Last Week:

In case you missed it, there was an election on Tuesday. Thank you to everyone who participated in the democratic process. Every vote mattered!

Yesterday was also Veteran’s Day. To our veterans, thank you for your service and your sacrifice.

Over night on Thursday, Madison had its fist snowfall of 2018! It couldn’t have come at a better time since this Saturday, November 17^th, is the Madison Bikes Winter Fashion Show! This ALL AGES event will be at the High Noon Saloon in Madison, Wisconsin from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM. FREE! Learn about ways you can keep riding in the colder weather months, and come share your winter biking stories! Further reasons to attend: We'll have a Metro bus for you to practice putting your bike on the bus, and we'll have great door prizes courtesy of our supporters Saris and Planet Bike!

Sometime over the weekend the repairs to the sinkhole near Wingra Creek were completed and Olin-Turville Court has been reopened to traffic! To those of us who use this route to commute it was fortuitous that a convenient detour was available and many learned of a pedestrian bridge they had not known about previously!

In other good trail news: The Cap City Trail is officially open again.

And finally, the City of Madison posted a job opportunity for Pedestrian Bicycle Administrator. Read more about that full time position here and spread the word to potential applicants.

This Week:

Today, Monday, November 12, there is a meeting of the City of Madison’s Transportation Policy and Planning Board (TPPB). This board deals with policy surrounding the city’s transportation issues including biking. On this week’s agenda is an update to the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) plan. Also on the agenda is an item pertinent to winter bike commuters, and that’s on Winter Bike and bike lane usage characteristics. Read the full agenda here.

Tuesday, November 13, is the Madison Bikes Communications Committee Meeting. This meeting will start at 5:30 PM at the Stiftskeller in the Memorial Union on Langdon Street.

Wednesday, November 14, is the Madison Bikes Advocacy Committee Meeting. This meeting will start at 6:00 PM at Bendyworks located at 106 E Doty St #200.

Friday, November 16, is the Capital Off Road Pathfinders (CORP) annual meeting. This meeting will take place at Motorless Motion on West Washington Avenue starting at 5:30 PM. There will be some routine business at the start of the meeting, but after that there will be news of all the work done over the past year and plans for 2019. Food and drink will be provided, and there will be an award given to Volunteer of the Year. Read about the event on Facebook here.

Saturday, November 17 is annual Madison Bikes Winter Bike Fashion Show, as mentioned earlier. This all-ages event will take place at the High Noon Saloon starting at 1 PM and going until 4. This is a free event and everyone is invited to come share their winter biking experiences and hopefully learn from others to improve their winter biking experience! Read more about this event here.

Before the Winter Bike Fashion Show, join BiciClub Latino de Madison for the Tour de la Familia Latina. ¡Le hacemos frente al frío! This ride will start at 11 AM and end at the High Noon Saloon to join the Winter Bike Fashion Show. Read more about this event here.

Also on Saturday is the Mayor’s Neighborhood Conference 2018. Bike Fed Program Director (and Madison Bikes board member) Baltazar will be teaming up with Madison Bike board member Harald to talk about biking and walking, and inequities in Madison. This is an annual conference that brings together community activists to form new connections and to learn about the great things happening throughout the city. Registration is $10 for the day and includes lunch, snacks, and a reception. Fee waivers are provided to City of Madison residents. Read about the event here on the city’s web page, or on their Facebook event page.

Sunday, November 18, is Cranksgiving, hosted by Revolution Cycles. This event, which originated in New York City in 1999 is part alley cat, part scavenger hunt, and part food drive. The event starts at 10 AM behind Revolution Cycles on Atwood Avenue. Plan to bring $15 to $30 for food, your bike, a bag, and a lock. Read all about the event here.

Please go vote on Tuesday, if you haven't already. 

You can find more information about polling places and what is on your ballot here. 

This week

Monday

Events committee will be meeting to put the final touches on our Winter Bike Fashion Show 6 pm at Rockhound Brewery.

Tuesday

Go Vote!

Roll to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 6 with a free daily pass from Madison BCycle! Promo codes will be posted on all kiosks on Election Day as well as Madison BCycle social media accounts.

Communications committee meeting has been moved back to next week so that everyone is able to go vote.

Thursday

N. Fish Hatchery Rd. Reconstruction – Public Meeting
Leopold Elementary School 5:30 pm
Join the City of Fitchburg and project consultants for a presentation and discussion of the preliminary corridor design for the north Fish Hatchery Road reconstruction. The preliminary design will be informed by data and design analysis, and community input to-date. Feedback on the preliminary design will be used to inform the final design, which will be presented in spring 2019. The north Fish Hatchery Road reconstruction is anticipated to begin in late 2019, with the bulk of construction occuring during 2020.

Wilson Street Public Information Meeting
Madison Municipal Building Board Room 7 - 9 pm

We worked really hard to try to get eastbound lanes on E Wilson to facilitate access in this corridor. The Board of Public Works and the Council passed plans for the reconstruction of E Wilson without those lanes, but the resolution it include a guarantee that there would be safe and comfortable accommodations for all modes in entire corridor by the time the Judge Doyle Square was opened, including the Bike Center. So speak up at this meeting about the need for have two-way bike traffic.

This is from a budget amendment (the city is going through its budget process right now), so this a quick heads up. Here’s the language from the budget:

Wilson Street, from Broom Street to Henry Street, is scheduled for reconstruction in 2019.  The City of Madison will use this opportunity to study the full Wilson Street corridor from Broom Street to Blair Street and how it functions for all modes of transportation.  The first public involvement meeting on Thursday November 8 will present existing conditions as well as goals and objectives for the corridor. The second public involvement meeting, scheduled for Thursday December 6 will review alternatives for the corridor.   

Saturday

2018 Sun Prairie Cup Cyclocross Race
This is your chance to hoist 'The Cup'! The Brazen Dropouts are excited to host the 2018 Sun Prairie Cup Cyclocross Race!  They'll be bringing another fun, fast, and technical course (perhaps some new features?!). The Nitty Gritty will be on-site cooking up hot food, and there might just be some beer on the hill (for those of age). Additionally, a kids race will be held in the middle of the day.
http://www.brazendropouts.org/sun-prairie-cup/

November MadTown Unity Ride
10 am - 1 pm Meet at Villager Mall on Park Street

Upcoming

Nov 17, 1:00 pm at the High Noon -- Our Winter Bike Fashion Show is fast approaching. We are looking for volunteers to help with various aspects of the event. And there is still time to apply to be a model for the show. Email Pepe@MadisonBikes.org is you would like to help out or be a model.

Don't forget, you can find times, locations, and more details of these meetings and events on the Madison Bikes Community Calendar. If you'd like to submit an event, send it to Grant@MadisonBikes.org

Current intersection of Fish Hatchery and McKee Rd

Although road construction projects may seem to be wrapping up for the year, we now have to keep an eye out for what is going to be built next year. We can't wait until the last minute to make sure there are safe and comfortable facilities for all users, so make sure to take a look at some of the upcoming meetings. Your voice at these early meetings are very important, but we'll keep you posted on what's up.

Although Election Day isn't until November 6, you can vote NOW at any city library, the Clerk's office, and both Memorial Union and Union South. Your vote is very important. We need people in office who will make sure that users of all modes of transportation are safe and have full access to everywhere they need to go. To find out hours for early voting, where you vote, or what's on the ballot, check out the City Clerk's website (assuming you live in Madison.) 

Coming up with week

Monday the Transportation Policy and Planning Board meets at 5:00 pm in Room 201 of the City-County Building. Of interest is the Milwaukee Street Special Area Plan. The transportation overview can be found on page 4, with full transportation recommendations starting on page 18.

Tuesday Dane County will hold a public information meeting at 5:00 pm in the Westport Town Hall, 5387 Mary Lake Rd, Waunakee, on the Hwy M segment between Hwy Q and Blue Gill Dr – that’s almost to Hwy 113. This segment covers the top of Lake Mendota, so this will be an important project if you want to ride around the big lake. This is the first meeting on this project, so no decisions are being made at this time, but the announcement of the meeting includes the following: “Bike lanes, shared-use facilities and transit routes are also being considered throughout the length of this project.”

Also on Tuesday, the Madison Bikes Advocacy Committee will meet at 6:00 pm at Bendy Works, 106 E Doty St, 2^nd floor. If you want to help us on our strategies to improve the bike infrastructure in Madison, or if you have any other projects you want to work on, come join us.

Upcoming events and meetings:

A little farther out in time, but things you will want to mark on your calendar:

Nov 8, 5:30 pm at Leopold Elementary School, 2602 Post Rd, will be the second community meeting to get public input on the reconstruction of North Fish Hatchery Rd in Fitchburg. This is a chance to tell oth the city of Fitchburg and the County that we need safer facilities for bicyclists on this road. And it would be nice if it was possible to safely and comfortably cross the road by bike or foot, even if it’s just to grab the bus or get going the right way on your bike.

Also Nov 8 will be a meeting about plans for Wilson St from Blair to Broom. We worked really hard to try to get eastbound lanes on E Wilson to facilitate access in this corridor. The Board of Public Works and the Council passed plans for the reconstruction of E Wilson without those lanes, but the resolution it include a guarantee that there would be safe and comfortable accommodations for all modes in entire corridor by the time the Judge Doyle Square was opened, including the Bike Center. So speak up at this meeting about the need for have two-way bike traffic.

This is from a budget amendment (the city is going through its budget process right now), so this a quick heads up. Here’s the language from the budget:

Wilson Street, from Broom Street to Henry Street, is scheduled for reconstruction in 2019.  The City of Madison will use this opportunity to study the full Wilson Street corridor from Broom Street to Blair Street and how it functions for all modes of transportation.  The first public involvement meeting on Thursday November 8 will present existing conditions as well as goals and objectives for the corridor.  The second public involvement meeting, scheduled for Thursday December 6 will review alternatives for the corridor.   

Wilson Street Corridor Study Public Involvement Meetings:

• Thursday November 8, 7 pm, Madison Municipal Building, Room 260, 215 Martin Luther King Blvd. Madison, WI – Goals and Objectives
• Thursday December 6, 7 pm, Madison Municipal Building, Room 260, 215 Martin Luther King Blvd. Madison, WI – Alternatives

Nov 17, 1:00 pm at the High Noon -- Our Winter Bike Fashion Show is fast approaching. We are looking for volunteers to help with various aspects of the event. And there is still time to apply to be a model for the show. Email Pepe@MadisonBikes.org is you would like to help out or be a model.

Don't forget, you can find times, locations, and more details of these meetings and events on the Madison Bikes Community Calendar. If you'd like to submit an event, send it to Grant@MadisonBikes.org

I just got back from Cambridge, MA. My significant other lives there for the year, and while I was visiting, I had the opportunity to attend a rally for safer bike infrastructure. Organized by local bike advocates Cambridge Bicycle Safety, the rally was part of a petition campaign to hold the Cambridge city council accountable to their promise of building a 20 mile network of protected bike lanes by 2023. In Madison, we don't even have an official bike plan with measurable goals -- and I think it's showing. I'd be curious to hear what the Madison Bikes community thinks about campaigning on this issue.

Anyways, I'm back in Madison now, and here's what's going on this week:

A quick reminder that you can still apply as a model for the Winter Bike Fashion Show (11/17). Deadline for applications is 11/2. So go ahead and apply, or encourage your friends to be part of this fun event!

The week starts out with Bike Fitchburg's monthly meeting on Monday night. I suspect they're going to talk about the Fish Hatchery Road reconstruction. The next public meeting for that project is scheduled for November 8. Based on what I have heard from the previous meeting, there is a real danger that the reconstruction is going to focus primarily on making driving easier, instead of designing a street more amenable to walking, biking, and public transit. So mark the date, or go to the Bike Fitchburg meeting tonight to learn more. 6:30-8:30pm at the Fitchburg Public Library.

On Tuesday morning, come to the Capitol Square for a press conference on the release of a report on transportation equity in Wisconsin. The Sierra Club and 1000 Friends of Wisconsin will present the report that "analyzes who is being served and who is left behind by our transportation priorities."

On Wednesday, you'll have to make decisions:

• You could go to the Transportation Commission meeting at 5pm (City-County Building 351). Two agenda items of interest: An updates on the Bicycle Center at Judge Doyle Square, and an update on the Wilson and Bassett Streets transportation studies. As a reminder, when the city council decided to not include bike infrastructure in the recent reconstruction of West Wilson, they promised to study the corridor and its role in the bike network more comprehensively.
• Alternatively, you could howl at the moon while riding your bike. Spoke Haven and Bombay Bicycle Club are hosting a Full Moon Ride around Lake Wingra. Meet at 6pm at Westmorland Park.
• And if you'd rather stay inside and hear about other people's bike adventures, go to the Hawthorne Branch of the library to hear Kent Wegner talk about "Exploring the Former Ottoman Empire by Bike." Starts at 6pm.

And on Sunday, you can watch or participate in cyclocross racing at Angell Park in Sun Prairie. The "Cross Fire" races start at 8am. Alternatively, you can support Madison's local radio station WORT by participating in a Day of the Dead Bike ride that takes you from brewery to brewery. Starts at 11am at Parched Eagle Tap Room, and requires a $15 dollar wrist band.

Looking for Winter Bike Fashion Show Models

In case you missed it: The 2018 Winter Bike Fashion Show is just a month away, and we're looking for models who want to showcase their approach to riding in the cold season. No modeling experience required! See more detail in this post or check out these pictures from previous years:

Last Week:

The city last week closed the Wingra Creek Path between Park St. and Arboretum Dr. for a much needed resurfacing job. The project is funded as a part of City Engineering’s Bikeways 2018 program which funds regular maintenance of city pathways. The contract for the work specifies that the it should be completed within 21 days, so expect the path to remain closed for about three weeks while work is being done. The Bikeways 2018 project also includes the following resurfacing projects that may have a significant impact to commuters, each of which is expected to be about 14 days with signs notifying the public of the work at least seven days prior to closure:

• The Aberg Ave. Path between Shopko Drive and the Packers Ave. off ramp. Access between Kedzie St. and Shopko Dr. shall be maintained during this work.
• The Capital City Path between Jackson St. and St. Paul Ave. east of the Goodman Center by Wirth Court Park. Expect to see marked detour signs when this work is being done.

Also last week, Yang Tao was announced as Madison’s new City Traffic Engineer. Mr. Tao has served as the Interim City Traffic Engineer since May when the previous City Traffic Engineer retired, and he has served as the Assistant City Traffic engineer since 2016. Mr. Tao is a year-round bike commuter, so his appointment to City Traffic Engineer is widely seen as a good thing for the Madison biking community. His appointment will be submitted to the Common Council this Tuesday and he is expected to be formally hired by the city at the October 30 Common Council meeting.

This Week:

Today, Monday October 15 is the monthly Madison Bikes Board Meeting. The meeting starts at 6:00 PM at the Madison Public Library, Central Branch at 201 W. Mifflin St.

The Madison Bikes Advocacy Committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday, October 17 has been CANCELED. It is expected to be rescheduled for sometime next week, so keep an eye out for the rescheduled date.

On Saturday, October 20, join the Tour de la Familia Latina, or the Tour of the Latino Family. The ride will depart from its usual location at Olin Park at 1:00 PM.

We’re looking for Madison Bikers of all ages who brave the elements and bike into early winter, bike in early spring or even bike year round to share their tips and expertise in dressing for the weather! Madison Bikes is excited to host the 2018 edition of the Winter Bike Fashion Show on November 17 from 1-4 pm at the High Noon Saloon. There will be fun, camaraderie, and of course a fashion show highlighting real Madisonians and their winter weather gear. If you’ve discovered a great solution to keeping your hands warm and dry, or have found a way to keep your toes from freezing, we’d love to have you join the fashion show as a model. Do you have a great tip for avoiding fogged up glasses or for keeping your bike lock dry and functional? We’d love to have you!

Application deadline: Friday November 2, noon. We encourage you to apply early!

If you haven't been to the show before, these pictures showcase some of our previous awesome models!

We’re looking for:

• year round bikers to show off their biking clothes and bike gear

• Shoulder season (late fall or early spring) riders to show off their biking clothes and bike gear

• Adults and kids (both kids who ride their own bikes, and kids who are transported by bike)

• Gear for winter biking and demo bikes- how do you adapt your bike for winter riding?

• We love DIY solutions that make giving winter bike a try easy and inexpensive!

• We strongly encourage people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ winter riders to apply!

• No modeling experience required.

To apply, please complete the following questions and submit to Liz at winterbike@madisonbikes.org, ideally with a picture of you in your biking clothes and/or you with your bike by 11/2, noon.

1. Include a description of your clothing/gear and where/when/why you winter bike.

2. What's your number one tip for people riding in winter?

3. Do you have a winter biking story that may motivate others to ride in winter?

4. What is your favorite thing about riding in winter?

5. Have you been a model for the WBFS before? If so: when?

Don't hesitate to apply even if you've modeled in a previous Winter Bike Fashion Show. 

We may be getting the first frost of the year this week -- which is a great opportunity to announce the 9th edition of the Winter Bike Fashion Show! November 17 from 1-4pm at the High Noon Saloon. Admission is free; no tickets required! You can RSVP and share the Facebook event. If you haven't heard of the WBFS: It's an event where members of the bike community who bike year-round showcase how they manage riding in the cold. They'll model their bikes and gear, and there will be plenty of opportunities for the winter-biking-curious to ask questions and learn. Stay tuned for more details and our call for models.

The Cap Times ran an interesting story about lack of access to safe and comfortable bike infrastructure on the South and North Sides. Baltazar De Anda-Santana, who works for the Bike Fed and is on the Madison Bikes board of directors, took a reporter on a bike ride around some underserved areas near Park Street.

Our mountain biking friends Capital City Offroad Pathfinders have just launched a big fundraising campaign. It is aimed at "returning our existing trails to the state they were designed, and in many cases much better. More sustainable, more accessible, and more fun! Our goal is to raise $80,000 to bring in professional builders who can come in and accomplish things in weeks that would take our volunteers years to achieve." Watch the video to learn more:

This Week

Monday: If you want to get involved with organizing the Winter Bike Fashion Show mentioned above, come to the Madison Bikes events committee meeting tonight! We always appreciate having new people involved. 6pm, Barriques on Park St.

On Wednesday, the city's Transportation Commission was supposed to meet. It appears the meeting has been canceled.

On the weekend you'll have a whole lot of bike events to choose from. If you're into cyclocross, ride out to Badger Prairie County Park in Verona for the Badger Prairie Cross race on Saturday. There will be food, drinks -- and probably exciting 'cross racing. First races start at 9am.

Also on Saturday, is the MadTown Unity Ride. Every month, ride celebrates the South Side's unity and diversity and connects people in the communities. The rides are specifically aimed at Black, Brown, Indigenous people of color, LGBT+ community, the Senior community and other communities that have been affected by discrimination who live or work in a predominantly low-to moderate-income community in the Madison Southside. Unity Rides are always at a family-friendly pace and about 7-10 miles long. Meet at Villager Mall on Park St at 10am.

Your third option on Saturday: Head to Quarry Park if you want your mountain bike to catch some air. It's the Quarry Park Jump Jam. Event starts at 10; contests start at 11:30. Rain date is Sunday. And note that the event is at Quarry Park, not Quarry Ridge.

On Sunday, bring out your lugged steel bikes, wool jerseys, and toe clips for the Bombay Bicycle Club Vintage Ride. Meet at the Vilas Park shelter at 10am and then ride down to Paoli.

Madison Bikes envisions a city where anyone can ride a bicycle conveniently and comfortably to any place in the city and neighboring communities year round. This vision requires a culturally diverse and pluralistic board committed to equity in our work.

We are currently accepting applications for up to seven seats on the Madison Bikes Board of Directors, with elections taking place in December. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, women, and other groups who are underrepresented in bike advocacy. There are also a variety of attributes and skills that the current board has identified as beneficial; they are listed below:

Attributes:

• Lives or works on the South or North side of Madison
• Parents with kids
• People with different riding abilities
• Seniors

Skills/Experiences:

• Grant writing
• Non-profit organizational development
• Legal background
• Accounting background
• Past/current board member on other boards
• UW partnerships
• Non-profit background
• Recruitment
• Public relations/media

If you are interested in joining our board, please complete this application form by October 4. If you would like to nominate someone other than yourself, please forward this post/email to them and ask them to apply. And if you can't make the deadline but would really like to apply, shoot a quick email to harald@madisonbikes.org

Photo: Dan Stout

The past week

We had a wonderful Annual Party and Fundraiser at Starting Block on Saturday evening. It’s fun to see some of the members of the Facebook group in person and be able to talk to them directly about what we are doing. We want the thank Starting Block and American Family--the owners of the building--for allowing us to use their beautiful new space. Also thanks to everyone who came. You make Madison Bikes what it is.

If you missed the party--or even if you didn’t and still want more Madison Bikes fun-- mark your calendars for the Winter Bike Fashion Show at the High Noon on Saturday afternoon, November 17. You’ll hear more about it, but here’s the link to the Facebook event.

Also last week was the Bike Fitchburg Pick Me Up At The Border, which started at the Capitol at 7:00 pm and rode all the way down to the Illinois State Line, and back, on the Badger Trail. Looks like they are doing it again, but this time during the day, on October 7.

The week ahead

Tuesday

The Madison Bikes Communications Committee will meet in the Stiftskeller at Memorial Union at 5:30 pm. If you would like to write blog posts, help us get the weekly update out, or otherwise work on communications for us, drop by and say hello.

Wednesday

The Madison Area Transportation Planning Board will meet at 6:30 pm at the Water Utility Building at 119 E. Olin Ave. They will adopt the Transportation Improvement Plan for 2019-2023. This plan is updated each year, but covers the next five years’ major projects for the entire metropolitan area. Click on the link above if you are curious what projects are getting built (and which are not.)

Important things first: It's the week of our Madison Bikes Party and Fundraiser! There will be food, there will be a photo booth, there will be beer -- and most importantly: There will be lots of awesome people who care about biking in Madison! Please support us and get your tickets in advance! You can also just show up on the day of the event, but having your ticket in advance will make things go more smoothly. Big thanks to our sponsors American Family Insurance, Starting Block Madison, Jonny Hunter of Underground Food Collective fame, and Rockhound Brewing.

Also a reminder that you can join the Madison Bikes Board of Directors. The party on Saturday will be a great opportunity to meet current board members and ask questions. More details here.

Last week

El Tour de la Familia Latina celebrated their first birthday. Big shout out to the BiciClub Latino de Madison for putting together these rides! While the weather was great for the celebration, the ride was overshadowed by news that several immigrants had been detained in the Madison area by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Photo credit: Baltazar de Anda

This week

If you live in or ride through Monona, consider taking action on a stretch of bike path that would close a gap between the Cap City Trail and an already existing path along South Towne Drive. Madison Bike community member Bruce has written a draft email to Monona city officials that you can use. The meeting about the path is tonight at 6pm already, so please act quick.

Tonight, Monday, Bike Fitchburg has their monthly meeting. I imagine they may be celebrating the opening of the newly built shoulders on a stretch of Whalen Road -- something the organization had been fighting for hard. 6:30pm at the Fitchburg Public Library.

On Wednesday, the Transportation Commission has their monthly meeting. On the agenda are the following items:

There should be a livestream of the meeting, or you can subscribe to an audio podcast version here.

On Thursday, come to the Cargo Bike Shop for their workshop on the "Art of Bicycle Commuting." Or, since this workshop is primarily aimed at people new to commuting by bike, send your friends who are interested in bike commuting but haven't made the jump just yet. Yours truly and our board member Michael will both give brief presentations. Thursday, 6:30pm.

One bike advocacy fundraiser is good. Two is even better. Join Bike Fitchburg for their Pick Me Up at the Border Ride. It's an annual event where you meet at the Capitol in Madison and ride all the way to the Illinois border (or however far you'd like to ride) on the Badger State Trail. Meet Friday at 7pm on the Capitol Square. $15 suggested donation.

Remember, if you have an event that you'd like us to include on the Community Calendar, send it to us.