On Thursday, City Engineering and Strand Associates unveiled an updated East Johnson Street proposalfor the reconstruction between Baldwin and First Street. Their first draft, shared with the public back in April, called for 4′ unbuffered bike lanes along Johnson. There was significant feedback from the public at this first meeting that this was an inappropriate design and that it would not accommodate users of all ages and abilities.
City Engineering and Strand (the contractor for this project) went back to the drawing board and, based on that feedback, came back with a much improved concept. This new proposal includes a two-way separated multi-use path from Baldwin through the end of the project limits at First Street (see image above). This is a significantly improved design and shows the value of a real commitment to public input.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t very much time for questions and dialogue as another group needed to use the space, so many questions about the project remain unanswered. Of primary importance are the following:
How will people on bike travelling east on Johnson Street connect to this 2-way facility at Baldwin?
How does this serve the predominantly low-income residents of Sherman Terrace and those connecting to/from Fordem Avenue?
How does this address the disastrous First Street crossing for people on foot and on bike?
How do we improve access for people on bikes on First Street, especially given the proposed six lanes of motor vehicle traffic and the critical importance for bike and pedestrian access to the planned public market?
I’m hopeful that the design team will schedule additional time for public deliberation before committing to a final recommendation. In the meantime, you can review all the information available for the project here and send your feedback and questions to: Chris Petykowski, Alder Zellers, and Alder Palm.
This week
This week Tuesday, WisDOT is holding a Public Involvement Meeting to receive feedback and input on six corridor improvement alternatives for I39/90/94 from Madison to Portage. The primary question on the table will be about expansion. This won’t have a significant direct impact on biking in Madison, but is an important piece of the larger transportation puzzle.
And then on Saturday, treat yourself to a fun afternoon at the Winter Bike Fashion Show at High Noon Saloon. Doors open at 11:30 and the show starts at noon. This is a great event to bring a winter bike curious friend.
Not much to report from last week, but there are some interesting happenings in the week ahead.
On Monday, both the Madison Bikes Board and our Events Committee will meet with a focus on the final preparations for our Winter Bike Fashion Show at High Noon Saloon. You can still send us pictures of your winter bikes, gear, and adventures at winterbike@madisonbikes.org, to be featured on the blog and/or at the Fashion Show.
On Tuesday, get yourself to your polling place (if you haven’t already). Madison B-Cycle is offering free rides on election day, so there’s no excuse.
On Wednesday, the Bicycle Facility Maintenance Maintenance Policy Workgroup will meet to review the draft Bikeway Maintenance policy along with a first draft of a map that will help winter cyclists identify which routes receive priority clearing after a snow event.
If you’re looking for one meeting to attend this week, I’d suggest Thursday’s East Johnson Street Reconstruction Meeting. Engineering will unveil their updated plan based on feedback from their first public meeting earlier this year. This will be a critical connector between Baldwin and First Street and will also include some potentially big alterations to First Street as well. Come see the plans and share your thoughts with city staff.
This is a guest post by Jacob Musha, sharing his advice for riding all throughout winter in relative comfort. As you’ll see at the upcoming Bike Winter Fashion Show, everyone’s approach to this is a little different, and a lot of it depends on where and how far you’re riding. If you want to share your tips, you can do so in the comments below or write your own guest blog post! Just contact us at winterbike@madisonbikes.org.
I’ve been bike commuting daily in Wisconsin winters for eight years. The response I get from nearly everyone, even fair-weather cyclists, is “you’re crazy,” followed by, “I don’t know how you do it.” The truth is that you don’t need to be a polar bear to bike in the winter. I’m so averse to cold that I shiver in swimming pools when the water temperature is below 80F… The key is to dress correctly.
The most important thing is to protect the extremities. Your body is good at keeping itself warm during exercise, but if your fingers, toes, and face are cold, you’ll be miserable.
I’m particularly frugal and only spend when I decide it’s absolutely necessary. The things on this list are worth every penny, in my opinion. And what’s even better, if you live in Madison, you probably already own many of these items. Keep in mind that the following is based on what works for me – personal preferences vary. I have no relation to any of the businesses listed and I’m not getting any benefit from mentioning them. I’m only including specific products because I know they work.
The Hands: I like mittens. Mittens keep your hands warmer because your fingers are all together. I wear a pair of thin wool mittens covered by a heavier pair of “chopper mitts.” Last year I found a great pair that also have a 100g Thinsulate liner. Thinsulate is a magic material developed by 3M that seems to act as a wind breaker more than anything, making it perfect for winter biking. I’ve used mittens with and without Thinsulate, and the difference is immediately noticeable. I always buy mittens in the largest size available so I can fit smaller mittens inside.
For truly cold weather I have a pair of IceArmor Extreme mittens. These have a 150g Thinsulate liner. They are bulky and not fun to wear, but they kept my hands warm on a 30-mile ride at -18F. Actually I can’t wear them when it’s above 0F because they make my hands sweat…
The Feet: Normal winter boots work, but I find them heavy and bulky. I also like to be clipped in which requires a cycling-specific boot. Whatever you buy, I suggest getting them big enough that you can fit two heavy wool socks inside with plenty of wiggle room. Trying to stuff a thick sock into a small boot reduces its thickness and therefore its ability to insulate. Don’t do it. When I bought my 45NRTH Wölvhammer boots last year I brought my socks with me to try them on. I ended up getting a pair five sizes larger than my summer road shoes! They kept me warm on that same ride at -18F. To be honest though, they are overkill for most conditions and they’re quite expensive. For most rides including daily commuting I have a pair of Northwave Celsius Artic boots (that seem to be discontinued, or different than the ones I bought years ago) that are big enough to fit one pair of wool socks. If I’d bought these in the correct size they might be as warm as the Wölvhammers, but I will never know since I bought them too small. They are okay down to about 10F.
I mentioned socks. Thick wool socks are available at Fleet Farm and similar stores, but my favorite is the SmartWool Extra Heavy, which I bought online. I think they’re intended for hunting and they’re the thickest and warmest socks I’ve come across.
The Face: A face mask/balaclava is a must for me. I usually wear two: a thin one covered by a thicker one. Last year I finally bought a pair of ski-goggles and the helmet to go with, something I wish I would’ve done years ago. Bring your hat/mask when you try on helmets and goggles to make sure everything fits together.
The Legs: Lots of things can work here. I often wear jeans on top of generic long underwear. Last year I found a pair of casual dress pants at a thrift store that are more comfortable than jeans, just as warm, and seem to last longer. When it’s very cold I’ll wear two pairs of long underwear. I’ve never needed anything more than that.
The Body: Anything that keeps you warm without being so warm that you sweat. Not only is sweating uncomfortable, it’s dangerous if you stop exercising because the excess moisture can cause hypothermia. I generally wear a t-shirt, sweatshirt/sweater, and light jacket. Only when it’s very cold do I use my winter jacket. Note that this depends on your riding intensity. If you’re just puttering along, you will have to dress warmer. If you’re racing, you’ll want to wear less. Layers are good and having a saddle bag to stuff them in if you get too hot is nice.
Note: if you do research online you’ll see things like “cotton kills” and “never wear a t-shirt!” but in my experience that advice is overblown. A fancy wicking base layer might be more comfortable but as long as you don’t let yourself get sweaty a t-shirt is perfectly fine. If you’re getting sweaty, you’re dressed too heavily and you should take something off anyway.
The Bike: Your bike will likely need some preparation. It should be in well-maintained condition. If it’s not, winter will quickly expose its weaknesses. Tires with some kind of tread or knobs are a must – completely slick tires simply don’t work in snow. Studded tires are popular due to their added traction on ice, but they are also heavy, slow, and expensive. After crashing on ice several times last winter I’m giving studded tires a try for the first time this winter. Lights are another must have since winter is the darkest time of the year. Full fenders (not the cheesy half fenders or clip-ons) are really nice and I won’t ride without them. They not only protect you from nasty road spray, but they also protect your bike and help the components last longer.
Conclusion: The goal of my winter gear is to keep me sustainably warm for as many hours as I’m out in the cold. I don’t use throwaway chemical hand warmers because I want my clothes to keep me warm on their own. If you have a short commute to work you can probably skip over some of this. For example, you won’t need serious winter boots because it usually takes half an hour for the feet to become cold. By that time you’ll be at your destination.
On Monday, Robbie and I had a nice chat with Brian Standing on WORT’s 8 O’Clock Buzz. Check it out here or on the WORT FM website. As a reminder, you can find all past news coverage of Madison Bikes here.
https://soundcloud.com/wort-fm/madison-bikes
Tuesday’s Pedestrian, Bicycle, Motor Vehicle Commission meeting had a full agenda including a first look at a number of upcoming cross sections and a review of a new Request for Proposal for the Downtown Bike Center that will be built at Judge Doyle Square. I raised a number of questions and concerns about the RFP, referencing details found in this 2012 Report. While I’m very supportive of the bike center in concept, I think there’s a good chance of it failing if it’s not implemented and operated effectively. What could be worse publicity than a $1M bike investment in the heart of downtown that goes underutilized? As always, PBMVC meetings are available to watch online for anyone interested in tuning in live or watching the recordings.
And while I was at PBMVC, Harald stopped in at Hotel Red for the Regent Street/South Campus open house. A neighborhood plan was already adopted back in 2007. But while that plan sets some priorities and parameters for development, this open house was intended to carry the conversation forward and look at various options for bringing the plan to life. Biking featured fairly prominently, with ideas like improving the SW Path or to “explore bike opportunities” in the area of Regent Street where Budget Bicycle Center is located. Providing bike facilities on Regent Street, however, didn’t seem to be part of any plan. It didn’t become clear during the open house what the next steps are going to be or who to direct feedback to.
On Wednesday, the Transportation Ordinance Rewrite Committee continued its work on reimagining and rewriting Madison’s transportation ordinance. It seems like the group has settled on the concept of creating a new Transportation Planning and Policy Board and is looking at potentially combining all of the other transportation commissions into a new single Transportation Commission. While there is certainly value in connecting the dots between the various elements of our transportation system, the new commission is currently drafted to have only seven seats with no requirement for representatives from any of the transportation modes that we are trying to strengthen (ped, bike, transit). This is really important and fundamental work, so please stay tuned and be ready to advocate to keep cycling’s seat at the table.
On Thursday, Alder Eskrich and city staff rolled out their vision for a reconstructed Monroe Street. After months of planning, a series of public input sessions, and an online survey all calling for significant improvements to pedestrian and bicycle accommodations and a commitment to green infrastructure, the proposal instead continues to prioritize motor vehicle throughput and on-street parking by not changing anything. That’s right: The rush hour travel lanes and miles of underutilized street parking will remain untouched and people on bikes and on foot will continue to watch from the sidelines. There’s a lot to dig into with this project and, in particular, the failed public engagement process. The proposal will go to the Pedestrian, Bicycle, Motor Vehicle Commission in November, Board of Public Works in December, and then will look for final approval at the Common Council meeting in January.
This Week
There are two opportunities to get involved directly with Madison Bikes this week. On Tuesday, join the Communications Committee at Cafe Hollander and, Wednesday, meet up with the Advocacy Committee at Cargo Coffee. Check the calendar for details and feel free to stop in and check it out.
On Thursday, there’s a Public Market Site Design workshop: “As the City continues to make progress on implementation of the Public Market, this workshop will be an opportunity to discuss the site design and how the Public Market connects with surroundings amenities, natural features, properties, infrastructure, etc.” Getting meaningful access by bike is often best accomplished at this early design phase.
And, on Friday, you have an opportunity to support the Bike Fed and statewide bike advocacy by attending the 2016 Saris Gala.
Last week, Madison Bikes joined City of Madison Traffic Engineering for a webinar and discussion on “Safer Intersections for Peds & Cyclists.” The focus of the webinar was on protected bike lanes, and examples were shown from Vancouver and the Netherlands. Protected intersections are ultimately an extension of protected bike lanes, so we’ll need to work on getting a few protected lanes installed before we can take advantage of the designs shared here. City staff said that there are currently no plans for a protected bike lane in the city…
In other news, buses will be returning to a newly reconstructed Jenifer Street, which has also received bike sharrows. The new cross section is 2′ narrower than it was before reconstruction and also features some bump outs for improved pedestrian crossing. Time will tell how these small adjustments will affect bike travel on Jenny.
The Madison in Motion Oversight Committee talked some more about performance measures and will start sending the draft plan around to city committees with hopes of council adoption in early 2017.
And the Madison Bikes Events Committee continued its planning for the Winter Bike Fashion Show slated for Saturday, November 19 at High Noon Saloon.
Monday:Robbie and Grant will talk Madison Bikes on WORT 8 O’Clock Buzz, and at 5:30 pm city staff give a complete streets presentation in the Lake Edge neighborhood in response to some neighbors’ concerns about adding sidewalks and bike lanes on an upcoming project.
Tuesday: The Pedestrian, Bike, and Motor Vehicle Commission includes a review of an Request for Proposals for a Bike Center operator in the new Judge Doyle Square project downtown. At 6:00 pm at Hotel Red there’s a Regent Street Visioning Open House.
Wednesday: Work continues on rewriting the city’s transportation ordinance including an updated transportation committee structure at this month’s Transportation Ordinance Review Committee meeting.
Thursday: City staff will present a new proposed cross section at the Monroe Street Cross Section Open House at Edgewood College at 6:00 pm. This is the last planned public meeting before the design moves through city committees and the council.
Three ways you can be involved and share your love of winter riding:
Volunteer to be a Madison Bikes Winter Fashion Show Model!
We’re looking for folks to model “shoulder season” gear that gets you through late fall and or early spring rides.
We’re looking for models for“deep winter” gear that gets you through the coldest and darkest days.
Our credo at Madison Bikes is “all ages, all abilities.” We welcome models of all body shapes, genders, ages, colors, levels of experience.
No technical gear necessary, in fact we’d love to see what DIY and/or inexpensive solutions you’ve found for keeping warm and dry!
All models must:
Be able to commit to be available on November 19 from 11:30am to 2:30pm.
Complete a brief application (below) by November 5
We’ll let you know by November 12 if you can expect to be walking the catwalk!
Volunteer to host a bike station at the fashion show!
We’re looking for folks to have their winter bikes on display at the fashion show. Volunteers will chat with others at intermission and throughout the show about their bikes and the bike gear that they use. Come share your winter bike solutions!
All bike station volunteers must:
Complete a brief application (below) by November 5
Send your three favorite winter biking photos to winterbike@madisonbikes.org! This could be a picture of yourself, your winter bike, your winter gear, or a great ride in winter. Along with your pictures, feel free to include a tip or two about winter biking, or share one of your winter biking experiences. We’ll compile these pictures and feature some of them on our website and during the Fashion Show. Help spread love and excitement around winter riding!
Please complete the following information to help us gather a sense of who you are and what gets you excited about winter biking. You can be brief: a bulleted list, a couple of sentences, or a short paragraph for each response. Send them to winterbike@madisonbikes.org
Name:
Email address:
Phone number:
Your Age:
Describe the type of winter biking you love to do. Tell us where you go and why etc.:
What kind of bike do you ride?
What do you change on your bike or add to your bike for winter riding?
What are some of the key items that you wear for winter biking?
What tips do you have for the winter bike curious?
What do you enjoy most about winter biking?
Tell us a story about an experience you’ve had winter biking.
Editor’s note: This guest post is crossposted from Kierstin Kloeckner’s blog. Kierstin is a cyclist and bike advocate who lives and works in Middleton. Last week she she organized the Middleton Bike Infrastructure Ride to highlight the significant gaps in cycling infrastructure in Middleton, especially when it comes to accommodating people commuting and kids getting to and from school. And some concrete results have already started to materialize.
Once in awhile, an experience is presented to us when something really bad can be turned into something possibly good. It’s usually a split second decision that will tip it in one direction or another. This past week, I was given a chance to prove, not to anyone else but myself, that this can sometimes happen.
I was biking home from work on a sunny Monday afternoon around 2pm. Traffic on Century Avenue, the road I take at least twice a day, was a bit heavier than usual, but nowhere near rush hour intensity. This road I am forced to take, because there is no good alternative, is a narrow four lane which runs through a mostly residential area. There are no bike lanes or paths, even though many of the bike commuters and parents in the area have for a long time been begging the city to build one or the other. The speed limit is 35 mph–too fast in my mind for a residential area with parks, a plethora of children, and poorly maintained sidewalks. People, however, rarely travel 35mph. Most go 45-50 mph, and the police won’t ticket anyone unless they are above the 45 mph mark. This road is a corridor leading to more suburbs or an alternative route to the East side of the city. Drivers always seem either in a hurry or extremely distracted, since weekly I have “close calls” even though I am a very courteous, predictable, and skilled cyclist.
That particular Monday, I became the victim of a road bully. A driver who chooses to use their vehicle not as transportation but as a weapon. I was forced off the road, went over my bars, and landed on my shoulder and neck. I was hurt, thankfully not badly, and yet not one person stopped, including of course the person who ran me off the road. I got up, did the head-to-toe check, checked my bike, and proceeded to walk the rest of the way since I was so shaken up and my bike needed some TLC. I went into urgent care to get checked out, fearing a fracture and impinged nerve, called the cops to make a report, and began to think. I thought about what this incident meant to me. I knew that it could happen again, maybe the next day, or the day after, and if not to me, to anyone else in the neighborhood. I knew the next time it could mean death.
Because poor bike/pedestrian infrastructure was not a new issue for my area of Middleton, I had little hope that changes would be made if I just made yet another report reported to the city. I knew I had to raise my voice a bit and get others to do the same in a constructive way. That night, I planned an infrastructure ride for the following Monday. I invited people through Facebook, Nextdoor, and word of mouth. I wanted to get other’s view on the problems in the area and I wanted them to report the things they felt needed to be changed. I didn’t want to stand alone anymore on these issues and decided the only way I could do it was to get folks out on bikes to experience riding this and other unsafe roads in the area.
The route I chose was just 3.5 miles long, but from past experiences, I knew overwhelming folks with too many problems wouldn’t solve anything. Instead, my hope was to point out key projects and issues, and if it worked, I would plan another ride, for a different area, come spring. Eighteen people showed, including several parents and three children. Almost everyone had the same reaction to the lack of safe infrastructure and lack of city support. I no longer felt alone or without a voice. Although eighteen isn’t many people, it was a start, and since I also got an overwhelming amount of feedback via social media from those who couldn’t make the ride, I began to think, “Yeah, maybe things can and will change.”
Working in a grassroots way isn’t by any means a new thing. Madison Bikes was just formed this year due to an overwhelming need to have a stronger local bike advocacy, in addition to a state wide one. In a matter of months, their membership has grown to over 500, and together they will work to make cycling as well as walking safer in Madison and the surrounding communities. I have always believed that change starts with one drop of water, and groups like this are proof that big changes can be made by small starts. My hope, by planning this ride and educating myself and others in Middleton about how we can make it safer for children to bike to school and adults to work or for errands, that slowly changes will occur. I’m also hoping a group similar to Madison Bikes, will form in Middleton and work with not only Madison, but other suburbs in the county. It takes a village, or two, or three…
Update: Good news! Kierstin’s initiative has already led to change: “Good news on the Middleton front. In just one week since the infrastructure ride, changes are already occurring. I, along with several others, made a list of changes that need to be made (short and long term) and sent it to Mark Opitz. Already, several things on the list have been addressed. Thanks go out to those of you who rode with my group and those who supported my efforts. I’ll keep things rolling and plan on doing another ride next spring.”
The week started out with an event in Middleton: Local cyclist and bike advocate Kierstin, who the week before had been forced off the road by a person driving aggressively, organized a Middleton Bike Infrastructure Ride on Monday evening. The ride showcased some of the significant gaps in the bike network in Middleton and brought together both local advocates and supporters from Madison (and Madison Bikes…). Kierstin will publish a guest post about her the ride and her efforts on the Madison Bikes blog later this week.
It turns out all the traffic at Warner Park on Thursday was actually there to watch the Mallards play and not to carry in hundreds of participants for the Regional Transportation Plan 2050 Public Involvement Meeting. In fact, I’m not sure if there was anyone in attendance who wasn’t a staff person, transportation committee member or reporter. I didn’t stay for the whole slide deck, but I did look at all of the maps that depicted current and future bike routes. I think there’s a lot of work needed on these maps to make them meaningful sources of information. On the pedestrian side, there are clearly marked Tier 1 and Tier 2 priority gaps that are prioritized for improvements. On the bike side, there’s no way at all to tell where the most important gaps are currently or how we should go about prioritizing. Until we start clearly identifying our current All Ages and Abilities/Low Stress bike network and the missing links, we’re going to continue to struggle to make any real headway. These maps aren’t up yet, but should be available online soon.
Monday: The Madison Bikes Events Committee meets to continue planning for the Winter Bike Fashion Show slated for Saturday, November 19 at the High Noon Saloon.
Wednesday: On Wednesday, City of Madison Traffic Engineering is hosting a Webinar & Chat: Safer Intersections for Peds & Cyclists at the Madison Municipal Building at 2:00pm. The event is open to anyone, but please RSVP on the linked Facebook page.
At 5:00, the Transit & Parking Commission meeting begins and will include an informational presentation on a potential bus route move from Jenifer to Williamson Street.
Also at 5:00 will also be another chance to see the Regional Transportation Plan 2050 presentation, this time at Middleton’s city hall.
Thursday: Madison in Motion Oversight Committee meets for the first time since June. They’ll be reviewing the public input received to date and discussing next steps.
Also on Thursday will be your last chance to catch the Regional Transportation Plan 2050 presentation, this time in Fitchburg.
It was a quiet week last week that gave Madison Bikes Board and Events Committee members time to meet. Things are starting to come together for the Winter Bike Fashion Show slated for Saturday, November 19th.
This Week
Monday: Help highlight the need for improved bike facilities in Middleton by joining Kierstin on her Middleton Ride for Safety.
Thursday: There’s something for everyone this Thursday. Head up to Warner Park to take a look at the draft Regional Transportation Plan and provide your feedback. Or stop in at the Old Sugar Distillery for the Love to Ride Finale Party. For those with connections to Sun Prairie, you should head to the Watertower Chop House for the Sun Prairie Bicycling Advocacy Group‘s October meeting. Or if none of that catches your interest, ride out to REI for a class on Cold Weather Cycling Basics class.
For details on any of these events, head to the Madison Bikes calendar. If there are events that you think are missing on the calendar, send them in to info@madisonbikes.org and we’ll get them posted.
