Madison Bike Week is from June 1 through June 8, 2024!
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Month: March 2024

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E-Mail Weekly Update

RoundTrip Spring Roll/Stroads/TC actions

Ghost Bike placed in memory of Joseph Solomon who was killed by a van while riding home from his job at HyVee East (Photo: John Chady)

RoundTrip’s Spring Roll Challenge

Earth day (April 22) is approaching and it’s a perfect time to shake off the rust and get in the commuting habit again if you haven’t already. The RoundTrip transportation options program is jump starting this process by launching the Spring Roll Challenge to encourage car-free and car-light trips during April.  The news release from the City of Madison is here:   https://www.cityofmadison.com/news/2024-03-27/roundtrips-spring-roll-challenge-to-celebrate-green-trips-this-earth-month

FAQ:

How much does it cost to enter? Nothing, it’s free!

Which activities are included? Any trip made by walking/rolling, bicycling, riding the bus, carpooling or vanpooling—instead of driving alone.

Who can enter: Anyone 18 years and older in Dane County.

Are there prizes? Four winners are chosen each week from participants who log at least six one-way green trips (three round trips). Four grand prize winners will be drawn from those who log twenty-four one-way green trips (12 round trips) throughout the month. Prizes include $100 Slow Roll Cycles gift cards, $50 CommuteRewards gift cards, Madison BCycle memberships, travel mugs, and Metro Transit passes

Why should I enter now? The first 50 individuals to join will receive a starter prize pack, including a free slice from Ian’s Pizza, a 30-minute BCycle pass and a two-ride Metro Transit pass.

How do I enroll? Register with RoundTrip at www.RoundTripGreaterMadison.org. Then start logging your miles!

Callaway highlights community meeting

Renee Callaway, Pedestrian Bicycle Administrator for the city of Madison gave an update on all things bicycle related in the city of Madison. Her slides are available here: Madison Bikes Community Meeting 03252024.

Transportation committee actions

The following projects were approved and will go to the Board of Public Works:

Tancho Drive Path. This path will link Tancho Drive in Madison to bike paths of Sun Prairie.

Pheasant Branch Trail. A rerouting of current trails in the area of Deming Way and Excelsior Dr to avoid new drainage ponds and provide better connectivity. A new path connecting to Fourier Dr. will be added.

Hermina St foot/bike bridge. Narrowing street and preservation of tree canopy on Hermina and bridge over Starkweather Creek. This project will allow bicyclists and pedestrians traveling east or west to avoid using Milwaukee Street.  Possible new B-cycle station near the bridge.

What are stroads and how we can fix them

OK, what the heck is a stroad? Actually, you are actually very familiar with them.  An informative communication from Wisconsin BikeFed describes the safety and efficiency issues created by stroads. There is also an excellent video on stroads and a link to an easy to use interactive map that facilitates analysis of all types of crashes.

Gammon Road and bike/ped safety issues in the vicinity of schools are used to illustrate how problems can be identified with crash data. The safety improvements implemented on Sherman Avenue are used to show how stroads can be made safer and more efficient.  

This one is well worth your time.

Deadline approaching for Smart Cycling class

The registration deadline for the April 20 League of American Bicyclists Smart Cycling Class is Friday, April 12.  The course will be held in Fitchburg and covers bike maintenance basics, rules of the road, on-bike skills, and crash avoidance techniques. This class is also a prerequisite for League Cycling Instructor training.

Other items on the calendar:

April 6, 10AM – 3PM: Rescheduled Huge Dream Bikes Parking Lot Sale. 1131 N Sherman Ave.  https://www.facebook.com/events/932940418274741/

April 21: Two opportunities for free bike maintenance:

Madison Bikes and Freewheel Bikes will be providing a Spring Bike Wash and Lube from 1 pm to 4 pm at Clark Court and South Brittingham Place right next to Brittingham Park. Bike wash stations and supplies will be provided by Madison Bikes and Freewheel will have two bike mechanics for safety checks and minor adjustments. Right off the Brittingham Park path for people with bikes downtown, west and south sides of Madison.

For people with bikes on the east and north side of Madison, the Tenney Lapham Neighborhood is offering a Bikes and Brews event from 3 pm to 5 pm at Tenney Park also with free bike resources and adjustments.

https://tenneylapham.org/events/2024-events/bikes-brews/

Free Bicycle Benefits Ambassador fanny pack

Follow the link between now and June to get a fanny pack and a $25 gift card. [Facebook link]

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

Categories
Newsletter Weekly Update

Bike Advocacy in the Wake of Tragedy

Cyclists cruise down the Cap City Trail on Madison’s East Side

Welcome to this week’s newsletter. If you aren’t familiar, this newsletter shares the need-to-know information for bicycle advocates in the Madison area. As we gather to address both the joys and challenges of biking, this issue touches upon critical matters—from supporting those affected by tragedy, to community meetings where discussions of bicycling safety can take place.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of Joseph Solomon, who was killed by a driver while biking home from work on Lien Rd on the East Side. I can’t express how frustrated and angry it makes me that there has been another bicyclist death due to traffic violence. We have to do better to protect vulnerable road users, especially in areas farther away from downtown where separated bicycle infrastructure is often sparse and disconnected. If you wish to donate, his family has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for his funeral and provide support for his daughter. Thank you to those who have made contributions.

Community Event: Vision Zero & Active Transportation Planning

Join us this Monday, March 25th, 6:00 PM at the Central Library downtown to hear from Renee Callaway and learn about Vision Zero and Active Transportation planning. Renee is the new Assistant Director of the City of Madison’s Traffic Engineering division. Renee has over 20 years of experience in Transportation Planning and was recently promoted from her previous role with the city as Pedestrian Bicycle Administrator. We’re looking forward to having her come talk with us about Madison’s progress in Vision Zero, bike and pedestrian infrastructure planning, and Safe Routes to School planning.

We’ll be in Room 301 (note the change from 104) and we’ll have pizza, so come down, grab a slice, and chat with us about Making Madison a better place to ride a bike.

Transportation Commission

On Wednesday, at 5:00 PM the Transportation Commission will meet. Included in the agenda is one North/South BRT topic, the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPT). The LPT is the desired configuration for things like stops, dedicated bus lanes, and other operations like transit frequency and fare cost. Tune in to this meeting or see more information by vising the city website.

Upcoming Bicycle Education

The League of American Bicyclists has a few upcoming classes at the Fitchburg Community Center:

Smart Cycling on Saturday, April 20.  This course is a fast-paced class that provides cyclists with the confidence to ride safely and legally in traffic or on the trail. We will cover the basics of bike maintenance, rules of the road, on-bike skills, and crash avoidance techniques.

League Cycling Instructor (LCI, May 31 – June 2).  LCIs are ambassadors for better biking through their education efforts. After earning certification through a three-day, League Coach-led seminar, LCIs can teach a variety of Smart Cycling classes to children as well as adults, helping them feel more confident and secure about riding. From our youth focused classes to our Bicycle Friendly Driver curriculum, LCIs can educate people who bike and drive how to safely and legally share the road.

Smart Cycling is a prerequisite to LCI, and LCI is not held locally very often, so those in Wisconsin who are interested in getting certified should take advantage.

That’s all for this newsletter. We really hope to see you at one of our upcoming events. There are a lot of interesting, fun, and educational events coming up, including during Madison Bike Week 2024 in June. Stay safe and see you out there.

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

Bicyclist killed in crash, West Area Plan, BCycle tour

The worst possible news on Friday: Around 6:20 p.m., according to the Madison Police Department, a 35-year-old man riding a bicycle was hit and killed by a driver on Lein Road near Parkside Drive. His name has not yet been released. The incident report says police impounded the vehicle believed to be involved and located its owner, but are still investigating.

The West Area Plan … area. (City of Madison map)

Comment on city planning

The public comment period for Madison’s West Area Plan — addressing future growth and development in the area enclosed by North and South Midvale boulevards, the beltline and Middleton — will be extended, according to the Department of Planning, Community & Economic Development, though a new end date has not been announced. Public input was to close on March 20, but a notably noisy public meeting on March 12 apparently signaled the need for more time for feedback.

While the recent meeting went off the rails over potential zoning changes, the plan addresses bicyclist and pedestrian safety that may benefit from continued supportive comments: new bike lanes and underpass improvements on several school routes, traffic-calming through street design and road narrowing on some of the area’s diciest thoroughfares, and the Sauk Creek Greenway shared-use path that has piqued the same sort of reactionary ire that packed the recent public meeting.

There are some pleasant things to share!

If you didn’t catch Madison resident Daniel Eckberg’s Isthmus essay on how much walkable and bikeable neighborhoods enrich the lives of the people who call it home, give it a quick read.

On foot or two wheels, “It’s amazing how much more you notice at that pace, how many hole-in-the-wall spots you find, how many hidden paths you uncover,” Eckberg writes.

If you have the choice, he figures, you ought to consider choosing a neighborhood friendly to walking and biking. Good advice! And enough — shouldn’t it be? — to spur us to make more of Madison just that kind of accessible for people who don’t have a choice.

BCycles at Tenney Park station. (Chris Barncard)

The bikes are back in town

If you were about town over the weekend, braving almost seasonably (for a change) brisk temperatures and wind, you may have noticed the return of bikes to many BCycle stations around Madison.

This Thursday, March 21, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., you can get a closer look at BCycle operations — covering topics like battery charging and bike safety — on a Madison Bikes tour of the bikeshare’s Madison facility, 312 N. 3rdSt. You can even join a group ride to BCycle, gathering at Law Park, 410 S. Blair St., at 4:30 p.m.

See you there!

Other items on the calendar:

March 18, 5:30 p.m.: Tancho Drive Public Path Information Meeting (via Zoom)

March 25, 6 p.m.: Madison Bikes Community Meeting “Vision Zero & Active Transportation Planning” with Renee Callaway, Madison Public Library Central Branch, 201 W. Mifflin St.

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

Categories
Action Alert Bike News Newsletter Weekly Update

Not one more cyclist- take action with this week’s updates

It’s daylight savings time. Don’t forget to skip your clock an hour forward if it isn’t automatic- you don’t want to miss this week’s updates.

A white bike memorial for the late Sarah Debbink Langenkamp
A ghost bike memorial for the late Sarah Debbink Langenkamp (credit: Alicia Bosscher, 2022)

This week – urgent action needed

Sarah Debbink Langenkamp was killed while riding her bike in a bike lane in Bethesda, Maryland in August of 2022. The driver who struck her received a meager sentence of 150 hours of community service and a $2,000 fine. Sarah’s husband, Dan, is urging lawmakers to take action and pass the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation act, which is likely to be introduced Tuesday, March 12.

Specifically, the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act would:

– Unlock Highway Safety Improvement Program funding for projects that connect two pieces of safe cycling infrastructure.

– Allow local governments to identify active transportation projects eligible for Highway Safety Improvement Program funding.

– Allow bicycle and pedestrian safety projects to be fully federally funded, ensuring all communities can take advantage of these new eligibilities and encouraging communities to undertake more bicyclist and pedestrian safety projects.
Noa Banayan, PeopleForBikes’ director of federal affairs

We need your help to email Ron Johnson and ask that he co-sponsor the Senate version of the bill. The House version has bipartisan support. Click here to quickly e-mail Senator Ron Johnson. You can copy this message, if you would like: “Please consider co-sponsoring the Senate version of the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Act as it has the potential to save lives and won’t cost the government anything. Thank you!”

Also in this week

UW Transportation Services published this illustrated guide on bicycle security and theft prevention. Check it out for tips on how to keep your bike safe using the right equipment.

A bike lock security infographic showing: more secure: small u lock and square chain, moderately secure: u lock and cable or u lock only, and less secure: cable only
Bike lock security infographic (Credit: UW Transportation Services, 2024)

Coming next week

Spring is in the air! Come celebrate with MadisonBikes by taking a tour of the Madison BCycle Facility on Thursday, March 21. Join a relaxed group ride from Law Park leaving shortly after 4:30 pm or meet directly at the Third Street facility at 5 pm. Discussion will include battery charging and safety. Drinks and snacks will be provided.

Three Madison BCycle bikes docked next to each other as a cyclist starts to pull one out
Madison BCycle bikes (Credit: BCycle, 2022)

Dane County Supervisor candidate questionnaire

Elections for the Dane County Board of Supervisors are on April 2. The Spring Election is on April 2. Madison Bikes, the Affordable Housing Action Alliance (AHAA), Madison is for People, and Madison Tenant Power (MTP) worked together on an election questionnaire. The questionnaire for Dane County Supervisor candidates is focused on Dane County’s ongoing housing crisis and transportation issues. We reached out to all candidates, and we received 15 responses. Find out how the candidate(s) for your district responded and share the information with others.

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 Weekly Update

Spring Events Aplenty and Big TC/TIP Update

Snapshot from last week’s “Biking and the Law” Community Meeting (credit: Craig Weinhold)

This Week

Event signups for Bike Week 2024 are open. Once you have your event details firmed up, go ahead and fill out the form and we’ll get your event on the calendar when it’s released in May!

Bikes for Kids Wisconsin is ramping up for their spring bike giveaways on April 27, May 4 and May 11. They are specifically looking to staff 150 volunteer slots in addition to the expected need for donated bicycles.

The annual Bike-O-Rama event runs Friday through Sunday at the Alliant Energy Center.

Join us on March 8th, 9th, and 10th for Southern Wisconsin’s Largest Bicycle Sale. You can comparison shop, test ride, accessorize, and buy from all bicycle brands in one place!

Last Week

From Craig via the Madison Bikes Slack:

[…] highlight the TIP presentation [at the TC on February 28] that Engineer Chris Petykowski walked through. It’s essentially a rough plan to what the City is working on over the next five years excluding major state- and/or federally-funded projects like BRT and John Nolen Drive.
TIP documents and TIP presentation recording  (@1h 24m)

2025

  • West Beltline trail from High Point Rd to Zor Shrine
  • Rimrock Rd from John Nolen to MM
  • Pflaum Rd from HWY 51 to Monona Dr
  • Troy Drive RR underpass for bikes/peds
  • Rusk path connection to existing overpass beltline overpass

2026

  • Regent St from Monroe St to Park St  — we’ll need everyone’s help to steer this project into being bike-friendly.
  • High Point Rd connection from Midtown Rd to Raymond Rd (Marty Farms development)

2027

  • Gammon Rd Whitney Way & Odana Rd intersection
  • South Franklin Ave (the steep blind hill next to the cemetery)

2028

  • Interstate underpass to extend Capital City Trail to Cottage Grove
  • West Beltline trail from Zor Shrine to Gammon Rd
  • Moorland Rd west of the sewerage plant
  • Farley Ave, University Ave to Regent

Coming Up

Looking forward a bit, BCycle will be all-systems-go for the season starting on March 15. To help celebrate this, Madison Bikes has arranged a tour of the BCycle facility on March 21. Find out what goes into keeping the BCycle fleet running! Details are still forthcoming, but expect a relaxed group ride from Law Park leaving shortly after 4:30pm or meet directly at the Third Street facility at 5pm. There will be snacks.

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.