Madison Bikes

Not much of a white Christmas but nice to ride without studs for a few days. Looking at the calendar, city meetings haven’t kicked in yet. Here are some thoughts for the interim.

New Year’s Resolutions for Madison Bicyclists

Many of us are making New Year’s resolutions at this time of year.  We often formulate these to make ourselves or the community healthier and happier. Here are some suggestions for some measurable, achievable, and relevant bicycle-related goals for 2026:

• Provide input on a bicycle project this season. Bike infrastructure doesn’t just happen. Even if it happens, it may not serve your needs. Testifying at meetings, responding to surveys, contacting our alders or other elected officials really makes a difference. Public input is used by decision makers to determine whether to proceed with bike/ped projects and how they will look. While many cyclists have already provided valuable comments this year, we still need input from all types of riders to ensure needs are recognized.  Throughout the year we will keep you informed, via this weekly update, where there are opportunities to make a difference.

Right now, consider weighing in on the DOT’s Beltline PEL Study.  Some proposed bike/ped connections in the draft plan could be really impactful and make sense but there is also a proposal to add another lane to the Beltline. See Ben Varek’s comments here for a perspective. It’s important that DOT knows the good and the bad. Comments must be submitted by January 15^th so don’t put this one off!

• Don’t let the cold weather win, adjust your comfort zone. Try subtracting a few degrees from the lowest temperature at which you will ride. A drop of even a few degrees will add several cycling days a year and you probably won’t notice the difference in comfort, especially if you dress for it. I got mine down from 35F to 8F but it took a few years of incremental change.

The city of Madison has some tips for winter biking. Here’s a link from this year’s Winter Bike Fashion Show that you may have seen last week, where riders discuss their favorite winter gear. Also, you can improve snow/ice issues for you and other cyclists by reporting winter related issues you experience to the city here.  Riding your bike to local businesses schools, workplaces, and recreational venues, demonstrates the presence of the cycling community and our contribution to the local economy.

• Do some bicycle maintenance. Winter is the ideal time for this.  Not sure how to do maintenance on your bike? Freewheel has two open shop events on the Freewheel calendar in January. CORP has several events in January and February for mountain bikes. Consider attending the Brazen Dropouts 2026 Bike Swap on January 17. It’s a great source for low cost used parts, tools, and accessories.

• Start planning that bicycle travel adventure. Wisconsin is ideal for bicycle touring thanks to its secondary road system. Do an organized tour or a self-directed tour that starts right outside your door. For a self-directed tour you will need maps. This Wisconsin DOT page provides links to county maps for every county as well as city maps and others. When you’re out on the road, your phone doesn’t always work so take a paper map. Bike Fed has the 2020 version on sale right now ($3-$5 per section), probably because new ones should be out soon. Half of the fun is the planning so these maps should get the dreaming process started.  

Last year Madison Bikes held a well-attended meeting on bicycle touring. Local bike shops are also happy to help if you need to get outfitted for touring.  We’ll keep you in the loop when more bicycle touring events happen this year.

• Get to know Madison bike routes.  We need more but there is a lot of great bicycle infrastructure here. One of my favorite activities is checking out the city’s extensive and evolving bicycle infrastructure.  If you are relatively new to the city, or if you always ride on the same routes, try exploring.  You will get an appreciation for the infrastructure we have, how well it works (or doesn’t), and where help is needed. In your travels you will see parts of Madison you didn’t know existed and you will meet nice people who can help you find your way when you get lost.

• Stay involved by attending some Madison Bikes community events. We have a great one this month. It’s a meet-and-greet with the city’s new Transportation Director, Christof Spieler. Spieler brings extensive qualifications. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering from Rice University. He’s a Professional Engineer, a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and LEED Accredited Professional. Spieler has worked with major cities across the country on bus and rail networks, street design, and highway planning. He is a prolific author and speaker regarding urban planning, transportation, and sustainability. He is the author of “Trains, Buses, People: An Opinionated Atlas of US and Canadian Transit.” Those of you who read the book will recognize the logic behind many of the initiatives Madison is undertaking to improve transportation.  He will be publishing a new book on the geometry of urban transportation this year.

We are excited to hear Spieler’s thoughts on transportation policy in Madison. The meeting is January 22 at 6pm in the Madison Public Library (201 S Mifflin). Don’t miss this one.

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Update to Cannonball Path

There is one minor update on the Cannonball Path as of December 26. City staff has determined that Carver St is preferred location for the new signal (previously proposed to be at Martin St) as the driveways line up better at Carver St to work with a signalized intersection, there are existing left-turn bays, it is farther away from the railroad track, and it better serves the surrounding neighborhood.

That’s it for this week’s update. See you at our meeting on Jan 22. Check our calendar for other January events. Happy New Year!

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!

Despite harsh temperatures that topped out in the single digits and a wind chill that was in negative numbers all day long, more than 150 bicyclists turned out for Wisconsin Bike Fed’s annual Santa Cycle Rampage. Who is on their naughty list? Probably people who park too far from the curb because of snowbanks.

While it’s not always quite so cold — and the Rampage is definitely a jolly occasion — the event always feels like a reaffirmation that cycling is a year-round activity in Madison. Join your fellow bikers out on the streets and paths! (But take care! Those streets and paths are still kind of tricky in spots!)

Midvale Boulevard plans in flux

In September, Madison’s Transportation Commission considered changes to Midvale Boulevard that could be included in a planned repaving project. When the commission decided to remove parking from the northern portion of the road to make way for a buffered bike lane, many neighbors, the alder for the area and the alders present on the Transportation Commission opposed the idea. You can read an analysis of that meeting and options presented by staff in Craig Weinhold’s post from Oct. 1.

Last week, city Transportation Engineering staff shared an alternative proposal with the Transportation Commission. The planned repaving would keep curbs intact — as opposed to a full reconstruction, which allows new curbs and redesign of the entire right of way — and repaving the road now would likely delay a reconstruction until 2040 or later. Staff suggested only patching problem pavements spots in 2026, and then undertaking the a reconstruction when funding is available, likely around 2030. This would allow the city to consider more extensive changes earlier, such as parking pockets, a protected bike lane and narrowing crossings at intersections. However, it delays action to improve Midvale for bicycling until this later date, since nothing will change until the reconstruction.

You can find a shortened version of the letter received by Transportation Commission members on the city Engineering website. All the documents about the project and a recording of the TC meeting are available on the city website.

Charting the right route for the Beltline

In case you missed a special guest post on the Madison Bikes website, Wisconsin Bike Fed staffer Ben Varick wrote an excellent post for the Bike Fed blog, “Expanding the Beltline is the Wrong Plan.” It is worth your time — and worth sharing with friends and neighbors.

Holiday lights by bike

Black Saddle Bike Shop and Slow Roll Cycles have set their annual Olin Holiday Lights Bicycle Spectacular — a ride to and through the holiday lights display in Olin Park — for Saturday, Dec. 20. (Revolution Cycles is also usually involved, but had to step away this year.)

The group ride will kick off from Garver Feed Mill, 3241 Garver Green and on the Capital City Trail, at 6 p.m. There will be some opportunities for group cheer afterward. More info on Facebook.

BCycle begins hybernation

Just a quick reminder that Dec. 15 is the bike-share service‘s official seasonal closure date this year.

That’s it for the weekly update. Stay warm — and upright, at least while you’re on two wheels.

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!

The early onset of snow and suitably cold temperatures has flipped the script on many winter activities. The nordic skiers are in heaven with roller skis safely tucked back in the closet. All nearby downhill ski slopes are open and race teams are practicing. Neighborhood ice skating rinks are being staged, hoping for a few extra cold nights. This past Sunday, the snowmobile trails had their earliest opening in at least 15 years. And the winter bicyclists are just rolling with it.

A few winter riding tips and etiquette–

• Take the lane earlier than you need to. Use flat palm down to signal traffic behind you to slow down.
• You’ll find yourself on sidewalks more often; that’s fine, but remember that pedestrians have full priority there. You need to go slow, yield, and communicate. You may need to dismount or wait to safely pass pedestrians or other riders.
• Please at least have a studded front tire, especially if you bike on streets. Traction and control are well worth the $50 $90 investment!

This Week

If you have a moment, take this survey on a future MadBAT skills park at Carpenter Ridgeway Park in the Hawthorne-Truax area: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CarpenterRidgeway

This Tuesday at 6:30pm the Common Council meets. Few agenda items impact bicycling directly, though bike-adjacent issues like Cottage Courts, Elver Park area development, and Pontiac Trail (the street, not a trail) reconstruction.

This Wednesday at 6:30pm is the Board of Park Commissioners. One item of business is a path connection from SW Commuter Path to Zook Park, discussed below.

This Saturday at 10am is the annual Santa Rampage at Breese Stevens field! Dust off that santa or elf costume and oil that reindeer. It’s a ticketed event with all proceeds benefiting Wisconsin Bike Fed, an organization working year-round for bicycling across the state and inside the State Capitol.

Whiskers on kittens…

Last week we featured the Winter Bike Fashion Show interviews about “Your favorite thing about winter biking.” This week, Harald has put together a more pragmatic video of people’s LEAST favorite thing about winter biking:

I think unplowed paths are par for the course since winter biking requires a far more fortitude on the part of the rider. Overall, I think the City does a great job, and don’t mind when they don’t get everywhere before I do. But I’m also not shy about using the City’s “Report a Problem” form when I encounter something egregious, especially when it impacts those who may be expecting a clear ride.

E-Motos

Thanks to Madison Bikes’ board member Katie for pointing me to the New York Times Sunday Magazine article “Are E-bikes out of control?” It is long and very well-researched. As you read it, you might think “it’s only a matter of time until it happens in Madison.” Bad news — more than half of recent bike fatalities in the Madison area involve e-bikes. We’ll cover this topic more in coming months.

Are you in the market for an e-bike, perhaps as a holiday gift? The simplest way to ensure you’re buying a safe, responsible product is to avoid anything with a throttle. Stick to a class-1 e-bike and you really can’t go wrong. They are only made by reputable companies, and they are often sought out by reputable riders.

Zook Park

As mentioned above, a Board of Park Commissioners agenda item this week may establish a connector path from the Southwest Commuter Path to Pontiac Trail via Zook Park.

Curiously, this connector was my first introduction to bicycle advocacy back in 2016. [cue violin background music and Ken Burns montage]

For over a decade, I’d been commuting along the Southwest Commuter Path with a smile on my face and totally not noticing the back yards of all the houses of the Summit Woods neighborhood. Then one day in 2016 something clicked — “WTF? Why don’t the people who live in those houses have access to this great trail? Surely, people there must have bikes, too.”

I pulled out a map and saw how the Summit Woods neighborhood was “road-locked“: Midvale Blvd was the only way in or out, and the only signalized intersection on Hammersley was really inconvenient. The neighborhood also looked like a great, low-stress option to reach Cherokee Middle School. And Zook Park was right there and already had social trails – a City park adjacent to both a City path and a City street. So why wasn’t there a proper connector? It seemed like a no-brainer.

I did some research and found that a 1998 study of the soon-to-be-built Southwest Commuter Path noted that “[Zook] park neighbors are strongly against having an access point at this location.” I’d heard of bike path resistance based on unfounded fears about bike paths bringing crime and being a danger to pedestrians and kids but never thought much of it. Surely after nearly two crime-free decades with the path in their backyards, the neighbors must have a more informed opinion, right? I also looked through City property records and found that nearly every house in the area had been sold since 1998, suggesting a whole new set of neighbors might be in charge. So I sent a short, polite email to some leaders of the neighborhood association and they replied “many neighbors have expressed concerns over the years that cutting into the park to provide direct access to the bike path would have several undesirable outcomes.”

This was an eye-opener to the struggle that defines a lot of transportation advocacy — balancing the transportation needs of the greater community against local resistance. Back in 2016, I figured that, despite being a “no brainer” for the City, it was rightfully a local, neighborhood issue to decide. In 2025, I no longer feel that way. I’ve seen repeatedly how small, neighbor groups work themselves up into an agitated, reason-challenged frenzy to oppose solid, responsible City plans whose primary benefit is to those very neighbors! We’ve seen this story play out with bike lanes on Midvale Blvd, Mineral Point Rd, Monroe Street, as well as with greenway paths in Sauk Creek. I fear we’re going to see it again with the Regent Street business district.

So, if you have a moment, please send an short email to the Board of Park Commissioners (pacommission@cityofmadison.com or see meeting link at top) that you support the Zook Park connector. It was a no-brainer in 1998, a no-brainer in 2016, and it’s still a no-brainer today!

That’s it for the weekly update. If you are looking for unique, local holiday gifts, check out the cool maps at https://latlong.shop/ (including an excellent one of Madison’s bike network)

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!