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Newsletter Weekly Update

Still Talking Snow; West Area Plan Meeting

A masked cyclist pedals a cruiser bike with gray tires down the southwest path. They are wearing mittens and a colorful hat with the poof on top.
A well-dressed winter cyclist on the southwest path (Photo: Cyclists of Madison)

It’s worth noting that our local Cyclists of Madison photo bot has a new home on Mastodon. There’s plenty of other bike and transit-focused discourse on the Fediverse as well, so check it out you’re looking for a broader place to discuss. As always, enjoy our community for a Madison-focused group!

This Week

On Monday at 6pm, join a virtual meeting discussing the West Area Plan.

A map that shows the area bounded roughly by the area west of Midvale Blvd, Shorewood Hills, to the northwest by Middleton and the beltline to the south and west.
The bounding area for the West Area Plan region (Image: City of Madison)

The in-person meeting was cancelled last week due to weather and will probably be rescheduled soon. In the meantime, you can make comments on the interactive map. It’s a good opportunity to highlight areas where you enjoy biking or where you wish there were better connections.

In case you missed it last week, the Bike Fed’s summer youth camp programs are open for registration. Also, plenty of good info on the site even if a youth camp isn’t your bag!

Last Week

On Friday morning, many hearty cyclists came out and stopped by our bike station despite the attempted knockout blow delivered by the big, wet Thursday snowstorm. It was somewhat treacherous conditions for all road, path and sidewalk users due to the late-night freeze following a day of sloppy conditions.

An smiling individual with long hair, wearing a high-vis coat and a high-vis hat, celebrates their free Madison Bikes blue face buff with the sun rising on the frozen lake behind them. A sign reads "no motorized vehicles past this point".
Who doesn’t love SWAG? (Photo: Harald Kliems)

With warmer temperatures than we’ve had in the past, it was good to see faces (both old and new) and sunshine. Thanks to everyone who stopped by, along with our sponsors and partners for the coffee and good times.

A group of five individuals wearing winter clothes are gathered around a table with merchandise. One of the people is writing on a piece of paper. Another is holding their bike. There is a black and white Madison Bikes banner flying in the breeze and a red sign pointing to public stairs and the bike elevator.
The path conditions look pretty good, all things considered! (Photo: Harald Kliems)

Finally, Groundhog’s Day was two week ago, but we still seem to be in this time loop where we get the same big storms on Thursdays. Until then, we’ll see great melting conditions that should leave paths and sideroads pretty rideable (sorry skiers). Watch out for refreezing, but otherwise enjoy!

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.