Welcome to this week’s newsletter. October is National Pedestrian Safety Month. You might see news or posts about this telling you to be safe by being predictable, being visible, or only crossing in crosswalks. I’m not here to give any safety tips. Instead, I’ll let @ilajue on tumblr do that in their artwork titled “6 Tips for Crossing the Road”:
If you have trouble viewing these images in an email, you can also find this newsletter on our website at https://www.madisonbikes.org/2026/10/pedestrians-bats-fashion/
These tips are obviously tongue-in-cheek, because people often place the burden of safety on pedestrians. Shouldn’t the burden be on the person operating the massive deadly machinery capable of going really fast? This is not to say that pedestrians should not be careful. It it to say that even when walking carefully and lawfully, you can still be injured or killed, because bright clothing and looking both ways will not stop a distracted, speeding, or impaired driver from hitting you in a crosswalk.
Instead of giving safety tips, I can encourage you to reach out to your representatives about supporting legislation that can make a difference, like AB 655/SB 659 (Sasha’s Bill) to curb extreme speeding and reckless driving. Show up to public meetings about street redesign or reconstruction and advocate for safe crossings and designing for lower speeds. Finally, you can also contact your local government to report issues or request improvements to dangerous roads or intersections by emailing your alder or using the City’s report a problem.
Stewart Tunnel Update
In case you hadn’t heard, the Wisconsin DNR shared progress photos and an update about the Stewart Tunnel on the Badger State Trail. The tunnel, which has been closed since 2019 due to structural issues like falling rocks, is set to open back up in Spring 2027 after being reconstructed to allow trail users to pass through safely while keeping the endangered bat habitat intact. This balancing act is accomplished with a split design: corrugated metal for the new inner tunnel with the larger original tunnel preserved and updated as an “attic” for bats to hibernate (and do whatever else bats do in caves). While the official opening is expected next year, there is a possibility of a “soft opening” sometime in the Fall. We’ll be sure to let you know if that happens.
Winter Bike Fashion Show
If you want to learn more about biking through the winter, share your own winter riding tips with others, or just hang out with some cool winter biking people, join Madison Bikes at the Winter Bike Fashion Show on November 15th, from 1-4pm at the Goodman Center!
As part of the runway fun, we are looking for volunteer models. As a model, you’ll come dressed in your own gear, walk the catwalk, and share some of your personal tips for winter riding to encourage others to ride more this season.
You don’t have to be a year-round cyclist to apply and no modeling experience is required. Are you a summer cyclist who’s found a good way to extend your commute into the late fall with a few extra layers? Do you have a teenager who manages to get around town by bike with very little specialized gear? Are you a parent who has figured out how to keep your kids warm for weekend adventures on the bike path? We want to showcase winter biking and winter bikers in all their many forms!
WBFS Model application form (Application deadline: Monday October 26th)
We’re looking for:
- Year round bikers to show off their biking clothes and bike gear
- Shoulder season (late fall or early spring) riders to show off their biking clothes and bike gear
- Adults and kids (both kids who ride their own bikes, and kids who are transported by bike)
- Gear for winter biking and demo bikes- how do you adapt your bike for winter riding? We love DIY solutions that make it easy and inexpensive to giving winter biking a try!
- We strongly encourage people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ winter riders to apply!
Near West Area Plan Ride
The City’s Near West Area Plan is collecting input (Ideas Map) this month in preparation for the first public meetings next month. If you bike or walk on the near west side, now is the time to speak up with your ideas, wishes, concerns, etc.
To help, Madison Bikes’ Craig Weinhold will be leading an infrastructure tour on Saturday Oct 17 at 9:15am from Sequoya Library. This ride is open to all, but the focus will be on policymakers and those deeply interested in transportation aspects of the Near West Area Plan
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!
