitable transportation future. Experienced urban planners and transportation professionals need only apply here.
Cycling Friends Unite: GearShift Gathering
This Friday, January 17th from 4-7 pm, Bikes for Kids Wisconsin is hosting a GearShift Gathering where local bike nonprofits will meet to socialize, share updates on bicycling projects, and learn about volunteer opportunities. Visitors are more than welcome to attend and learn about what’s going on in the Madison bike scene and how they can get involved. There will be snacks and door prizes, too! If you plan to attend and you have access to Facebook, please RSVP on the event page.
Brazen Dropouts Bike Swap
Polish up your spare bike parts and get ready to haggle. Bike enthusiasts will not want to miss the annual Brazen Dropouts Bike Swap this Saturday, January 18th from 10 am – 1 pm at the Alliant Energy Center. If you haven’t been to this event before, the exhibition hall with be filled with tables full of used and new bike parts, accessories, and gear, along with a corral of complete bikes available to be test ridden.
The bike swap will take place in the New Holland Pavilion, where parking is available for $8, or ride your bike for free! While you do not need bring anything to “swap,” if you (and 2 friends) have surplus bike parts or gear you want to sell, you can sign up to be a vendor. As of the time of writing this, there are still tables available. You can also bring complete bikes to sell along with a completed Bike Corral form, no table required. The form and all other bike swap info can be found on the website linked at the top of this section.
Be aware that there is a cost if you want to shop early for the best selection:
$10 early bird admission 10am-11am $5 general admission 11am-12pm $0 free admission 12pm-1pm
The swap will be sure to have some great deals, and it supports reusing bikes and parts that still have a lot of life left in them!
That’s all we have for you this week. Hope to see you at an upcoming event and thanks for being part of the Madison Bikes community.
A solitary biker on a snowy path. (Photo by Craig Weinhold.)
We’re not yet a week into 2025, so there’s still time to look back at 2024.
In fact, since less-than-ideal weather was a minor theme in the year-in-review Harald Kliems posted a few days ago, it’s a great time to leave that bike parked and read the highlights — new overpasses! new paths! new plans! — or leave the reading for later and ride through some extra-brisk January air.
City names bike administrator
Kevin Luecke will be Madison’s next pedestrian bicycle administrator.
Luecke is a graduate of UW–Madison’s Urban and Regional Planning master’s program and recently director of the Madison office of Toole Design, a national firm that works on bicycle, pedestrian and transit design projects. He will soon manage the Traffic Engineering Division’s Pedestrian Bicycle Section, with staff responsible for pedestrian and bicycle concerns, projects and outreach, playing a role related initiatives like Vision Zero, school traffic safety and Complete Green Streets.
The club will meet on three consecutive Sundays, starting Jan. 26, to share “Killed by a Traffic Engineer,” by Wes Mashall, which examines the science (or the lack thereof) behind the way streets are engineered. Moderated by Bill Tishler, who represents District 11 on Madison’s City Council, the group will discuss the book and also features of Madison streets that represent problematic or well-designed infrastructure.
The Jan. 26 meeting of the book club is from 4 to 6 p.m. at Machinery Row, 601 Williamson St. — with a focus on book introduction and making a list of those relevant spots in Madison The shop has had a limited number of free copies of the book available to those who would like to borrow one (with the hope it will be returned for donation to the Madison Public Library). Later meetings will expand discussion of Madison’s streets, bring in engineers to talk about street design and plan advocacy efforts.
If you’d like to stay up to date on the book club, contact lauren@machineryrowbicycles.com to be added to the Bicycle Book Club email list.
• Work on Highway 18/151 west of Verona will close Military Ridge Trail from March to May — with the stipulation that the trail must reopen by Memorial Day.
• Highway 51 in McFarland will finally get sidewalks, along with a new set of roundabouts at Sigglekow Rd. Unfortunately, there are no bike lanes planned, though circumnavigating Lake Waubesa will get easier with a new Yahara River bridge at Babcock County Park planned for 2028.
• A rebuild of Highway 51 in Stoughton will begin this summer with the section east of the opera house, 381 E. Main St. in Stoughton. The plan calls for bike lanes in the downtown area where street parking is common and wide 5-foot shoulders in other areas.
Local meetings
The Madison Transportation Commission meets Wednesday at 5 p.m., with few bike-related agenda items, though an update to the Safe Routes to School Planning Project is on the list.
Only a few more days are left in 2024. What were some of this year’s high and low lights for biking in Madison and for Madison Bikes? Here’s my personal perspective. As always, I’m sure I’m forgetting some things! And the post is still going to be long enough that Mailchimp may cut it off.
Before we get into it, I want to thank all of you, our readers and supporters. We’re a small organization, with no paid staff. And so we rely on all of you to make biking better in Madison. You are the ones volunteering. Advocating for bikes with your alders, neighbors, or on (gasp!) NextDoor or Facebook. Writing posts for the newsletter. Reading and forwarding the newsletter. Running for our board or elected office. For showing up at our events. And for donating. We really appreciate it.
Madison Bike Week
“Ride with the Pack” got rained out, unfortunately
Every Madison Bike Week is different. All of them are awesome, and 2024 was no exception. We had some worse-than usual luck with the weather, with several events early in the week getting rained out. But overall we once again we had a wonderful mix of familiar and new events. Biking with your dog. A vintage bike ride. A blessing of the bicycles. The return of Bratcakes. An e-bike expo. Infrastructure tours of the south side, east side, and Middleton. And so on. 89 events total, all organized by individuals, government agencies, community groups, or local businesses! Save the date for 2025: Madison (and Wisconsin) Bike Week will take place from June 1-8.
Infrastructure highlights
I continue to be amazed how much new infrastructure has been completed in the last few years. The city has been exceptionally successful in getting state and federal dollars. And we now see the results of this funding materialize on our streets and paths.
On the east side, the Autumn Ridge Path and overpass form a brand new low-stress link across Highway 30, connecting Sycamore Park and Milwaukee Ave. No longer do you have to contend with drivers through the Thompson Road roundabouts or the cut-through traffic on Swanton Road.
Last year we celebrated the completion of the Broom and West Wilson projects. And in 2025, work started to complete the protected cycle track along East Wilson, from Monona Terrace to the “hairball intersection” of John Nolen, Williamson, and Blair. The project didn’t quite finish in 2024, but some stretches are done already.
On the west side, phase 2 of the multi-use path along Hammersley was completed. Now you can go all the way from the crossing with the SW Path to Brookwood on a separated path.
Mineral Point Road Path
The biggest infrastructure project of the year was the opening of Madison’s first bus rapid transit (BRT) route. There were some negative impacts on biking from that: On about two miles of East Wash, the combines parking/bike lanes disappear during rush hour. But there are also upsides: On the new BRT buses, you can roll your bike on board rather than dealing with a rack on the front of the bus. And as Mineral Point Road was redesigned for BRT buses running in the center lane, the city built a new multi-use path on the north side of the road. There was a lot of controversy about the path: Bikes were pitted against trees (even though the root cause was a decision to keep two car travel lanes on Mineral Point Road). And people had concerns about the safety of a two-way multi-use path along a corridor with many busy driveway crossings. The jury is still out: I have biked on the new path a few times (stay tuned for a video!), and I think overall its somewhat of an improvement over what was there before.
Segoe Road and Sheboygan Ave were both rebuilt this year. Segoe got a curb-protected bike lane from Regent to Sheboygan; and Sheboygan was upgraded from having no bike infrastructure at all to buffered bike lanes. We celebrated the completion of the project with district alder Bill Tishler.
Dane County Park also opened two amazing new paths this year: A new section of boardwalk connects Fish Camp County Park with Lake Kegonsa State Park. And along the shores of Lake Waubesa, a new trail connects Lake Farm and Goodland county parks.
This section is called infrastructure highlights, but there were also two major setbacks: After decades of planning and seeking funding, it looked like we were set for two trail extensions: The Cannonball Path was going to be extended from Fish Hatchery Road to the Wingra Creek Path. And the Cap City trail was finally going to extend past its current terminus on the east side and continue all the way to County Road AB/Buckeye Road. Plans were completed and approved. Funding secured. And then the Office of the Commissioner of the Railroad (OCR) shut it all down. The railroad company didn’t like the new crossings that are required for the two paths, and the OCR agreed with them. It remains to be seen how these projects can move forward in the next year.
Elections and new alliances
Pretty much every year is an election year, and 2024 was no exception. We continued our work of informing voters through candidate questionnaires and debates. This year, the Dane County executive and all county board supervisors were on the ballot.
Long-time executive and champion of many Dane County bike trails Joe Parisi resigned, and Melissa Agard and Dana Pellebon ran to become his successor. As part of the first ever Madison Housing Week, organized by the newly formed Madison Housing Coalition, the two candidates debated their approaches to housing, land use, and transportation.
For the county board election, Madison Bikes teamed up with the Affordable Housing Action Alliance (AHAA), Madison is for People, and Madison Tenant Power (MTP) for on an election questionnaire. We sent questions about making housing more affordable and how the county could better serve the 30-40% of Dane County residents who are non-drivers, and then published the responses on our website ahead of the election.
In 2025, our focus will be on the common council elections.
Area Plans
Speaking of land use and transportation: One key instrument in how our city plans transportation infrastructure, land use, parks, and utilities in the mid and long term is through area plans. The plans cover 13 areas of the city and, once in place, will be updated every 10 years. The first plans to be created and adopted were for the West and Northeast areas. While the Northeast plan was largely uncontroversial, the West area plan was anything but. And biking took a prominent role. One controversy was focused on the Sauk Creek Greenway and whether a bike trail through and across the area should be included in the plan.
Public meetings turned into shouting matches, NextDoor and certainly editorial sections were abuzz, and we did what we could to provide accurate information. In the end, the north-south path along the creek was not included in the plan. But an east-west connection was, as well as safe and protected bike infrastructure on roads parallel to Sauk Creek.
Now that the Northeast and West plans have been adopted by the Common Council, the process for the Southeast and Southwest plans has started. We’ll continue our coverage in the new year.
Community meetings
Winter Bike Social
One innovation for Madison Bikes in 2024 were monthly community meetings. We have hosted many events in the past, but this year we took a more deliberate and inclusive approach: In December of last year, our board members and anyone who was interested met up at the library over pizza and brainstormed ideas for events in 2024.
Touring the Arboretum
This resulted in an awesome spread of topics and events: Of course there was Winter Bike Day, where we handed out donuts and coffee on a freezing February morning. Renee Callaway from the city’s traffic engineering department gave a presentation about “Vision Zero and Active Transportation Planning.” BCycle Madison gave us a tour of their facility. We washed bikes with our friends from Freewheel to celebrate the end of winter. Bike lawyer and Madison Bikes supporter Clay Griessmeyer talked about what to do if you’re involved in a bike crash. An Ecological Restoration Specialist, Eric Grycan, led a bike ride through the Arboretum. Local author and silent sports disciple Timothy Bauer gave a talk about how to combine pedaling and paddling. And we wrapped things up with a Winter Bike Social.
BCycle Madison facility
Our planning meeting for 2025 took place two weeks and resulted in lots of great ideas. Stay tuned! If you have an event that you’d like to organize with us, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Remembering Joseph Solomon
On March 15, Joseph Solomon was biking home from work near East Towne Mall. A turning driver hit and killed Joseph. Fatalities like these like these are tragic, and it’s important to remember those who were killed while biking in our city. And do everything we can to prevent these tragedies in the future.
In the wake of the fatal crash, the city rapidly redesigned the road where the crash happened. They used paint and delineators to rapidly and cheaply implement a “road diet,” or lane reduction: Lien Road was converted from a 4-lane undivided road to two-lane road with a center turn lane and a bike lane separated by flex posts.
Bicycle Film Festival
Madison is known a biking city. And yet, the Bicycle Film Festival has never made a stop here. Until 2024: In October, we brought the festival to the Barrymore Theater. It was a great success, with over 250 attendees. And yes, we’re going to do it again in 2025!
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!
New Segoe Rd protected bike lanes, unblemished by snow removal efforts early in the morning after a significant winter storm
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!
Southwest Path and rider, looking pretty good the morning after a winter event
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.
We had your first real blast of bitterly-cold weather, which prompted questions on our Facebook Community group about how to cope with winter weather. We seem to get the same questions every year: gloves/mittens/cold hands, foggy glasses, studded tires, etc. But that’s OK, because the community discussion group is here for you. Ask all your winter biking questions, and someone — or many people — will have an opinion on the best way to keep biking all year.
The East High School bike repair club got some wonderful media coverage this past week. The club helps members keep their bikes in good shape and teaches skills, cooperation, budget management, as well as helps fellow students with their bikes.
You may see some familiar names in the article, including Bike Fed High School Education Manager, Ben Varick, and former Madison Bikes board member, Emily Sonnneman.
The week ahead
This week has some opportunities for input — to Madison Bikes, Traffic Engineering, and Wisconsin DOT. Plus some positive moves by the city, which is a great chance to tell your representatives that you approve. As always, your voice makes the city and region better. It’s important to speak up.
Monday: Community meeting/brainstorming session
Join us on Monday for our December Community Meeting at the Central Library on West Mifflin St, Room 301. This month we will have a brainstorming session for what you would like to see at community meetings in 2025. Last year we had a ton of great suggestions, ranging from, “Legal dos and don’t if you get into a crash,” to “Combining biking and paddling.”
This is your chance to make suggestions for future topics and activities, and maybe even have a chance to help make it happen. A talk, a ride, a movie, or any other event — it’s up to you.
Even if you don’t have any ideas, come by to meet others from the community. Maybe a great topic will pop into your head when you hear from others.
Tuesday: District 5 traffic safety meeting on Zoom
The Regent Neighborhood Association on the near west side is partnering with city Traffic Engineering to host a Q&A event about traffic safety. You can join via Zoom at 5:30 pm. Although this is geared to alder District 5, it is a chance to bring up for any concerns you might have for bicyclists and trouble spots. Traffic Engineering staff will take back your suggestions and identify future opportunities.
Tuesday: BCycle closes
BCycle normally closes on Dec 15, but because falls on a weekend, the bikes will stay out until Dec 17 to allow staff to finish removing them from the kiosks and docks. So you have a couple more days to use the BCycle before they are gone until March 15. With the acquisition of BCycle by Bicycle Transit Systems, the winter break will probably also be used to rebrand the system.
Tuesday: Autumn Ridge ribbon cutting – 2nd try
Due to the bitter cold last Thursday, the ribbon cutting for the Autumn Ridge path and overpass was delayed until this Tuesday, Dec 17, at 8:30 am. If you would like to attend, head over to 4346 Commercial Avenue. More about the path and the ribbon cutting event can be found on the project web page.
You can check out what the new path looks like via this great video Nick Davies made of his ride.
Friday deadline: Stoughton Rd input to WisDOT
We posted about this in our Facebook Community group, but here’s another reminder. The deadline to provide input on the redesign and rebuilding of the southern portion of Stoughton Rd/Hwy 51 is this Friday, Dec 20. A recording of the last public meeting on November 19, plus all the information about the project is available on the WisDOT project page.
WisDOT has divided rebuilding Stoughton Rd into two separate projects, and this survey covers the area from just south of Hwy 30 to just south of the Beltline. This portion has neighborhoods on both sides and a frontage road on both sides that provide access to the businesses and other land uses. It’s horrible to cross without a car, and the frontage roads aren’t much fun by foot or bicycle either. LaFollette High students need to cross the road if they live on the east side of Stoughton Rd. /shudder/
We have a chance to rebuild the road as an urban boulevard, and city staff are supportive of this alternative, but your input is very important. City staff is practically begging people to fill out the survey in favor of alternative 4 or 5, but many of the neighbors and businesses are supporting keeping the road as a high-speed highway with frontage roads. If you would like to see the full city presentation on this project from the Transportation Commission last week, including the current feedback results, I’ve bookmarked where to start in the meeting recording.
Neighbors may be afraid of traffic in their neighborhood if additional crossings and connections are built, as suggested for the slower-speed alternatives. And they may just like being able to jump on a fast north-south connection. But if we want connections across this road and a chance to make it more pedestrian and bicyclist friendly, we need to make our voice heard.
If the majority of public input supports a big, fast, limited-crossing option, it will be hard for the city to argue that WisDOT should reduce the cross section, lower the speed limit, and add additional street connections. Please fill out the survey before next Friday.
Also: City kicking off 20 is Plenty
The city plans to lower the speed limit on residential streets – generally streets with no center line – to 20 mph. Right now, the default speed limit is 25 mph, and while 5 mph may not seem like much, it can make a huge difference in how a street “feels” to those walking, biking, or playing in the neighborhood.
Although most people are in favor of safer, slower streets in their own neighborhood, there has been a lot of negative feedback on social media and in the press. This would be a great opportunity to send a note of support to your alder. Letting them know you like a policy or change is just as important as contacting them when there is a problem.
The year is nearing its end and we had the first seriously cold weather recently. So one may think that bike news would be slowing down. But they are not!
Winter Bike Social, and planning for future community meetings
We had a great Winter Bike Social last week. Over 40 people congregated at Working Draft and chatted about how to keep hands warm, goggles condensation-free, and how glorious it can be to ride on freshly fallen snow. Given the success of the event, we may do another one of these later in winter. Thanks to everyone who showed and to Working Draft for hosting us.
Speaking of community meetings: Pretty much every month this year, Madison Bikes organized a community meeting. Topics and format varied: We biked through the Arb with experts on native plants; we talked about how to combine paddling and pedaling; we had city staff report on the latest biking initiatives, etc. We want to keep this going in 2025, and for that purpose we invite the community to a planning meeting next Monday. If you have an idea for an event or would like to help others to implement their ideas, join us at the Central Library in Room 104 on Monday, Dec 16 from 6 to 8 PM. We’ll have some refreshments available.
Transportation Commission: Mifflin St Diverter
It’s the last Transportation Commission meeting of the year, and one of the items on the agenda is the Mifflin St diverter. This diverter was installed at Mifflin and Paterson as an experiment to reduce motor vehicle volumes on the Mifflin St bike boulevard. The city collected car speed and volume data during the experiment, as well as resident feedback through a survey. The results are in and will be presented at the Transportation Commission. If you would like to submit comment on the topic, send an email to transportationcommission@cityofmadison.com or register in support/opposition/to speak here https://www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/committees/meeting-schedule/register
Autumn Ridge Path ribbon cutting
Image: City of Madison
Celebrate Madison’s latest addition to its multi-use path network: The Autumn Ridge Path and overpass appear to be done, and the city is celebrating:
The public is invited to a ribbon-cutting at 2 p.m., Dec. 12, 2024 on Madison’s east side to celebrate the City’s newest multi-use path, Autumn Ridge. The ribbon cutting will be located at 4346 Commercial Avenue
The Autumn Ridge Path will create a shared-use path connection between Milwaukee St. and Commercial Ave (north of Highway 30), including a new bridge over Highway 30. The project will improve safety and accessibility for non-motorized modes of transportation to cross Highway 30, better connecting neighborhoods on either side of the highway. The Autumn Ridge Path expands the greater bike network of the area, as the path connects (via local streets) to the existing overpass over Stoughton Rd (Highway 51) at Portland Pkwy, through the Eastmorland neighborhood to the recently constructed Garver Path, and finally to the Capital City Trail and Downtown Madison-area. Long term plans include extending this path network further to the northeast.
Book Club: Killed by a Traffic Engineer
Madison Bikes is teaming up with the Bike Fed, Machinery Row, and District 11 alder Bill Tishler to host a book club this winter. The book is Wes Marshall’s “Killed by a Traffic Engineer.” Marshall highlights the role of the traffic engineering profession in creating infrastructure that’s not safe for people walking and biking (or even driving), and how a lot of their practice is based on questionable data and models.
The Bicycle Book Club is free, open to the public, and will take place over three Sunday afternoons at Machinery Row Bicycles, located at 601 Williamson St. If you buying the book is a hurdle to participation: Madison Bikes bought a limited number of copies that you can pick up at Machinery Row. Here’s the schedule:
We will plan advocacy efforts around infrastructure improvements that you want to see. We’ll be drafting proposals and emailing elected officials! Bring your hopes and dreams! (and a laptop or notebook)
Sunday, January 26th: 4-6pm
We will discuss the book and our reactions to it while identifying both problematic and well-designed infrastructure in our city.
Sunday, February 2nd: 4-6pm (Virtual option available)
We will discuss the pieces of infrastructure that we identified in the first meeting with engineers to explore the specific street design choices that impact the safety and comfort of people outside vehicles.
Sunday, February 9th: 4-6pm
We will plan advocacy efforts around infrastructure improvements that you want to see. We’ll be drafting proposals and emailing elected officials! Bring your hopes and dreams! (and a laptop or notebook)
BCycle seasonal closure
Heads-up that BCycle is approaching its annual hibernation date. The system will close down on December 15 (and usually the closure will take place over a couple days before that date).
Santa Cycle Rampage
Are you ready for another year of the Madison Santa Cycle Rampage? Join hundreds of other Santas to ride around the city and spread holiday joy. Tickets are $15 for adults; $5 for children. Meet at Breese Stevens starting at 10 AM; roll-out at 11.
The Wisconsin Bike Fed is seeking a full-time professional to serve as Government Affairs Manager. Ideally located in Madison, WI, the Government Affairs Manager reports to the Executive Director and advocates for the legislative agenda of the Wisconsin Bike Fed. The ideal candidate exercises sound judgment and thrives in diverse work environments. They are also highly organized, outgoing, have excellent written and verbal communication skills, and are comfortable working in a fast-paced environment. The Bike Fed is one of the largest statewide bicycle advocacy organizations in the country. This is a great opportunity for a highly motivated, professional and creative individual to help grow the bicycle advocacy movement.
The posting closes on December 20.
Provide input on WI Outdoor Recreation Plan
The Department of Natural Resources is drafting a statewide outdoor recreation plan and is requesting input by December 15. Let’s make sure the DNR hears from people who bike, hike, and walk through our beautiful Wisconsin outdoors.
Are you an avid cyclist, runner, or hiker? Maybe just a general outdoor enthusiast? The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wants to hear from you! The DNR is seeking input on the draft Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan. The public is encouraged to submit comments using the online public input form on the DNR’s Wisconsin Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan webpage. Comments may also be sent by mail, phone, or email. Submit comments by Dec. 15, 2024 to: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources C/O John Pohlman, DNR Property Planner 101 S. Webster St. PO Box 7921 Madison, WI 53707 John.Pohlman@wisconsin.gov or 608-264-6263
First snow on the Southwest path (photo: Craig Weinhold)
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.
Scene from Winter Bike Day 2024. Beth Skogen Photography – www.bethskogen.com
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.
Upcoming meetings
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.
Scene from “Built for Safety”
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.
A bicyclist rides down the Yahara River Path in Winter
Welcome to the Madison Bikes newsletter. It’s a light week in bike advocacy news with the holiday, but there is some highway news we think you should know about.
Stoughton Road Redesign
The second public involvement meeting for the Stoughton Road redesign project was last week, and WisDOT is looking for more feedback on the design alternatives. The project scope includes US51 (Stoughton Road) from just South of Highway 30 to just South of the Beltline. That corridor of Stoughton Road is notoriously dangerous, with record numbers of crashes including 8 bicycle/pedestrian injury crashes and 2 fatal vehicle on pedestrian crashes. 83% of all crashes in this corridor are at intersections, with both Buckeye and Broadway being ranked in the 10 worst intersections for crashes in Madison. In addition to the poor safety record, WisDOT has observed concerning and inefficient traffic conditions at most existing intersections and anticipates 1/2 mile backups by 2050 if no changes are introduced.
For the redesign, the materials included 6 options (including the “no change” option). Alternatives included expanding intersections or removing frontage roads and providing direct access to businesses. Some of them propose reducing speed limits to 35mph and adding safe bike and pedestrian infrastructure. You can see all the design options in detail on the project site, or check out the one-page summary here.
Personally, I would love to see a number of changes to Stoughton Road to improve safety and access for users outside motor vehicles, including reduced speed limits, increasing the number of safe crossings, and reducing the total width of the roadway to allow for more green space. Studies have shown that increasing the number of lanes and adding extra capacity for motor vehicles does not have a positive impact on the amount of traffic, but instead encourages more people to drive resulting in the same or worse traffic congestion as before the expansion. The only reliable way to reduce traffic congestion is to provide viable alternatives to driving. What can you do to help with that mission and make biking better in Madison? It only takes a few minutes to fill out the survey and let WisDOT know you care about bike, pedestrian, and transit access.
Come Chat Winter Biking With Us
Looking ahead to next week: on Tuesday, December 3rd Madison Bikes is hosting a Winter Bike Social at Working Draft, from 5:30-7:30. We’ll be enjoying warm drinks and chatting about all things biking, including how to have a successful ride in cold and wet weather. Stop by any time and bring your bike and your favorite piece of Winter bike gear!
That’s all we have for you this week. Thanks for being part of the Madison Bikes community.
