The first few dry leaves have fallen off my birch tree. My daughter has a dorm move-in date. My son is wrapping up his summer internship in Boston. NO! NO! NO! It can’t be fall yet! It’s still summer, right!? Let’s all make a pledge to have a few more Chocolate Shoppe Bicycle Benefits Waffle Cones, a few more lazy evenings at the terrace, and a few more sublime, aimless miles on our bikes. September can wait.
N. Sherman Ave Railroad Crossing closure
The rough railroad crossing on N. Sherman Avenue will be closed for two weeks beginning Monday, August 17. See the City notice for details https://www.cityofmadison.com/news/2026-08-07/n-sherman-avenue-closure-for-railroad-crossing-replacement
The signed detour on Packers Ave is only for cars. Luckily, a brand new road by the ice arena opened just this year, and it should make for a groovy low-stress detour. The northern half has a multi-use path. All of it has a sidewalk. If you’re a regular rider on N. Sherman, can you give the detour a try this week to see if it’s OK?
Milwaukee Avenue
At this week’s Transportation Commission, the one topic of high interest is Milwaukee Ave between the Garver Path and Woodman’s. This is the area that is seeing heavy Voit Farms development just to the north.
The files are in Legistar #94298. In a nutshell, the City is proposing a north-side multi-use path coupled with a south-side, eastbound bike lane.
I really like the asymmetric layout. Side paths are nice for all ages & abilities, but they’re often “meh” when they’re on the opposite side of the street from where you are or want to be. This design solves that.
And we all must celebrate that the City is keeping Milwaukee Ave traffic to one lane in each direction. That’s all the current traffic volume demands, and it will establish Milwaukee Ave as a “Community Main Street” that will much better serve the new neighborhoods being built up there.
This Week
On Tuesday Aug 11 at noon, come to the University Bicycle Resource Center (just west of the Memorial Union) for a free session on Getting to Campus Without a Car. This is just the first of a series of fall clinics on fixing flat tires, brakes, and winter biking.
On Tuesday Aug 11 at 6:00pm, the Women’s Cycling Club meets at the Olbrich Biergarten for a Taco Tuesday ride. See their instagram page for details.
On Wednesday Aug 12 at 5pm is the Madison Transportation Commission, mentioned in Milwaukee Ave above. The agenda has details and sign up info. But, why attend a dry City Zoom meeting when the Capital Brewery E-bike ride meets at 5:30pm and the Motorless Motion Taco Ride meets at 6:00pm?
On Friday Aug 14 at 11am is the Machinery Row Lunch Bunch e-bike ride. Where will they eat this week? Come and find out! (and don’t forget Machinery Row’s Sunday 8am Century Training ride. AKA long-distance riding for the rest of us)
For more detail on any of these, visit the Madison Bikes Community Calendar.
Moovapalooza, Hippy Christmas, …
Madison’s annual celebration of U-Haul and out-of-state license plates is upon us. As always, let’s welcome our new neighbors. Yes, they will block bike lanes, they will drive the wrong way, and they will signal right while turning left. Please be tolerant, give them space, and maybe offer a helping hand.
Teejop Community Art Project
The Madison Art Commission just innagurated the Teejop Community Art Project, a series of indigenous artworks placed at parks around Madison. The displays will stay out until November. What does that have to do with biking? Well, nothing except that bicycle is the best way to see them!
I put together this 26-mile ridewithgps route that visits them all and has links and descriptions of the artists taken from this guide. As explained during the inauguration, the artworks do not have much explanatory information. They’re intended to integrate into the land and it’s thought that placards would mar the experience.
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!
