Month: March 2026

If you’ve been looking out the window for months, making plans for sunnier days, you’re not alone.

Feedback on MPO plan ends today

Monday, March 23, is your last day to weigh in on the Greater Madison Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Active Transportation Plan for Dane County.

Already based on a survey answered by 3,000 people, the plan considers topics like trends in demographics and active transportation use, new e-micromobility devices, funding, and gaps and barriers that prevent prevent walking, rolling, and/or biking.

It’s a healthy 140+ pages, but if you want to make sure you’ve had the last word, dig in here and email mpo@cityofmadison.com with your thoughts.

AAA bikeways network

Madison presented its All Ages and Abilities Bike Network plan at the Transportation Commission meeting last week. Part of the Complete Green Streets approach that prioritizes
safety, comfort, and access to destinations for all, the AAA Bike Network aims to connect low-stress bike routes and make it easier and safer for bicyclists to reach neighborhoods and key destinations throughout Madison.

Learn more about the plan here, and watch the calendar. The plan will be released for public comment on April 20, with a virtual public meeting scheduled for April 23. You’ll have until May 11 to submit your comments and influence plan revisions before it is presented for adoption in the summer.

Know your candidates, vote smart

Election day is April 7 — barely two weeks away. Is your representative on the Madison Common Council up for a vote? Madison Bikes — with Madison is for People, Madison Area Community Land Trust, Madison Bikes, Affordable Housing Action Alliance (AHAA), and Strong Towns Madison — sent out Q&A’s to candidates to see where they stand on transportation, housing, and sustainability.

Read their responses before you go to the polls.

Ready, set, log

The RoundTrip Spring Roll Challenge is celebrating sustainable choices for everyday trips this April — which is Earth Month. Log your trips by bike, bus, carpool, walking and rolling from April 1 to 30. Prizes from prizes from Ian’s Pizza, Willy Street Co-op, Madison BCycle, Forage Kitchen, The Soap Opera, and more will be up for grabs.

Fitchburg bike-friendly business survey

If you regularly (or otherwise) ride to or through neighboring Fitchburg, take a look at a survey about the several businesses there looking to gain or renew their status as a Bicycle Friendly Business conferred by The League of American Bicyclists.

Fitchburg is high up on the national leaderboard for the designation, and word is The League and the businesses appreciate the number of survey responses and input from bicyclists. Visit the survey here and select Fitchburg’s state (it’s “Wisconsin”) to provide some support and feedback.

Coming Up

Tuesday, March 31, join Wild Ones-Madison at Harmony Bar & Grill as Jeff Steele shares his experiences botanizing on two wheels along southern Wisconsin’s incredible trail network. Facebook event.

Sunday, April 5, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Monthly Bike Advocacy Meetup at Machinery Row Bicycles, 601 Williamson St.

Thursday, April 9, a PIM about the West Towne Path phase 2B – Zor Shrine to Gammon Rd. (the final portion needed to connect Whitney Way to Junction Rd)That’s it for our weekly update. Have a great St. Patrick’s Day and enjoy the snow!

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!

Am I the only one who jumped the gun and swapped out the studded tires last week? %$#@! The weather promises an exciting start to the week — maybe a good one to take the bus (tips below).

Highway 51 north changes & Public Info Meeting tonight!

WisDOT’s future Highway 51 / Stoughton Rd plans are divided into northern and southern halves. The southern part has been in the news over the last few months, with the City arguing for a narrower and calmer street. That fight is ongoing. The portion north of about HWY 30 chose a preferred alternative a year ago with excellent bike facilities over and around HWY 30, East Washington, and north towards the airport. What it lacked was a bike facility by the airport itself, due to some technical FAA regulation.

All had been quiet with the northern portion until the roar of an F-35 forced some project changes that will be discussed at a a Public Information Meeting on Monday March 16 from 5-6:30pm (POSTPONED – see the WisDOT project page to sign up for updates).

Apparently, a runway extension project intended to help reduce noise in southern neighborhoods requires that HWY 51 be rerouted with a new stoplight. As part of that rerouting, a continuous bike path is back in the plans! (reduce airport noise? calm the highway? add a bike path? Talk about a win / win / win!)

Bus 101 / Roundtrip Madison

Metro Transit is hosting two Learn & Ride Events with coffee and donuts. Learn about everything from how to pay the fare to how to bring your bike on the bus.

Thusday March 19, 7-10am, Junction Road BRT terminal. Facebook event

Tuesday, March 30, 7-10am, Sun Prairie Park and Ride. Facebook event. Tours on the A1 BRT depart at 7:58am and 8:58am.

Our friends from RoundTrip Madison will be there. Did you know that they offer a free program called Emergency Ride Home for when you’re at school or work and have an emergency or mechanical breakdown? Madison Bikes board member Dan used it this January and found it really smooth!

MPO Active Transportation Plan

The Greater Madison Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) sets standards and direction for the communites that orbit Madison. Take a look at their draft Active Transportation Plan for Dane County — 142 pages of concentrated policy details covering “what people who bike, walk, and roll need to travel safely and comfortably.” Perfect material to read on a snow day!

The public comment period for this draft plan is open through Monday March 23.

Bike Fed plates

The Wisconsin Bike Fed has been making solid progress on a bike-themed license plate. The idea of a vehicle plate that celebrates biking may seem anachronistic, but it makes perfect sense to send the message that a lot of bikers also own cars, pay fuel and gas tax, etc.

The next step is this survey to choose which plate to use. There are five choices but based on the tally at their Bike-o-rama booth this past weekend, these two are in the lead:

Also This Week

On Monday March 16 at 6pm, there’s a Public Information Meeting about Sherman Avenue construction impacts this summer. These will affect the road portions shown in red below. The questionnaire is open until March 23; use it to stress the importance of accommodating north/south biking during construction (e.g., at minimum keeping the green line open).

On Wednesday March 18, the Transportation Commission has a few noteworthy agenda items:

• Active Transportation Plan discusses plans for Pedestrians, All Ages & Abilities Bike Network, and Safe Routes to School.
• Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) Review maps out likely projects 2027 – 2031.
• WisDOT North Stoughton Rd will discuss Monday’s WisDOT meeting mentioned above.

Coming Up

Tuesday, March 31, join Wild Ones-Madison at Harmony Bar & Grill as Jeff Steele shares his experiences botanizing on two wheels along southern Wisconsin’s incredible trail network. Facebook event.

Thursday, April 9, a PIM about the West Towne Path phase 2B – Zor Shrine to Gammon Rd. (the final portion needed to connect Whitney Way to Junction Rd)

On Saturday, April 11, the Middleton PD in concert with Wisconsin Bike Federation is offering a free Bike Safety teaching certification course at Elm Lawn Elementary School in Middleton from 11:30 AM to 5 PM. This is in preparation for the June 6th Middleton Bike Rodeo, and they can train up to 16 people. If you’re interested in getting certified to teach bike safety, email James Blodgett directly at jameswblodgett@gmail.com.

Thursday, April 23, Southern Kettle Moraine Mountain Bike Trail System annual meeting. See SKORR.org for details.

Saturday, April 25, CORP Trails Love Your Trail Day at Saris HQ.

Alliant Energy Center

The Alliant Energy Center shared big plans in their Town Hall last week. Here are a few transportation slides. Take note the “land bridge” overpass concept over John Nolen Drive near Willow Island.

Other reminders

• 2026 Spring Election questionnaire
• Strongest Town Contest
• Bike Fed’s education team is hiring four Dane County high school students
• BCycle – through April, use code FREEMONTH for a … guess??
• Capital Off-Road Pathfinders MTB trail status page.

That’s it for our weekly update. Have a great St. Patrick’s Day and enjoy the snow!

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!

March is here, and while we’re oscillating wildly between May and February weather, there are some exciting signs of the season turning. BCycle comes back into service on Friday, Bikeorama is this weekend, and there’s a whole pile of news to dig into. Let’s get to it.

BCycle Returns Friday

The big news for casual and commuter riders alike: BCycle officially returns to service this Friday for the 2026 season. If you’ve been eyeing those empty docking stations all winter, your patience has been rewarded. And here’s a nice bonus: BCycle is offering a free month with code FREEMONTH, valid through the end of April. Good excuse to sign up or get a friend started.

Spring Election Questionnaire Responses Are Up

We sent out our 2026 Spring Election questionnaire to candidates, and we got a really good yield of responses this year. If you want to know where candidates stand on bike and transportation issues before you vote, head over and take a look. I’d encourage you to share it with friends and neighbors who might know much about their local races. If you don’t know who your alder is, there’s a link to the City’s site that will look them up for you.

The spring election is on Tuesday, April 7 and also has an always-important State Supreme Court race.

Odana Hills Path Connection

Big news on the west side path network front! The City announced last week that a substantial private gift will fund a redesign of Odana Hills golf course (similar to Glenway a few years back), with construction potentially starting as early as 2027. The Wisconsin State Journal (paywalled) has additional reporting on the details. While a lot is still up in the air about the golf course itself, the City’s announcement specifically mentions expanding the West Beltline Path between South Gammon Road and South Whitney Way along the south side of the course to link up with the Southwest Commuter Path, plus improving stormwater systems in and around the park.

We’d previously thought this path connection would need to wait until changes are made to Whitney Way and the Beltline, so it’s worth noting it could potentially happen sooner. Madison Bikes’ Craig has been digging into the details and notes that the pressing question becomes where and how to cross Whitney Way. The obvious answer is through the Milward Drive easement to the West Beltline Path, which has room for a future overpass. But Medical Circle also looks like a possibility that might connect better to the HyVee area. There are also questions about how future Beltline plans interact with all of this. We’ll keep you posted as things develop.

Vote Madison for Strongest Town

Our friends at Strong Towns have asked us to spread the word: Madison is competing in the 2026 Strongest Town Contest, and voting is open throughout the month of March. If you think Madison deserves recognition for investing in great streets, bike infrastructure, and sustainable transportation, go cast your vote. You can vote throughout the whole month, so set a reminder and keep at it.

This Week

On Monday at 6 PM, the Madison Bikes board meets in person at Madison Central Library. Board meetings are open to everyone, so if you’re curious about what we’re working on, feel free to stop by.

On Tuesday at 4:30 PM, the Alliant Energy Center is hosting a Master Plan Town Hall to discuss their future plans. This includes a facilities expansion, a new 13-acre “365 Destination” mixed-use district with restaurants, hospitality, and entertainment, a larger “Destination District,” and a Traffic Master Plan to tie it all together. Their newsletter notes that several key infrastructure projects just outside the campus, including the John Nolen Drive reconstruction, the Madison LakeWay Vision, and a Rimrock Road rebuild, are designed to improve access for pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, and drivers. If you’re interested, there’s an RSVP flyer here.

On Wednesday at 6 PM, the Madison Queer Bike Ride rolls out from Law Park. This is the monthly second-Wednesday group ride, party pace, all welcome. A great way to shake off the early-March cobwebs.

Also on Wednesday at 6 PM, the City is hosting a virtual public input meeting on the Moorland Road path project, running until 7:30 PM. Got thoughts about this one? Here’s your chance to share them. (Zoom Registration).

On Friday, to reiterate, BCycle returns to service for the 2026 season. Time to dust off that membership (or sign up for a new one) and start rolling. Remember, code FREEMONTH gets you a free month, and it’s good through the end of April.

We’ll be bringing stations back online throughout the day, so check the BCycle App before heading out to see real-time station and bike availability.

And finally, this weekend is Bikeorama. Running Friday through Sunday (March 13-15) at the New Holland Pavilions at the Alliant Energy Center. If you haven’t been, it’s basically a big bike expo with vendors, demos, and all things cycling. A great way to start thinking seriously about the riding season ahead. Admission and bike parking are free, but car parking ain’t!

Coming Up

On Saturday, April 11, the Middleton PD in concert with Wisconsin Bike Federation is offering a free Bike Safety teaching certification course at Elm Lawn Elementary School in Middleton from 11:30 AM to 5 PM. This is in preparation for the June 6th Middleton Bike Rodeo, and they can train up to 16 people. If you’re interested in getting certified to teach bike safety, email James Blodgett directly at jameswblodgett@gmail.com.

Also worthy of note: the Bike Fed’s education team is hiring four Dane County high school students for its paid, part-time Transportation Ambassadors internship program. It’s a 12-month gig starting in June, open to students across Dane County who will be in high school during the 2026-27 school year. If you know a young person who likes bikes and is interested in transportation, urban planning, environmental science, or political science, point them toward this. Applications are open through Sunday, April 12, and details are available in English and Spanish. Questions and applications can go to Shawn Koval at shawn.koval@wisconsinbikefed.org.

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!