Month: May 2026

Regent Street: Recap and next steps

Quick disclosure first: I am on the Transportation Commission and the Board of Public Works. The following is a very abbreviated summary of the whole process so far.

Regent Street was back at the Transportation Commission last week. Here are the slides and the video recording of the meeting. To recount what happened so far: In April, the commission had narrowly approved the proposed geometry for the street. That geometry

• did not include any bike facilities on Regent but some improvements on crossing and parallel streets
• had a bunch of car parking/loading on both sides of Regent
• one travel lane in each direction for the stretch between Randall and Brooks (down from one lane + rush hour/parking lane)
• very wide travel lanes because that’s what the fire department/EMS want
• greatly expanded sidewalks and space for sidewalk cafes and some trees
• an additional lane and wider road footprint between Brooks and Park (at the UW Health 20 S Park Clinic)

The project next went to the Board of Public Works for approval. After much public comment in opposition and a staff presentation that made a case for why the project as proposed was indeed in accordance with the Complete Green Streets policy, the board overall concurred with the staff proposal and the transportation commission’s vote. Except for the additional lane between Brooks and Park. Because of the different votes at the board and the commission, the Common Council sent the project back to the Transportation Commission.

At the commission’s meeting on Wednesday, again there was a lot of public comment requesting the inclusion of bike facilities on Regent, limiting parking/loading to only side of the street, as well as business and employer representatives speaking in favor of the previously approved design. The discussion of the commission was mostly focused on the one block between Brooks and Park. The commission eventually approved one of the options that includes an additional lane in that block. Additionally, the commission approved the addition of a buffered bike lane on Mills that goes all the way to the intersection with Regent:

What’s next: Now the project will go back to the board of public works, on Wednesday, May 20, 4:30 pm. You can register for that meeting here: https://www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/committees/meeting-schedule/register After that, the Common Council will have the project on the agenda and weigh all aspects of it. At the transportation commission, several alders were in attendance and asked questions about how the project aligned with adopted city policies.

Madison Bike Week 2026

On to more fun matters: The countdown to Madison Bike Week 2026 is ticking. Less than two weeks until it starts! If you haven’t already checked out the event website (big shoutout to super volunteer and newsletter contributor Ben Sandee who developed the new site from scratch!), now is a good time! You can filter events, create a personal agenda, upload images, get notifications of cancelled events, and more.

The current event count is 67, and I’m sure it’ll still go up more before Bike Week starts. It’s not too late to organize your own event and get it on the calendar! https://www.madisonbikes.org/events/bikeweek-event-registration/

If you’re on our volunteer list, you already received an email with some Bike Week volunteer opportunities. If you’re not on the list and would like to help out, shoot us an email at volunteer@madisonbikes.org.

Safe Routes to Schools meeting and feedback form

The city, the Wisconsin Bike Fed, and the Madison Metropolitan School District are working on a Safe Routes to School Plan. The plan “presents a vision for increasing walking, biking, and taking the bus to school.” A draft is now available and you (and your kids!) can provide input. You can do that either online or at virtual meeting on May 21, 6-7 pm. Links to sign up to the meeting and the online comment form are all on the website for the plan: https://www.cityofmadison.com/traffic-engineering/biking-walking/programs-and-projects/safe-routes-to-school/safe-routes-to

Tancho Drive Path: We’re gonna celebrate, in June

Construction on the Tancho Drive Path on the far Northeast Side, at the border with Sun Prairie is progressing. The path was supposed to be open by May 19, but it may take a little longer. Save the date for our community celebration in June!

A ribbon-cutting ceremony, sponsored by Madison Bikes, Oakwood Village-Prairie Ridge, and Sun Prairie Moves, will be held on Friday, June 26 on the path adjacent to the Oakwood-Prairie Ridge main building, 5565 Tancho Drive. There will be drinks, snacks, and some brief remarks by individuals from the City of Madison, Sun Prairie, and Prairie Ridge. We are currently interviewing some Prairie Ridge residents to get their thoughts on the importance of the new path to them. Information from those interviews and more information on the ribbon cutting will follow in a future Madison Bikes update.

UW–Madison Campus Construction

The semester is over, which means a lot of road and path construction projects on campus have kicked off. Not everything is always going to plan or communicated ahead of time and we have received various reports of unexpected closures and detours. If you’re on Facebook, our Madison Bikes Community Group has been a good venue to stay up to date. UW Transportation Services has an overview and updates available here: https://transportation.wisc.edu/2026/04/22/summer-2026-construction-forecast/

Downtown Plan meeting

Tonight (Monday May 18) from 6:30 to 7:30pm, you can join a virtual open house for the Envision Downtown Madison Plan. Materials, more details, and a registration link are available on this website:

https://www.cityofmadison.com/dpced/planning/events/2026-05-18/envision-downtown-madison-open-house-virtual

Ride the Drive volunteers sought

Ride the Drive is happening in August this year, and the search for volunteers has begun:

Ride the Drive is returning to Madison on Sunday, August 9, 2026. Since its start in 2009, this event has grown into a community celebration of health, the environment, and connection, made possible by volunteers like you.

Click Here to:

BECOME a VOLUNTEER

We invite you to join us and be part of another incredible day. This year, we are excited to welcome over 200 volunteers to help bring the event to life. Whether guiding at intersections, staffing booths, or helping with setup and cleanup, your role helps create a welcoming and vibrant experience across the city.

And yes, there is a little bonus this year.

Two shirts one ride.

Volunteers will receive the new 2026 Ride the Drive T shirt (no color chosen yet) and, you will also receive a 2025 shirt (hot pink, very sharp).

Why Volunteer?
• Enjoy flexible shifts. Most positions are just 2 hours, leaving you plenty of time to enjoy the event
• Celebrate community. Connect with neighbors and help create a healthier and more vibrant Madison

• Volunteer training available July 22^nd 6pm to 7pm.  Zoom link will be provided.

Thank you for being part of what makes Ride the Drive so special. Your time and energy truly make this event possible.

Visit ridethedrive.com for additional information about the event including maps, vendor information, and more.

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!

Grades are out. Road graders are in.

With commencement in the rearview mirror, construction gets even more active on and around the UW–Madison campus. The university’s Transportation Services office has a roundup of projects and resulting closures scheduled to begin as soon as the mortar boards landed.

Starting this week, construction will affect:

• The eastbound bike lane on University Avenue from North Park to North Frances streets
• North Charter Street from University Avenue to Linden Drive, which will be closed for one week for repaving
• Babcock Drive just north of University Avenue, where Madison is reworking the road to better accommodate Metro’s BRT service. That project will likely interrupt the usual bike and pedestrian flow at several crossings, included in this handy map made by Craig Weinhold.

While the Transportation Services site is a good place to find info about closures and detours, word in the Madison Bikes Community Facebook group Monday morning was that the bike path bridge over Walnut Street was closed and might stay that way for a week.

Summer e-bike rides are back

Speaking of Facebook, that’s where you will also find details on the kick-off of summer e-bike rides with Capital E-Bikes. The weekly group rides begin and end at Capital Brewery in Middleton. The ride on May 13 begins at 5:30 p.m. with an info session on the club, which has been around since 2009.

Bike Week countdown: 18 days

There are now 56 events on the Madison Bike Week calendar, including rides every day for nine days, as well as fun for kids, education and tune-up stops, tours and food — beets, brats, beer and more.

It’s time to start making your plan, and there’s room for more! Have a notion for a Bike Week event or promotion? Submit your idea here. Or throw in as a volunteer. We’re still looking for people to help with the Bike Week Party on June 5.

More fun this week:

• May 15, 7 to 8:15 a.m.: Bike to Work with the Mayor of Fitchburg, starting from McKee Farms Park, 2930 Chapel Valley Road
• May 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Free bike wash at Wheel & Sprocket, 6641 University Ave. in Middleton
• May 17, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Exploring the mountain bike trails and test-ride bikes at the Spring Open House at Blackhawk Ski Club, 10222 Blackhawk Road in Middleton

Speaking of fun …

I saw a kid in the park this week learning to pedal, and it reminded me of the unfiltered joy I got to experience first-hand while teaching my own. The giggles! Hope you can get this happy this week on two wheels.

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!

Despite a record 7.26″ of rain and freezing temps at the beginning, middle, and end of the month, I hope everyone found time to ride in April. RoundTrip Madison sure did; their Spring Roll Challenge saw over 400 participants log over 10,000 trips.

Bike Week News

Madison Bike Week runs from May 30 to June 7 with events and commuter stations all over town and discounts and specials at area businesses. The week culminates in an end-of-week party at Brittingham Park on Friday June 5.

The Bike Week Event Schedule has launched!

https://www.madisonbikes.org/events/madison-bike-week-2026/

The layout is new and improved from what we’ve used in the past (thanks Ben Sandee!). Over forty events are already scheduled. Please share the link above with throughout your community!

Host an Bike Week event or offer a Bike Week discount!

If you’re planning to host an event, register it here! If you need help with event costs, Madison Bikes does have a (very) small grant program.

Businesses that offer Bike Week specials or discounts should also register using that link.

Call for Volunteers!

Volunteers are needed for the end-of-week party Sign-up here!

If you want to help distribute Bike Week posters around town, email dan@madisonbikes.org

(year-round, Madison Bikes is always looking for volunteers to help out with our many events, such as helping with our Ride the Drive smoothie-maker, modeling at the Winter Bike Fashion Show, etc. Register your interest here!)

Not in Madison?

For those outside Madison, Wisconsin Bike Fed has their own Bike Week page covering other parts of the state.

This Week

Madison Police Department is hosting Town Halls in each district to discuss public safety. On Monday May 4 from 6:30 to 8:00pm, they’ll be at the Central Library to talk about the Central District. Thank them for the extra traffic enforcement and bring questions from their 2025 Annual Report or the sobbering Q1 2026 Traffic Safety Report with its three pedestrian fatalities (and another occurred just last week on Buckeye Rd and Stoughton Rd).

Thanks to Cool Bikes North for highlighting a Maple Bluff meeting on Tuesday May 5 at 5:30pm at the Maple Bluff Village Center, 18 Oxford Pl to discuss “possible improvements (as presented in the 2017 approved Gateway Plan) to N. Sherman streetscape as part of 2027 infrastructure improvements.” It sounds like that dusty Gateway Plan needs a modern review to make sure it meets today’s needs. Remember that N. Sherman Ave used to be a 4-lane road with no bike lanes and no pedestrian medians; that changed with a TWLTL conversion in 2013 which made the road safer for bikes, peds, and drivers alike without restricting traffic flow or having any adverse impact on businesses or the adjacent neighborhoods. Most notably, bike traffic exploded along the corridor and today, the road is a good candidate for even more bike improvements (see AAA below).

The Odana Hills Golf Course Redesign will have open houses on Wednesday April 6 6:00-8:00pm and Thursday April 7 11:00am-1:00pm. Proposed changes on the east side will realign the bike path running from Odana Rd to the SW Commuter Path. The planners have also promised to also connect the SW Commuter Path to Whitney Way where bikers can pick up the West Beltline path. This is an exciting connection that is long overdue.

The Greater Madison Metropolitan Planning Organization (“MPO”) meets on Wednesday May 6 at 6:30pm with discussion and adoption of the Active Transportation Plan — remember providing feedback on that last summer?? There will also be a discussion of e-Things outreach (e-motos, e-bikes, e-scooters, etc). See the meeting schedule for agenda and packet.

Wednesday also marks the start of Bike Fitchburg’s monthly “Ride for Joe” rides leaving from the Fitchburg Senior Center at 10am. These are bound to be rowdy and unhinged. You have been warned!

Upcoming and Misc.

Last week, the Board of Public Works had some barbed comments about the Regent Street design, with the City’s lead engineer admitting that “deliveries will not be easier” with the new design. Deliveries, if you recall, are the stated reason City engineers refuse to consider a design with parking on just one side of the street (a layout that would provide ample space for bike lanes and parking buffers). The BPW was especially concerned about plans to widen the eastern block next to S. Park St, and punted it back to the Transportation Commission’s next meeting on May 13. If you use Regent Street businesses, please let them know that you are a biker!

The UW’s Summer Construction Forecast has little bits of pain for everyone who traverses the UW campus. Of note is the one-way section of Babcock Drive that peels off from University Avenue — it will be closing next Monday May 11 for work on the railroad crossing there. Work is expected to be done by end of July. On the good side, the Limnology bypass is supposed to be done by end of this month

Bike Fed’s Adventure Bike Day Camps in Madison were all waitlisted, but they’ve found a way to open up new spots for the June 15-19 camp for 6th – 8th graders. Sign up quickly!

Looking for a job? Madison Police is hiring a Bike Recovery Specialist to handle “bicycle related complaints, including retrieving, tagging, storing and inventorying abandoned, illegally parked, or found bicycles.” The job description doesn’t say anything about Facebook Marketplace string operations but don’t let that stop you!

Draft All Ages and Abilities Bike Network Plan

The Cap Times had a nice article on the Draft AAA Bike Network Plan. If you haven’t, please take time to read the draft, review the maps, and submit your comments.

I have a few problems with how the AAA facilities are rated and characterized. Specifically,

• On the page 22 map of the AAA Bike Network Compaion, the different roads and paths are colored green for “high comfort and low-stress” and orange for “high stress.” As you review the maps, see if those colors match your experiences. E.g., I feel that the Mineral Point Rd sidepath near West Towne shown in green is not low-stress. West of Gammon Rd, there are 20 crossings in one mile. This past Saturday morning, I experienced two right-hooks and one encroachment in a single ride along this stretch. Three close-calls in as many minutes! The only reason I’m not writing from a hospital is because I, like all frequent users of that path, are hyper-alert and simply expect drivers to drive badly. In contrast, Lakeshore path is shown in orange, presumably because of its high bike/ped traffic volume and uneven surface. It’s fair to call out those deficiencies, but it’s wrong to rate Lakeshore path as more stressful than Mineral Point Rd.
• The plan’s map doesn’t discriminate about which side of the road the facility is on. E.g., the Mineral Point Rd sidepath described above makes the entire road a full AAA route, but the path is on the north side and does little to help one reach the many south side businesses. One of the two serious bike crashes involving that path was a rider trying to get to/from West Towne Mall.

Only with your help can we help the AAA Planned Bike Network accurately reflect what truely counts as “high comfort and low stress.”

That’s it for the weekly update. Ride safely and enjoy the sunny weather!

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!