Death on Williamson St
This tragedy has only a minor connection to bicycling, but I feel I can’t write a Monday update without mentioning it. The reason Corey Ruiz was confronted by police in the first place was because someone had reported him for stealing a bike. The person who reported him is absolutely devasted by the outcome.
We have all read about people who had their bike stolen, and how violated and distressed they felt, especially if the bike is someone’s primary transportation. I would never suggest that you shouldn’t file a report if your bike is stolen, but I don’t think anyone wants the result of a reported stolen bike to result in a death. The circumstances are horrible on all fronts.
Path around Limnology finally open
After much frustration and delays — this section was announced to be “open by this afternoon” a month ago, and the entire construction was originally supposed to be finished in the spring — the bike path on the south side of the Limnology building on campus is finally, really, legally open! This path will be wider than the previous one, will not interfere with people entering or exiting the building, and will have better sightlines when headed towards Memorial Union. Pedestrians still pass the building on the north side.
Those of us that use the campus Lakeshore Path as a crucial link to downtown are breathing a bit easier after a very long delay in re-establishing this route.
Bike lanes, lane reductions, and speed cameras are DEI infrastructure, and will no longer be supported at the federal level.
Huh?
The federal Department of Transportation has decided that it will no longer fund or recommend these street treatments and infrastructure. They have removed these items, among others, from the Federal Highway Administration website listing “proven safety countermeasures,” and have announced that there will be no funding for bike and pedestrian projects among the $1.7 billion worth of discretionary grants.
Now, staffers have been asked to scour the FHWA website for any reference to bikes and bike lanes. Many pages and tools that have been used by advocates and researchers for years have already been removed.
If you want to know more about this issue or contact your congressional members, hit up the League of American Bicyclists Action Center page on the matter.
Perry St overpass study at the Transportation Commission
This is a long-delayed connection that would provide access across the Beltline between Park St and Fish Hatchery Rd. One alternative would be just a bike-ped overpass, while the other would allow local motor vehicle traffic but no connection to the Beltline.
If you are interested in seeing the alternatives that are being studied, or would like to comment on the need for this connection, take a look at the materials and register to speak.
At this time, this is only a study, and there is no funding to build this connection. There was money for a bike-ped overpass in this location in the early 2000s, but the funds were diverted for other purposes. (This is one of my lingering resentments that I can’t let go.)
MPO Regional Transportation Plan survey – one week left
The Metropolitan Planning Organization – which covers the entire Madison urbanized area – is updating its Regional Transportation Plan. The second set of public meetings will be in October, but the survey for the plan is closing at the end of July. If you’d like to take the survey and provide comments on what your transportation priorities are, where money should be spent, and how the region should move around in the future, you can find the survey on their website.
Don’t forget to vote!
All that talk about federal policy reminds me that one way you can improve things in the community is by voting. Did you know that the partisan primary for statewide and local offices is Aug 11?
You have probably heard more than you want about the governor’s race, but parties will be selecting their candidates for a number of other offices for the general election in November, including the state senate and assembly, U.S. House, and a variety of statewide offices. Whoever is elected in November will be making decisions on the local, state, and national level that can affect bicycling policies and funding.
In-person absentee voting starts Tuesday for the Aug 11 primary. If you live in Madison, there are many locations where you can vote early. If you live outside the city, want to check where your polling place is located, what’s on the ballot, or make sure you are registered, go to myvote.wi.gov for all that info.
Ride the Drive still needs volunteers
If you want to help with the Aug 9 event, the city Parks department is still looking for a few more volunteers. You can sign up on the Ride the Drive website. If you’d like to help us out at the Madison Bikes booth on the Square, where we’ll be making bike-powered smoothies, contact Dan@madisonbikes.org.
Rides and gatherings this week:
Find a group, time, or riding style that fits you. Here’s what we have on the Community Calendar for this week. You can get more information – starting location, time, distance, type of ride, etc. – by going to the calendar.
Monday: Bike Fitchking monthly meeting
Tuesday: Madison Women’s Cycling Club Ride
Wednesday: Capital Brewery E-bike Ride
Wednesday: Motorless Motion Taco Ride
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!
