Last Thursday, 17-year old Alexander (Sasha) Rosen was hit and killed by a driver while crossing S. Park Street. While police officials are pleading for drivers to slow down and pay attention, it’s clear that more work is needed to make this area safer for pedestrians.
Former Madison Bikes board president and S. Park St neighborhood resident Eleanor Conrad spoke out in this article about safety and the need for more traffic calming measures:
“I know that there are those who will be really frightened by that term, but it’s really frightening crossing the street.”
Eleanor is exactly right. Paint is not infrastructure. S. Park is built like a highway, and the 25mph speed limit signs are most often ignored. We urge the City and WisDOT to consider adding physical traffic calming measures like curb extensions (AKA bump-outs), raised crossings, or traffic circles. Elements like these can save lives by slowing drivers down to an appropriate speed, and make crossing the road safer and easier for pedestrians. Traffic throughput should never take priority over lives. To learn more about what you can do to take action, visit safestreetsforsasha.org.
It’s worth noting that this section of Park Street may be due for reconstruction soon. The surface is in poor condition and it is on the route of the proposed North-South BRT. Either way, we’ll need support from the community in speaking up about prioritizing safety.
Public Meeting: E. Rusk Shared Use Path
On Monday at 6pm, the City is hosting a public information meeting on the E. Rusk Ave Shared-Use Path project. The path would be on the NW side of E. Rusk Ave between N. Rusk Ave and Rimrock Rd., parallel to the Beltline. The project aims to address the current lack of bicycle infrastructure there and close a gap in the low-stress bike network. Eventually, this path would connect to a future planned path along Rimrock Rd. The public is encouraged to give feedback. If you would like to give feedback or learn more, you can register using the Zoom link in the project page.
Friday is Winter Bike Day
We are excited to host another International Winter Bike (Anywhere) Day. Whether you are biking to work, school, or just going for a ride, we would love to have you stop by our commuter station on the Cap City Trail in Law Park near Machinery Row. We’ll be there on Friday from 7-9am handing out free donuts and coffee, joined by our friends at Machinery Row Bicycles and RoundTrip / Greater Madison MPO who also have goodies to give out. This will be our largest Winter Bike Day commuter station in several years, so you won’t want to miss it!
Later on Friday, we’ll be hosting a happy hour from 4-6pm at Working Draft. The beer won’t be free, but you can get 10% off your tab with your Bike Benefits sticker! Come hang out and chat with us about your favorite (and least favorite) things about Winter biking.
Regent Street Field Trip
As you may know, Regent Street is up for reconstruction in 2027. Although that’s a ways out, the planning phase is already in progress, and we want to get ahead of things by seeing the problems first-hand.
Sunday from 2-4pm, Join Machinery Row and Madison Bikes for a casual group ride and exploration of Regent Street. We’ll meet at Machinery Row, ride over via the Southwest Path, and visit local businesses between Park St and Monroe St to talk about the need for better bike access and facilities on Regent Street. Along the way, we’ll document the challenges of accessing shops by bike, and support local businesses while we’re at it. We plan to wrap up with a social stop at a restaurant in the area. Keep an eye on the calendar, linked below, for any updates.
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!
