We should be designing our streets for the future that we want to build. The decisions made in the Regent St design will impact the way that we move around our city for the next 30+ years. At Madison Bikes, we believe parking should never take priority over people. We also believe in standing up for vulnerable road users when they are not given enough consideration. On July 16th, Madison Bikes shared the following statement with city staff:
Dear City of Madison Staff,
On June 9th, 2026, Madison Common Council unanimously approved a redesign of Regent St that excludes dedicated bicycle facilities despite the clear priorities established in the Complete Green Streets (CGS) policy. Complete Green Streets, a framework for street design adopted by the city in 2023, identifies safe accommodations for people biking and walking/rolling as a higher priority than on-street parking.
In the Regent St redesign, city staff and leaders had the opportunity to leverage the CGS guidance to create a new paradigm for street design in Madison. Instead, the policy was used to double down on the status quo, prioritizing parking and vehicle convenience over vulnerable road users.
This decision comes at a time when traffic violence continues to devastate our community. In recent months, Madison has lost multiple vulnerable road users, including 17-year-old Sasha Rosen, killed while crossing Park St, and Ken Bell, killed while crossing E. Washington Ave. In the face of these preventable tragedies, the city should be strengthening protections for people who walk and bike, not retreating from them.
The approved design abandons the guidance in at least 5 ways without including a checklist or justification for the decisions:
- CGS says loading zones should be provided “around the corner on intersecting minor streets.” The proposed geometry has loading zones only on Regent St itself.
- CGS says that bike lanes “should be included and may require consideration of parking options on side streets or in structured parking” and the proposed geometry has no bike lanes.
- CGS says Community Main Streets must have a maximum lane width of 10′ (CGS guide, page 60). The proposed geometry has 14′ lanes, wider than an Interstate highway.
- CGS says that Regent St should prioritize large canopy trees, (CGS guide, page 27) however more full canopy trees could have been included if not for street parking.
- CGS says that for Transit Priority Networks, “designs will prioritize in-lane stops that do not require buses to merge back into traffic.” The proposed geometry includes bus pull-outs instead.
The Common Council received several alternative proposals, and despite vocal and widespread opposition to the adopted plan, unanimously voted against the city’s own design policy. While the plan is an improvement from the existing configuration, it’s not the best we can do. The adopted plan could lead to higher traffic speeds, enable more dangerous driving behavior, and encourage biking on the sidewalk. All of this could create a more hostile environment for people who are trying to access the businesses and amenities on Regent St. Madison Bikes is deeply disappointed in this decision and urges city leaders to reconsider it.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Madison has previously approved street designs that deviate from its own CGS principles, undermining public trust and calling into question the city’s commitment to its stated transportation and safety goals:
- After four years of tumult, Midvale resurfacing is now going ahead without bike lanes called for in city plans since 1975. This is a HUGE missed opportunity and sets back bike/ped safety on the near West side by 10-20 years.
- A road diet on Mineral Point Rd east of Midvale is also facing pushback due to the same political forces as Midvale.
- Current plans for the North-South BRT do not have accommodations for bicycle facilities despite Park St having many destinations and a lack of alternatives to reach them. This includes the segments of Park St where bus/bike lanes were re-signed to be “bus only”, without getting the required input or approval from TC.
Madison Bikes calls on city leaders to establish a clear process for using the CGS checklist, including justification for any departures from the requirements, reverse the decision to exclude bicycle facilities from the Regent St project, and recommit to the city’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries. Madison Bikes also asks that we be included and consulted on future street redesign projects so we can ensure vulnerable road users are given appropriate consideration.
Madison Bikes requests that, at the minimum, the city fix the last block problem for bicyclists. The last block problem is akin to the last mile problem in transit: how do you complete a multimodal trip? In the case of Regent St, bicyclists were repeatedly told the SW Path was just a block away from Regent St so there should not be a problem getting to destinations on Regent St. The problem with that assumption is: how are bicyclists supposed to make the transition from biking to walking to get to a destination on Regent St and where will they park?
There are currently only twelve public bike parking spaces on or near Regent St (4 on Orchard St and 8 on Regent St) and few Regent St properties provide bike parking. There are also no bike share stations on or directly adjacent to Regent St. Will new development projects for Regent St require adequate public bike parking to serve area businesses and visitors to the housing units? Will additional bike parking be added on the side streets near Regent St or perhaps in back of businesses? Without a bike parking plan, the current plan will encourage bicyclists to ride on the sidewalk (which is illegal on Regent St where buildings abut the sidewalk) and lock their bikes to sign posts. Both undermine the efforts to make Regent St more pedestrian friendly. The current plan lacks consideration for visitors and residents traveling by bike, and dismisses the need for bicycle facilities because there are intersecting bike routes and a wide sidewalk.
Policies only matter if they are consistently followed. Madison residents deserve streets that reflect the city’s commitments to safety, sustainability, and transportation choice.
Sincerely,
Madison Bikes Board