Month: February 2026

To everyone’s surprise: It’s not actually spring yet! We’re back in freezing temperatures and the bike paths are much emptier again. Ah well.

Park Street

The horrible crash that killed 17-year-old high school student Sasha Rosen on Park Street continues to be on everyone’s minds and in the media. Last Wednesday, the Transportation Commission discussed the fatal crash, what led to it, and how we can prevent fatal crashes–on Park Street and elsewhere–going forward. For a live recap of the meeting discussion, you can read Mike Zenz’s account on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/therealzenz.bsky.social/post/3mf6a6xgqck27

Many members of the public spoke at the meeting or submitted written comments, asking for action and recounting their own experiences of traffic violence or reckless driving on and around Park Street. City staff gave a long presentation. The talked about what they have already done (e.g. make sure that all signage and signals at the site of the crash met and exceeded regulation; increased police enforcement right after the crash); what cannot be done at the moment (e.g. automated camera enforcement because state law doesn’t allow for it; closing down a travel lane because Park Street is a highway controlled by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation); and what they plan on doing going forward in the long term (e.g. the North-South BRT project will include many safety improvements) and in the short term (collect more data). Members of the commission (disclosure: I am one of them) offered suggestions and asked many pointed questions.

Media coverage of the crash also continued:

• The Cap Times reports on how the school district do and do not work together when it comes to traffic safety issues: https://captimes.com/news/government/madison-student-s-death-prompts-talk-of-more-city-school-collaboration/article_fa1653d5-6697-4880-956a-b94806b8171e.html
• The Wisconsin State Journal reports on the “Safe Routes to School” program, which is a partnership between the Wisconsin Bike Fed, the city, and the school district: https://madison.com/news/local/education/local_schools/article_6ece42f8-dda1-41c6-adb6-f25743555e5b.html
• Channel 3000 delivered the news that the driver who killed Sasha allegedly drove 62 miles per hour and was charged with second-degree reckless homicide. https://www.channel3000.com/news/police-driver-that-killed-teen-was-driving-at-62-mph/article_4116e3e7-c8cf-4d0c-b99c-2fe8c23cf5e6.html
• The Cap Times also provides a recap of the Transportation Commission meeting last week. https://captimes.com/news/government/park-street-crash-prompts-emotional-meeting-on-traffic-safety-fixes/article_5d0c6540-e10d-4515-bd3d-edd08e5469cc.html

If you want to stay up to date with “Safe Streets for Sasha,” the advocacy website now has an option to subscribe to email updates: https://www.safestreetsforsasha.org/

Bike Advocacy Social on Sunday

After successful outing to survey Regent Street and talk to local businesses about the upcoming Regent Street reconstruction last Sunday, the Machinery Row/Madison Bikes advocacy meetup is doing a social next Sunday (3/1): From 5 to 6:30 pm folks will meet at Working Draft Brewing, in an approachable environment where anyone interested in bike advocacy can meet like-minded folks and chat about how we can make Madison a more bike-friendly city.

CORP Clinic for NICA Athletes on Monday

The series of Capital Offroad Pathfinders continues, but this time it’s for the kids. On Monday (2/23) night, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, NICA athletes can come to the Trek Store West and learn about fixing their bikes:

Are your parents sometimes too helpful and as a result you don’t learn how to fix things yourself? No parents allowed in this clinic which will focus on athletes learning common bike repairs, changing a tire, keeping your bike clean and running well.

This clinic will be led by the awesome mechanics at Trek West!

Bike License Plates

Rumor has it that some people who ride bikes also own a car. And may be interested in that car having custom license plates that show their support for biking. Well, the Bike Fed’s got you:

Turn Your Commute Into a Cause: The Wisconsin Bike Safety Plate
Wisconsin is about to become the 27th state to put bicycle safety front and center—and we need your help to cross the finish line.

The Wisconsin Bike Fed is officially launching a campaign to create a “Special Group Plate.” This isn’t just a piece of metal for your car; it’s a rolling billboard for safety and a permanent engine for change.

Why This Matters
Starting in 2027, every plate sold will do two vital things:

1. Generate awareness: It sends a constant, visual safety message to every driver on the road.

2. Fund Education: Proceeds from every sale go directly into bicycle education and safety programs across the state.

In order to make that happen, they need to raise enough money to cover the initial development fee for the plate. You can contribute here: https://give.wisconsinbikefed.org/campaign/766424/donate

International Winter Bike to Work Day

This year, we set up at Law Park with treats and information provided by Madison Bikes (coffee from Cafe Domestique), Machinery Row Bicycles and  Round Trip / Greater Madison MPO.  Even the Data Bike was there. Well over 100 cyclists attended, marking a significant increase from last year. Perhaps the weather had something to do with the high turnout, but we hope increased acceptance of winter riding as a viable transportation mode is partly responsible. It was great seeing all the shared conversation and celebration of winter biking. Thanks to everyone who attended!

More winter biking

See this recent Madison Magazine article on local winter bike commuters, their thoughts and some secrets to success.   

Transportation Commission to discuss Park St safety, Rimrock resurfacing

On Wednesday, February 18, the Transportation Commission will address safety on Park St.  following the tragic crash which took the life of Sasha Rosen last week. Traffic Engineering Division’s rapid response team is working on identifying any possible short-term and/or long-term improvements which could prevent future crashes. This meeting is a chance to weigh in on the need for these improvements.

The Rimrock Rd resurfacing project will also be discussed. Construction is anticipated in 2027 or 2028. It’s significant because along with the E-Rusk path (see below) and recently completed Badger-Rusk path, it will close a major gap in the low-stress bicycle network.

If you would like to speak at the meeting, register here.  Comments can be sent to transportationcommission@cityofmadison.com.

East Rusk Ave Shared-Use Path would plug low-stress network gap

A proposed path would link the recently completed W Badger Rd path to a planned shared-use path on Rimrock Rd (see TC meeting agenda). The East Rusk path would provide all ages & abilities access to businesses on E. Rusk Ave, the Alliant Energy Center and the Cap City Trail. The public meeting was last week but you can see details, watch the presentation, and sign up for e-mail updates here.

Regent Street

Regent Street will be reconstructed in the next year or two. The Transportation Commission plans to discuss updates to the options discussed at the last public information meeting; however, this agenda item has been delayed until March 4. This delay gives us a bit more time to become more familiar with the different alternatives. At this point the preferred option doesn’t contain bicycle facilities on Regent St, but it does include improvements in routes to access Regent St from the SW commuter path. The project page provides information on Regent Street reconstruction including the options being considered.  

Yesterday, Machinery Row and Madison Bikes organized a group of volunteers who visited Regent St businesses to make sure the perspectives of bicyclists are part of the conversation. It’s important for bicyclists to attend the March 4 meeting and comment orally or in writing, emphasizing the businesses you would visit by bicycle to highlight that increased bicycle traffic through a neighborhood can mean more business.

Election questionnaire results

Common Council elections for all even-numbered districts will take place on April 7. Madison Bikes once again has teamed up with other local groups to send candidates a questionnaire about housing, development, and transportation issues. Questionnaires will be sent this week. We plan to publish the candidates’ responses on March 5.

Forgo Mucky Paths

This is a good time to stay off unpaved trails which are soft and rutty until things firm up a bit. Riding on muddy trails can cause permanent damage to trails. For mountain bike trails, CORP provides a handy listing of trail conditions to let you know if conditions are OK to ride.

That’s it for this week’s update. Enjoy the warm weather while it lasts.

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!