Category: Weekly Update

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Action Alert E-Mail Weekly Update

Crashes, Middleton, and a Challenge

Crashes at the Southwest Path crossing of West Washington Ave

Crash diagram at Southwest Path and West Washington
Diagram of crash at Southwest Path & W Washington Ave –
An Uncontrolled Pedestrian Crossing

In response to three serious car/bike crashes in as many weeks at the Southwest Commuter Path crossing of West Washington Avenue, City of Madison Traffic Engineering informed us:

Traffic Engineering immediately assembled a team and conducted a comprehensive safety audit, to analyze the crash patterns, collaborate with our colleagues in MPD in identifying factors involved, and identify infrastructure improvements that we can make to enhance safety.

While staff are still determining a few more improvements to make, one improvement that we want to test immediately instead of waiting is to close traffic lanes on W Washington Ave to one lane each direction at the path crossing.

We are trying to implement the test as soon as possible, likely after the morning rush hour on Tuesday, September 3

This is excellent news. We hope the test goes well and that the street is permanently changed to one travel lane in each direction at the crossing to enhance pedestrian/cyclist safety.

Middleton Active Transportation Survey

Middleton City Sign 540 "Middleton the Good Neighbor City - a sign provided by the Middleton Chamber of Commerce"
Middleton City Sign 540 – Channel 3000

Want to help shape a more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly community?

The City of Middleton is gathering feedback for its first-ever Active Transportation Plan (ATP), which “aims to make the city more accessible and welcoming for pedestrians, cyclists, and users of small ‘micro-mobility’ devices, such as scooters.”

The survey and more information can be found here.

Smart Trips Challenge

RoundTrip Madison is hosting the Smart Trips Challenge throughout September to encourage walking, bicycling, public transit, and carpooling for everyday trips including work, school, and errands. The first 25 participants to log an eligible trip will receive a $10 gift card to Ian’s Pizza. The challenge will also offer weekly and grand prize drawings, along with a special Metro Transit swag drawing for participants choosing transit throughout the month.

Visit this page for a press release.

Community Updates

Cyclists on the Southwest Commuter Path
Cyclists on the Southwest Commuter Path – WI Bike Federation
  • On Labor Day, look for the Shifting Gears dance festival from noon to 6pm along bike paths at Brittingham Park, McPike Park, and Wirth Court (by Goodman Community Center).
  • B-Cycle Madison has a new station at the East Johnson Triangle in Eken Park!
  • Owen Drive (Near West) and Richardson Drive (Fitchburg) are both newly resurfaced. Segoe Drive is back open to traffic and its new protected bike lanes are usable, though there’s still construction activity.
  • The University Ave path through Shorewood remains open. A sewerage project will eventually close it, but the project’s start date has slipped several times.
  • On Tuesday, Sep. 3, the Transportation Commission will discuss the “Complete Green Streets” guide.
  • Meadowridge Library hosts Biking Across the U.S. with Sam & Chick Westby Sep. 19 from 6-7 pm.
  • To prepare for Metro Transit’s Rapid Route A launch on Sep. 22, they are hosting open houses on Fri Sep 6 12-3pm and Tue Sep 10 4-7pm at the Baldwin St Station. Also be on the lookout for the new “bendy buses” on campus routes, and Routes B and F. All door boarding at BRT stations is possible on these buses. Despite their size, their turn radius is similar to a regular bus.
  • Sign up for Metro Transit’s new paperless Fast Fare system. Features include: online accounts with re-loadable smart cards, fare cap pricing, and ticket vending machines at most BRT stations. More details, including on half-priced fares for seniors and others, found here.

Lastly, Happy Labor Day everybody. Shout out to all workers who make walking, biking, and taking transit safe and enjoyable for all in 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.

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E-Mail Weekly Update

Late August Update

Northeast and West Plans in Final Stages

Progress on the Wilson St cycletrack near the convention center 8/21/2024. Photo: Chris Collins

It’s not too late for your input on Northeast/West plans

The Northeast and West Area Plans will be considered for approval in the next two weeks. These plans will be reviewed by the Plan Commission (August 26). The Plan Commission recommendations will then be considered by the Common Council when they approve the final version on September 10.

Recent changes to the Northeast Area Plan include:

  • Recommendations to add additional bike connections including an off-street path on the east side of Highway 51 between East Washington Avenue and the planned Hiestand Path south of Highway 30
  • A grade separated crossing for pedestrians and cyclists on the south side of the Highway 30/Stoughton Road interchange.

Recent changes to the West Area Plan include keeping the east-west connection through the Sauk Greenway. However, there are changes to the specific language that include the requirement that all options for location of the crossing are evaluated for making the east-west connection across the greenway rather than specifying the site of the crossing. The north/south path through Sauk Creek is still not in the plan but protected bike lanes on Westfield and High Point roads should make travel safer.

See the Madison Bikes August 5th Update for more details on the current status of the plans. Also see Ben Varick’s excellent discussion of these plans as they relate to students and their families from a recent Bike Fed communication.

Despite some shortcomings, there is a lot of good in these plans. Overall, they will make bicycling and walking safer, and hopefully reduce carbon footprints by encouraging active transportation. Decision makers need to hear the good along with the bad from bicyclists. The plans are going before the Planning Commission on August 26th. Click here to submit comments to this committee. The Common Council meets on September 10th. Support the West and Northeast Area Plans by writing to your Alder or the all of the members of the Common Council.

A word from the mayor

Implementing Vision Zero is a major initiative for Madison and will make transportation safer and improve quality of life here.  However, it is not without financial costs. Check out this interview with the mayor about the rationale for Vision Zero and the role of federal funding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEzCFG2983g

September means caution

Be safe out there. There are more bike crashes in Madison in September than in any other month.

That’s all for this week. Enjoy the early fall weather.

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.

Categories
Bike News Newsletter Weekly Update

Housing Week; Board Elections; Advocacy Woes

Bicyclists cruise down John Nolen Drive at Ride The Drive

Welcome to this week’s newsletter. Here’s what you should know about in the Madison biking-for-transportation world this week.

Housing Week is Here

It’s Madison Housing Week! As the population in Madison continues to rise, Madison Housing Coalition is thinking about what can be done to increase access to housing for those who want to work and live here. Going on now, from August 17th-22nd, is a series of events to learn, discuss, and advocate for solutions to the housing shortage. Some events you may want to check out are:

  1. Housing on Tap on Monday, August 19th from 5:30pm – 7:00pm at Vintage Brewing Company
  2. Housing Environmentalism on Wednesday, August 21st from 6:00pm – 7:30pm at the Central Library, room 301
  3. Dane County Exec Debate & Social on Thursday August 22nd from 6:00pm – 9:45pm at The Tinsmith

To see the full list of events, their details, and to RSVP, check out the site at madisonhousingweek.com.

Madison Bikes Board Elections

Madison Bikes board elections are coming up this Fall, and we want to know if you are interested. Have you volunteered with Madison Bikes in the past and want to take your involvement to the next level? Are you interested in helping promote bike advocacy and put on awesome community events? Would you be interested in writing this newsletter? While you don’t need to be on the board to do any of those things, we always welcome and encourage anyone to let us know if they’d like to join. What is it like to be on the board? Well, that’s up to you. Some members focus mostly on planning events, some specialize in the website and social media, and some focus on educating the community on important bike advocacy issues. We all meet to discuss these topics with the goal of making Madison a better place to comfortably ride a bike. If that sounds like your jam, board elections are coming up soon and we would love if you reached out to us at info@madisonbikes.org.

Cannonball Extension Disappointment

In July, Wisconsin’s Commissioner of Railroads rejected a proposed extension to connect the Cannonball Path and Wingra Creek bike paths. On Friday, August 16th, Madison officials decided not to appeal the decision. The proposed route would have crossed Fish Hatchery Road and the Wisconsin and Southern railroad tracks, but was deemed unsafe by Commissioner Don Vruwink, who cited risks such as train derailment and potential bike accidents. The issue with the decision is that it overlooks the dangers of biking on the heavily trafficked Fish Hatchery Road. Despite the frustration of yet another bike infrastructure conflict with the railroad, the city is planning to explore alternatives, such as expanding sidewalks, to address the lack of safe connection from the Cannonball to Wingra Creek.

The approximate location of the path extension that was rejected by the Railroad Commission

West Washington Crash

A cyclist was struck by a driver on West Washington on Saturday, August 17th at the Southwest path crossing. Not much is known about the crash at this time other than the motorist stayed at the scene and the bicyclist was taken to the hospital and is alive.

This intersection is notoriously dangerous and has seen several crashes involving drivers and cyclists this year alone. Despite having a Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacon (RRFB) there are multiple potential reasons for the level of danger at this intersection. Path users have to cross 4 motor traffic lanes to get across W. Washington, with a refuge island in the middle. In addition to the issue of crossing multiple lanes at once, often times the driver in the first lane will stop to yield for a pedestrian or cyclist and the driver in the next lane will not. Speeding and driver inattentiveness can also play roles in making this area more dangerous.

What could be done to reduce the risk? Some have suggested a pedestrian bridge. While that would help avoid conflict, it is still a car-centric design. It would be very costly and likely require cyclists to make a significant climb to clear the minimum height of a bridge. Pedestrians would also have to travel a much longer distance to get across, and would likely opt to cross the road directly instead. Another option would be to implement a road diet by narrowing it to one lane in each direction or create other traffic calming measures such as making the path a raised crossing. Personally I would love to see one or both of those changes implemented, as they would be much more cost-effective and have been proven to slow down drivers and make crossing the road safer, often without reducing traffic volumes. What kinds of changes would you like to see?

That it for this newsletter. Stay safe and thanks for being a part of the Madison Bikes community.

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.

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E-Mail Weekly Update

Drive ridden. Housing Week around the corner.

Back in a big way

Ride the Drive returned Sunday to some of Madison’s busiest streets, clearing the lanes to give more than 10,000 cyclists and pedestrians an opportunity to experience open streets and move at a more human pace through spaces typically dominated by car traffic.

Madison Bikes at Ride the Drive. Photo courtesy Robbie Webber.

The 4-mile route mostly along Monona Bay and Lake Monona was anchored in six park “hubs” that played host to bike-related and Madison Parks activities like ice cream, games, movies, paddling, coffee, playgrounds, clean energy and environmental outreach, garden walks, bike checks and safety info, music, tacos, books, cool water and more — almost anything you’d want to bike to or watch a kid do. And it happened in partnership with a raft of local businesses and organizations like Public Health Madison & Dane County, Madison School & Community Recreation, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, transit and utility agencies, arts groups, fraternal organizations, and nonprofits dedicated to biking, active outdoor recreation, reading, cancer research, social justice and more.

That is to say … it was kind of a big deal for an event balanced on skinny tires and walking shoes. Large thanks go out to hundreds of volunteers who kept a safe route, as well as to Madison Parks for organizing a fun day with such broad appeal.

Did you have a good time? Did you miss RTD this year, but hope it has a future despite uncertain city finances? Wouldn’t hurt to let Madison Parks know how you feel.

People parking bicycles on grass around bushes and trees.
Parking in the park between Riding on the Drive. Photo courtesy Robbie Webber.

Housing (next) Week

Aug. 17 to 22 is Housing Week in Madison, putting a focus on the way population growth and development priorities are constricting access to homes for so many people in Madison and Dane County.

Housing Week logo

Presented by the Madison Housing Coalition — which includes Madison Bikes and many other groups working toward safe and livable cities — Housing Week offers and event or two each day covering aspects of problems in the Madison area and potential solutions.

Some highlights:

• Aug. 17, 3 p.m.: Missing Middle Walking Tour. Starting from Lapham Elementary, 1045 E. Dayton St., a 60-minute walk exploring “missing middle” (housing that falls between single-family and higher-density apartment buildings) in the Tenney-Lapham neighborhood.

Aug. 21, noon: Complete Neighborhoods, with the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission. Commission members address the importance of planning for a mix of housing in new and existing neighborhoods. On Zoom.

• Aug. 22, 6 p.m.: Dane County executive debate on housing issues, with general election candidates and Jason Joyce of Isthmus, at The Tinsmith, 828 E. Main St.

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.

Categories
Weekly Update

Area plans, Mifflin diverters, Cannonball Path extension; Give it a Whirl

Northeast and West Area Plans at TC

Two area plans were on the agenda for the Transportation Commission last week: The Northeast Area Plan and the West Area Plan.

For the Northeast Area Plan, the recommendations for the bike network largely remained unchanged from what was presented earlier in the year. City staff asked the commission to consider adding some additional bike connections in the context of WisDOT’s Stoughton Road study:

Most notably, as a result of City of Madison comments, WisDOT is considering an off-street path on the east side of Highway 51 between East Washington Avenue and the planned Hiestand Path south of Highway 30. Of particular concern is the grade separated crossing for pedestrians and cyclists on the south side of the Highway 30 interchange. Safe pedestrian and bicycle crossings are a basic part of interchange design.

The commission recommended adoption of the plan with these changes included. Here’s a map of the full bike network plan:

The plan will now go through various other city commissions and come before the Common Council for final adoption on September 10.

The West Area Plan was recommended for approval as well. In terms of biking, two changes from the previous draft were included in the recommendation: The east-west connection through the Sauk Greenway remained part of the recommendation, but with changes to the specific language:

Based on public feedback for the east-west path, this is
how the recommendation changed between the last two public feedback phases: Changed from “During the Sauk Creek Greenway Corridor Plan, use detailed engineering data to design West Area Plan July 31 st TC Meeting an All Ages and Abilities shared use path from Brule Circle to Walnut Grove Park through the greenway using environmentally sensitive best practices and minimizing impacts to trees” to “During the Sauk Creek Greenway Corridor Plan, use detailed engineering data to consider the impacts and benefits of adding an All Ages and Abilities shared-use path to make an east-west
connection across the greenway to Walnut Grove Park” and “Any All Ages and Abilities path should be designed using environmentally sensitive best practices and minimizing impacts to trees and other vegetation, wildlife habitat, and adjacent properties.”

In practical terms, staff explained that they would conduct a corridor study about the east/west connection that would evaluate various options for creating a connection in this area. The north/south path through Sauk Creek was not re-added to the plan.

The other change was about a crossing of the Beltline: The previous version of the plan had proposed a bike/ped connection across the Beltline between Tokay Blvd and Forward Dr (solid blue line). Based on more analysis, that connection was not shifted to the east (blue dashed line) because it was more feasible.

This motion passed, with two no votes, from Alder Harrington McKinney and resident appointee Denise Jess. Next in the process are other city commissions, and on September 10, the Common Council will vote on the plan.

Railroad Commissioner kills Cannonball Path extension

The project was funded and ready to be built this year. But because it involved new railroad crossings, the Cannonball Path extension between Fish Hatchery Road and the Wingra Creek Path needed the approval of the Office of the Commissioner of the Railroads. After many months, the office released their final verdict: The city is not allowed to go forward with the project. You can read the whole analysis here: https://apps.psc.wi.gov/ERF/ERFview/viewdoc.aspx?docid=509679 The city is now evaluating its options, but this is a major setback for the project.

Diverters on Mifflin: Test is coming

There have been many complaints about the E Mifflin Bike Boulevard: The road is wide; traffic volumes are high, and people in car often speed. One way to fix this: Diverters. These are pieces of infrastructure that let through people on bikes but limit access for motor vehicles in one or more directions. E Mifflin already has one diverter, at Blair St. This fall, the city will test another diverter, at Mifflin and Paterson, next to Reynolds Park. Westbound Mifflin at Paterson will get a “Do not enter. Except bikes” sign. The city will collect traffic volume, speed, and resident feedback data before, during, and after the test to inform a final design. The exact timing of the test is not determined yet.

One of the possible diverter designs. Source: City of Madison

Give it a Whirl Day in September

Do you now any girls interested in mountain biking? They may be interested in the Give it a Whirl Day on September 9.

This program is an all-girls, Give it a Whirl Day held at Quarry Ridge Recreation Area. With over 3 miles of spectacular trails, the park is a mountain bikers paradise! And better yet, it’s a Little Bellas paradise too!

Our Give it a Whirl day aims to get girls of all abilities either introduced to the sport or help them develop an already present interest. Based around having fun, we play lots of games (on and off the bike), explore and ride trails, and incorporate basic bike skills.

We also use the mountain bike experience to help the girls gain confidence, build camaraderie with other girls on bikes, seek out new adventures, and get outdoors! These are learning skills your daughter can take with her throughout life.

It is a great opportunity for girls looking to try out mountain biking as well as for those who are looking to explore some new trails in their area!

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.

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Weekly Update

West/Northeast Area Plans + Ride the Drive

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

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

A man in a red shirt rides a double-decker bike, assisted by two people. Cyclists in the background look on with curiosity.
My brother-in-law Vince at Ride the Drive 2019

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

West Area Plan Review Process

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Categories
Weekly Update

Summer rides, and detours

This week’s image is just a reminder that we see so much more when we are biking. I spotted this sandhill crane next to the Campus Dr Path. We watched each other from a distance of a couple dozen feet for about 15 minutes, until we both got bored. When we bike, we are more likely to see amazing sights such as this, and we can easily stop to enjoy them.

It’s been a quiet week, and the week ahead is pretty sleepy as well, if you don’t count construction that will either close or slow parts of two important trails. Ah, road construction even hits the paths we use.

The week ahead

Monday

Pedal and Paddle Community meeting

Do you like to bike? Do you like to paddle? Then July’s community event is for you. 6:00-7:00 pm at the Central Library on W Mifflin, Room 104. Beverages and snacks provided.

Local author and silent sports disciple Timothy Bauer will offer a fun and informative presentation on combining pedaling and paddling, along with helpful basics, tricks, and considerations to get things started. All are welcome, no experience necessary.

Wisconsin has oodles of dedicated trails throughout the state — most of which cross over or even run alongside beautiful rivers. In Madison, we have beautiful lakes visible on almost every bike ride. 

Bike Fitchburg monthly meeting

Also on Monday, Bike Fitchburg will hold their monthly meeting 7:00pm – 8:30pm, Fitchburg Senior Center, 5510 Lacy Rd

Thursday

The Joint Campus Area Committee – a city committee comprised of UW entities and representatives from surrounding neighborhoods – will meet virtually at 4:45 pm. The committee receives various updates on campus projects, holes in the ground, and the buildings you see going up. The primary item of transportation interest will be an update on the survey and planning for updates to the Howard Temin Lakeshore Path – the subject of a recent public meeting and some discussion on the Madison Bikes Facebook discussion group – and improvements to the path where it passes the Limnology building. 

Construction and detours

Post Farm Path in Shorewood Hills to close

Also a reminder that the portion of the Post Farm Path from Marshall Ct to Perdue in Shorewood Hills – that’s the piece that runs between the pool and the RR tracks – will be closed starting Monday. You can still get through by using the old path north of the pool, but please be careful and yield to the many pedestrians, including lots of kids, that are in the area.

Sometime in August, the entire route from Shorewood Blvd to Marshall Ct will be completely closed, and the only option will be local streets through Shorewood Hills or crossing to the south side of University Ave. More on that as the time approaches. All this inconvenience is due to the need to replace a large sewer pipe that is directly under the path.

Cap City Trail

Sections of the Capital City Trail will be undergoing maintenance July 22 – Aug 2, 2024 from 6:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. The trail will remain open but expect to slow or stop when you see maintenance signs, vehicles on trails, or staff working. Staff will help direct trail users around areas where culverts are being installed. The sections of trail that will be impacted are: Syene Road to Verona Rd. and Syene Road to Glacier Valley

Request for participation in UW study

Students from the UW-Madison Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture are conducting research on bicycle habits and safety perceptions in the Madison area. Your participation will be greatly appreciated, and will be used with local partners to help improve bicycling in Madison. 

You can complete the survey here: https://arcg.is/1yr9yy0

You are encouraged to share this survey with those around you, both riders AND non-riders, as this survey has questions for all people, regardless of how much riding they do. 

Community rides

Friday is the weekly e-bikes lunch ride from Machinery Row, although all types of bikes are welcome. It is described as, “a casual-pace ride starting at noon from Machinery Row Bicycles to a local eatery for lunch.” 

Sunday is the weekly Century Training Ride with two pace groups leaving from Machinery Row at 8:00 am. Routes vary.

For more information on both of these rides, connect with @machineryrowbikes on IG or FB for the route each week or contact lauren@machineryrowbicycles.com to join the email list.

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.

Categories
Weekly Update

Plans, Paths, and funding

map of Howard Temin Lakeshore Path study area on UW campus

Other than the blazing hot weather we’ve been experiencing, making biking a soggy and exhausting affair, things have been pretty quiet this last week. 

I had a friend visiting, and he wanted to go to the Fete de Marquette while I had an appointment. “Will there be bike parking?” he asked, since he’s bike touring. Well, there’s good news and bad news on that front. I assured him there was lots of bike parking, but finding an empty spot was like a game of “Where’s Waldo.” He took my suggestion and parked a few blocks away to find a relatively safe and clear spot for his Surly. 

Even after spending a few days cruising around Madison and seeing everyone on bikes, and knowing our reputation for being bike-friendly, I think he was taken aback by the shear volume of bikes parked at Fete.

The week ahead

In big and small ways, we are starting to see resistance to planning, funding and building bike and pedestrians infrastructure. In addition, with the looming budget deficit and possible referendum, a few folks have decided that even matching funds for federal grants are ill-advised, if the grant would improve walking and biking.

Take a look at the items coming up this week, and make sure to let your elected officials know if you think these are good investments in our community.

Tuesday

At the Council

Two city plans starting final review process

At the Council, both the Northeast Plan and the West Area Plan formal adoption process are beginning. These plans are the first of 12 that will be adopted over the next few years, and each area plan has transportation components as well as land use and zoning elements. 

The controversial proposal to build both a north-south and east-west paths through the Sauk Creek Greenway was one of the transportation recommendations in the West Area Plan. After neighborhood objections, the north-south path was removed by city staff from the West Area Plan. 

These two plans will  move through various committees over the next several months, and each committee can make final recommendations for what should be included in the plans. Then they come back to the Council for final adoption. The two plans will be at the Transportation Commission on July 31. 

Northside bike/ped facility grant application

City is applying for a federal grant to develop a plan and design for an all-ages-and-abilities facility from the north side. One comment was received saying that the city shouldn’t apply because local matching funds would be required. 

Curb management grant application

The writer of the above-mentioned objection to the federal money also objects to another item on the agenda that would apply to the Wisconsin DOT Carbon Reduction Program to begin a study of curb management. In this case, the local match would be paid from the Parking Utility funds, which are completely separate from the city general fund, so the matching funds wouldn’t affect the deficit one way or another.

Curb management is studying and laying out policies for the entire curb area based on surrounding land use and the needs identified. The curb area is most often used for car parking, but could also be used for street cafes, bike sharing kiosks, bike lanes, loading/drop-off zones (for deliveries or taxi/Uber/Lyft), street amenities like benches and trees, bus-priority lanes, or even additional personal vehicle movement. 

Many cities have studied curb management and developed policies that use this precious space efficiently and equitably. A study of needs and best use of the this limited resource in various areas of the city is the first step in developing a curb management policy that serves all in the community.

UW Lakeshore Trail survey and meeting

If you ride the UW Lakeshore Trail from Willow Creek east to the Limnology Building, you know that parts of it are unpaved and unlit. The unpaved areas can be wet, muddy, and/or icy, depending on the season and recent weather. And with no lighting, it’s hard to see the ice, puddles, and ruts during the long winter nights. (This was my commute to my UW campus job, and I had to find a new winter route, because I didn’t trust the surface when I got off work after dark. Even in the daytime, the trail was often very rutted and slippery.)

Now, the UW is considering paving and lighting the path. They will hold a meeting on Tuesday, July 16, from 5-8 p.m. at the Memorial Union. They also have a survey available online and a map where you can comment about specific locations of concern. 

Wednesday

Transportation Commission

The Transportation Commission will meet on Wednesday, but the agenda is fairly short. The one item of interest to bicyclists might be a report on the first year of the city Transportation Demand Management program and suggested modifications. The city TDM program requires that any new, or substantially-changed land use, as well as any request to increase parking, take measures to offset demands for driving and parking. It will be interesting to hear how the program is going after a year.

TDM aims to both increase transportation options and decrease [motor] vehicle miles traveled. The requirements of the program are reviewed as part of the standard land use approvals. Applicants are assigned a certain number of points to offset parking and driving and can earn these points by reducing or limiting parking, providing incentives to use transportation options other than driving, and educational efforts on transportation options for residents and commercial tenants. Examples in the bicycle realm might be classes on finding a comfortable bike route or how to be comfortable riding in traffic, providing BCycle memberships, bike parking and amenities above and beyond minimum requirements, providing showers and lockers, etc.

Community events and rides this week

Monday: Madison Bikes board meets at the Central Library at 6:00 pm. All are welcome

Friday: Lunch brunch e-bike ride leaves from Machinery Row at noon for a casual social ride to a lunch spot. All types of bikes welcome.

Sunday: Century Training Club leaves from Machinery Row at 8:00 am with two pace groups.

For more details on community events, including contacts for questions, see the Madison Bikes Community Calendar.

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.

Categories
Weekly Update

New Arb & LYRT Paths Open

Looking southerly up Seminole Hwy at the new Arboretum access trail (photo: Ben Sandee)

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

This Week

Bike Rides

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

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

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

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

Path Updates

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

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

Credit: Ben Sandee

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

Credit: Harald Kliems

Looking Ahead

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

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

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

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

Categories
Bike News Newsletter Weekly Update

Volunteer Op; Group Rides; Best in the State

“Bike Week Path Awesomeness” event, 2024

Welcome to this week’s newsletter! Summer is in full swing and it’s a great time to ride your bike to get where you need to go, or just ride for fun.

It’s a light week in terms of biking advocacy. Here’s what you should know.

Volunteer Opportunity: Ride the Drive

As we mentioned last week, Parks is looking for volunteers to help with Ride the Drive on August 11th. They need help with things from setup to photography to intersection guides and more. If you aren’t familiar, Ride the Drive is a form of Open Streets celebration where select major streets around town are closed to cars and open to walking or rolling. Vendors will be set up along the route for food and drinks and other exciting things. Volunteers will also get a free Ride the Drive T-shirt. You can read more about the various roles and sign up to help here.

The map of streets and hub locations for Ride the Drive

Machinery Row Rides

Are you interested in riding 100 miles? It sounds like a huge amount, but you may be capable of more than you think! Machinery Row is hosting a series of Century Training Club rides designed to help you train for a century ride by the end of the Summer. It’s not too late to join and get in some longer rides and make some cool new friends! They meet at Machinery Row every Sunday at 8 AM through September 1st. Join soon, since the longer you wait the longer the rides will be!

Riders line up to begin a Century Training Club ride

Are you an e-biker and want to meet other fellow electric bike enjoyers? Consider joining Machinery Row’s other option: Lunch Bunch E-Bike Rides, which go down every Friday from 12-2 PM. The rides are a casual pace and include a lunch stop! Rental options are available though the store or through Madison BCycle.

Best WI City for Biking?

If you didn’t catch PeopleForBike’s city ratings yet, here’s what they found. According to their latest rankings for 2024, the best city for biking in Wisconsin is Washburn, located in Chequamegon Bay, about 50 miles East of Duluth, MN. Washburn also ranked 5th out of the 2579 cities evaluated across the country. Madison is rated 13th in Wisconsin and 86th in the country.

Why is a town of 2,025 people a better place to bike than Madison with all of our paths and great bike infrastructure? Well, to understand that, we have to understand how it’s scored. The score is a “Bicycle Network Analysis” and it is intended to measure how well the bike network gets people to where they need to go. In further detail:

A low score (0-20) indicates a weak bike network, meaning the city lacks safe bikeways or there are gaps in the network. A high score (80-100) indicates that most common destinations are accessible by safe, comfortable bike routes that serve people of all ages and abilities.

https://cityratings.peopleforbikes.org/about/how-city-ratings-works

So my interpretation is Washburn is highly rated because it’s easier to get all your basic needs by bicycle for most of the people living there. The town is about two miles end-to-end and almost all residents live in safe biking distance from school, groceries, the doctor, or any of their other basic needs. Most importantly, the safe, bikeable areas are well connected so more people feel comfortable getting to their destination by bike.

Washburn, WI’s Bicycle Network Analysis score map.

Compared to Madison, Washburn is much more connected. Madison, especially farther on the outskirts (like West/South of the Beltline or East of Stoughton Rd.) would be really tough places to live without a car. While we have some great trails for commuting and recreational riding, there are still lots of areas where it’s very uncomfortable to ride due to high traffic speeds. Furthermore, due to the design of some suburban neighborhoods, traveling only by residential or slow traffic streets is mostly impossible. Washburn, on the other hand, while admittedly much smaller, is a grid of mostly low speed streets.

The grid system also makes a city more walkable. No winding, sprawling suburban streets that take you nowhere (except around the block). Yes, I realize there are some large lakes in Madison that prevent it from being a perfect grid. No, a grid is not impossible in Madison and more grid-based design would make the city better for biking, assuming it were combined with some hefty rezoning, but that’s another story.

Madison’s Bicycle Network Analysis score map.

It’s not all bad for Madison, though. PeopleForBikes recognized it as a “2024 City on the Rise” due to the city staff’s recognition and participation in bicycling and bike-related projects. The total score rose from a 50 in 2020 to a 60 in 2024, which is a really great improvement considering the average score across all US cities measured is only 28.

What are your thoughts on the PeopleForBikes city ratings? Are there any areas of Madison you bike in that you wish were better connected?

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.