Author: Harald Kliems

Monday update: Cranksgiving, good news from Middleton, and Winter Bike Fashion Show

Post author By Harald Kliems
Post date November 15, 2017

This week

Good news to report from Middleton. Kierstin writes:

Good work everyone who wrote in and supported the efforts otherwise!

The news from Fitchburg are less good. A budget amendment to build paved shoulders on Whalen Road did not pass, despite support from Bike Fitchburg, Madison Bikes, and many others. According to news reports, the whole hearing was rather heated because budget issues concerning social services.

On Wednesday, the first public involvement meeting about extending the Glacial Drumlin Trail from Cottage Grove to Interstate-90 happened. We don’t have information about how the meeting went, but you can find the presentation slides here.

Saturday saw the rebirth of Cranksgiving in Madison. Cranksgiving, an event originally started in the 1990s by bike messengers in New York City, is a combination of a food drive and an alley cat bike race. Participants received a “manifesto” with a number of Madison supermarkets and items to buy there. At the end of the ride, all the food was donated to the Goodman Center’s Thanksgiving Baskets food drive. Over 70 people participated! Kudos to Billy Calkins for organizing!

Just before the start of Cranksgiving at Revolution Cycle (Photo credit: Billy Calkins)

This week

With Thanksgiving coming up, the week is fairly quiet. Madison Bikes, however, has several things in the pipeline.

On Monday, the Madison Bikes events committee will do the final planning for the Winter Bike Fashion Show on December 9. The deadline to apply as a model was on Sunday, but if you have a strong interest in being a model, shoot a quick email to winterbike@madisonbikes.org before Monday, 3pm!

Also a reminder that you can still apply to become a member of the Board of Directors for Madison Bikes. And if you’re not quite ready yet to join our board, remember that you can show your support for Madison Bikes by becoming a member.

Local mountain bike advocates Capital Offroad Pathfinders are looking for a secretary for their organization. More details here.

And on Friday, you can join the Bombay Cycling Club for their first fat bike ride of the season.
Happy Thanksgiving from me and the rest of Madison Bikes!

Bike News

You can now become a member of Madison Bikes online!

Post author By Harald Kliems
Post date November 11, 2017

A select few of you–those who attended our annual party at the High Noon Saloon in September–already are members of Madison Bikes. But now everyone can join our organization! Just click here for more information and sign up! Here are some answers to frequently asked questions.

Why should I become a member?

By opening up membership we want make our organization stronger. Having you as members will amplify our voice, as well as ensure that our advocacy efforts have broad community support. And your financial contributions will help us keep the lights on and have the resources to make things happen.

What does it cost to be a member?

We want to be an inclusive organization and not prevent anyone from joining because they cannot afford it. Therefore we have a pay-what-you-can membership model: You fill out the membership application and only then do you select how much you want to contribute. Don’t have any idea what a reasonable amount would be? Well, those who attended our annual party, contributed $20 or more.

How long is my membership good for?

All the way through December 2018. We’ll let you know when it’s time to renew.

What do I get out of it?

Sorry, no funny socks, whimsical ties, or t-shirts, at least for now. We’re a small, 100% volunteer-run organization and direct our efforts as much as possible toward making biking better in Madison. What you will receive:

Our weekly calendar highlights of bike advocacy issues and events via email.
You’ll also be invited to our Annual Madison Bikes Membership Party (usually in late summer).
And maybe most importantly: That great feeling that comes from making a positive difference in your community!

Am I already a member?

If you attended our annual party and signed in there: you are. If not, you are almost certainly not a member yet. You can also check your email inbox if you received a “Thanks for Becoming a Member” email from us. If you’re still in doubt, email membership@madisonbikes.org and we’ll figure it out.

I don’t want to become a member but still support Madison Bikes. Is that possible?

Not a problem. You can still donate, volunteer, or sign up for our email updates without being a member.

Bike News

Join the Madison Bikes Board of Directors

Post author By Harald Kliems
Post date November 10, 2017

Want to become more involved in local bicycle advocacy?

Madison Bikes is looking for people who are dedicated, passionate, strong communicators, good compromisers, organized, and able to commit a significant amount of time and energy to promoting biking as a priority in the city of Madison. There are no paid staff and everything we do—from fundraising to advocacy to communications to events—is done by our volunteer board and volunteer committee members.

Our current board of directors

We are currently accepting applications for up to six seats on the Madison Bikes Board of Directors.

Our organization is committed to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic board committed to equity in our work. We strongly encourage applications from minorities and women.

The Madison Bikes board is an all-volunteer working board. At a minimum, we expect board members to:

Attend our monthly board meetings (6-8pm every third Monday of the month)
Participate in one or more of our committees and attend their monthly meetings
Have passion for our organization’s vision: Making Madison a city where anyone can ride a bicycle conveniently and comfortably to any place in the city and neighboring communities year round.

Other responsibilities can include:

Contributing to our blog
Attendance at various city-held meetings (public input meetings, City Council meetings, local and regional transportation committee meetings)
Contributing to fundraising and organizational development efforts

If you are interesting in joining our board (or have questions), please send an email with the following information to grant@madisonbikes.org. If you would like to nominate someone other than yourself, please forward this to them and ask them to apply.

Full name & email address
Why are you interested in joining the Madison Bikes board?
What would you bring to the board?
Which committee/committees/officer roles interest you?
- President
- Vice-president
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Advocacy Committee
- Events Committee
- Communications Committee
Have you served on any other non-profit boards/committees (including Madison Bikes) or have similar relevant experience?
Do you think you’d bring a perspective or help represent groups that aren’t currently represented by the Madison Bikes board of directors?
Anything else you’d like to share with us?

To be considered for our upcoming board elections, please submit your application by 11/24. Note that we will also accept applications on a rolling basis until all our board positions have been filled.

Our executive board will review all application submissions and follow up with all applicants with next steps.

Bike News

Madison Bikes Calendar Highlights (10/23/17)

Post author By Harald Kliems
Post date October 22, 2017

Last week

The week started out with a meeting of the Madison Bikes Events Committee. Their big focus is the upcoming Winter Bike Fashion Show on December 9. Stay tuned for details and mark the date! Also keep in mind that Madison Bike Bingo is nearing its end. So go out ride, support local businesses, and collect stamps and prizes. If you still need that special events stamp, check the Bike Bingo Facebook page for announcements (and read below about the Spooky Roubaix ride).

Tour of the Latino Family/El Tour de la Familia Latina (Photo credit: Baltazar De Anda)

Saturday saw both good and disturbing things: The Tour of the Latino Family/El Tour de la Familia Latina had another successful ride, with over 30 people of all ages attending. However, the group was repeatedly harassed during the ride. You can watch the account of Ananda Mirilli, one of the participants, on Facebook.

If you can’t watch the video, here is a transcript of what Ananda has to say:

This is unacceptable. Let us work together to make sure that this does not happen again and people of color can safely ride on Madison’s bike paths and streets. As Ananda says: The bike paths are not only for white people, or for white folks who know how to bike.

This week

Imagine Madison is an initiative to gather public input on the update to Madison’s Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan encompasses things such housing, transportation, and parks, and is an important long-term planning tool that will “be an action plan that guides decision making and investment.” This week marks the beginning of phase 3, which aims at prioritizing strategies, identifying ways to implement them, and determining where growth should be prioritized. You can make your voice heard at these three community meetings, each from 6-8pm

Monday: the Atrium at Village on Park (2300 S Park St), Atrium Community Room
Tuesday: Lussier Community Education Center (55 S Gammon Road)
Wednesday: Goodman Community Center (149 Waubesa St)

The Pedestrian/Bicycle/Motor Vehicle Commission has their monthly meeting on Tuesday. Some of the items on the agenda:

The Bike Resource Center at the Judge Doyle Square Project. As we’ve reported previously, Freewheel Community Bike Shop is being recommended as the operator.
Crazylegs Plaza and Wingra Park: As part of the Monroe Street reconstruction, Crazylegs Plaza and the entrance to Wingra Park are getting redesigned.
Updates on the reconstruction of Atwood Avenue and South Gammon Road
Reviewing the traffic signal priority list, which determines where the city is going to install traffic lights
Presentation of the 2016 Traffic Report (bike count data starts on page 44)

Plan for a redesigned Crazylegs Plaza near Camp Randall

Both the Madison Bikes Advocacy Committee and the Middleton Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Transit Committee are going to meet on Wednesday. Contact harald@madisonbikes.org if you’d like to attend the Madison Bikes meeting.

On Friday night, join Cafe Domestique for the “Scary Roubaix” ride. Meet at 6pm at their shop and ride the Badger State Trail to the Stewart Tunnel south of Belleville. Spooky! This will also be an opportunity to get your Bike Bingo special event stamp. Check out the Madison Bike Bingo Facebook page later this week for details.

Friday also is the date of the Bike Fed’s Saris Gala, their big annual fundraiser at Union South!

And on Saturday, it’s time to Bike the Art again. Meet at 1:30pm at Union South or along their route. More info at https://www.facebook.com/BikeTheArt/.

Finally, People for Bikes, a national bike advocacy organization is conducting a community survey to assess how bike friendly cities are. Please participate and offer your opinions on biking in Madison.

Bike News

Winter Bike Fashion Show 2017: Come volunteer!

Post author By Harald Kliems
Post date October 10, 2017

Update: Meeting location has changed to Barriques on Atwood.

The Madison Bikes events committee is planning another exciting winter biking fashion show for Saturday, December 9th from 1-4pm at the High Noon Saloon. Are you interested in getting involved and making this another successful winter biking fashion show and another great winter of biking? The come to the next events committee meeting on Monday, October 16 at 6pm at Cafe Domestique on Williamson Street Barriques on Atwood. We’re looking for volunteers to help plan the event, to help with hosting the event (set-up, take down etc), help spreading the word about the fabulous benefits of winter biking and more! We’re also looking for models who are excited to share their stay-warm-winter-biking fashion solutions! If you can’t attend the meeting but would like to get involved, contact our events committee chair Emily: Emily@MadisonBikes.org. We hope you can join us on Monday!

And check out this report from last year’s show.

Bike News

Madison Bikes Calendar Highlights (9/25/17)

Post author By Harald Kliems
Post date September 22, 2017

Last Week

Energized by the great success of our Annual Party, the Madison Bikes Events Committee met on Monday and started planning the next big Madison Bikes event: The Winter Bike Fashion Show. Mark the date–December 9, 1-4pm at the High Noon Saloon–and stay tuned for more details. Facebook event

Winter (Fashion Show) is coming! Really!

The Wisconsin State Legislature finally adopted a budget, and unfortunately it contains bad news for people biking and walking: Local governments will no longer be able to use condemnation (also known as eminent domain) for sidewalks or bike trails. Many of you as well as the Bike Fed spoke out against this provision, but the Governor nonetheless signed the bill. It will remain to be seen just how damaging this will be to projects around Madison, but it seems safe to assume that it will be damaging. The new situation may also trigger a greater discussion about how we allocate scarce space for people in car, bikes, and on foot in a situation where “let’s just widen everything” is no longer an option.

The Common Council passed a resolution that fundamentally reorganizes how transportation projects are planned and decided on. Instead of having a department of transportation with with distributed leadership and multiple commissions, the city would hire a Director of Transportation and replace the commission with a Transportation Policy and Planning Board and a Transportation Commission. Stay tuned for a more in-depth analysis of what this means for biking and transportation in Madison in general.

The Judge Doyle Square Redevelopment was always supposed to include a bicycle center. However, when the city initially requested proposals operations of the center, nobody came forward. Eventually two applicants submitted proposals, and last week the city staff who scored the proposals recommended Freewheel Community Bike Shop (currently on Park Street) as the operator. You can read the city recommendation here, as well news coverage in the Cap Times. As the next step, the Pedestrian/Bicycle/Vehicle Commission will discuss the project at their next meeting (see below).

This week

Mondays Around Monona has a double-celebration: It will be the final ride of the season, and it’ll also be the 10th anniversary of this leisurely loop around the lake. Come celebrate with India of We Are All Mechanics and Madison Bikes! You can also get a special event stamp for your Madison Bike Bingo card.

Last week’s Mondays Around Monona ride. Join the anniversary ride this Monday.

Also on Monday, Bike Fitchburg has their monthly meeting.

If you want to get your hands dirty, join Capitol Off-Road Pathfinders for their regular Monday evening MTB trail work session in Cross Plains.

On Tuesday, the Pedestrian/Bicycle/Motor Vehicle Commission will have their monthly meeting. On their agenda are an update from Madison Bcycle and on the Crazylegs Triangle Plaza (part of the Monroe Street reconstruction). The Commission will also discuss how to handle abandoned bicycles and the city’s report on the Judge Doyle Square bike center, mentioned above. Full agenda.

On Wednesday, the Middleton Pedestrian, Bike, and Transit Committee has their meeting. Find the agenda here.

And on Sunday you can Ride with RENEW and learn more about renewable energy in Dane County.

For details on any of these events, head to the Madison Bikes calendar. If you have an event that you’d like added, send the details to info@madisonbikes.org.

Bike News

New High Point Road Bridge: Better for people on bikes

Post author By Harald Kliems
Post date September 10, 2017

A few weeks ago I saw in the paper that the new bridge across the Beltline on High Point Road had re-opened after seven months of construction. This Sunday I happened to be in the area anyway and checked it out. The old bridge was not particularly nice for people on bikes. While it had an on-street unprotected bike lane, both bike and general lanes were narrow, with heavy and fast car traffic. The new bridge has been widened to carry two general travel lanes in both directions, on-street bike lanes on both sides, a sidewalk on the east side, and a nice, wide two-lane protected multi-use path on the west side.

Approaching the bridge from the south. Smooth pavement and a widened bike lane.

http://imgur.com/JPNoCzw

Two-way protected multi-use path on the west side of the bridge

The path will eventually connect to the West Towne Path parallel to the Beltline. A little connection stub is already in place, but for now dead-ends just past the bridge. It’ll still be a couple years before this segment of the West Towne Path will be built, but once it is in place, it will be an important connection in that part of town.

Trail ends just under the bridge for now

PS Don’t forget: On Tuesday Madison Bikes will have its Annual Party and Fundraiser. See you at the High Noon Saloon!

Bike News

Madison Bikes Calendar Highlights (8/28/17)

Post author By Harald Kliems
Post date August 23, 2017

Last week

Bike improvements coming to Fitchburg (¬© Mapbox; OpenStreetMap)

Bike projects in Fitchburg: Paved shoulders on Whalen Road and a bike hub on the Badger State Trail

The power of advocacy: Our friends from Bike Fitchburg had sent out an action alert. The Fitchburg Common Council was deciding on two important bike projects, and the comments that you and others sent in made a difference. Matthew Jones, president of Bike Fitchburg, reports:

Dane County Executive Joe Parisi at the opening ceremony (Photo credit: Kevin Hikes)

Just yesterday, the Lower Yahara River Trail opened! A project many years in the making, you can now ride from McFarland to Madison and Fitchburg on a beautiful trail instead of busy roads. Also to note: This is the first project in which the new Dane County bicycle wayfinding guidelines have been implemented. You can see the signs all along the trail. The next phases of the trail will continue it from McFarland to Lake Kegonsa State Park and eventually Stoughton.

Related, Dane County Parks has a survey about their 2018-23 Parks and Open Space Plan. The survey only takes 5 minutes to complete and is great opportunity to voice your support for biking facilities like the Lower Yahara River Trail. (h/t to Joe Schubert)

Pedestrian/Bicycle/Motor Vehicle Commission

Public Market

There was a good discussion about the planned public market at East Washington Avenue and First Street. With a projected volume of 500,000 visitors a year, it will be crucial to make the market conveniently accessible for people biking and walking. Two key connections will be the Mifflin Bike Boulevard and also First Street, which currently is being planned for reconstruction.

Blair Street and John Nolen Corridor

City Engineering presented the plans that were previously shared at the public input meeting, with a special focus on the intersection at Machinery Row. Getting this intersection finalized is the main priority at this point, as it will be the one where construction will begin soonest. As we have previously reported, there is a lot to like about the plan: Moving the driveway to the Machinery Row parking lot; a widened and better separated space for people walking and biking in from of Machinery Row and the Fauerbach; a diagonal bike crossing at Blount Street; and a better alignment of the Cap City path in front of the Gateway Mall. All these will make the intersection work better for those on foot and bike. Of course, the devil is in the details, as some of the public comments and questions from members of the Commission showed. But hopefully those can be sorted out in the near future.

In contrast, the plans for the rest of the corridor, specifically the intersections of John Nolen with Broom Street and with North Shore Drive, seemed less well developed, lacking significant short term improvements and mostly leaving everything as is.

We will keep you updated.

This week

On Monday, come to the Bicycle Mixer at HotelRED. The hotel, which has supported many bike-related events in the past has partnered with Madison BCycle and Bicycle Benefits Madison to for a party. First drink is free if you bring your helmet, and there will be prizes.

A public meeting about Vilas Park is happening on Tuesday. Two “pedestrian bridges” over Vilas Lagoon are slated for replacement, and it would probably be a good idea to remind the Parks department that these bridges are also used by people on bikes.

The Madison Bikes Communications Committee is also meeting on Tuesday for the final push in preparation of our Annual Party and Fundraiser on September 12.

Wednesday will see the Middleton Bike Group meeting (rescheduled from last week).

And on Sunday, join Bombay Bicycle Club for the their Wright Stuff Century, this year run as a limited-support event with ride options from 32 to 125 miles. The longer routes will take you all the way to famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin complex near Spring Green.

For details on any of these events, head to the Madison Bikes calendar. If you have an event that you’d like added, send the details to info@madisonbikes.org.

Bike News

Madison Bikes Calendar Highlights (8/14/17)

Post author By Harald Kliems
Post date August 9, 2017

Last Week

Last week we had two public meetings about plans affecting major bike corridors in Madison. Crazylegs

John Nolen Drive/Blair Street

http://imgur.com/rp7NTmu
Recommendations for the intersection at Machinery Row

The second-to-last public involvement meeting about the study to finalize plans for the John Nolen Drive and Blair Street corridor happened last Wednesday. Our Action Alert has some background reading. The meeting was well attended, and I saw many Madison Bikes board members and supporters in the audience. I will report in more depth on this in a separate post, but for now let’s say that the meeting was mostly encouraging. Strand Associates, the planning firm in charge of the project, and city engineering had clearly taken to heart some of the feedback they received at previous meetings. The plan that they presented as their final recommendation contains significant improvements for people walking and biking. Some aspects that need further work remain, and there is the larger issue that some of the biking and walking improvements such as an underpass under John Nolen Drive at North Shore will only happen many years down the road. But compared to many other major street reconstruction projects that we have seen in Madison in the recent past, I was quite happy with the outcome. Stay tuned for a more detailed analysis. In the meantime you can look at the presentation and exhibits from the meeting here.

Crazylegs Triangle

Speaking of other street reconstruction projects, our board member Robbie has this to report from last week’s Crazylegs meeting:

Urban Assets, a consulting company running the public involvement process for the Monroe Street reconstruction, held the first open house to gather ideas for the triangle of Breese Terrace, Monroe, and Regent Streets. The small street that cuts through the triangle –⁠ currently named Crazylegs Lane and an extension of Oakland that continues south towards Vilas Park –⁠ will be going away as part of the redesign. This will mean one less street to cross on the Southwest Path and less fragmentation of the remaining plaza. Most people riding bikes probably currently experience this area by biking past it or across it, especially if you use the Southwest Path. But it is also a crossroads of several neighborhoods as well as a transition between campus and neighborhood, commercial to residential, and downtown to west side.

http://imgur.com/wn55WUc
Crazylegs during 2016 Bike Week

Fortunately, everyone agreed that the path needed to be maintained or even improved, and various ideas to build on the existing use primarily as a bicycle corridors were offered. Another connection that was deemed important to maintain was the connection between the SW Path and Oakland, as this is a critical link for those living to the south of the Camp Randall area.
We went out and walked around the triangle and discussed what we liked, what we didn’t, and what we might like to see there. More green space, seating, a bike repair station, vending during football games and other events, a place for gathering or performances, artwork? Any and all are under consideration. Based on the discussion and input during the workshop on Tuesday, Ken Saiki Designs will come up with some suggested improvements and present them on September 14 at Wingra School. There will also be ideas for the entrance to Wingra Park, which we considered during a previous meeting.

If you are interested in what stays the same or changes in either of these locations, mark your calendar to attend. The link above is a sign up, but that’s just so they can plan for how many people to expect. Alder Sara Eskrich’s webpage is a good place to keep track of all the meetings, designs, and discussions.

This Week

Mondays Around Monona started last week (picture on the top) and will continue into the fall. Join We Are All Mechanics for a loop around Lake Monona, open to beginners and more advanced riders alike.

On Tuesday join Bombay Bicycle Club and Madison Bikes for the Wheels for Winners Ride & Social. Support Wheels for Winners by donating bike parts and tools before and after the ride. Any donations are welcome, but they particularly need seats, cable cutters and mountain bike parts. The ride starts at the Olbrich biergarten at 5:30pm, loops around the lake with a stop at Wheels for Winners, and then ends with a social at the beer garden.

The Monroe Street Reconstruction Final Corridor Design Open House will take place on Wednesday. This will be the final public meeting about the general design of the corridor before construction actually starts. Our Madison Bikes Advocacy Committee has its meeting that day as well.

On Saturday, as warm-up for the Tour de Fat Madison with Atlas Genius on August 23, benefiting the Bike Fed, you can join a “bike crawl,” starting at the Tip Top Tavern.

Coming up

Exciting news about the Lower Yahara Trail: September 1 is the official opening date for the new trail connecting Lake Farm Park with MacFarland. Hold the date, and watch out for “construction cranes”… (Photo courtesy of Jim Post)

And don’t forget the Madison Bikes Annual Party on September 12 at the High Noon Saloon.

Bike News

Action Alert: Blair Street/John Nolen Meeting this Wednesday

Post author By Harald Kliems
Post date August 3, 2017

What the intersection looks like without cars. Ride the Drive 2016.

The John Nolen Drive/Blair Street corridor is arguable the most important bike corridor in Madison. Several thousand people ride their bikes on some part of it daily. And as it is, it has several problem spots, most prominently the intersection at Machinery Row and the crossing of John Nolen Drive at North Shore. Fixes to these and other problems in the corridors have been discussed for a long time. But now we’re getting closer to actual decisions being made, and we need to make sure that the needs of people walking and biking will be adequately addressed. Next Wednesday, 7pm at Monona Terrace there will be a public involvement meeting, and I encourage all of you to attend.

At the previous public involvement meeting, several alternatives were presented. While most included important improvements for people biking and walking (e.g. reducing conflicts at the Machinery Row parking lot), at the same time they failed to take into account several important movements. Two of the most glaring omissions are a lack of improvements for the crossing at North Shore Drive and not taking into account the need for people to get from the westbound Cap City Trail toward the Capitol area. For the former, the option recommended for further study is to move sections of the path and building a ped/bike underpass:

This concept has much merit. But of course it is going to be complex and costly, with currently no budget or timeline when we might see it come to fruition. We need to also ask for improvements now.

For the Willy/Blair/John Nolen intersection at Machinery Row, all focus lies on the movement of people between the Cap City/Willy/Jenny St corridor and the Cap City Trail along Lake Monona. This is important, but what about people who ride on the Cap City Trail and want to continue toward the area around the Capitol and vice versa? What about people who want to walk from Machinery Row to Essen Haus? It appears that the idea there is that everybody would use the proposed overpass between Law Park and Wilson Street. Again, the overpass will only be built many years from now, and depending on where you want to go, this would be a significant detour requiring additional crossings. Again, we need improvements now.

For a city that says in all its planning documents that it is committed to increase the proportion of people biking and walking, we need to do better. I encourage everyone to attend the meeting in person and/or submit your written comments to city engineering and Strand Associates. Public input can make a difference: For instance, I have learned that one of the alternatives suggested for further study at the previous meeting, a couplet of one-way streets using Blair and Blount Streets to make it even easier for people in cars, was scrapped because citizens like you vocally opposed it.

We have set up a Facebook event that you can RSVP to if you plan on attending. If you cannot make the meeting, send your comments before or after the meeting to cpetykowski@cityofmadison.com and jeff.held@strand.com

Background material from previous meetings can be found on http://www.cityofmadison.com/engineering/projects/blair-st-john-nolen-dr-corridor-study I especially recommend looking at the materials from the April 17 meeting, including the “Exhibit…” documents.