Category: Weekly Update

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.

You can register your support or opposition and/or ask to speak (Meeting: Plan Commission 11/21/2022 and Agenda Item: 2) or send comments by email.

Next Week

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.

As always, you can find an overview of all bike events on our Community Bike Calendar. Email us at info@madisonbikes.org to add your events. And if you value our newsletter and other work, consider donating to Madison Bikes. For construction updates, check out the city’s Bike Madison page.

It 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.

As always, you can find an overview of all bike events on our Community Bike Calendar. Email us at info@madisonbikes.org to add your events. And if you value our newsletter and other work, consider donating to Madison Bikes. For construction updates, check out the city’s Bike Madison page.

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. 

Wednesday

The other big item on the weekly calendar is the public hearing on the transit network redesign. The public hearing will happen Wednesday at 6:00 pm virtually. Follow this link to register to speak, and find all the information about the transit network redesign here.

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. 

As always, you can find an overview of all bike events on our Community Bike Calendar. Email us at info@madisonbikes.org to add your events. And if you value our newsletter and other work, consider donating to Madison Bikes. For construction updates, check out the city’s Bike Madison page.

It’s Halloween today and under normal circumstances this would call for a happy, lighthearted weekly update post. But on Thursday morning something terrible happened: A driver struck and killed Tom Heninger as he was biking across John Nolen Drive at North Shore Drive. This crossing is both one of the busiest in the city and also a hot spot for crashes involving people on bikes. Madison.com has an obituary for Tom.

This was the third deadly bike crash this year. According to Community Maps, which keeps records of fatal crashes going back to 2001, there have never been as many deadly bike crashes in a year. Our thoughts are with Tom’s family and friends.

Winter Walk Bike event tonight

There is no good way to transition from writing about a deadly bike crash to what is supposed to be a fun event about winter biking and walking. Madison Bikes board members are joining the City’s Bike/Ped Outreach coordinator Colleen Hayes at the Madison Bicycle Center tonight starting at 5pm.

What exactly happens at the Madison Bicycle Center? How can I make winter walking and biking work for me? What resources are out there to make it easier to commute to work using alternatives to a single occupancy vehicle? Find out the answers to these questions and more* on Halloween night. Join us Monday 10/31 at 5:00 pm for an open house at the Madison Bicycle Center, run by Freewheel Community Bike Shop, and stick around for the Access Hour live from the MBC at 7:00 (or listen on WORT 89.9FM) to hear from local active transportation experts. *Will there be costumes? I hope so! Will there be a caramel apple making buffet? Likely! Will there be door prizes? Definitely!

The Madison Bicycle Center is located at 202 Pinckney St. Join us in person or listen in on 89.9 FM or the live stream.

Bike Count Webinar recording available

If you missed last week’s webinar on analyzing bike count data from Madison, Fitchburg, and Lincoln (NE), you can now watch a recording, check out the slides, or read a recap blog post on the League of American Bicyclists website. We’ll probably post our own summary post in the next few weeks to highlight lessons learned. Thanks again to the Bike League, Eco-Counter, Bike Fitchburg, and the City of Madison for all working together on this.

New family bike riding group

Daniel and his family just recently moved to Madison, and he decided to put on a new family bike ride. Apparently the first ride was a big success and more rides are to come. The best way to find out about rides is to follow @familiesonbikes on Instagram or join the corresponding group on Facebook.

It’s definitely fall out there, with some hints of early winter. We hope you’re still out there riding, and if you’re new to riding in the colder season, check out our video with some tips for riding in the fall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1N-J4NWTnU

Forward to Vision Zero – Madison: Building Safe Streets for All Through Data, Smart Street Design, Equity, and Engagement

At last week’s Transportation Commission meeting, the City presented it’s grant application for the Safe Streets 4 All program. This is a federal grant to help cities fund the implementation of their Vision Zero plans. Madison’s application includes projects totaling $20 million, and the list of proposed projects is impressive. Some bike-relevant examples:

• Raised crossings on the Southwest Path
• a path/protected bike lanes along Badger Road
• protected bike lanes and intersections on Broom St
• redesigning Regent St to follow Complete Streets principles
• upgrading bike lanes on Park Street between Langdon and W Wash
• making Whitney Way a safe and complete Street
• protected bike lanes/path on W Beltline Frontage Road
• dedicated funding for quick-build safety projects (and money to turn them into permanent projects if they’re successful)
• dedicated funding for protected bike lanes

If Madison were to receive the grant, this could be transformational for getting closer to Vision Zero, i.e. eliminating all fatalities and serious traffic injuries. Madison Bikes submitted a letter of support for the application.

Front wheel flat fix workshop

The UW Bicycle Resource center has a Front Wheel Flat Fix workshop on the schedule on Wednesday from 6-7pm. Free and open to the UW community. Attendance is a first-come, first-served and no registration is required. https://transportation.wisc.edu/bicycling/university-bicycle-resource-center/#UBRCclasses

Pump Track Skills workshop for kids 15 and under

Madison Parks and Slow Roll Cycles are teaching kids skills at the pump track at Aldo Leopold Park on Thursday at 3pm. The workshop covers “pump track rules and safety, how to correctly pump, and how to ride a berm. Slow Roll Cycles will also offer pre-ride bolt checks and tire pressure checks on bikes. The class is free to attend, designed for kids 15 and under with a good working bike and helmet. Advanced registration is required.” More info and registration here: https://www.cityofmadison.com/cal…/learn-pump-track-skills

As always, you can find an overview of all bike events on our Community Bike Calendar. Email us at info@madisonbikes.org to add your events. And if you value our newsletter and other work, consider donating to Madison Bikes. For construction updates, check out the city’s Bike Madison page.

First, I’ll re-up two requests from previous weeks.

• City of Madison District 18 Alder Charles Myadze is seeking input on improving cycling infrastructure on the north side. See last week’s update for more details on how to give feedback.
• This week is the last week to get your application in to join the Madison Bikes Board. The deadline is Friday, October 14.

This Week

All week we’ve got Bike to School Week for Lapham Elementary, Marquette Elementary and O’Keefe Middle here in Madison. Thanks to board member Kyle for helping organize these events.

On Wednesday at 5pm the Transportation Commission meets virtually. You can check out the full agenda, but probably the most interesting discussions will be centered around two Vision Zero items. First, a discussion comparing safety data between the first six months of 2021 and 2022 (spoilers in images):

The second item of note is an update on the city’s application for vision zero grant from the federal government. Included in that update you’ll find a letter of support from Madison Bikes.

Coming Up

On Saturday November 19, be ready for the next bicycle collection drive supporting Free Bikes 4 Kidz. Last Saturday (October 8) marked the start of their season with a collection drive at six locations around Madison.

As always, you can find an overview of all bike events on our Community Bike Calendar. Email us at info@madisonbikes.org to add your events. And if you value our newsletter and other work, consider donating to Madison Bikes. For construction updates, check out the city’s Bike Madison page.

Last week one of Madison Bike’s board members, Robbie Webber, took some of the participants of the Bike Fed’s Healthy Communities Summit on a bike tour around Madison. To show off some of our awesome bike infrastructure.

District 18 Seeking Input to Improve Biking Facilities

Bike To School Week Guide?

Walking and biking are excellent ways to build healthy habits, a cleaner environment and promote accessible transportation options. This year, Madison Bikes board member Kyle Hanson has organized a Bike to School Week event for Lapham Elementary, Marquette Elementary and O’Keefe Middle schools from October 10th to 14th. This event will include hand decorated yard signs, surprise “bike fairy” gifts and biking information & resource table. Organizing a bike to school event in your community is a great low effort way to introduce families to bike commuting and build new habits which could last a lifetime. Please reach out to kyle@madisonbikes.org if you are interested in hosting similar event in your community this spring and would benefit from a How-To guide for planning your event.

This Week

Lake Monona (John Nolen Dr) Waterfront Design Challenge Kick-Off

Monday, October 3, 2022 @ 6:00 pm

Madison Parks is hosting the first of three events to learn about and provide feedback on the proposed vision for the Lake Monona Waterfront along John Nolen Drive. Lake Monona Waterfront Design Challenge teams will introduce themselves and their team’s unique perspective on master plan development. The multi-use path through this park area is very popular and we hope to see this as a core part of new vision for this space. We encourage you to attend and show your support for maintaining or expanding cycling infrastructure in the new plan.

Madison Walking Movement Leader Training

Tuesday October 4, 2022 9am to 12pm – Register Here

Walking Movement Leaders can be anyone who is interested in hosting walking (or rolling via a wheelchair or powered scooter) events to help peers, neighbors, colleauges, and community members make meaningful connections to one another, to the places you live and to oneself while moving at a 1-3 mile per hour pace.  

This one-of-a-kind training encourages future leaders (YOU) to incorporate all your ideas for the kind of experiences you may want to host. You will be invited and supported to discern whether their one-time or recurring walking/rolling events are organized by local area/region, themes/topics, or various/shared interests. In our training we will cover each of these areas while providing additional support related to route creation, maximizing group connection, group safety, pedestrian accessibility/safety, community building, event promotion, and more. 

As always, you can find an overview of all bike events on our Community Bike Calendar. Email us at info@madisonbikes.org to add your events. And if you value our newsletter and other work, consider donating to Madison Bikes. For construction updates, check out the city’s Bike Madison page.

Monday

Probably most important this week is the Madison Bikes monthly Community Meeting, Monday from 6:00-7:00 pm at Brittingham Park shelter. (In case of bad weather, we will move to Union South, so we’d appreciate an RSVP to keep you up to date.) This meeting will give you a chance to meet the current board and decide if you want to run for our board of directors. As an all-volunteer organization, the board does most of the work, although we love our super volunteers that help us out!

You can be one of those people that both runs the organization and helps decide what work we take on. Not sure if you want to be on the board? Want to know more about us and what being on the board means? Not sure if you’d be an asset to us? (Yes, we want you!) Come by to chat. 

Also on Monday Bike Fitchburg has their monthly meeting from 7:00 – 8:30 pm at the Fitchburg Public Library, 5530 Lacy Rd. 

Wednesday

Transportation Commission meets at 5:00 pm online. One item that might be of interest is the list of roadway projects that will be discussed in 2023. The biggest one is the rebuilding of John Nolen Drive from North Shore Dr to Olin Ave. This project won’t be built until 2026, but it will come before the TC next year.

Other projects are smaller, but it’s interesting to see what is coming up.

What are we discussing on the Facebook Community?

• An article by Wisconsin Watch explains why it’s so hard to make some large roads safer for bicyclists and pedestrians in cities: They are also state highways, and WisDOT prioritizes motor vehicle traffic flow over pedestrian and bicyclist safety and comfort. 

• A hit and run crash involving a bicyclist at the Seminole Hwy entrance to the Arboretum. Why is there no sidewalk or bike path connecting the Arb Dr to Manitou Way? There is a clear desire line worn by pedestrians and bicyclists avoiding busy traffic on Seminole Hwy. 

• Bicyclists are being refused service at “drive-throughs” despite Madison ordinance requiring businesses to serve bicyclists via exterior service windows. 

As always, you can find an overview of all bike events on our Community Bike Calendar. Email us at info@madisonbikes.org to add your events. And if you value our newsletter and other work, consider donating to Madison Bikes. For construction updates, check out the city’s Bike Madison page.

For our email subscribers: Because of a mistake, you are receiving this email on Tuesday rather than the usual Monday. Apologies for the delay.

Madison Bikes board open house Sep 26

It’s not this week, but I want to make sure this is on our calendar: On Monday, September 26, we are hosting an open house for the Madison Bikes board election! If you’re curious to learn what it means to be on our board or are considering running for election this cycle (lots of open seats!), join us at the Brittingham Park shelter from 6-7pm. (If the weather is really bad, we’ll move to Union South). Please RSVP to info@madisonbikes.org so that we can order an appropriate amount of snacks.

Sidewalk assessment policy

The Transportation Policy and Planning Board only has one big item on their agenda for tonight, and it may sound boring: “Street Assessment Policy Changes.” However, the question how pays for what when a street gets built or reconstructed has important policy implications. Right now, when a street is reconstructed, adjacent property owners generally pay 50% of the cost of the curb and the sidewalk and none of the cost for the driving and parking lanes. One outcome of this policy: Property owners are often opposed to adding sidewalks as part of reconstructions because they’re on the hook for half the cost. Sidewalks are crucial for accessibility and the safety of those walking and rolling. Therefore, the proposed new policy would assess the full cost of 10 feet of pavement instead; the curb and sidewalk cost would be covered by the city. Additionally, property owners would no longer be charged for the sidewalk repair program, which fixes broken and uneven sidewalks.

CORP movie night

Your local mountain bike advocates, Capital City Offroad Pathfinders (CORP) are hosting a movie night at Capital Brewing’s beer garden in Middleton on Wednesday night. On screen: Biketown, ” a movie about the community that is needed to get mountain bike trails built, and the communities that mountain biking builds.” Ticket’s at $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Children under 16 are free.

Pick Me Up at the Border

Bike Fitchburg also will have a fundraiser this week. But rather than watching a movie it involves riding your bike to the Illinois border (or points in between), during the night. Pick Me Up at the Border starts at RaceDay Events in Fitchburg on Friday at 6:30pm. Registration is $15.

‘Cross in Waterloo

Cyclocross season is well under way. This weekend’s race takes place in Waterloo on Saturday. The “Battle of Waterloo” has free registration for juniors (ages 9-18) and first-time riders. Racing starts at 9 am.

As always, you can find an overview of all bike events on our Community Bike Calendar. Email us at info@madisonbikes.org to add your events. And if you value our newsletter and other work, consider donating to Madison Bikes. For construction updates, check out the city’s Bike Madison page.