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Weekly Update

Riding, planning — and not driving — for lives

Ride For Your Life participants pedal through Madison on Oct. 4. Photo courtesy Craig Weinhold.

Ride For Your Life

More than 700 people turned out Sunday for the Ride For Your Life rally in Madison, an annual ride to remember people lost to traffic violence and advocate for safety improvements that can prevent future deaths. Madison’s ride was held in honor of Sasha Rosen, killed by a driver on South Park Street in February.

Ride For Your Life participants gather at the Wisconsin State Capitol on Oct. 4 to remember lives lost to traffic violence and advocate for safer infrastructure for people who aren’t traveling by car. Photo courtesy Craig Weinhold.

Ride For Your Life organizers asked participants to take action in two ways:

  • Send a postcard to your legislator to support S‏asha’s Bill to curb extreme speeding and reckless driving (AB 655/SB 659).
  • Submit the League of American Bicyclists Action Alert urging members of Congress to vote against any federal measures to defund bike lanes.

There’s nothing keeping anyone with hopes for safer streets from taking those actions, whether they made it to the ride on Sunday or not. Find more information on the Ride For Your Life website.

Plan your neighborhood

Kick-off meetings for the North Area Plan and Near West Area Plan begin in November. Area plans are intended to describe a vision for specific parts of Madison, and help guide private development and public infrastructure improvements — like those that make it easier and safer for bikers to move around their own streets.

Learn more about Near West Area planning here, and consider registering to attend the virtual kick-off on Nov. 4.

Learn more about North Area planning here. That process will begin with its own virtual kick-off on Nov. 9.

Bicycle Film Festival

The Barrymore Theatre fills with Bicycle Film Festival fans on Oct. 1. Photo courtesy Harald Kliems.

Another year of enjoying bicycling, another year of enjoying films about bicycling at the Barrymore Theatre. The gang got together on Oct. 1 (starting with pre-films fun at Starkweather Brewing Company) for the annual event.

Did you miss it? Add a note to your 2027 fall calendar. Were you there, and want something to remember it by? A limited number of Bicycle Film Festival posters are available. If you want one, email harald@madisonbikes.org. Posters will be available for pickup on the near west side. Donations to Madison Bikes are appreciated.

Get out from behind the wheel

Are you celebrating a Week Without Driving? We’ve got one more reason to ride instead. From 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7, Madison Bikes and Middleton will host a stop for commuters at 6192 Old Middleton Road, where Asbury Bike Path meets the street. Join us for coffee and treats from Willy Street Co-op West.

The Krause Family Band will also perform from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8., as part of the Week’s festivities. Walk, roll, bike or bus to Stone Horse Green, 7550 Hubbard Ave. in Middleton, to enjoy the show.

A few more things

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!

Griessmeyer Law
UW Health
SlowRoll Cycles
Sokol Advanced EyeCare