Month: July 2025

Welcome to the Madison Bikes Newsletter. This week we have a call for input on Stoughton Road and some news about Ride the Drive. Read on to learn more.

Stoughton Rd Survey

We’ve talked a lot about Stoughton Rd recently. On July 15th, WisDOT held a public information meeting where redesign plans were presented for much of Stoughton Rd and its intersections from Voges Road, South of the beltline, to just North of Milwaukee Street. There are redesign plans for the corridor itself and for each of the major intersections along the road. Several of the intersections have multiple designs, and the survey intends to gather feedback on your preferences. So if you haven’t taken it yet, please review the materials on the project page and take the survey.

Pedal Parade at Ride the Drive

Ride the Drive is coming up soon on Sunday, August 10th. John Nolen Drive and part of Williamson St will be closed to motor vehicles so pedestrians, bikes, and others will be able to stroll or roll down the entire width of the roads. You won’t want to miss any of the awesome, free activities along the route and at the hubs at McPike, Law, and Olin Parks. During RTD, Madison Bikes and Machinery Row will be hosting a slow-rolling celebration of all things biking:

Let’s celebrate our Madison Bike community with a bit of fun and whimsy! We hope you’ll join us for a bike parade during Ride the Drive! Costumes and bike decorations are encouraged, but not required. We’re hoping to have representation from all types of bikes and bikers, so invite your friends, family, and neighbors! See flyer for more details.

Speaking of Ride the Drive, we’re still looking for volunteers for Madison Bikes’ Ride the Drive festivities. Our tent will be on John Nolen Drive from 10 am until 2 pm where we will be making bike powered smoothies and talking to people about Madison Bikes – who we are, what we do, and upcoming events.  You can sign up to volunteer here!

That’s all for this newsletter. Thanks for reading and have a great week!

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.

Thanks to our sponsors who make our events possible!

Water, water, everywhere. Who wants to visit it on a bike? This week’s newsletter visits the future of one of Madison’s most scenic bike destinations and one of its least bike-friendly thoroughfares. Ride along, will you?

Madison LakeWay public meeting

Tonight — Monday, July 21, at 6:30 p.m. — the Madison Parks Department will host a virtual public meeting on the first phase of development on the Lake Monona shoreline along a rebuilt John Nolen Drive. The meeting will include an overview of proposed lakeshore “amenities,” with updates on progess and next steps, as well as an opportunity to provide feedback. Madison LakeWay, the organization partnering with the city of Madison on plans for more than half a mile of the waterfront, has more information on what to expect.

Speaking of John Nolen Drive construction, if you’re in the mood for some long-term bike route planning, Madison is laying out its plan for detours — including for bike path closures — for several years’ worth of John Nolen construction.

More South Stoughton Road

If you missed the July 15 public information meeting on planning the future of South Stoughton Road / Highway 51, Madison’s Transportation Commission will get an update at their virtual meeting on Wednesday, July 23. As mentioned in previous Madison Bikes newsletters, the current design lacks bicycle and pedestrian access along and across the highway. You can learn more about those issues and how the corridor may change in the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s study materials.

Volunteer for Ride the Drive

Volunteers are needed for the Madison Bikes event at Ride the Drive on Sunday, Aug. 10. The Madison Bikes tent will be on John Nolen Drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. cranking out bike-powered smoothies talking about Madison Bikes. Sign up to volunteer with Madison Bikes here. And/or sign up to volunteer with Madison Parks for the larger event here.

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.

Thanks to our sponsors who make our events possible!

Welcome to the Madison Bikes Newsletter. This week, we have some meeting news, construction updates, group ride info, and a Madison Bikes volunteer opportunity.

Stoughton Rd Public Information Meeting

On Tuesday, July 15th, there will be another public information meeting for planning the future of Stoughton Rd / US 51. The meeting is one in a series that will dive into the current and potential future issues with the corridor, and what designs and alternatives area residents would like to see to make the best use of the space. There are a myriad of issues with the current design, including a lack of bicycle access along and across US 51, and a glaring lack of pedestrian crossing opportunities. The intersections at Buckeye and Pflaum are notorious for being some of most dangerous intersections in the entire city.

A while back, we shared some conceptual design alternatives from WisDOT on potential changes to the road. While none of the alternatives are perfect, the options that improve the ability for cyclists and pedestrians to safely use and cross the road without going miles out of their way are my preference. What are your thoughts on US 51? If you are interested, you can use the link on the project page to send your comments (look for the “comment now” link), or even better, you can come to the meeting on Tuesday and tell WisDOT you care about safer pedestrian and bike access.

Bikes and Tacos

Did you know that every Wednesday, you can join a casual group ride and get discounted tacos? Well, now you do! Join Motorless Motion for the weekly Taco Ride every Wednesday at 6pm, beginning at their shop on W Washington Ave and ending next door at Bandit Tacos.

A few weeks ago, board member Craig Weinhold helped lead a special Infrastructure edition of the Taco Ride in a collab with Madison Bikes. The ride rolled through town and stopped at notable infrastructure like the exciting, newly completed E Wilson cycletrack (part of the E Wilson reconstruction project). The infrastructure x taco ride was the first of its kind, but hopefully there will be more room for collaboration in the future. And there will always be tacos, so what are you waiting for?

Construction Season Means a Detour for the Detour

Heads up to commuters in SW Madison: this week (July 14-23) Cherokee Dr will be closed to through traffic. Since it was being used as a detour for the Nakoma construction, there will be a new detour on Manitou Way for the week. More info can be found on the City’s Facebook post or the project website.

Volunteers needed for Ride the Drive

Volunteers are needed for Madison Bikes’ Event at Ride the Drive on Sunday, August 10th. This is separate form the volunteers needed by the City of Madison Parks for Ride the Drive. Our tent will be on John Nolen Drive from 10 am until 2 pm where we will be making bike powered smoothies and talking to people about Madison Bikes – who we are, what we do, and upcoming events.  You can sign up to volunteer here!

That’s all for this newsletter. Thanks for reading and have a great week!

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.

Thanks to our sponsors who make our events possible!