Madison Bikes President Harald Kliems rides his bike at the Car-Free Holiday Fantasy in Lights in Olin Park on Monday.Credit: Ilana Bar-av for The Cap Times.
Last Week
Monday was the Car-Free Holiday Fantasy in Lights event. The event drew a fairly strong crowd of over 330 people. Given that the event was 3.5 hours long, that averages to about 100 people per hour. The event even drew media attention with this article in The Cap Times. A few videos were also posted to the Madison Bikes Community page by MB Board Member Robbie Webber and our YouTube channel
On Friday, Wisconsin Public Radio had a segment of The Morning Show dedicated to the topic of biking in the winter. Robbie Webber joined to share the perspective of a winter commuter, and Viroqua-area adventure cyclist Laura Hrubes joined to share the perspective of someone who rides more recreationally. You can listen to the segment here.
The WI DNR also had a feature on Winter Biking in their online newsletter, Out WI Go. There’s some advice on what to wear and where to ride, pointing out that Wisconsin State Trails are open for winter biking activities. Read the newsletter here.
This Week
Madison’s Transportation Commission meets at 5:00 PM Wednesday. There are not really any bike-specific items on the agenda, but for people interested in non-car transportation, there are items related to Madison Metro and taxi services in Madison.
At 6:00 PM Wednesday, there’s the monthly Madison Queer Bike Ride. It’s a group ride that occurs the second Wednesday of every month at 6:00 PM. Find more information on their Instagram @madisonqueerbikeride
From the Archives: Cyclists enjoying Holiday Fantasy in Lights 2019 (image: Mark Renner)
This Week
On Monday between 4:30pm and 8pm join us to experience the Holiday Fantasy in Lights at Olin Park without cars! The weather’s looking pretty nice, all things considered, and we’ll have volunteers around helping guide your experience.
If you’re feeling social, drop by the Sheraton from 4pm-5pm for a pre-lights party (hot chocolate, snacks, swag) and then enjoy a nice, relaxed group ride through the lights at around 5pm.
The city announced that it received federal funding for the Autumn Ridge Path, which amongst other things, provides a crucial connection across Highway 30 on the east side. Expect the final planning work to be completed this year (which, incidentally is 2023, Happy New Year to all) with construction in 2024.
Join us on Monday January 2nd for a CAR-FREE night at the Holiday Fantasy in Lights exhibit at Olin Park! We were able to coordinate this special car-free night to offer a holiday lights experience without the traffic jam! Learn more and signup to receive updates by following our facebook event.
Family participating in 2020 car-free holiday lights ride.
Pre-Lights Party @ 3pm
Big thanks to the Sheraton Madison (706 John Nolen Drive) for hosting a “Pre-Lights” Party from 3-5pm! There will be hot chocolate and snacks to help fuel you for the ride to Olin Park. This is also a great time for kido’s to warm up and adjust their winter gear before the ride.
Car-Free Lights Ride @ 5pm
Group Ride starting from the Sheraton at 5pm will follow the bike path and loop through Olin Park. The round trip distance is about 2 miles for one loop through the lights. Walkers, bikers, joggers, etc. are welcome to join!
If you are a fan of biking in the snow, or you want to see if the city really does clear the paths promptly, the last few days have been for you. Watch out for slippery spots, because even when streets are plowed, things can get dicey. (One of our Madison Bikes friends found that out the hard way, and now she’s off her bike for a few months.) Salt won’t work below 15 degrees F, so the next few days may be a challenge. Studded tires will definitely help. Or just take the bus and/or be very cautious.
Harald Kliems posted that the new wayfinding signs are showing up. (See above) The signs give direction and distance to common destinations. Those of us who are local may already know how far the Capitol or Kohl Center is from Camp Randall, but for new residents and visitors, it’s going to really be nice. Right now there are only three up on the SW Path, but eventually there will be signs from Brittingham Boats out to the Velo Underround in Fitchburg.
I’m sort of assuming that other paths will also be getting signs at some point.
Bike Fitchburg posted that the Cap City Trail has a new signal and crossing at McCoy Rd and Hwy MM. Unfortunately, it looks like drivers are paying no attention at all to the “No Turn on Red” sign. The accompanying video shows they aren’t even stopping.
The week ahead
Needless to say, there aren’t many meetings this week, although there is one of interest.
The Transportation Planning and Policy Board meets on Monday at 5:00 pm. If you missed the discussion of the Complete and Green Streets at the Transportation Commission last week, you can watch the TBBP talk about it. This new policy manual will govern how streets are built or reconstructed, including how the public right of way is allocated to different modes and uses. Besides moving people via cars, transit, bikes, and foot, the public right of way is used for parking, sidewalk cafes, benches and other street furniture/amenities, street trees, and deliveries/pickups/loading. It’s a pretty interesting document, so scroll through the final document.
Upcoming event reminders
Don’t forget that the car-free Holiday Fantasy in Lights is coming up Jan 2 in Olin Park. There will be a family-friendly happy hour at the Sheraton from 3;00-5:00 pm, but you can go through anytime after dark until 8:00.
We could use some help both promoting it and on the day of the event.
In advance of the event, please share it with your social networks, friends, and neighborhood lists. We’d love to show that there are a lot of people that want to experience the lights outside a car. The more the merrier, whether by foot, bike, skateboard, or skis, the lights will be open for one evening only with no cars. You don’t have to wait for us, just take your time and enjoy it with friends or family.
On the day of the event, we need volunteers to staff the entrance, just to remind drivers that it’s car-free on that evening. We also need people before and after the event for putting out and taking down signs. We’d like to get two people for each ½ hour shift from 3:30 – 9:00 pm, just in case the weather is cold and folks need a break. If you can help, please email your availability to Liz@MadisonBikes.org
Thanks and happy holidays!
And whatever holiday(s) you celebrate, may it be happy, fun, and joyous. And we hope you get all the bike stuff you wanted from Santa. Madison Bikes wouldn’t be able to do what we do without your support!
That was quite the snow event on Friday! If you were out riding: Awesome! And if you chose to ride the bus or hide at home: That’s cool too. As a reminder, you can find a recording of our winter biking Q&A on YouTube. And there is another opportunity to learn about riding through winter: The UW Bicycle Resource Centeris hosting a 1-hour class on Wednesday at noon. Free and no registration required.
I unfortunately wasn’t able to make it, but by all account, the Bike Fed organized another great Santa Rampage ride on Saturday! The Wisconsin State Journal has some coverage.
BCycle season is ending. Starting on the 14th, BCycle will collect their bikes for the winter and return on March 15.
Last week’s update called out the new Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program. The Common Council approved the new program unanimously. Thanks to everyone who spoke at the meeting or submitted written comments. The Council also approved the Metro Network Redesign, which is aimed to make Metro service less complex and more frequent (with the tradeoff that some areas will see reduced service and longer walks). The network redesign will be implemented next summer.
Speaking of the Common Council: Election season is rapidly approaching and there has been a flurry of news about who is and isn’t going to run for council. It’s hard to overemphasize how important it is to have alders who are supportive of biking, walking, and transit. With a lot of incumbents not running for re-election (and redistricting changing things up), have you considered running in your district? You have until January 3 to file your paperwork.
Free Bikes 4 Kids‘s 2022/23 season is in full swing. The first stage, i.e. collecting used bikes, is done, and now it’s time to fix up those bikes for the big give-away in the spring. This takes a lot of volunteer effort, and to honor that effort, FB4K are hosting a volunteer appreciation party at the Main Depot on Wednesday from 4 to 6:30pm. “If you helped us in any way in 2022, you are invited to celebrate with us! And, if you haven’t yet had a chance to help but want to in 2023, please feel free to attend and meet our crew. We’ll have some snacks and beverages and great conversation.”
Also on Wednesday: The Transportation Commission has their final meeting of the year. Some relevant items on the agenda:
Annual Review of Winter Bike Maintenance
There is a proposal for unprotected bike lanes on E Washington Ave between Pinckney and Blair. The layout of the lanes changes between buffered lanes, unbuffered lanes at the curb, and unbuffered lanes in the door zone.
Some changes to the design of bike facilities of the Bassett/W Wilson Street project. As far as I can tell from the drawings, it replaces buffered bike lanes on the 400 block of W Wilson with a sidepath; and the cycletrack up W Wilson gets a raised crossing at Hamilton/Henry.
Complete Green Streets: The policy that will guide how we allocate the public right-of-way to different uses is up for review and approval. There is a lot to digest in the report.
One more event on Wednesday: It’s time for the monthly Madison Queer Bike Ride. I haven’t seen any details yet, and so check their Instagram account before heading to the start.
On Saturday, Slow Roll, Black Saddle, and Revolution Cycles are hosting a “Holiday Lights Extravaganza“: “We’ll leave Garver Feed Mill close to 6:30pm and pedal around lake Monona to the lights display at Olin. This ride tends to move slowly with a few stops to enjoy each other’s company. It gets pretty magical.”
Tuesday: City Council will vote on the Transportation Demand Management program that has been in the works on for a number of years. Its passage would be a big push for better biking, walking, and transit services for developments in the city. Your emails or testimony in support are strongly encouraged to help it pass!
Simply put, this program supports infrastructure for modes of transportation that reduce congestion (biking, walking, transit, etc.) when new developments are being approved, or when the use of an existing development changes.
Things the program could require include secure bicycle parking and showers/changing rooms, allowing those who don’t use a car parking space in a development to have the value of that space in other ways (reduced rent, extra storage, etc.), free or reduced transit passes, free BCycle memberships, and car sharing programs.
Plan Commission already requires TDM for some developments, but there are no guidelines or consistency to what is required. The plan up for approval on Tuesday would help implement TDM near networks of pedestrian, bicycle, and transit travel, rather than encouraging single occupancy vehicle use in these locations.
Wednesday: Madison’s Passenger Rail Station Study kickoff meeting is happening in person at 4:30 pm in room 215 of the Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, and virtually at 6:30pm. This study came from a recent influx of available rail funding from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, combined with recent US DOT guidance that passenger rail service to Madison should be “included on any mainline route alignment.” and is “critical to operational viability of the Core Express corridor between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul.”
Saturday: Celebrate the seasons in your favorite festive costume with the Santa Cycle Rampage. Groups will ride in from all over town, and converge on Library Mall at 11am for a 5 mile slow roll, ending back at Library Mall by noon. Registrations will help fund the Bike Fed’s Safe Routes to Schools programming in Dane County. New and lightly used winter clothing for MMSD schools can be donated at the event. For more info, click here.
This week’s Madison Bikes Community Meeting is a special one. The focus will be on strategies to keep warm and safe while on your bike throughout the winter months. Bring any questions you have and members of the Madison Bikes community will help answer those. This meeting will be held via Zoom at the following link: https://zoom.us/j/95317759840
6:00 PM – Bike Fitchburg Monthly Meeting
Monday’s also the monthly Bike Fitchburg meeting. This meeting is held every fourth Monday of the month, except in December, and is currently meeting at the Atomic Koi cocktail lounge at 2685 Research Park Drive in Fitchburg. It is an in-person only event. More details can be found here.
Wednesday, November 30
12:00 PM – WEBINAR: The Future of Electric Busses
1000 Friends of Wisconsin is hosting a webinar about the future of electric busses in Wisconsin. Speaking will be Trevor Jung (Transit and Mobility Director, City of Racine) and Susan Mudd (Environmental Law & Policy Center). You can register for the free webinar by clicking here. More details can be found on Facebook, or The Isthmus.
5:00 PM – Transportation Commission
This week’s TC Agenda is easily a big one. First up on the agenda is the adoption of and direction to implement the Metro Network Redesign in the summer of 2023. Following that, TC will discuss and vote on approving and creating a Transit Demand Management Program in the MGO (Madison’s municipal laws). While the votes in this meeting won’t change anything right away, it will help give the rest of the Common Council guidance on how to vote on these issues when it comes before them .
Saturday, December 3
10:15 AM – Jingle Mingle Bike Ride
This Saturday, Sun Prairie Moves and Bicycle Benefits Sun Prairie is hosting the Jingle Mingle Bike Ride. This is a casual social ride, and festive holiday attire and decorated bikes are recommended. The group will meet up at Beans ‘n Cream Coffeehouse (345 Cannery Square) at 10:15 AM, and depart from there at 10:45 AM. Click here for the full itinerary and further details. The final stop will be reached at about 2:15 PM.
5:30 PM – Capital Off Road Pathfinders Annual Meeting
This event is to show appreciation to all CORP members and volunteers. They will recap the past year’s highlights and look forward to next year’s plans. Food and drink will be available. The event will take place at Revolution Cycles, 2330 Atwood Ave. Link here for more details.
It’s a short week for many, but we have some interesting and timely stuff to discuss.
Last week we all got a taste of slippery, variable winter conditions. It’s a great reminder to consider your winter riding plans and experiences and if you have a Facebook account, our community is a great place to start. Look below for more details about our annual winter cycling forum, taking place next week Monday.
This Week
On Monday at 5:30 pm, the Plan Commission meets to discuss establishing a new Transportation Demand Management ordinance. As Harald writes in his post:
Heads-up that the new Transportation Demand Management (TDM) ordinance will be in front of the Plan Commission on Monday. What is TDM? “Transportation Demand Management” means that when a new building of a certain size/in a certain area is built, the developer has to take measures that reduce the number of car trips that the new building generates. E.g. by reducing the number of car parking spots, offering residents transit passes, or having a BCycle station at the building. Sounds great? Yes, but developers often don’t like these kinds of rules. So if you support or oppose the TDM ordinance, you can register in support/opposition, speak at the virtual meeting, or submit written comments.
Heads up that next Monday, November 28 at 6pm we will host a virtual community forum discussing winter cycling in Madison:
For this month’s community meeting, join us to find answers to your questions about keeping warm and safe on your bike through the winter months.
Whether you need to know how to keep your face and extremities warm, how to keep fog off of your glasses, how to stay upright on ice and snow, how to find safe winter routes, how to keep rust off your bike, or anything else on your mind, we’ll help you find answers.
You can join using the zoom link. If you have questions you’d like to see answered, you can add them as a discussion for the event or email Connor directly.
Flowers commemorating the death of a cyclist who was recently killed by a driver at the intersection of John Nolen Drive and North Shore Drive.
It was inevitable, winter weather has arrived! Its a good time to gear up for winter and install some studded tires. I have been a year round commuter for over 10 years and I have learned the hard way (twice) that studded tires only work when you install them. Don’t procrastinate! If you are new to winter biking, I highly recommend checking craigslist or stopping by your local bike shop and pickup a pair of studded winter tires. The studs don’t slow you down much and keep you upright on icy surfaces.
The Week Ahead
Monday
Starting at 5pm the Transportation Policy and Planning Board will meet to discuss a few items of interest. First, the Complete Green Streets presentation from October 24th will be brought back for further discussion. If you are unfamiliar, Complete Green Streets is an initiative to design our streets to accommodate all modes of transportation (like bikes!). This discussion will be followed by a Passenger Rail Introduction presentation. You can watch this meeting online here.
Tuesday
The World Day of Remembrance for road traffic victims will be commemorated on Sunday November 20 this year in honor of the many people who have been killed and seriously injured on road ways. On Tuesday November 15th at 10:30am the City of Madison is holding a press conference to build support for road safety initiatives to change the design and operation of our streets. The Mayor, many city staff, alders and community members will attend to highlight this important issue. We encourage you to attend if you have been impact by traffic fatalities or are interested in traffic safety. Learn more…
Saturday
Free Bikes 4 Kids is seeking volunteers this Saturday November 19th to help collect donated bikes. No bicycle experience is required and kids 10 or older can help too. Two shifts are available, tending a bike donation station in the morning and helping to haul bikes in the afternoon. Interested in volunteering? Email FB4K or go to their volunteering webpage to learn more.
Bicyclist receives a rear light as part of the Be Bright event. Photo: Chris Collins
In case you missed it
On Halloween Madison Bikes board members Harald Kliems, Robbie Webber, and Caitlin Hussey joined city Pedestrian and Bicycle Outreach Coordinator Colleen Hayes and representatives from other bicycle groups on the WORT Access Hour to talk about biking and walking in the winter. We talked about how to get started – if cold-weather biking is new to you. If you’d like to listen to the program, you can find it in the WORT archives (Monday, Oct 31 at 7:00 pm.)
One topic that came up on the Access Hour was the Round Trip program administered by the Madison Area MPO. Round Trip provides an emergency ride home via taxi vouchers. This allows people to choose to bike, take transit, carpool, or use the state van pool and not be worried how they will get home if a kid gets sick, there is a family emergency, or any of the other things that might make a quick trip home necessary.
If you would like more information, or you know someone that won’t try another commuting mode because of the “what ifs,” here’s where you can get more information. There are other aspects of the Round Trip program, like ride matching and a bike buddy program (coming soon.)
The city and the UW Police Department conducted a Be Bright event on Thursday. This involves officers stopping bicyclists that don’t have lights, but instead of giving them a ticket, volunteers attach a free front and/or rear light to their bikes. Getting stopped by the cops: sad. Getting a free set of lights: glad.
The week ahead
Monday
If you are interested in what is going on with the design challenge for the Lake Monona Waterfront, there are a number of events to talk a out the progress. One is happening at 6:00 pm (refreshments and music begin at 5:30 p.m.) at the Monona Terrace Lecture Hall. This is an in-person event, but you can also view a livestream here.
Tuesday
In case you missed it, there is a big election on Tuesday. Please make sure to vote, if you haven’t already. The people on the ballot will be making important decisions about transportation funding and the types of transportation that are prioritized at the state and national level. Those things are not likely to be featured in the ads you see on TV or that pop up on your social media, but they are important to anyone who moves around by bike – or wants to make that easier for others.
If you have any questions about where to vote, what/who is on the ballot, where to vote, or how to register and vote on Election Day, you can find all the answers on myvote.wi.gov.
The city has been soliciting public input for several years as they decide how to change the transit network and also start the bus rapid transit system. It’s going to look very different than it does now, with different routes and frequencies. This is your chance to have your say about what you like and don’t like about the new system. Changes can still be make based on public input.
Bicyclists may not think much about the transit system, but having convenient, easy-to-access transit can often make it easier to choose biking. New bike commuters often worry about weather, getting a flat tire, or some other reason that might mean biking home would be difficult or unpleasant. Having a back-up plan like a good transit system can make it easier to bike.
Another reason that transit is important to bicyclists is that every choice that is not driving alone supports all the other modes. We have bike racks on buses to make your overall commute shorter or faster, and to provide that back-up to get home. But being able to bike to a bus or BRT stop that has frequent service also makes it easier to choose to take transit.
Also Wednesday, the monthly Queer Ride will leave Law Park at Blair St at 6:00 pm. Party pace. All bodies welcome. Follow on Instagram for details.
