The annual Santa Cycle Rampage event took place this weekend with many riders taking a festive lap around the capitol square to raise money for the Wisconsin BikeFed.
Winter Bike Tires
I hope you were able to enjoy the last breath of fall this weekend as temperatures hovered just above freezing. Freezing temperatures have have made the roads and paths a little icy. For those who are unacquainted with studded winter tires, I recommend considering investing in a pair to keep your winter rides enjoyable (and upright). Winter tires have hardened metal spikes/studs and extra grippy rubber which maintain “reasonable” traction on icy surfaces. A novice winter cyclist might mistakenly believe a knobby mountain bike tire would be perfect for winter riding and they would be correct for snowy conditions, however winter tire metal studs are absolutely necessary to safely navigate icy surfaces. You can stop by any of your local bike stores to pickup a pair which generally run about $80 each and will last 5+ seasons. You won’t regret it.
Thursday – Olin Holiday Lights Ride
Black Saddle, Slow Roll and Revolution Cycles are hosting a casual Lake Monona ride to see the holiday lights including a stop at the Olin park light show. Event officially starts at 6:30 Thursday departing from Slow Roll Cycles. Cyclists are welcome to show up or RSVP through the event on Facebook.
Old Middleton Road to get buffered bike lanes
The Transportation Commission approved the installation of buffered bike lanes on Old Middleton Road, all the way from Eau Claire to Capitol Ave. The general travel lanes will be narrowed to 10 ft, and both sides of the road will have 7-foot bike lanes with a 3-foot buffer. Given the traffic volumes on Old Middleton Road (and a recent spade of crashes), buffered bike lanes are the recommended design to make this road safe and comfortable to ride on. Construction will start next spring.
Cap City Trail, Jackson St, and Ohio Ave improvements
On the other side of the isthmus, a street reconstruction project will include improvements to the Capital City Trail near Atwood Avenue. The crossings of the trail with Jackson Street and Ohio Ave are not only bumpy, but there also are frequent conflicts with people in cars crossing the path. As part of a larger project, improvements are coming: Jackson and Ohio will both be turned into one-way streets and narrowed significantly.
Where the streets cross the Cap City Trail, the trail will be kept at grade and there will be stop signs for cars. To still allow people on bikes to access Atwood Avenue in both directions, an 8-foot widened sidewalk will be built along Jackson and Ohio.
Finally, the project includes space for a new BCycle station at the corner of the Cap City and Ohio!
After a slow couple of weeks, what with Thanksgiving and then few meetings afterward, we are going to see a bunch of activity before the end of the year. We are also seeing the first snowfall/freezing temperatures, so I hope everyone has figured out their winter biking options. If not, swing on by the Madison Bikes Community Facebook group, where there will be plenty of discussions of how to cope with/enjoy winter on a bike.
The week ahead
Monday
A reminder that a portion of the Blackhawk Path through Shorewood Hills will be closed starting today. The portion that will be closed runs from Tomahawk Trail to about where the path crosses under University Ave. The closure is expected to last six weeks. More information on the project, as well as maps of detours, can be found here.
The Transportation Planning and Policy Board meeting was cancelled, so nothing to report for that.
Tuesday
The University Bicycle Resource Center will have an in-person class from noon-1:30 pm: Bike Through Winter. The UBRC is located in the parking garage under Helen C White Library, across Park St from Memorial Union. You can also check out recordingings of all their past classes on YouTube.
An update on the buffered bike lanes that were passed at the last TC meeting. Not sure what the update is about, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a few comments in support. I think staff were surprised how easily it went after the difficulties getting the lanes on Whitney Way.
Update on reconstruction of St Paul Ave on the east side. This project will include raised crossings for the Cap City Trail at Ohio Ave and Jackson St, so fewer bumps riding that section of path!
If you are interested in how the new system to allocate funding for traffic calming, Vision Zero, bike/ped improvements, and school zone safety is coming along, there will be a discussion and a review of a list of projects under the title of Safe Streets Madison.
The committee will also review the signal priority list, deciding where new traffic signals should be placed.
Finally, the committee will review the crash report from 2020 and discuss what it shows us. The report shows the most common crash types and locations for motor vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycles, and mopeds. There’s a lot to learn in this report.
Thursday
The Plan Commission will hold a special session to discuss a proposed Transit-Oriented Development overlay zoning for the BRT route and surrounding areas. TOD zoning specifically calls out improvements in bicycling and walking connections to facilitate both access to high capacity transit and to discourage auto-oriented land use. Although this is not bicycle-specific, it will be an interesting discussion to hear and will give us some insights into future non-auto development that is likely to happen along the BRT routes. The meeting starts at 5:00 pm, and you can stream it or watch it later here.
Saturday
Finally, it’s time for the Santa Rampage! Starting at 9:00 am at various locations to converge on Library Mall at 11:00 am, make sure to wear your holiday finest — don’t show up without a costume, but it doesn’t have to be Santa — and ride the streets of Madison spreading cheer and raising funds for Bike Fed’s efforts across the state. This is a slow roll, family-friendly event, so bring everyone.
This year, there will also be a clothing drive for kids that may not have warm stuff for winter. More details, timing, routes, and registration can be found at the event page or by contacting Caitlin Hussey at Caitlin@wisconsinbikefed.org.
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.
An underpass connects the existing trail on the east side of Highway M to the new trail through the state park
It’s a quiet week after the holidays. I used the weekend to explore new trails near Governor Nelson State Park. There is a new section of trail, connecting the existing bike path at the Bishops Bay development to the park entrance road and then on to North Shore Bay Drive. The trail is all graded and ridable; paving will probably happen in the spring. This gets us one step closer to being able to bike around Lake Mendota on low-stress trails and roads.
If you’re into mountain biking, join Capital City Offroad Pathfinders (CORP) as a member and attend their annual meeting at Slow Roll Cycles this Saturdayat 5pm. They’ll “go over the highlights of the past year, talk about what’s coming in 2022, and take care of elections. We’ll have food and drink to thank our volunteers and members. Meet the folks who make things happen, and learn how to get more involved.”
Speaking of supporting your local advocacy orgs: Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, and if you appreciate the work that Madison Bikes or any of the great bike organizations in town are doing, consider making a donation. We’d greatly appreciate it.
Saturday’s Wisconsin Cyclocross State Championships saw record attendance! Kudos to Madison’s Revolution Cycles for organizing the race. High turnout was partially due to the efforts of one of Madison’s newest racing teams, Femme 40 Racing. The team was created this year by a few local women to promote WFTN-B (women, trans, femme, non-binary) participation in bike racing. Femme 40 is welcoming to aspiring WFTN-B racers of all riding experience levels. One of the organizers, Kristin Zarr, also created the Monday 40 social ride this past Spring; for more information, including how to join the team, check out Monday40.com.
On Sunday, Cranksgiving Madison 2021 went off without a hitch. Kudos to Black Saddle Bike Shop for hosting the event and making manifests for the dozens of riders who participated. By Sunday afternoon, enough thanksgiving meals (including many turkeys!) were delivered by bike to meet the demands of Goodman Community Center.
Photo: Cranksgiving Madison Instagram
This Week
Not much is on the docket this week. No TPPB or TC meetings, and not many bike events to speak of, as hopefully many Madisonians are finding some much-needed time off for the holiday. Wednesday might be the last day this year with weather in the 50’s, so enjoy a nice Fall ride while you can before winter biking comes fully into season!
Looking Ahead
Starting December 6th, the University Ave bike path will be closed just east of Whitney Way up to the railroad crossing intersection with the Blackhawk bike path, including the intersection at Indian Hills Park, for a MMSD sewer project. Path users can detour via N. Whitney Way and Old Middleton Rd. via the Blackhawk path, with plans to allow detouring via Flambeau Rd. through Indian Hills Park by mid-January 2022 as the project progresses. See closure and detour maps below.
Madison plans to reconstruct Jackson St. and Ohio Ave. where they cross the Cap City path, as part of a larger street resurfacing project next Spring. Current plans include raised tabletop crossings for path users, and making Jackson a southbound one-way street to avoid conflict between drivers turning from Atwood and path users crossing at Jackson. These intersections are busy with foot and bike traffic, especially in warmer months when adjacent parks and ice cream shops are in high use. A bike rider was injured in a crash with a car here in 2019. The city opened a survey to give feedback on project design, linked here. There will also be virtual public input meetings November 30th and December 1st, more info on these here.
Winter slowly creeping its way in. Photo credit: Harald Kliems
Last Week
At Tuesday’s Common Council budget meeting, an amendment to halt funding for BRT until the council approved an alternate route failed to receive enough votes to pass. This means that for now, BRT will continue to be funded with the plan to have it run down State Street.
On Friday, The Bodgery unveiled its new bike work stand area. Members can schedule its use 24/7. It is a warm space where you can work on your bike projects over winter.
On Saturday, Madison Bikes held its Winter Bike Meet and Greet. If you missed it, you can always post to our Facebook Community page with any questions you have about extending your riding into the winter season!
This Week
This is a pretty packed week with lots going on, so let’s dive in!
On Monday there will be a virtual meeting of Madison’s Transportation Policy and Planning Board at 5:00 PM. One big item is the approval of TAP projects. These are projects that would improve the ability of people to get around without a car. Here’s the full agenda.
On Tuesday, the University Bicycle Resource Center is holding a hub overhaul demo at 6:00 PM. The class will cover disassembling and repacking a hub’s bearings. This is a free event and will be located at the UBRC’s location in the Helen C. White garage, next to the Memorial Union.
Also on Tuesday, there will be a public meeting for Connect Greater Madison 2050. This meeting will take place at noon. You can learn more about it and register for the virtual meeting here.
On Wednesday Madison’s Transportation Commission will meet virtually at 5:00 PM. On the agenda is an update on Sheboygan Ave bike lanes, and an item asking for review and feedback of 2022 Public Works transportation projects. You can get the full agenda here.
On Friday, the Bike Fed of Wisconsin will be holding its Fall FUNdraiser. This event will be at Trek HQ in Waterloo, and is scheduled to run from 6-10 PM. You can read more about it and get tickets here.
On Saturday, the Wisconsin State Cyclocross Championship races are being held at Trek HQ in Waterloo. This event starts at 9 AM. You can learn more about that here.
Finally, Sunday is Cranksgiving. Cranksgiving is “part bike ‘race’, part food drive, part scavenger hunt”. This year’s event will be more virtual, but you can participate by picking up a manifest at Black Saddle Bike Shop in N Sherman, biking to the various grocery stores for items, then dropping off those items at Goodman Community Center on Waubesa St. You can learn more here.
A cyclist basking in the afternoon fall sunshine. Photo: Cyclists of Madison
It’s been a beautiful stretch of weather for fall riding! With the time change, you might find yourself unexpectedly biking home from work or school in the dark, so it’s good to be prepared and to be visible. Throughout the month of November, the city is promoting its second annual Be Bright at Night campaign. This includes free bike light and reflective gear giveaways at all Madison Public Library locations for walkers and cyclists (while supplies last).
Unfortunately these balmy temperatures won’t last forever but this year’s rendition of our classic Winter Bike Fashion Show is happening on Saturday! We’re partnering with Madison Parks and holding an outdoor Meet & Greet to show off your winter bike clothes, bikes and related gear. More details below in this week’s schedule.
Several riders enjoying the new pump track at Leopold Elementary School. Photo: Harald Kliems
This location is really great, right along the Cannonball Path, and there’s lots more to come next spring with a new skills track surrounding the pump track and even more of the Madison Bicycle Adventure Trail. For another take, you might enjoy this article + video (paywall from madison.com).
Also, last Thursday, the mayor held a press briefing that covered a variety of topics. One of those was a briefing on the Vision Zero project progress by City Traffic Engineer (and fellow cyclist) Yang Tao. His comments begin around the 10m 50s mark and take around six minutes.
This Week
On Thursday at 5:30pm, Greater Madison MPO is hosting a Connect Greater Madison 2050 public meeting. The plan presented and discussed at these meetings “will guide transportation planning in the Greater Madison area for the next 25 years.” If you can’t attend this one, there’s another chance next week Tuesday at noon.
On Saturday between 12pm and 2pm, Madison Bikes partners with Madison Parks to hold our Winter Bike Meet & Greet. The event is outdoors and will be held in-person at the Tenney Park shelter. We’ll have complimentary single-serve snacks, beverages supplied by Cafe Domestique and plenty of great info about riding in, *ahem*, cooler weather. Temperatures should be a bit more typical of the season so let’s see your flashiest, hottest winter gear. And yes, shout it from the rooftops: Continuing our annual tradition, Madison Metro is bringing a bus so you can practice putting your bike on the rack!
Further Out
On Tuesday, November 16 at 6pm (just in time for you to pull your winter ride from the deep recesses of your garage or storage unit) the University Bicycle Resource Center will be demoing how to overhaul a bicycle wheel hub. Not your cup of tea? They have nine classes from the last two years archived on YouTube. Something for everyone!
On Saturday, November 20 between 6pm and 10pm, the Bike Fed is holding their fall fundraiser in Waterloo, with a party + a behind the scenes tour @ Trek. Please RSVP by November 11.
Today the Madison Bikes board met to discuss our strategic vision and goals for the future. It was our first indoor event in almost two years because of the COVID pandemic. Its exciting get a group of passionate people together to figure out ways to make our hopes and dreams for biking in Madison a reality. There are a few open board seats and we encourage you to join our board if you are passionate about biking and want to learn how to make a bigger impact.
Buffered Bike Lanes Planned for Old Middleton Road
There will be an opportunity to add buffered bike lanes to Old Middleton Road when it is scheduled to be resurfaced in 2022. A public meeting on this project is expected to be scheduled soon.
ALERT: Bike Thefts
A number of bike thefts have been recently reported in the Madison Area, including the theft of a bike from one of our very own board members! Police asked anyone with information to contact police at 608-255-2345, or Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014 or P3Tips.com.
Bike to School Week a Success
Marquette and Lapham schools on the near east side held a bike and walk to school week event in October. It was great to see lots of families having fun commuting to school in a healthy, safe and environmentally responsible way. Madison Bikes is planning to create a planning guide to help others organize similar events at schools around the city. Please reach out to kyle@madisonbikes.org if you would like to learn more or plan an event at your school.
Monday, Nov. 1st
Transportation and Planning Board is meeting at 5pm and will receive status updates from the Madison Director of transportation. This includes a presentation on BRT bike accommodations, which was also presented and discussed at Madison Bikes’ last community meeting. Followed by the October Directors Report which includes the following feedback and planned actions to make progress towards Vision Zero (zero traffic fatalities) on East Washington St. These actions are in response to multiple pedestrian and cyclist deaths on East Washington this year.
East Washington – Streetlight data shows that speed reduction has made a difference reducing speeds exceeding 40 mph.
Piloted tubular marker threshold treatment for 4 hours on East Washington Ave and saw a 9mph mean speed reduction. Will pursue several more implementations.
Wednesday, Nov. 3rd
The Greater Madison Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) will be meeting virtually at 6:30 to discuss a number of resolutions related to Federal traffic safety targets and future work plans.
Bus rapid transit is coming to Madison. If all goes well, the first route will open in 2024, connecting Junction Road on the West Side with East Towne Mall. What makes BRT different from the local bus? The distance between stops is longer, the buses will have dedicated lanes for some of the route, and you can board the bus through all doors. This will make BRT faster than the local bus. The buses will also run at least every 15 minutes from 5am to midnight on weekdays. Finally, BRT stations will have features like real-time departure information and high platforms to make boarding easy and accessible. Travel time between the two ends of the line will be about one hour — much faster than today.
Future BRT network. The Red and Blue Lines will the first to open
How is BRT going to work together with biking? We invited city staff to present what is planned and to answer questions. Mike Cechvala, Transit Planner at Metro, Tom Lynch, Madison’s Director of Transportation, and Renee Callaway, Bike and Pedestrian Administrator, joined us for a virtual meeting.
You can watch the whole discussion on YouTube or read some of the key points here. You can download the full slide deck below.
Currently buses have front racks that transport up to two bikes (folding bikes are permitted on board if there is space). To keep the buses on schedule, this won’t be the case for BRT vehicles. Instead, you will be able to roll your bike on board. The catch: Even though the buses are sixty feet long, there will likely be only space for two bikes. Metro is still investigating options for different kinds of bike racks, but it doesn’t look promising. One constraint: BRT buses will have doors on both sides, which eliminates some possible bike storage options. Wheelchair users will have dedicated space near the front of the bus, and it seemed unlikely that that space would work for bikes when there are no wheelchair users on the bus. Cargo bikes and trailers won’t fit.
Bike parking at BRT stations
An alternative to taking your bike on the bus is to park it at a BRT station. Metro does have plans for bike parking at the stations, but the audience seemed underwhelmed by them. Except for the new terminal stations, space directly at stations in limited. Generally, Metro envisions having four to six ring-and-post style racks per station. Several people in the audience pointed out that this number is too low. If bike parking is not accommodated, more people will try to bring their bikes on the bus. Another aspect of bike parking: Will it be secure? Metro is not interested in providing access-controlled bike parking because of the cost and administrative effort. The stations will have CCTV cameras, providing some level of security for bikes parked right at the station.
BCycle and BRT
Another option to combine bikes and transit? BCycle! If there is a BCycle station near BRT as well as near your destination, shared bikes can be a great solution to the “last mile problem,” that is, how to get from a bus stop to your destination and back. Some BCycle stations are already near future BRT stops, and Metro is looking at adding additional stations. However, BCycle is privately owned and runs without public funding. Therefore it is not certain that these new stations will materialize. Another possible improvement: Metro is upgrading their ticketing system, and they are looking at a possible integration with BCycle. So your Metro smart card or app may also allow you to access your BCycle subscription and unlock bikes.
Dealing with conflicts between buses and bikes
On streets with or without painted bike lanes, there can be conflicts between buses and bikes, especially at stops. Buses need to pull over to the curb and back into the travel lane again, having to cross a bike lane twice. Because the average speed of bikes and buses is similar, this can happen over and over again when you bike along a bus route. BRT will address these conflicts in two ways:
Floating bus stops
When the bus is traveling in the right-most lane, most stops will have a “floating bus stop” configuration. Bus riders will wait on a platform between the bike lane and the travel lane. Unrelated to BRT, the city is currently building a floating bus stop on Bassett Street. So soon you’ll be able to check out a real-life example of this design.
Rendering of a floating bus stop. Bikes pass between the bus platform and the curb
A widened sidewalk on Mineral Point Road
On some stretches, bus lanes and stations will not be on the right but in the center lane, for example on Mineral Point Road. This completely removes any conflict points with buses. There are downsides to center-running bus lanes, however.
On Mineral Point Road what is currently a shared bus/bike lane will be replaced by a widened sidewalk on the north side of the street. People on bikes can bike on the sidewalk in both directions and will share it with people walking. Mike Cechvala compared this design to the sidepath along University Avenue toward Middleton (one difference: University Ave does have painted bike lanes).
Rendering of the widened sidewalk on Mineral Point Road at Island
There was mixed feedback on this: Why a bike facility only on one side? (Answer: Because the city would have to acquire property and/or remove mature trees.) What about the conflicts with people driving cars at intersections and driveways? (Answer: Intersections will have signals and exclusive left-turn phases; driveways may be consolidated, and the path will be put on the side with fewer driveways.) On the other hand, our board member Kyle pointed out that the new design will still be an improvement over what is there now: “I think the cycle track along Mineral Point is a big improvement. I can bike on the cycle track with my kids. I acknowledge you still have to watch for turning cars.”
Disappearing bike lanes on East Washington Ave
East Washington between Blount and Milwaukee Street: Buses in the center, bikes and parking on the right, except during rush hour
On the isthmus, one sticking point are two miles of East Washington Ave, between and Blount and Milwaukee Street. Currently there are three general travel lanes, plus a combined parking and bike lane. To convert one of the travel lanes to a center-running bus lane while maintaining car capacity, the parking/bike lane will disappear for two hours during peak times on weekdays. The idea is that people on bikes will take alternative routes during that time, and the city presented some possible improvements on parallel routes such as Mifflin, Main Street, and the Cap City Trail. However, Tom Lynch was quick to point out that none of these improvements are part of the BRT project itself. While there is some money for them in the proposed city budget, all of them will have to go through their own separate processes and may or may not actually happen.
Big picture questions
When an audience member asked, “if BRT is going to make transit faster and more reliable, why is MadisonDOT still optimizing for SOV [single occupancy vehicle] throughput in many cases?” Tom Lynch responded: I don’t think we are optimizing SOV throughput. In fact, I would say most of our initiatives right now are aimed at reducing vehicle miles traveled. We are interacting with the Wisconsin DOT so that on East Washington and Whitney Way we are reducing motor vehicle capacity. So I think our paradigm has shifted. Safety is becoming our primary consideration, and also providing multiple choices for alternate modes. […] I believe our focus is different now than it might have been five years ago.”
What’s next?
The planning process for BRT is moving full-steam ahead. This Thursday (October 28), 30% designs for the downtown portion of the BRT route will be presented at a public meeting. Metro staff offered to come back. The possible bike improvements on Mifflin, Main, etc. will each be on their own timeline. We will keep an eye on this and inform you through our weekly newsletter. If you have feedback on any aspect of BRT, biking-related or not, you can email BRT@cityofmadison.com.
Yes, we finally have real fall weather, and a reminder that we will soon have winter as well. We’re all digging out the layers that we haven’t used since April and trying to remember what is appropriate for 45 degrees and breezy. We’ve got you!
Mark your calendar
Although we won’t have an indoor Winter Bike Fashion Show this year, we will have some events and opportunities to learn from others who already bike all winter. Mark your calendars, because Saturday, November 13, from noon-2 pm at the Tenney Park Shelter, we’ll have a meet-and-greet, lunch-and-learn, share-your knowledge event to get you excited about biking in colder weather. More details to follow, but we do know that Metro will be bringing a bus by, so you can try out those bike racks.
It’s nice to have the bus as a back-up plan for nasty weather, and too many people have told me they are worried about trying to get their bike on the bus when the driver and a bunch of people are waiting. If you come to our event, you can see how easy it is to use the rack, and you’ll be ready to rack-and-roll in no time.
The week ahead
We have extended the deadline to apply to be on the board until Oct 29. We have several vacancies, and we just know there are great people out there who can bring ideas, energy, and a new perspective to our board. If not you, then maybe you know someone that would be perfect. Here’s the form to fill out (or forward to someone else.)
Monday
At 6:00 pm we will hold our monthly Community Meeting on line. It will be devoted to hearing about, discussing, and asking questions about Bus Rapid Transit and bikes. You’ve heard that the city will have a new BRT line with larger buses, all-door boarding, level-boarding off a raised platform, pre-boardinging ticketing, fewer stops, and dedicated lanes. All this will make this line — planned to run down E Washington, then University, south on Whitney Way, and then out Mineral Point Rd. — able to travel faster along its route and carry more people.
But what does this mean for us as bicyclists? Transit and bicycling compliment each other, and adding bike facilities at transit stops makes it easier to transition between the two. But they can also compete for space on the road. This is a special session just to address these questions and give input to the city staff and consultants working on this project.
Will we be able to roll our bike right onto the BRT vehicles? What are the plans for bike parking? How will current bike lanes on the BRT route change? What’s planned to make getting to BRT stops easier?The Zoom link is https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84007649429?pwd=Qys5YjdLUnFQRlJFTEo5cTZMcDk1QT09. If you have trouble getting in, it’s Meeting ID: 840 0764 9429 Passcode: 648703
Wednesday
Madison Transportation Commission meets at 5 pm online, and they will receive and update on Public Works projects for 2022. A note on the agenda says they discuss Old Middleton Rd, the Cannonball Path, and Cedar St. There are some technical drawings attached to the item on the agenda, but not much detail. I guess we’ll have to tune in to see what these projects entail, but each one could be very important connections in the bike network. You can watch online or register to speak on any agenda item here.
Thursday
Another BRT community meeting will take place on Thursday at 6:00 pm. This time the topic will be plans for the downtown portion of the route. The city and consultants have already held meetings about the east side and west side portions of the route. These meetings go into more details about where the stations will be located, what they will look like, what streets the BRT will run on, and what lane configurations will be. The Zoom link and more details about the downtown route can be found on the city’s BRT project page.
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.
A beautiful Sunday to ride on the freshly repaved Southwest Path (Image: Cyclists of Madison)
The beautiful fall weather continues to hold! We hope you had an opportunity to get out on your bike. If you need some fall riding tips, check out the Madison Bikes TV episode about extending your riding season into the colder season.
Progress on West Washington Ave semi-protected intersection
Work on resurfacing West Washington Ave is making progress. Scheduled for completion in November, the design will feature a semi-protected intersection design at Bassett Street, combined bus/bike lanes as well as buffered bike lanes on sections of West Wash, as well as the continuation of the parking-protected bike lane on Bassett for another block.
Intersection design for West Washington and Bassett street. Semi-protected design on the northwest corner, and a floating bus stop on Bassett
Transportation Policy and Planning Board
The draft South Madison Plan, which has been in the works for a long time now, will be on the agenda at the Transportation Policy and Planning Board this week. This is a comprehensive plan for the area between Fish Hatchery Rd, Wingra Creek, the Beltline, and Lake Monona. This is an area not well served by transit, walking, and biking infrastructure, and the plan describes possible improvements. This includes adding missing sidewalks to streets, extending the Cannonball Trail, adding several bike boulevards, and bus rapid transit on Park Street.
Map of proposed walking and biking improvements
No improvements to biking on Park Street itself are included in the draft, and neither are upgrades to existing, unprotected bike lanes on busy roads such as Rimrock Rd.
Complete Green Streets update
If you go to any city meeting or read public comments submitted about projects that reduce car parking or make driving ever slightly less convenient, you may get the impression that there is a solid majority of people who put driving and parking first. But are those voices representative?
The City is currently working on a “Complete Green Streets” planning process. The goal is to help us decide how we allocate limited public space to uses like sidewalks, trees, car parking, etc., with an eye to safety, equity, access, and climate change adaptation. A second round of public input just finished, and results will be presented at the Transportation Policy and Planning Board tonight.
The process involved both a survey, as well as targeted outreach and focus groups in BIPOC communities, and a separate survey for people with disabilities. The results seem clear: Large majorities support a hierarchy where people walking and rolling are on top, followed by transit, biking, driving and freight, and car parking at the very bottom.
Proposed modal hierarchy for Madison
Almost 80% of survey respondents agree that safety is a higher priority than convenience and speed for driving; less than 10% think that car parking is more important than space for trees; over 65% agree that safe and comfortable bike infrastructure is more important than on-street car parking. 82% of people support prioritizing the needs of historically underserved people. And so on. You can find all the results here. So yeah, maybe the loudest voices that testify at public meetings aren’t representative of our city’s values.
