Category: Weekly Update

The first few dry leaves have fallen off my birch tree. My daughter has a dorm move-in date. My son is wrapping up his summer internship in Boston. NO! NO! NO! It can’t be fall yet! It’s still summer, right!? Let’s all make a pledge to have a few more Chocolate Shoppe Bicycle Benefits Waffle Cones, a few more lazy evenings at the terrace, and a few more sublime, aimless miles on our bikes. September can wait.

N. Sherman Ave Railroad Crossing closure

The rough railroad crossing on N. Sherman Avenue will be closed for two weeks beginning Monday, August 17. See the City notice for details https://www.cityofmadison.com/news/2026-08-07/n-sherman-avenue-closure-for-railroad-crossing-replacement

The official signed detour on Packers Ave is only for cars. Luckily, a brand new road by the ice arena should make for a groovy, low-stress detour. The northern half has a multi-use path. The entire length has a sidewalk. If you’re a regular rider on N. Sherman, can you give the Roth / Huxley / Commercial detour a try this week to see if there are any hiccups?

In other N. Sherman Ave news, the planned reconstruction near McGuire has been re-scoped and pushed to 2027. See the project page for details.

Milwaukee Street

At this week’s Transportation Commission, the one topic of high interest is Milwaukee St between the Garver Path and Woodman’s. This is the area that is seeing heavy Voit Farms development just to the north.

The files are in Legistar #94298. In a nutshell, the City is proposing a north-side multi-use path coupled with a south-side, eastbound bike lane.

I really like the asymmetric layout. Side paths are nice for all ages & abilities, but they’re often “meh” when they’re on the opposite side of the street from where you are or want to be. This design solves that.

And we all must celebrate that the City is keeping Milwaukee St traffic to one lane in each direction. That’s all the current traffic volume demands, and it will establish Milwaukee St as a “Community Main Street” that will much better serve the new neighborhoods being built up there.

John Nolen Drive

The City plans to re-open North Shore Drive to cars on Wed, Aug 12 with some traffic flows allowed at the intersection with JND. There will be no bike or pedestrian crossings allowed there. The return of traffic to North Shore Drive will make the current detour crossings of that street more hazardous.

See the Latest Project Update (and sign up!) for more details.

This Week

On Monday Aug 10, you ought to take 15 minutes to listen to WORT’s Moving Beyond Bikes: Youth Advocacy and the Transportation Ambassador Program, where Colleen Hayes speaks with high-school Bike Fed Transportation Ambassador Maggie Benton about knuckleheads, RRFBs, and youth advocacy.

On Tuesday Aug 11 at noon, come to the University Bicycle Resource Center (just west of the Memorial Union) for a free session on Getting to Campus Without a Car. This is just the first of a series of fall clinics on fixing flat tires, brakes, and winter biking.

On Tuesday Aug 11 at 6:00pm, the Women’s Cycling Club meets at the Olbrich Biergarten for a Taco Tuesday ride. See their instagram page for details.

Also on Tuesday, Vote.

On Wednesday Aug 12 at 5pm is the Madison Transportation Commission, mentioned in Milwaukee Ave above. The agenda has details and sign up info. But, why attend a dry City Zoom meeting when the Capital Brewery E-bike ride meets at 5:30pm and the Motorless Motion Taco Ride meets at 6:00pm?

On Thursday Aug 13*, your job is to review the Downtown Area Plan so far. The City will soon release draft recommendations but, with so many downtown stakeholders vying for ink, bicycling risks taking a backseat. If you have ideas about how to make bicycling better downtown — practical (two-way cycletrack the length of Broom St), lofty (Capitol Square pump track), or specific (close Gilman St where it crosses State Street) — now’s a good time to put your ideas into words and make the case. * You don’t have to wait until Thursday!

On Friday Aug 14 at 11am is the Machinery Row Lunch Bunch e-bike ride. Where will they eat this week? Come and find out! (and don’t forget Machinery Row’s Sunday 8am Century Training ride. AKA long-distance riding for the rest of us)

For more detail on any of these, visit the Madison Bikes Community Calendar.

SW Commuter Path notes

The City flipped the stop signs at the Commonwealth Ave crossing! This is a most welcome and sensible change. Commonwealth sees a roughly equal number of cars and bikes each day (about 2000 of each), yet for bikers it’s the equivalent of the beltline highway.

The City will reduce the Odana Rd speed limit to 25 mph between Whitney Way and Monroe Street. The SW Path crossing of Odana Rd has poor visibility and a stubbornly high number of crashes (five since 2021, compared to zero at Glenway St which handles a similar number of vehicles). Let’s hope the speed reduction helps.

Construction is underway on the Zook Park Connector (ruminated about last December).

Moovapalooza, Hippy Christmas, …

Madison’s annual celebration of U-Haul and out-of-state license plates is upon us. As always, let’s welcome our new neighbors. Yes, they will block bike lanes, they will drive the wrong way, and they will signal right while turning left. Please be tolerant, give them space, and maybe offer a helping hand.

Teejop Community Art Project

Finally, the Madison Art Commission just innagurated the Teejop Community Art Project, a series of indigenous artworks placed at parks around Madison. The displays will stay out until November. What does that have to do with biking? Well, nothing except that bicycle is the best way to see them!

I put together this 26-mile ridewithgps route that visits them all and has links and descriptions of the artists taken from this guide. The artworks intentionally don’t have information signs, so keep the links handy to learn about what you’re seeing.

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!

When you open this newsletter, the air quality will likely still be mediocre. Please protect yourself as best as you can. Reduce your time outdoors, wear a mask, build/buy an indoor air filter. And of course, continue your advocacy against climate change.

Looking for Ride the Drive Volunteers

Madison Bikes will be at the Ride the Drive on Sunday, Aug 9. We’ll bring the bike-powered smoothie maker to the Capitol Square and still need a few volunteers to help with setup, smoothie operations, and cleanup. Sign up to volunteer with Madison Bikes here.

Public Input Meeting for Franklin Ave

On Monday, 7/20, there will be a public input meeting for the reconstruction of S Franklin Ave on the near west side, between Regent and Speedway, as well as two side streets, Sylvan and Ridge. These streets currently don’t have a curb and gutter and mostly lack sidewalks. The meeting starts at 6:30 PM and is happening on Zoom.

Middleton Seeking Input on Active Transportation Plan

The City of Middleton is in the process of creating an active transportation plan and wants to hear from you. Whether you live or work in Middleton or visit there, consider providing feedback, either at two upcoming public meetings or via an online survey. The first meeting is on Thursday, 7/23.

The draft Active Transportation Plan provides a long-term vision for improving walking, biking, rolling, and transit throughout Middleton. The plan identifies opportunities to make it easier, safer, and more convenient for people of all ages and abilities to travel throughout the community while supporting a transportation network that better connects neighborhoods, parks, schools, businesses, and community destinations.

Middleton Night Market Pop-Up
Thursday, July 23, 5–8: p.m., Stone Horse Green
Open House:
Northside Elementary School, Wednesday, August 5, 6–7 p.m.
Open House:
Parisi Park, Monday, August 10, 6–7 p.m.

Residents who are unable to attend an in-person event can review the draft plan and complete the online survey between July 16 and August 16. The draft plan and survey are available at:
https://cityofmiddleton.us/392/Active-Transportation-Plan

Midvale Closure to Begin

Starting on Monday resurfacing work on Midvale Blvd, between University Ave and Mineral Point Road, will begin. While one lane of traffic will remain open throughout the construction period, it’s probably a good idea to seek out alternative bike routes.

In case you missed it, this construction project at some point was supposed to include the addition of painted bike lanes. This would have required the removal of car parking. The two area alders, Bill Tishler and Regina Vidaver, eventually scuttled the plan and pushed bike improvements to a full reconstruction of the street, timeline unknown. The current reconstruction does come with much needed pedestrian crossing improvements and more cleanly delineated, narrower travel lanes.

High School Transportation Ambassadors

Last year, the Wisconsin Bike Fed launched a high school “Transportation Ambassadors” program. This is a yearlong, paid internship for students at MMSD high school. The students build up their advocacy skills and work on a project to improve active transportation at their school. The first cohort just graduated, and you should read this great article about them and their work!

BMX is Back (Almost)

Dane County lost its only BMX track a few years ago. But now Madtown BMX has a new home, at Angell Park in Sun Prairie. Their new track is scheduled to be open by September.

No Turn on Red

As reported in last week’s newsletter, the Transportation Commission received a briefing on No Turn on Red at their Wednesday meeting. The presentation and ensuing discussion are worth watching.

Meet Former Pro Cyclist Kerry Helmuth 

On Thursday (7.23), former pro cyclist Kerry Helmuth will read from her book, Willkie Sprint, at Capital Brewery Beer Garden in Middleton. Machinery Row’s Century Training Club will bike to the event from Madison, or you can go straight to the event at 7 PM:

When: Group ride leaves from Machinery Row @ 5:30pm, Event starts @ 7:00 p.m. 

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/56083529

Food and beverages will be available for purchase.

Details: Kerry Helmuth will be reading a selection from her book, Willkie Sprint, and will be autographing copies. She will have a limited quantity of copies available at the event for purchase. She will also be speaking with event participants about her career as a professional cyclist and about promoting women’s cycling.

‘Ride’ Madison’s newest bike path

What’s that? You couldn’t make it to the ribbon-cutting celebration (hosted by Madison Bikes, Oakwood Prairie Ridge and Sun Prairie Moves) for the Tancho Bike Path? Then you may not necessarily know what’s so great about a short stretch of paved path on the far east side of Madison.

You’re in luck! This video tour, produced by Harald Kliems, is the next best thing to being there. And Harald will fill you in on the importance of this new Madison- Sun Prairie connection as you go.

Bike safe in the heat

The National Weather Service is forecasting pizza-oven temps with pea-soup humidity this week, featuring highs mostly over 90 and lows hardly ever below 70. When we think about bike safety, vehicle traffic feels like the most pressing concern. But bicycling is active transportation, and getting around under your own power is only more fraught when the weather is trying to melt you onto your saddle.

Take some tips from the League of American Cyclists. Highlights include:

• Hydrate! There were times when I wondered if my basic training drill sergeants knew any English phrases other than “DRINK WATER!” But, darn it if they weren’t onto something. You gotta replenish the fluids you feel soaking into your clothes or you will never make it to that ice cream reward.
• Plan ahead! Do you need to ride on Wednesday? It’s going to be 78° F — “F,” indeed! — at 8 a.m. That’s gross, but it sure beats the 91° forecast for 2 p.m. Pick the coolest times to pedal.
• Park in the shade, if you can. Those stylish black metal and leather parts of your ride will reach scorching temps if they sit in the sun for hours. Spare yourself a yelp and the extra heat by finding a spot out of the sun.

Keep on stoppin’

Regular readers may recall last week’s newsletter, when Craig Weinhold asked, “Is there a lawyer in the house?” Craig wanted help interpreting § 346.37(1)(c)2 — specifically, “No … bicyclist … facing [a red light] shall enter … the roadway unless he or she can do so safely and without interfering with any vehicular traffic.” — to see if it counts as a “red-light-as-stop,” a version of what is also known as an “Idaho Stop.”

Several astute legal philosophers who saw Craig’s post pointed out that for a bicyclist to enter the roadway, they would first need to be not on the roadway. Which is to say, this law applies only to bikers on sidewalks or paths. It goes back to 1985 and was one of several law changes to give bicyclists on sidewalks the same rights as pedestrians. So, no, red lights are still red lights. If we want to treat them like stop signs, Craig says, we need to keep pushing for statewide Idaho Stop legislation.

Construction updates

• Virginia Terrace, a Regent Street tributary just south of Madison West High School, will experience a brief-but-major construction project starting July 6.
• Thomas Murphy notes that signs are up announcing the closure of UW–Madison’s Lot 39 for resurfacing. That’s near Linden Drive and the north end of the Campus Drive bike/pedestrian overpass, and may require some creative noodling for access.

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!

Madison’s summer is in high gear with Concerts on the Square, Farmers’ Markets, Parks Alive, and too many celebrations and parties to count. Make Music Madison was delightful, despite the drizzly weather. This week, be sure to stop in at the Harry Whitehorse International Wood Carving Festival at Monona’s San Damiano. It’s free and really convenient for anyone biking around Lake Monona.

Tancho Path Ribbon Cutting

At last, the Tancho Path is complete. To celebrate, Madison Bikes, Oakwood Prairie Ridge, and Sun Prairie Moves are hosting a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. Friday, June 26, at Oakwood Village Prairie Ridge Campus, 5565 Tancho Dr.

The path connects to the new 23-mile Sun Prairie Bike Loop and existing bike infrastructure on Madison’s far east side. Oakwood Prairie Ridge expects residents to use it often, especially those who previously had limited places to ride or had to use less comfortable routes, such as Hoepker Rd and American Parkway, to reach shopping, dining, and other local businesses. Older residents with mobility limitations who participate in Oakwood’s Cycling Without Age program will also have access to longer and more varied routes. See short video clips of their comments here.

For more information about the ribbon cutting and the path’s benefits, see this update from Traffic Engineering.

The public ribbon-cutting will include remarks from District 17 Alder Sabrina Madison, City of Sun Prairie Alder Maureen Crombie, Prairie Ridge resident Ed Grys, and City of Madison Director of Transportation Christof Spieler. Oakwood will provide refreshments. Because the path will make it easier for bicyclists to reach Bicycle Benefits locations in Sun Prairie, Madison Bikes will give away a limited number of Bicycle Benefits stickers at the event. Join the fun on Friday!

Coming up

It’ll be a quiet week in Lake Madison…

Tuesday, June 23, 6:30pm, Madison Common Council Agenda shows the only business of note is to vote to adopt the Southwest and Southeast Area Plans. These plans represent over a year of work and public engagement, and they’re pretty good. See more detail about Elver Park below.

Wednesday, June 24, 4:30 – 6:00pm, Madison Parks, 330 E. Lakeside St. Madison LakeWay Public Art Meet and Greet. Madison LakeWay is choosing public art for the John Nolen Drive path; come join the process and see what the artists have proposed.

Wednesday June 24, 7:00 – 8:30pm, Sequoya Library. Alder Bill Tishler’s book club discussion about Strong Towns with local chapter members Josh Olson and Matt Wise.

Wednesday June 24, 6:00pm, the Middleton Conservancy Lands Committee (Zoom) will discuss path and trail design standards, principally within the Pheasant Branch Creek Area. See Mark Opitz’s post on Facebook for more detail.

Quick Notes

• A hairball traffic signal is down. (ouch)

• The E. Mifflin temporary diverter at Patterson is back. (facebook)
• The Lakeshore Path Limnology bypass is still fenced in. (sigh)
• Any lawyers in the house? Take a look at § 346.37(1)(c)2 “No … bicyclist … facing [a red light] shall enter … the roadway unless he or she can do so safely and without interfering with any vehicular traffic.” Doesn’t that sound identical to the “Red Light-as-Stop” part of the Idaho Stop law?

Elver Park Master Plan

I noticed some opposition to the Southwest area plan from X-C skiers because the plan calls for new paved paths into Elver Park and, at quick glance, some of the new paths seem to cross existing ski trails. But there are two important things to keep in mind:

First, the City will soon be kicking off Elver Park’s own Master Plan process this year to figure out Elver Park expansion (55 new acres!), a new southern entrance, new X-C ski trails, and the new path connectivity. Given the large number of skiiers who also bike (and vice-versa), I hope we all stay factual and collaborative, and avoid unnecessary alarm.

Second, the paths shown on the maps of the Southwest Area Plan are conceptual and not surveyed path routes. Here is a mash-up showing those new conceptual paths overlayed on the current ski trail system:

Last fall, Paul and I looked at these lines closely and walked / surveyed the grades. Here’s what we found:

• The path to the south to Mid Town Rd will not impact current X-C ski trails. This would be year-round and is the most critical of the new connections, becoming a new main route to the Ice Age Junction trail and Verona and serving 1000’s of new housing units in the developments south of Mid-Town Rd. Ideally, the final routing will avoid the steep climb to S. Gammon Rd.
• The path that goes south then west to Valley Ridge Park is doable and won’t impact current X-C ski trails, but it’s going to be an engineering challenge to make it comfortable and safe. It is second most important path, connecting 100’s of residents whose neighborhood is currently locked in by High Point Rd, an uncomfortable biking road. It should be a year-round plowed path.
• The path to the north (New Washburn Way) is far too steep (6%) to be built as shown, so it will need big changes and will likely intersect X-C ski trails in the area. This is also the least important path since the neighborhoods served already have safe routes to Elver Park via sidewalk and bike lane. It can likely remain a seasonal, unplowed path.
• The path east from Valley Ridge Park to the Elver parking lot would be really useful but doesn’t need to be a year-round, plowed path since the longer path to the south is available.
• Finally, even though the new paths might not impact existing X-C trails, plowing of the existing paths in Elver Park will. Perhaps the trickiest part of the Master Plan will be to identify the year-round plowed path that best minimizes X-C trail rerouting and eliminates intersections. This challenge will likely require at least one grade-separated, such as a bridge set into the hill so the plowed path can cross under the X-C ski trails.

I’m excited for the future Elver Park Master Plan and am looking forward to exploring all the possibilities more fully with my X-C friends.

Ride the Drive Volunteers Needed

Ride the Drive requires more than 200 volunteers, and you can still be part of this year’s event on Sunday, August 9, 2026. Help create a welcoming, vibrant experience for 15,000 participants by guiding people at intersections, staffing a booth, or assisting with setup and cleanup. Shifts are fun and just two hours long, leaving plenty of time to volunteer and enjoy the ride. This year only, volunteers will receive both a 2025 hot pink T-shirt and a 2026 T-shirt, with the color to be announced.

Visit ridethedrive.com for additional information about the event including maps, vendor information, and more. Click Here to: BECOME a VOLUNTEER

That’s it for the update. Enjoy your rides!

After all the excitement and activities of Bike Week, this will be a short update. The biggest issue is the Council vote on the Regent Street reconstruction.

I’ve included some links to news outside Madison, for those who live, work, or ride farther out, as well as a reminder about an important event coming this fall.

Regent reconstruction at Council on Tuesday

The biggest event is probably that the Regent St reconstruction will be before the Council on Tuesday. It is item number 94, and you can register to speak or email comments, as well as see all the other items on the agenda or watch the meeting, here. 

You can view all the documents – including staff presentations and public comments – at the Legistar item on the agenda.

The May 18 weekly update has a recap of city committees from Harald. The May 24 blog has links to watch meeting recordings and review city presentations and public comments. And the Cap Times ran a story on the issues on May 25.

Military Ridge Trail detour at Epic

If you ride out past Epic on the Military Ridge, you know there has been quite a bit of construction in the area. Starting June 12, ther will be a detour that will last until until September. You can get all the details on the City of Verona project page.

Sun Prairie Loop opens

Sun Prairie has been working on its bike network, and part of that is a loop around the city. It officially debuted last week. You can view a map of the loop and other Sun Prairie bike routes on the city transportation page.

Weekly rides

Wednesday at 5:30 pm, join the Capital Brewery E-bike ride.

Friday 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, the Machinery Row Lunch/Brunch e-bike ride rolls out. Contact Lauren for more information and the route.

Mark your calendars for the Ride for Your Life on Oct 4

Just a reminder that Madison Bikes is an organizer for the Ride for Your Life, which will take place on October 4 in Madison. We were reminded once again about the need for safer streets for pedestrians and bicyclists with the death on E Washington of Ken Bell while crossing the street legally in a crosswalk. 

At the Transportation Commission meeting last Wednesday, we received an update on both Vision Zero progress and the annual crash report. It’s clear that our most dangerous roads — especially for pedestrians and bicyclists — are ones that the city does not fully control: state and county roads that the city may maintain, but can’t make infrastructure changes without the consent of Wisconsin DOT or Dane County. Examples: E Washington, Park St, Fish Hatchery Rd, Northport Dr, etc.

This is one reason we have to push at all levels for safer streets. Ride for Your Life is a national movement, but Madison was the second city to host a ride, after Washington, DC. Hope you can join us.

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!