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.

Categories
Bike News E-Mail Newsletter Weekly Update

New trails, lanes on the drawing board

Making happier trails to the west

Friends of the Great Sauk State Trail has posted a draft master plan for the trail, describing work in Sauk County to lay out extensions linking the Sauk Prairie segment of the trail to Devil’s Lake State Park and following the Baraboo River to the 400 State Trail near Reedsburg.

Maps, photos and more are now available on the Friends’ website.

Draft routes for the Great Sauk State Trail. Image from Friends of the Great Sauk State Trail.

Guide the Ride

Madison Parks is looking for volunteers for this year’s Ride the Drive, scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 11.

“We’re seeking roughly 250 enthusiastic volunteers to help make this year’s Ride the Drive a success. It’s a fantastic way to support our healthy community and connect with your neighbors,” said John Weichelt, Parks Volunteer Coordinator.

Times are flexible, and roles are plentiful. More information here.

New bike lanes on Sheboygan Road. Photo courtesy Harald Kliems.

Today in new paint

Buffered bike lanes have been added on Sheboygan Avenue while construction progresses on that street and Segoe Road. Access is still limited while work continues, though.

The week ahead

Madison’s Transportation Commission meets virtually at 5 p.m. Wednesday with a few biking items on their agenda, including:

  • The Badger Rusk Shared-Use path, a 0.4-mile connector tying together existing paths on West Badger Road and North Rusk Avenue to be added while the city rebuilds West Badger Road east of the pedestrian bridge over the beltline.
  • An application for $2 million in federal grant funding intended to improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities along Park Street.
  • Funding for new stop sign paddles and bicycle traffic counters.

Municipal government: Catch the fever!

Save the date: Paddle and Pedal

Save the date for our July Community Event “Paddle and Pedal.” On 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 RSVP there to help us plan the snack situation. https://www.facebook.com/events/383927380855080/

Remember Bike Week? Remember Bike Week:

Assuming many bike-curious Madison residents caught a bit of two-wheeled fever during Madison Bike Week, there is still time to reflect on the experience and make the 2025 version even more virulent. Take the survey here to weigh in.

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
Action Alert Bike News E-Mail Newsletter Weekly Update

New Bike Paths coming to Madison

New bike paths are coming to Madison- have your voice heard in the development of these two new projects.

New North-South Bike Path

Madison wants to provide safe bike/ped. connections within the north side.

A new study for a North-South bike path seeks to ‘address a current gap in the system’ by connecting the Demetral Path with Westport Road. Read more in this article.

Country Grove Park- Bike Optimized Singletrack

Country Grove Park – Bike Trail Conceptual Plan (2023 Master Plan)

Madison Parks is starting a new single-track bike project at Country Grove Park and is looking for your input. There are two options to submit your feedback- you can complete their survey here and/or register for a public meeting on Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 5pm. The survey will remain open until July 5th. Survey responses received by the June 27th public meeting will be tabulated and data will be presented at the meeting.

Happening this week

Madtown Monday Ride

Join Cap City Cyclists Madison for their “Mad Town Monday” ride on Monday, 6/17. As always, the group meets at Orton Park, at 6pm- party pacing at about a 12 mph pace for the 18 mile route. Temperatures are expected to reach 91°F, so please bring enough water, sunscreen and also consider wearing lightweight and breathable clothing.

Help make Bike Week even better in 2025

Madison Bikes is interested in your feedback on this year’s Madison Bike Week. No matter if you’ve participated as an attendee, an event organizer, or a sponsor, we’d love to hear from you. Please complete this quick survey, and we’ll use the results to make next year’s Madison Bike Week even better.

Want one of those cool shirts?

They are still available from the Madison Bikes Webstore along with other Madison Bikes T-Shirts. Click on the following link to order.

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
E-Mail Weekly Update

Bike Week Wrap-up, Fall Film Festival

Riders enjoy infrastructure tour during Bike Week

Bike Week Wrap-up

What a week! Organizations from the community put on a mindboggling (86 if you’re counting) number of events.  Mother nature threw a few challenges at us but, overall, events were well attended. Here’s a link from “Portraits on the Bike Path” courtesy of Saris.

Madison Bike Week, 2024 Beth Skogen Photography – www.bethskogen.com

Andy, the “BikeFarmer” gives approval at the vintage bike ride.

Three infrastructure tours illustrated issues relating to current problem areas as well as solutions implemented by the city. The city of Middleton tour included a number of sites with the mayor and alders in attendance. The signal and detection tour had good attendance despite a rain forecast. There was lots of new information this year, so repeaters were not disappointed.  Board member Craig Weinhold lead a tour of south Madison which brought home the issues created by the beltline and railroads and the problems faced by individuals who need to bicycle but can’t do so safely.

Jerry Schippa from the City of Madison shows participants the inner workings of traffic signals.

There was an opportunity to ride with the mayor of Madison at her press conference.  It was great to hear mayor Rhodes-Conway and board member Robbie Webber describe how Madison is becoming a national model.

Madison Bike Week, 2024 Beth Skogen Photography – www.bethskogen.com

Enthusiastic cyclists at the mayor’s press conference ride.

Commuter stations provided bicycle repair, sustenance (e.g. biscuits, bacon)  and learning opportunities.  Bike Week 2024  featured several E-bike events.

A bicyclist’s best friend on  “Ride with the Pack.”

Bike Week participants had opportunities to try out the on-board racks on the new electric “bendy busses” which will be used for BRT.

Several hundred bicyclists had a great time at the Friday party. The beer was transported to the site from the Hop Garden in Paoli in a sustainable manner during “Fetch the Keg” event. Click here to see keg transportation video.

A big thank you to our sponsors, event organizers, the city and those who attended or assisted at events. Looking forward to next year!

Help us make Bike Week even better in 2025

Madison Bikes is interested in your feedback on this year’s Madison Bike Week. No matter if you participated as an attendee, an event organizer, or a sponsor, we’d love to hear from you. Please complete this quick survey, and we’ll use the results to make next year’s Madison Bike Week even better: https://forms.gle/dArS6La8YN7iRDGf7

Want one of those cool shirts?

They are still available from the Madison Bikes Webstore along with other Madison Bikes T-Shirts. Click on the following link to order: https://madison-top-company.printavo.com/merch/madison-bikes.

The Bicycle Film Festival Comes to Madison!! Get Your discounted tickets this week only! 

Bicycle Film Festival is coming to Madison October 3, 6:30 pm at the Barrymore Theatre. 

Bicycle Film Festival has been celebrating bicycles through art, film and music over the last 24 years. BFF spans the world in over 100 cities worldwide to an audience of over one million people. We’re excited to bring the festival to Madison for the first time!

BFF Madison presents a new short film program. These stories will appeal to a wide audience from film connoisseurs to avid cyclists and everyone in between. Curated documentaries, narratives, animations, award-winning directors, and emerging talents – all share equal billing. For lovers of gravel, road cycling, mountain biking, and bike packing, and the advocates who are pushing the bike movement forward in their communities.

This program will take you on a journey around the world featuring: 

  • Kailey Kornhauser and fellow “fat cyclist” Marley Blonsky are on a mission to change the idea that people with larger bodies can’t ride bikes
  • A family gives up everything to be together in their motorhome, traveling from bike park to bike park across Europe
  • The 1900 mile bicycle journey by Erick Cedeno (Bicycle Nomad) retracing the original route of the Buffalo Soldiers
  • A charismatic Ghanaian immigrant in Amsterdam teaches refugee adult women how to ride bikes
  • Cycle sport as relief from genocide (Oscar nominated director)
  • A Diné mountain biker hosts the first ever Enduro race in the Navajo Nation
  • And more…

Check out the trailer here!!: Bicycle Film Festival Madison – Trailer on Vimeo

We are extending the Bike Week 30% discount through Friday, June 14th. Use the code BIKEWEEK2024 to get your discount. 

Get your tickets here: https://barrymorelive.com/event/bicycle-film-festival-madison/

Gammon Road gets media attention:

The Wisconsin State Journal recently highlighted the safety issues on South Gammon Road. Some safety improvements have been made but many more are needed. Comments are still being accepted and will be reviewed before review of the Final Draft Plan.  Click the following link to access the story:

https://madison.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/madison-gammon-road-bicycle-safety-memorial-high/article_8d132d30-1e8e-11ef-b496-cba00c3ae917.html

Bikeway Project Construction

UW Arboretum West Entrance. June 10.  Construction of a 10- foot shared use path connecting Manitou Way with McCaffrey Drive and the installation of a RRFB (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon) pedestrian crossing. Completion expected in July.

W Lakeside Street. June 24. Pavement replacement and construction of a two-way cycle track on the south side of W Lakeside St on a one-block section connecting two sides of the Bay Creek Neighborhood. Parking will be removed on the block. Sidewalks will remain open on at least one side for the duration of the project. Completion expected in mid-July.

Elver Park Path and Greentree Park Path. July 22. Repairs and culvert construction. Paths may be closed during, some or all of, construction. Completion expected in early August.

Details on these projects are available at : https://www.cityofmadison.com/news/2024-06-06/bikeways-projects-2024-construction

It’s been an exciting, inspiring week. Don’t forget to purchase your film festival tickets and fill out the Bike Week survey. We will have more Madison bicycling news for you next week. Watch the calendar for upcoming events.

Madison Bike Week, 2024 Beth Skogen Photography – www.bethskogen.com

Here’s to another great Bike Week in 2024!

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

Happy Madison Bike Week!

Harald Kliems and Laurie Lata at the Vintage Bike Ride on Sunday

I hope everyone reading this already knows that it is bike week. If this is the first you’ve heard, then we have been doing a really bad job at communication.

Have you marked your calendar with the events you want to attend? When I counted last Thursday, there were 80 events listed, and it’s possible that more have been added at the last minute. There are events all over town:

  • Commuter stations all across the city to pick up yummy treats, including the ever-popular Bacon on the Bike Path, Bratcakes on the Bike Path, and a Cheddar-Bacon Waffles event.
  • Bike check-ups and repairs
  • Discounts at businesses
  • Social rides of all kinds – a great place to meet new people or try a different type of biking
  • Demonstrations of different types of bikes, like the family show and share to learn about cargo bikes
  • A chance to learn about or practice your skills at the pump track near Leopold School
  • An infrastructure tour to see all the cool new paths, connections, and signals to improve your ride
  • Lectures and learning opportunities
  • A chance to pick up freebies, try using the bike racks on the buses, ask questions about BRT and the transit redesign, and learn about the RoundTrip program
  • Rides to other events, like the Mallards game
  • A big party at Brittingham Park on Friday
  • And so, so much more

There is something for every type of bicyclist and every age and ability, so bring your neighbors and friends that might need some incentive to get the bike out.

Media coverage

We’ve also been getting good coverage in the media, which is great, since Bike Week is meant to encourage new people to get out biking or try a new type of ride. 

Inaugural E-Bike Expo: Electric bike riders group kick off Madison Bike Week (NBC15)

More speed limit reductions coming after Madison announces new Vision Zero projects (NBC15)

Madison BIke Week 2024 Begins Saturday (Channel3000)

Trinity Lutheran Church holds first Blessing of the Bicycles event (WKOW-27)

City of Madison Celebrates Bike Week (WKOW-27)

Destination Madison

And just out Monday morning, the CityCast Madison podcast will have an interview with Madison Bikes board members Harald Kliems and Eleanor Conrad on Monday.

Wednesday: City budget discussion on north side

Also on tap this week is a city budget discussion and public information meeting Wednesday 6:00 pm at Black Hawk Middle School on the north side. These have been going on around the city for about a month, but if this one is convenient for you, it’s worth it to check out the information and opportunity to give input.

Although many of the infrastructure projects we want are either funded by grants or funded via the capital budget – borrowing to be paid back over years – the operating budget has a projected deficit next year of $27 million. If a referendum doesn’t pass in November, things are going to get cut. That might be traffic enforcement, paint for the streets, filling potholes, maintenance of paths, clearing brush, or even plowing in the winter. 

The link asks you to register, but that’s mostly so the city can anticipate the crowd and you can receive information in advance of the meeting. You can just drop in without registering. 

Thursday: West area plan: Transportation and Sauk Creek Greenway

In person meeting at High Point Church, 7702 Old Sauk Rd, 6:00 pm.

There has been a lot of news and discussion in our circles about the West Area Plan — a plan for what Madison might look like in the next 30 years — including what new transportation infrastructure might be needed. A suggested north-south path through the Sauk Creek Greenway to connect Mineral Point Rd and Old Sauk Rd has been removed from the draft plan. We are concerned that neighbors are now targeting an even more important easy-west connector.

There is quite a bit of information at the link about about this plan, but if you want to read about the Sauk Creek Greenway specifically, Craig Weinhold wrote a detailed blog post on the subject in early May.

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

This is the last newsletter…

… before Madison Bike Week 2024 starts! Yesterday, our VP Christo and I took our respective bike trailers and distributed 40 yard signs advertising Madison Bike Week around the city. And maybe you’ve seen one of our Bike Week ads on a Metro bus. Anyways, I’ll return to Bike Week below, as there a few other things going before we get rolling on Saturday.

Good and not so good bike infrastructure news

Let’s start with the good news: Olin-Turville Court will soon no longer be bumpy. Currently the pavement on this busy bike connector has a pavement rating of 3 out of 10. For that reason, the city will repave the road this fall. Other than repaving, there won’t be major changes to the road’s layout. Except that the city will add a bike ramp on the southern end of the road! There’s a very clear desire path here, and soon it will be paved. Hooray!

Existing desire path (Image: Google StreetView)

You may be wondering what happens to biking and walking access during the construction. More good news: The city plans to repurpose one of the lanes on John Nolen Drive and create a temporary jersey-barrier-protected two-way multi-use path. Phew, that’s a lot of hyphens.

Now to the less good news: Two large bike infrastructure projects are experiencing delays. The Tancho Drive Path on the Northeast Side won’t be constructed this year as planned. Apparently the city discovered some grade and alignment issues with the already approved plans. Also running behind is the Autum Ridge Path and overpass. Because of manufacturing delays, the overpass itself will only go in January 2025.

West Area Plan meetings on Sauk Creek Greenway and housing/land use

The city is holding a final(?) set of public meetings to discuss the latest round of revisions to the West Area Plan. In case you missed it, in early May, the city released a new draft plan that had several changes from the previous draft, including the removal of a N/S bike connection through the Sauk Creek Greenway. Many of those changes were controversial, and so there is another set of virtual and in-person meetings to gather more feedback. Next week the virtual meetings are taking place. The first one is on land use, zoning, and housing on Tuesday, May 28 (registration link), followed by a meeting on transportation and the Sauk Creek Greenway on Thursday, May 30 (registration link). If you need a refresher on what’s happening with the Sauk Creek Greenway, read Craig’s in-depth post on the topic. The in-person meetings will take place during Bike Week.

In addition to meetings you can also provide written feedback on the plan here.

Transportation Commission: East Madison Bikeways and Stoughton Road

On the Transportation Commission’s agenda on Wednesday are a few bike-relevant items. City staff will be presenting an update on the “East Madison Bikeways Enhancement Projects.” You may remember that as part of the East-West BRT project, 24/7 bike lanes were removed along some stretches of E Washington Ave. This was because BRT needed a dedicated bus lane and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) refused to let the city reduce the number of general travel lanes. To make up for this, the city promised improvements to parallel routes to E Wash, such as the Mifflin and Main St bike boulevards or Hoard St. Here’s an overview map of the improvements:

Also at the Transportation Commission is a city letter to WisDOT about their planning for Stoughton Road. The city analyzed WisDOT’s proposals for their impact on safety, whether they are compatible with walking and biking, and their impact on development and future Amtrak service. Some of WisDOT’s proposals would preclude all-ages and all-abilities bike facilities and cause the loss of significant tax revenue to the city by taking properties off of the tax roll. Here is the presentation and the city’s proposed letter.

You can submit comments to the Transportation Commission by email to transportationcommission@cityofmadison.com or register to the meeting here.

Madison Bike Week

Okay, finally we’re getting to Madison Bike Week. I’m one of the people who gets an email notification whenever a new Bike Week event is being submitted. And let’s just say: I got a lot of emails! We have over 70 events on the calendar, and while the event submission deadline is technically over, I’m sure we’ll get some more submissions this week.

With this many events, trying to point out highlights or providing an overview is almost impossible. Instead, I encourage you to check out the full calendar of events and start planning. A little tip: The default view of the calendar on our website is sorted by day and location, rather than by day and time. So it’s easy to miss some morning events. You can click on “simple” instead to get a chronological view. You can also use the Sched app to plan our your event schedule.

I do want to highlight a few events that we are hosting or co-hosting ourselves:

  • Make sure to join us for the Ride with the Mayor on Monday morning at 8am. There will be west side and northeast side feeder rides.
  • Join our board member Pratik on Tuesday on a ride to Capital Brewery in Middleton to pick up a beer donation for our Bike Week Party
  • Also on Tuesday, we’re once again co-hosting an afternoon bike station with root beer floats (including vegan ones) with Fire Station on the west side
  • More beer fetching is going on on Thursday. Join me on a ride to the Hop Garden in Paoli to pick up a keg of beer.
  • And of course on Friday it’s Bike Week Party time! As per usual: Brittingham Park. Free food and beverages. Tabling by other orgs. Tunes by DJ KA-BOOM!BOX
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E-Mail Weekly Update

Bike Week, Infrastructure Rally, N-S-BRT

Riders prepare for start of Arboretum Ride
Eric Grycan, Ecological Restoration Specialist, describes the “Lost City.”

Bike Week Approaching

Bike Week proclaimed on Madison busses

Less than two weeks until Madison Bike Week!. Lots of events have already been posted on the event schedule including a vintage bike ride, infrastructure tours, lots of commuter stops, and of course the mayor’s press conference and the awesome Friday party. Start planning today!

Bike Week Merch Now Available

Check out the new Bike Week short-sleeve T-shirt and sleeveless top. Madison Bikes short-sleeved and now long-sleeved T-shirts are also available. Click on the following link to order: https://madison-top-company.printavo.com/merch/madison-bikes.

Transportation Committee Actions

The locally approved alternative (LPA) for N-S BRT was approved by the Transportation Commission at the May 15 meeting. This plan includes over 50% dedicated bus lanes. Overall, there will be less bus conflicts with bicycles, but bicycle infrastructure for much of the route will be substandard because of challenges inherent in engineering the narrow corridor and the status of S. Park Street as part of the National Highway System. Next, the LPA will go to the Common Council for final approval.

For the north section, the addition of BRT will not change bike infrastructure significantly. Bicycle accommodations along Northport Dr. will still not meet All Ages and Abilities guidelines and there are not bicycle facilities on Packers Drive. Madison is developing a grant application to develop plans for better connections between the Northside and other parts of the City. Significant work remains.

West Washington Ave. to Fish Hatchery Rd: This section of S. Park St is not being reconstructed, making it impossible to conform to All Ages and Abilities standards. In an attempt to improve the situation, bicycle facilities on alternate routes will be strengthened. However, these routes provide a less direct north-south route and these routes would not be helpful for those who need to access businesses on S. Park St.

Parking for motor vehicles will be retained on S.Park in 3 areas between W. Washington to Cedar. The longest area, between Vilas and Erin, will be 3 blocks and is not likely to significantly impact bus traffic.

Bike parking will be added on side streets off S. Park just south of W.Washington because of the lack of bicycle parking in the area.

S. Park from Fish Hatchery Rd. to Badger Rd. reconstruction:  There will be a center running bus line with an 8-10 foot shared use path on the west side of S. Park St, with a standard 5-foot sidewalk on the east side.  The path will replace the current shared bike/bus lane. The terrace will be wide enough to accommodate shade trees. Because the path only services one side of the street, crossings, including new traffic signals, reduced speeds, and continental cross walks will be added.

For all of the details you can listen to a recording of the meeting and/or check out this document from the city.

Upcoming Planning Meetings

Just a notification that these are coming up. More details next week.

West Area Plan – May 30: Virtual meeting on transportation

Northeast Plan drafts –Virtual meetings on May 28 @ 6:00 pm ( register) and May 29 @ 12:00 pm ( register) or attend the In-person open house events on May 29 @ Reindahl Park, 5:00-8:00 pm and May 30 @ Sycamore Park, 5:00-8:00 pm 

E. Mifflin St. Bike Boulevard Virtual Public Input Meeting – Mon, June 3 at 6:30pm Register for the Zoom meeting 

West Towne Path Zor Shrine Phase Public Meeting – public information meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., May 28, 2024, via Zoom. https://www.cityofmadison.com/engineering/projects/west-towne-path-phase-2a

Bike Rally for Infrastructure

This event at 6pm on Thursday May 23, hosted by assembly candidate Thad Schumacher, will start with a 3- mile slow roll from the Vilas Park tennis courts to Neff Cycles traveling through the Arboretum. All ages welcome! Check out the route here: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit…

Route detail of the ride to the bike rally

The ride ends at Neff Cycles at 6:30 pm, where there will be a rally advocating for continued development of Madison’s bike/ped infrastructure.

Badger Rusk Shared-Use Path

A proposed design for a street reconstruction project which would improve bike/ped access across the beltline was presented at an informational meeting on May 14. The project would replace the existing sidewalk along the north side of W. Badger Rd and west side of Rusk Ave. with a 10-ft grade separated, lighted, shared-use path by narrowing the street. Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons would be installed to improve the crossing at the pedestrian overpass. The project should be reviewed at the Transportation Commission in July and it is hoped that construction can be completed in October of 2025. https://www.cityofmadison.com/engineering/projects/badger-rusk-shared-use-path

Capital Brewery Bike Club – E-Bike Riders Group, Inaugural Ride

Thirty bikes showed up for a very successful first event. Weekly rides will continue on May 22nd (Wednesday) at 5:30 PM and continue on that schedule throughout the summer. Rides start and end at Capital Brewery in Middleton. Non-members welcome.  Check out all the details at www.capitalbikeclub.org

Riders await the start of the first Capital Brewery E-bike event

That’s this week in a nutshell. Watch the calendar for upcoming events, including Madison Bike Week 2024 events in June.

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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Newsletter Weekly Update

Ride With Us Through the Arb!

Spring Bike Wash: Last month’s community event

Welcome to this week’s newsletter! Madison Bikes has a goal of hosting a community meeting or event each month in 2024. Which one has been your favorite so far? I loved the Spring Bike Wash last month where we teamed up with Freewheel to get people’s bikes cleaned, check them over for safety, and handed out some Greenbush doughnuts, all for free. It was wonderful to see so many people show up to enjoy the service and sunshine.

We’ve got some exciting bike-related things to share with you this week, including another awesome community event. Here’s what you need to know:

Badger Rusk Shared-Use Path Information Meeting

More separated bike infrastructure is on its way! Monday, May 13th, at 6:00 PM, the city will be hosting a public information meeting on a new shared-use path that is proposed to go along the North side of W Badger Rd and the West side of N Rusk Ave. The path would build upon and help connect the existing bike/ped bridge over the beltline to other destinations that path users may want to go. Along with a 10-ft wide shared path, the project includes improvements to lighting and street crossings. The design is scheduled for Summer-Winter 2024 with construction in June-Oct 2025. Register for the meeting on the project’s page from the city website to learn more.

The approximate location of the proposed path

Capital Brewery E-Bike Ride

Capital Brewery Bike Club is hosting their first Wednesday night E-Bike riders group ride. The ride, starting at 5:30 PM will be 11 miles, starting and ending at Capital Brewery at 7734 Terrace Ave in Middleton.

Quarry Park Bike Trails Work Day

Saturday, May 18th from 8 to noon, Capital Off Road Pathfinders is hosting a Spring work day to clean up and prep the MTB trails at Quarry Park for the season. Volunteers will help clear brush along the trails, tune up the jumps and pump track, and buff in some tech lines. Work days like these are critical to getting the trails ready for the season and keep them in good shape.

Community Event: Bike and Learn Through the Arboretum

Also on Saturday, May 18th at 1pm, Madison Bikes will be hosting a ride through the Arboretum where you can learn all about the ecosystems that live there. Eric Grycan, Ecological Restoration Specialist and friend of Madison Bikes will guide us through the route and tell us about about the Lost City Forest, Skunk Cabbage Bridge, and Curtis Prairie. You can find all this info and let us know if you’re coming on our Facebook event.

The planned route through the arboretum for Saturday’s event

Get your event registered for Madison Bike Week

In case you didn’t hear, Madison Bike Week is right around the corner on June 1-8! We are so excited to see all the events rolling in. This year we will have rides, parties, educational sessions, discounts, free stuff, dogs on bikes, and so much more. Check out our current event schedule, save the dates/times, and get ready to party on the paths. Remember that new events are still being added so check back often so you don’t miss any! If you or someone you know is interested in hosting an event, you can register it on our website, or check out our event-hosting FAQ for more info.

That’s it for this newsletter. We have a lot to be excited about in the coming weeks and we can’t wait to see you out riding.

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.