Participants line up near the start line of the Hugh Jass finale race at Blackhawk in Middleton
Welcome to the Madison Bikes newsletter. I hope you enjoyed the two week fat biking season. Well, that’s over and now it’s False Spring 2 meaning days are getting longer and bike rides are getting slightly warmer and more bearable.
Transportation Commission: W Wash and Transportation Improvement Program
Transportation Commission is meeting on Wednesday at 5 pm. The agenda includes a couple of relevant biking projects: one involving the SW Path crossing at W. Washington and the other about the Transportation Improvement Program.
During this week’s meeting, TC will give an update on the SW Path crossing alternatives. If you aren’t in the loop, the Railroad Commission is requiring that the city remove the Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacon (RRFB) which was installed in 2017. Back in September 2024, following a series of crashes, this crossing was temporarily narrowed down from 4 total lanes to 2, which decreased crossing time and improved safety for users of the SW Path. Because the RRFB has to be removed, there are two alternative considerations. While both options involve adding a traffic signal to the intersection to stop vehicle traffic for path users to cross, one includes keeping the currently built 4 lanes, while the other involves curb work to permanently narrow it to 2.
The other topic on the agenda is the Transportation Improvement Program. The document lays out the potential road and path projects from 2026-2031, including street reconstructions, resurfacing projects, bikeway and sidewalk additions and improvements, and bridge repair. One notable new path planned for later this year is the bike path along the North side of North Shore Drive (opposite the existing bike path) from the SW Path to Bedford. Infrastructure projects like this path extension take a lot of planning ahead of time, so it’s necessary to plan them well in advance to better anticipate the needs of our growing city. Check out the program slides for more detailed info and all the known projects.
Bike Packing Social Event
Looking ahead to later this month, on March 23rd, Madison Bikes will be hosting a Bike Packing Social community event! We’ll be at the Goodman Community Center at 2 pm to share bike packing stories, gear tips, and get ideas churning for future adventures.
We’ll have brief show-and-tells featuring different gear setups and explanations of what you will need to pull off your own adventure. Presenters will talk about their experiences exploring northern Wisconsin, doing an ultra race around the Netherlands, riding RAGBRAI without having to worry about carrying your gear, and riding through the Alps. After that there will be plenty of time for Q&A, socializing, and planning for getting out there on the next adventure.
If you have Facebook, please let us know you can make it on the event page.
That’s all for this newsletter. Thanks for reading! Hope to see you at the bike packing event or one of our other functions this year.
No foolin’, spring elections are April 1. Madison Bikes has partnered with Madison is for People, Madison Area Community Land Trust, Affordable Housing Action Alliance and Strong Towns Madison on a questionnaire for Madison Common Council candidates covering transportation, housing and sustainability.
Get to know your future representatives and let them know more about you and your concerns by reading and sharing the spring candidate questionnaire when answers are posted starting March 5. Until then, you can help spread the word by asking the candidates in your district if they’ve participated in the questionnaire.
Where are we all going so fast?
What do you know about Vision Zero? How about Safe Streets Madison? For a — begging your pardon — crash course on traffic safety in Madison, look no further than this recent presentation by Yang Tao, the city’s Director of Traffic Engineering. His talk, “Prioritizing Traffic Safety for all Road Users,” was a lunch-and-learn for an audience in City Council District 7, but there’s plenty to glean about the city-wide approach to improving access and eliminating traffic fatalities.
Sneak preview: Mud season
A drastic swing in daytime temperatures will take Madison straight from the deep freeze to a bit of pseudo-spring this week. The high highs will make quick work of the snow, exposing a thick layer of grime on many bike routes.
The good news is … water is liquid at these temperatures. So, while you hang up the balaclava and that extra layer or two you’ve been wearing, considering helping your bike shed some accumulated layers of salt and fresh spatters of sand and mud with a quick shower. Just don’t forget to treat that chain (if you have one) to its own post-shower dose of lubricant to keep it loose and happy.
Madison Bike’s International Winter Bike Day event was a resounding success, drawing around 50 enthusiastic participants despite the chilly weather! We are proud of our community of bike riders who ride in any weather, and the city staff that make it possible.
Transportation Commission’s Transit History Presentation
Illinois Central Lines (1887)
City staff will give a presentation titled, “The History and Future of Madison Transportation” at the Transportation Commission on Wednesday, February, 19, 2025 at 5:00 PM. The presentation will cover the early days of mule-drawn buses, the rise and fall of electric streetcars, and the introduction of bus services that have connected Madison’s neighborhoods over the decades.
Hugh Jass Fat Bike Race
Saturday, February 22, 2025 is the date of the Hugh Jass Bike Race in Middleton, WI, starting at 9 am. Find more information here. What to expect: Get ready for the series finale at Blackhawk!! Machine built singletrack, jump lines, groomed CX ski trails, climbs on the side of a ski hill? You won’t want to miss this one! NOTE: ONLY Fat Bikes (3.7in tire or larger) can ride this one.
Address: 10118 Blackhawk Rd, Middleton, WI 53562
2025 Spring Primary
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Last, but certainly not least, there’s a spring primary election in Wisconsin on Tuesday, February 18, 2025. Check your registration here and make sure to have your voice heard at the ballot box!
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.
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!
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.
Whoever said, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes,” was not a year-round bicyclist. In the winter, small and medium and big weather issues can pile up atop the usual logistical challenges of two-wheeled travel to make the whole thing feel … bad. The good news is, people who bike through the winter do not exactly mind talking about biking through the winter. And if you’re curious about pedaling in a fourth season, committed to making it work this year, or looking to join the choir to belt out a few carbide-studded bars of winter favorites, mark your calendar for one of these events featuring experienced guides, hot tips and some warming beverages:
Winter Biking Workshop Thursday, Nov. 21, 6 to 7 p.m., at Cool Bikes North, 1861 Northport Drive Assisting people who may be new to winter riding with guest presenters talking about the clothes, gear and bikes that can get you “through the winter in relative comfort and safety,” followed by Q&A. Free, but registration is requested.
Madison Bikes Winter Bike Social Tuesday, Dec. 3, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Working Draft Beer Company, 1129 E. Wilson St. An evening of fun and camaraderie for winter riding newbies, seasoned all-season pros and everything in-between. The Winter Bike Social is an opportunity to exchange knowledge about winter biking techniques, gear and fun. Check out what others are using to stay warm and safe on their rides, and maybe even get some new ideas for your own setup. Bring your bike and favorite piece(s) of winter gear.
Spread some good tidings
If you’re into doing good from the saddle, the holidays are a great time to volunteer and enjoy a ride. Consider adding Cranksgiving Madison — the Nov. 24 rally-style benefit for the Goodman Community Center’s Fritz Food Pantry — and/or Madison’s Santa Cycle Rampage — a costumed slow-roll ride raising funds for Dane County youth education programs on Dec. 14 — to your seasonal celebrations.
Meetings
This week in deliberating, the Madison Transportation Commission will meet virtually on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 5 p.m. Their agenda includes a handful of bicycle-relevant items, including:
Tomorrow, Nov. 19, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., at Akira Toki Middle School, 5606 Russett Road, representatives of city departments like Planning, Engineering, Transportation and Parks will gather to discuss what’s taking shape in the early stages of the city’s plan for its Southwest Area, which extends south of the belt line between Fitchburg on the east and South High Point Road on the west. Residents, community organizations, businesses and other stakeholders are invited to share feedback.
Last week we had a very nice celebration of the new protected and buffered bike lanes on Sheboygan and Segoe. There was hot cider, donuts, district 11 alder Bill Tishler, many city staff — and a low-budget ribbon cutting involving caution tape, very small scissors, and a small volunteer helper.
Segoe ribbon cutting with Alder Tishler and a young helper
Beth Skogen Photography – www.bethskogen.com
Alder Bill Tishler spoke about how he initially conceived this as a project to make crossing Segoe easier for pedestrians — narrowing the crossings and removing unneeded lanes, since Midvale and Whitney are both close by. He grew up in the area, and he’s watched generations of families struggling to cross.
“When this area of Madison was designed 70 years ago, it was built around the automobile. The wide street layout and abundance of surface parking lots reflected that this neighborhood was designed primarily for cars. This is no longer true.
As Madison’s population grows, we are at a pivotal moment in rethinking how people move around the city. The redesign of North Segoe, with its buffered bike lanes, bus transit stops, and audible crosswalks, signals a shift in priorities—cars are no longer the sole focus.
People need safe, accessible ways to get around, whether they’re walking, biking, or using public transit.”
Thanks to everyone who stopped by! We’ll certainly celebrate again when other great infrastructures are completed.
Autumn Ridge Overpass
Speaking of great infrastructure: This week the bridge girders for the Autumn Ridge Path across Highway 30 will be installed. Commercial Ave will close at 8pm, Hwy 30 at midnight, and the bridge will be placed sometime in the wee hours. Events like this are always quite the spectacle. Our board member Robbie plans to set up her camper van in the area to watch. If you’re also out there, please shared your photos and videos of the work. Having the bridge elements in place is major progress, but it’ll still be a several months before the path will be open.
Sauk Creek Greenway
On Monday night, a public input meeting on the Sauk Creek Greenway will take place. This meeting will focus on “draft improvements for the channel, maintenance access, and restoration.” The east-west bike path that was included in the West Area Plan is also on the agenda, but what the city writes doesn’t sound very promising:
“Staff will provide some initial ideas on the West Area Plan’s East-West multi-use path connection. Preliminary review of concepts show construction of a path would not align enough with the stormwater improvements to be built together and path plans are not being developed further at this time.” (emphasis in original)
John Nolen Drive: Will we get an underpass?
Another opportunity for public input is on Wednesday. The city’s engineering consultant produced a feasibility study about the proposed underpass of John Nolen Drive at North Shore. The underpass was being proposed as a safe alternative to the reconstructed at-grade intersection with its slip lanes. I haven’t read the full 140-page report, but looking at the cost for the two proposed designs does not make me optimistic: Even the cheaper alternatives is estimated to cost over $40 million. That is serious money for a single underpass. For comparison, the Autumn Ridge Path project will cost about $4.5 million. Join the public meeting on Wednesday, 6:30 PM.
Jump Jam and Crossfire
On the weekend you can recover from attending all the public input meetings by going to the Quarry Park Jump Jam or the Crossfire cyclocross race in Sun Prairie.
The Jump Jam on the Quarry Park MTB trails involves, well, people on bikes jumping! It’s great fun to watch. Sunday, starting at noon.
If you’re more into riding or watching cyclocross, head to Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie on Sunday. The Crossfire race usually involves serious cyclocross racing and not-so-serious Halloween costumes. The festivities start at 8am.
