Category: Weekly Update

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E-Mail Weekly Update

Bike Week, Infrastructure Rally, N-S-BRT

Riders prepare for start of Arboretum Ride
Eric Grycan, Ecological Restoration Specialist, describes the “Lost City.”

Bike Week Approaching

Bike Week proclaimed on Madison busses

Less than two weeks until Madison Bike Week!. Lots of events have already been posted on the event schedule including a vintage bike ride, infrastructure tours, lots of commuter stops, and of course the mayor’s press conference and the awesome Friday party. Start planning today!

Bike Week Merch Now Available

Check out the new Bike Week short-sleeve T-shirt and sleeveless top. Madison Bikes short-sleeved and now long-sleeved T-shirts are also available. Click on the following link to order: https://madison-top-company.printavo.com/merch/madison-bikes.

Transportation Committee Actions

The locally approved alternative (LPA) for N-S BRT was approved by the Transportation Commission at the May 15 meeting. This plan includes over 50% dedicated bus lanes. Overall, there will be less bus conflicts with bicycles, but bicycle infrastructure for much of the route will be substandard because of challenges inherent in engineering the narrow corridor and the status of S. Park Street as part of the National Highway System. Next, the LPA will go to the Common Council for final approval.

For the north section, the addition of BRT will not change bike infrastructure significantly. Bicycle accommodations along Northport Dr. will still not meet All Ages and Abilities guidelines and there are not bicycle facilities on Packers Drive. Madison is developing a grant application to develop plans for better connections between the Northside and other parts of the City. Significant work remains.

West Washington Ave. to Fish Hatchery Rd: This section of S. Park St is not being reconstructed, making it impossible to conform to All Ages and Abilities standards. In an attempt to improve the situation, bicycle facilities on alternate routes will be strengthened. However, these routes provide a less direct north-south route and these routes would not be helpful for those who need to access businesses on S. Park St.

Parking for motor vehicles will be retained on S.Park in 3 areas between W. Washington to Cedar. The longest area, between Vilas and Erin, will be 3 blocks and is not likely to significantly impact bus traffic.

Bike parking will be added on side streets off S. Park just south of W.Washington because of the lack of bicycle parking in the area.

S. Park from Fish Hatchery Rd. to Badger Rd. reconstruction:  There will be a center running bus line with an 8-10 foot shared use path on the west side of S. Park St, with a standard 5-foot sidewalk on the east side.  The path will replace the current shared bike/bus lane. The terrace will be wide enough to accommodate shade trees. Because the path only services one side of the street, crossings, including new traffic signals, reduced speeds, and continental cross walks will be added.

For all of the details you can listen to a recording of the meeting and/or check out this document from the city.

Upcoming Planning Meetings

Just a notification that these are coming up. More details next week.

West Area Plan – May 30: Virtual meeting on transportation

Northeast Plan drafts –Virtual meetings on May 28 @ 6:00 pm ( register) and May 29 @ 12:00 pm ( register) or attend the In-person open house events on May 29 @ Reindahl Park, 5:00-8:00 pm and May 30 @ Sycamore Park, 5:00-8:00 pm 

E. Mifflin St. Bike Boulevard Virtual Public Input Meeting – Mon, June 3 at 6:30pm Register for the Zoom meeting 

West Towne Path Zor Shrine Phase Public Meeting – public information meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., May 28, 2024, via Zoom. https://www.cityofmadison.com/engineering/projects/west-towne-path-phase-2a

Bike Rally for Infrastructure

This event at 6pm on Thursday May 23, hosted by assembly candidate Thad Schumacher, will start with a 3- mile slow roll from the Vilas Park tennis courts to Neff Cycles traveling through the Arboretum. All ages welcome! Check out the route here: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit…

Route detail of the ride to the bike rally

The ride ends at Neff Cycles at 6:30 pm, where there will be a rally advocating for continued development of Madison’s bike/ped infrastructure.

Badger Rusk Shared-Use Path

A proposed design for a street reconstruction project which would improve bike/ped access across the beltline was presented at an informational meeting on May 14. The project would replace the existing sidewalk along the north side of W. Badger Rd and west side of Rusk Ave. with a 10-ft grade separated, lighted, shared-use path by narrowing the street. Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons would be installed to improve the crossing at the pedestrian overpass. The project should be reviewed at the Transportation Commission in July and it is hoped that construction can be completed in October of 2025. https://www.cityofmadison.com/engineering/projects/badger-rusk-shared-use-path

Capital Brewery Bike Club – E-Bike Riders Group, Inaugural Ride

Thirty bikes showed up for a very successful first event. Weekly rides will continue on May 22nd (Wednesday) at 5:30 PM and continue on that schedule throughout the summer. Rides start and end at Capital Brewery in Middleton. Non-members welcome.  Check out all the details at www.capitalbikeclub.org

Riders await the start of the first Capital Brewery E-bike event

That’s this week in a nutshell. Watch the calendar for upcoming events, including Madison Bike Week 2024 events in June.

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.

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Newsletter Weekly Update

Ride With Us Through the Arb!

Spring Bike Wash: Last month’s community event

Welcome to this week’s newsletter! Madison Bikes has a goal of hosting a community meeting or event each month in 2024. Which one has been your favorite so far? I loved the Spring Bike Wash last month where we teamed up with Freewheel to get people’s bikes cleaned, check them over for safety, and handed out some Greenbush doughnuts, all for free. It was wonderful to see so many people show up to enjoy the service and sunshine.

We’ve got some exciting bike-related things to share with you this week, including another awesome community event. Here’s what you need to know:

Badger Rusk Shared-Use Path Information Meeting

More separated bike infrastructure is on its way! Monday, May 13th, at 6:00 PM, the city will be hosting a public information meeting on a new shared-use path that is proposed to go along the North side of W Badger Rd and the West side of N Rusk Ave. The path would build upon and help connect the existing bike/ped bridge over the beltline to other destinations that path users may want to go. Along with a 10-ft wide shared path, the project includes improvements to lighting and street crossings. The design is scheduled for Summer-Winter 2024 with construction in June-Oct 2025. Register for the meeting on the project’s page from the city website to learn more.

The approximate location of the proposed path

Capital Brewery E-Bike Ride

Capital Brewery Bike Club is hosting their first Wednesday night E-Bike riders group ride. The ride, starting at 5:30 PM will be 11 miles, starting and ending at Capital Brewery at 7734 Terrace Ave in Middleton.

Quarry Park Bike Trails Work Day

Saturday, May 18th from 8 to noon, Capital Off Road Pathfinders is hosting a Spring work day to clean up and prep the MTB trails at Quarry Park for the season. Volunteers will help clear brush along the trails, tune up the jumps and pump track, and buff in some tech lines. Work days like these are critical to getting the trails ready for the season and keep them in good shape.

Community Event: Bike and Learn Through the Arboretum

Also on Saturday, May 18th at 1pm, Madison Bikes will be hosting a ride through the Arboretum where you can learn all about the ecosystems that live there. Eric Grycan, Ecological Restoration Specialist and friend of Madison Bikes will guide us through the route and tell us about about the Lost City Forest, Skunk Cabbage Bridge, and Curtis Prairie. You can find all this info and let us know if you’re coming on our Facebook event.

The planned route through the arboretum for Saturday’s event

Get your event registered for Madison Bike Week

In case you didn’t hear, Madison Bike Week is right around the corner on June 1-8! We are so excited to see all the events rolling in. This year we will have rides, parties, educational sessions, discounts, free stuff, dogs on bikes, and so much more. Check out our current event schedule, save the dates/times, and get ready to party on the paths. Remember that new events are still being added so check back often so you don’t miss any! If you or someone you know is interested in hosting an event, you can register it on our website, or check out our event-hosting FAQ for more info.

That’s it for this newsletter. We have a lot to be excited about in the coming weeks and we can’t wait to see you out riding.

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.

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Bike News Newsletter Weekly Update

Here comes Bike Week

The Madison Bike Week calendar is filling up with great events stretching from June 1 to June 8. It’s time to double-check your own calendar to make sure a few of them are there — and maybe triple-check whether you’ve got something to add to the events.

A few to consider:

COOKIES. Do you already miss Girl Scout Cookies season? Here’s your chance for another thin mint, and for free (courtesy Girl Scout Troop 8267) on the Cap City Path at Jackson Street from 1 to 3 p.m. on June 1.

Explore another silent sport. Join Badger Rowing at their Porter Boathouse, 680 Babcock Drive, for a bagel-and-coffee refuel stop on the Lakeshore Path from 3 to 5 p.m. on June 4. Take a tour of the boathouse and try out some dry-land training under the supervision of people who use their arms — Can you imagine? — to get around.

Party at the Pump Track. Kick off the first day of summer vacation with Wisconsin Bike Fed and DreamBikes at the Aldo Leopold Park Pump Track, 2906 Traceway Drive, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 7. If you and yours have never tried — sounds like “shredded” is the appropriate terminology — a pump track, this is a great chance for beginners to get a few pointers or experienced riders to learn some new moves.

If you’d like to host an event like these, picture yourself on the calendar and check out the Madison Beer Week FAQ for registration info.

Southwest Bike Path closure

If you’re a regular on the Southwest Bike Path, you’ll have to skip a section near the UW–Madison campus this week. Construction crews will be removing a tower crane at 750 Regent St. That requires closing the bike path from East Campus Mall to West Washington Avenue. A posted detour will steer bicyclists around the closure via West Dayton Street.

It’s a pretty quiet week, otherwise. Other than a few showers in the forecast, a great time to get out for a ride!

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.

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Bike News Newsletter Weekly Update

Metro hits 1M+ ride mark again; Healthy Communities Summit; and biking events this weekend

Bus rider walks up to bus stationed at stop on campus
Metro Transit bus, by Lauren Graves – UW Transportation Services

Metro Transit hits 1M+ rides in February

Metro Transit once again hit a post-pandemic milestone of providing over one million rides in February 2024. The agency reports having provided 1,019,324 rides in February ’24, a 12.5% year-over-year increase over February ’23. This is the second non-consecutive month Metro has had more than 1 million rides in a month since before the pandemic, with October 2023 being the last seeing roughly 1,075,500 riders.

Graph displaying Metro's monthly ridership from 2020 to February 2024, with a callout showing the 12.5% year over year increase in rides provided
Metro continues to make progress in recovering post-pandemic ridership

Coming this week

Healthy Communities Summit

4/29 at 8a – 5p

The Healthy Communities Summit returns to Madison this year on Monday, April 29. The summit is scheduled to occur at UW-Madison’s Memorial Union in the Great Hall on Monday, April 29th, 2024, running from 8a to 5p. Featured programming topics for this year include Education Empowerment, Changemaker Inspiration, and Trail Development Toolbox. Attendees can anticipate various breakout sessions led by both local and national experts, covering these themes and additional subjects.

North/South BRT Public Meeting

4/29 at 5:30p

Metro Rapid Route B will be the second bus rapid transit route in the Madison area, following a North to South route from the North side of Madison to Fitchburg. At the next round of meetings on Monday, April 29 at the MainStay Suites in Fitchburg from 5:30-7:30p, the public can provide feedback and see changes that have been made based on input we received, including updated station locations and routing. Attend the meeting in person or watch it here.

Women’s Mountain Bike Day Group Ride

5/4 at 9:30a

Celebrate Women’s Mountain Bike Day on Saturday, May 4th with a Women’s Group Ride! Meet at the Pavilion by the Quarry Ridge parking lot at 9:30am for a 1-hour beginner-friendly ride. Bring your mountain bike, helmet, water, and a flat kit. There will be an instructor present to help you learn and improve your mountain biking skills. Stick around afterwards for coffee and donuts.

A woman on a mountain bike on a dirt path, Machinery Row Bicycles

Cinco de cuatro ride with @Cap.City. Cicylists

5/4 at 11a

Join @Cap.City.Cyclists and others for a “Cinco de cuatro” bike ride this May 4 to get burritos and drinks. Ride starts at 11a and leaves from Orton Park.

Poster for May 4 bike ride from Orton Park to Habaneros restaurant at 11 a.m.
Join @Cap.City.Cyclists and others for a burrito ride.

No matter how long you ride this week, ride safely! Cheers.

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.

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Weekly Update

Get Ready for Bike Week

Bike Wash and Safety Check

The Madison Bike Week 2024 webpage is up! Events are starting to come in, and soon the calendar will start filling in as groups, businesses, neighborhood associations, non-profits, and individuals start submitting their plans. Do you want to host an event? The form to let us know what you’d like to do is on that page as well. There are some pre-approved locations from the city in public parks and rights of way (streets), but you can also add events on private property or get city permission for additional locations. Let us know if you have questions.

Updates from the past week

The nasty, cold weather cleared away for a great Bike Wash and Safety Check on Sunday, thanks to board member Pete Taglia. We saw familiar faces – and many new ones too – and got a chance to wash off the road grime or salt, check to be sure our bikes are ready for warm weather riding, and talk about Madison Bikes and our plans for the coming months. We had a some people drop in because they saw chalked announcements on the Brittingham Path and signs near the closed street. Thanks to Freecycle for helping us out. WMTV channel 15 had a nice piece on the evening news.

Coming up this week

North-South BRT public meetings starting Monday. Just a reminder from last week’s newsletter that the city is hosting a barrage of public meetings about the proposed North-South BRT Line. On Monday April 22, you can go virtual, on Tuesday it’s at the Urban League on S Park (South Side), on Thursday it’s at the Warner Park Community Center (North Side) and on Monday April 29 it’ll be in Fitchburg.

On South Park St, there will probably be some changes that affect bicycle infrastructure – some good, some not so great. There will be fewer changes on the north side, but there might be opportunities to improve connection. 

Wednesday

The Transportation Commission agenda has several items that may be of interest. You can watch and/or comment on any agenda item at 5:00 pm online

The Safe Streets Madison project list contains relatively small projects that are meant to make streets, paths, crossings, and other infrastructure safer for all users: pavement markings, flashing beacons, small sidewalk and path connections, and signal changes. Safe Streets Madison replaced the previous neighborhood traffic calming program. For this year, Traffic Engineering is proposing 29 projects for a total cost estimate of $1,108,000. 

The Traffic Signal Priority list reports on locations where changes were considered to lights and stop signs. If you have a [least] favorite location for crossing, you may be interested to see why things are or are not changing. 

Thursday

The Joint Campus Area Committee – a committee that coordinates projects between the UW, the city, and adjacent neighborhoods – will be discussing a possible bypass of the Limnology Building.

If you are one of the 15,000 pedestrians or bicyclists that uses the UW Lakeshore Path every day, you know how frustrating it can be to negotiate the tight quarters at the eastern end of the path where we have to pass between the Limnology Building and Bascom Hill. It is narrow, people are entering and exiting the building, sightlines are very bad, and sometimes equipment and vehicles are stored close to the path, making it even narrower. No one is happy with the situation, but a new project will make it much more comfortable. You can see the slides to be presented at the meeting, but the short version is that the entire area south of the building will be widened by cutting into the hillside and building a retaining wall. This will create a better/safer entrance to the building, a dedicated delivery area, and a wider path for bicyclists. Pedestrians will still use a path on the north side of the building. This one is in person at 4:45 pm in room 132 in the WARF building on campus

Saturday

Blackhawk Trail Spring Work Day. If you use this mtb trail, or would like to meet others, come out and help get the trail into shape. Meet at the east chalet on 10118 Blackhawk Road, Middleton at 9:00 am for instructions and to enter your name in the raffle.

Celebrate Trails Day! with Bike Fitchburg 10 am-1 pm at the Velo UnderRound (where the Military Ridge, Cannonball, and Cap City Trails all meet.) Enjoy non-alcoholic drinks from national sponsor Athletic Brewing and snacks, pick up bike maps, and learn how we advocate for biking and walking that’s safer, easier, more fun, and more equitable in Fitchburg.

Sunday

Capital Bike Club 2024 Membership Party, 3-5 pm at Capital Brewery in Middleton. Come say hi to your cycling friends new & old. Snacks and beverages will be provided to paid members of the bike club. And if you aren’t a member, but would like to join, head over to their webpage.

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.

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Weekly Update

Bike Wash, Brews, BRT

Someone riding a bike on the Southwest Path toward the camera. In the background a controlled burn and a number of people in safety vests.
‘Tis the season for prescribed burns — it’s an oldie-but a goodie (Harald Kliems and Cyclists of Madison)

If you’re interested in shaping the future of our Dane County Parks, please consider taking the time to complete the Dane County Parks and Open Space Plan Survey. The survey is open until May 1, 2024 so you’ve got a couple of weeks to collect your thoughts on the subject. The results of the survey will shape the next five year plan so it’s literally a once-in-a-lifetime (of a guinea pig) opportunity!

Also, here’s your once every few months (the lifespan of a flea) reminder to subscribe to Bike Madison email updates. You’ll get tons of useful info about construction, improvements and events; more than we can cover here. Also, try not to be put off by the janky website. Yeah, I know, glass houses and all but they know it and they’re working on it. Reliable sources are telling us that they’re up next for a big revamp, bringing them out of the early 2000’s. We can’t wait!

This Week

On Wednesday at 10:30 AM, join a Zoom call hosted by AARP Wisconsin and Active Wisconsin:

The Active Wisconsin spring network call is this WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17 at 10:30am. Everyone is welcome! Learn about a new resource from AARP, get a heads up on events in 2024, hear about advocacy efforts on active transportation, and learn about what’s going on in health and transportation around the state. 

On Thursday from 6 PM-7:30 PM, join the online Freewheel April Volunteer Meeting (zoom link).

We have been having some great conversations about building up Freewheel’s movement, and invite you to join the effort to bring an accessible, DIY community bike shop back to Madison. See you there! 

On Saturday at 3 PM, stop by Capital Brewery in Middleton for an open house “dedicated to the world of E-Bikes!” Capital Brewery is home to many weekly group rides and is a very popular start/finishing spot for all sorts of riding. For more information, check out the Facebook invite.

On Sunday between 1 PM and 4 PM, Madison Bikes is hosting our annual Spring Bike Wash event. Like all of our community events it’s free, and if you’ve never experienced it before, it’s a great way to get the winter grime off your bike and hang out with fellow cyclists. It’ll be on Clark Ct, adjacent to Brittingham Park.

Also on Sunday from 3 PM to 5 PM, the Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association (TLNA) is sweetening their spring membership meeting with a free Bikes and Brews family-friendly event. Head over to the Tenney Park Wall Family Pavilion and you’ll surely find the party.

Next Week and More

The city is hosting a barrage of public meetings about the proposed North-South BRT Line. On Monday April 22, you can go virtual, on Tuesday it’s at the Urban League on S Park (South Side), on Thursday it’s at the Warner Park Community Center (North Side) and on Monday April 29 it’ll be in Fitchburg. If you’re interested in this topic and none of these events work for you, then keep an eye out for the virtual recording and if that doesn’t work for you, well, we tried.🤷

Looking waaaaay out, Madison Parks is bringing Ride the Drive back on Sunday, August 11, 2024. It’s an ambitious event that will return to the classic format of years past. They’ll need an army of volunteers to make it happen so mark it in your calendar and sign up if you can!

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.

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E-Mail Weekly Update

Bike signals; Teaching Safe Bicycling; bike club season starting; trees and bikes

A person rides a step-through bicycle down the ramp of the University Bay Drive overpass. They're wearing a puffy coat, a knit neck gaiter pulled up over part of their face, sunglasses, a hat, and a bike helmet. On the rear of the bike are panniers covered with a hi-viz rain cover. In the foreground is some snow.
Aftermath of last week’s snow on the University Bay Dr overpass

Is this the week that spring is going to start in earnest? Is it time to take off the studded tires? I dare not make any predictions, especially for a week that starts with a solar eclipse. But it seems several bike clubs and riding groups are starting their season. Read more below.

A new kind of traffic signal

On the far west side of time, at Junction and Watts, Madison premiered its first 4″ bike signal. While we have full-size bike signals in several places around town, these signals are right-sized for being on the near side of the intersection. Check out traffic engineer Jerry Schippa’s video of the signal:

Of trees and bikes

Once again, a supposed conflict between bike infrastructure and trees has made the news. This time the contention is about removing trees for the Autumn Ridge bike path and overpass. This path, long in the making, will greatly improve connectivity between the neighborhoods around Sycamore Park and destinations south of the highway. Madison Bikes submitted a letter of support for the city’s application for funding for that project.

Is removing down some trees a reasonable trade-off for this new bike (and pedestrian!) connection? I personally sure think so. It’s important to keep in mind why we need this overpass in the first place: Highway 30, a limited access highway cuts the neighborhood in half, and the only existing connection across the highway is Thompson Road, with its dangerous multi-lane roundabouts and speeding drivers. I would love to see Highway 30 converted into an urban street, lined with beautiful trees. But that’s not the alternative available to us. Also keep all of this mind, as the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is planning on expanding the Interstate as well as Stoughton Road through our city.

Our board member Craig Weinhold was quoted in the segment:

But bicyclist Craig Weinhold said any disruption for bicycle travel is often treated in an out-of-proportion fashion.

“My concern is the demonizing of cyclists and the City over any bike path proposal,” Weinhold said. “Hiestand Park is just the latest example.”

Teaching Safe Bicycling

On Sunday, the Wisconsin Bike Fed will “train the trainer” on Teaching Safe Bicycling. This 6-hour-long clinic at the Goodman Center will teach adults on how to teach safe biking techniques to kids. Registration is required and free! More details here.

Group rides kicking off!

A whole number of group rides and clubs are kicking off their riding season this week.

On Monday evening, Cap City Cyclists has their first Mad Town Mondays ride scheduled. This is somewhat of a successor to the Monday 40 rides, and the ride will make a good ol’ Lake Loop, ending at the Harmony. More details on Instagram.

If you want a faster, women-led ride, Women on Wheels is a new group, “inclusive to all genders looking for non-competitive and safety-focused tempo rides.” Their season opener is on Tuesday, and you can find more information on their Facebook group.

Also on Tuesday, the BIPOC Cycling Club Madison will have their first ride of the season. Their mission is to “be a safe and welcoming space for BIPOC individuals to ride together, and to build an inclusive community around the joy of cycling.” More info on their Instagram account.

The Madison Queer Bike Ride is a year-round opportunity, and this Wednesday it’s time for another ride. I haven’t seen their route announced yet — check their Instagram page for details.

Bombay Bicycle Club will host their season opener on Sunday. The ride goes down south to Firefly Coffee House in Oregon, and apparently coffee is provided by the club. 10 am departure at the Cap City Trail parking lot near Lake Farm County Park. Facebook event.

Not quite kicking off the season yet is the new Capital Bike Club e-bike group. Save the date for their April 20 open house in Middleton

Madison Bike Week is coming

If you attended the Dream Bikes parking lot sale on Saturday, you may have seen one of our flyers for Madison Bike Week! We’re just about to roll out our promotion campaign, and let’s just say that we’ll have awesome promo materials this year. Now is also a good time to start thinking about what events you want to host during Madison Bike Week, June 1-8. Event registration (as always: free!) is open.

CORP fundraiser

Our mountain biking friends from CORP are hosting their “Love your trails” spring fundraiser at Machinery Row on Saturday. Tickets are $20/$25 (advance/door) and will include food and beverages. Facebook event.

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.

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E-Mail Weekly Update

RoundTrip Spring Roll/Stroads/TC actions

Ghost Bike placed in memory of Joseph Solomon who was killed by a van while riding home from his job at HyVee East (Photo: John Chady)

RoundTrip’s Spring Roll Challenge

Earth day (April 22) is approaching and it’s a perfect time to shake off the rust and get in the commuting habit again if you haven’t already. The RoundTrip transportation options program is jump starting this process by launching the Spring Roll Challenge to encourage car-free and car-light trips during April.  The news release from the City of Madison is here:   https://www.cityofmadison.com/news/2024-03-27/roundtrips-spring-roll-challenge-to-celebrate-green-trips-this-earth-month

FAQ:

How much does it cost to enter? Nothing, it’s free!

Which activities are included? Any trip made by walking/rolling, bicycling, riding the bus, carpooling or vanpooling—instead of driving alone.

Who can enter: Anyone 18 years and older in Dane County.

Are there prizes? Four winners are chosen each week from participants who log at least six one-way green trips (three round trips). Four grand prize winners will be drawn from those who log twenty-four one-way green trips (12 round trips) throughout the month. Prizes include $100 Slow Roll Cycles gift cards, $50 CommuteRewards gift cards, Madison BCycle memberships, travel mugs, and Metro Transit passes

Why should I enter now? The first 50 individuals to join will receive a starter prize pack, including a free slice from Ian’s Pizza, a 30-minute BCycle pass and a two-ride Metro Transit pass.

How do I enroll? Register with RoundTrip at www.RoundTripGreaterMadison.org. Then start logging your miles!

Callaway highlights community meeting

Renee Callaway, Pedestrian Bicycle Administrator for the city of Madison gave an update on all things bicycle related in the city of Madison. Her slides are available here: Madison Bikes Community Meeting 03252024.

Transportation committee actions

The following projects were approved and will go to the Board of Public Works:

Tancho Drive Path. This path will link Tancho Drive in Madison to bike paths of Sun Prairie.

Pheasant Branch Trail. A rerouting of current trails in the area of Deming Way and Excelsior Dr to avoid new drainage ponds and provide better connectivity. A new path connecting to Fourier Dr. will be added.

Hermina St foot/bike bridge. Narrowing street and preservation of tree canopy on Hermina and bridge over Starkweather Creek. This project will allow bicyclists and pedestrians traveling east or west to avoid using Milwaukee Street.  Possible new B-cycle station near the bridge.

What are stroads and how we can fix them

OK, what the heck is a stroad? Actually, you are actually very familiar with them.  An informative communication from Wisconsin BikeFed describes the safety and efficiency issues created by stroads. There is also an excellent video on stroads and a link to an easy to use interactive map that facilitates analysis of all types of crashes.

Gammon Road and bike/ped safety issues in the vicinity of schools are used to illustrate how problems can be identified with crash data. The safety improvements implemented on Sherman Avenue are used to show how stroads can be made safer and more efficient.  

This one is well worth your time.

Deadline approaching for Smart Cycling class

The registration deadline for the April 20 League of American Bicyclists Smart Cycling Class is Friday, April 12.  The course will be held in Fitchburg and covers bike maintenance basics, rules of the road, on-bike skills, and crash avoidance techniques. This class is also a prerequisite for League Cycling Instructor training.

Other items on the calendar:

April 6, 10AM – 3PM: Rescheduled Huge Dream Bikes Parking Lot Sale. 1131 N Sherman Ave.  https://www.facebook.com/events/932940418274741/

April 21: Two opportunities for free bike maintenance:

Madison Bikes and Freewheel Bikes will be providing a Spring Bike Wash and Lube from 1 pm to 4 pm at Clark Court and South Brittingham Place right next to Brittingham Park. Bike wash stations and supplies will be provided by Madison Bikes and Freewheel will have two bike mechanics for safety checks and minor adjustments. Right off the Brittingham Park path for people with bikes downtown, west and south sides of Madison.

For people with bikes on the east and north side of Madison, the Tenney Lapham Neighborhood is offering a Bikes and Brews event from 3 pm to 5 pm at Tenney Park also with free bike resources and adjustments.

https://tenneylapham.org/events/2024-events/bikes-brews/

Free Bicycle Benefits Ambassador fanny pack

Follow the link between now and June to get a fanny pack and a $25 gift card. [Facebook link]

That’s it for this week. Watch the calendar for upcoming events, including Madison Bike Week 2024 events in June. Enjoy the spring riding.

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.

Categories
Newsletter Weekly Update

Bike Advocacy in the Wake of Tragedy

Cyclists cruise down the Cap City Trail on Madison’s East Side

Welcome to this week’s newsletter. If you aren’t familiar, this newsletter shares the need-to-know information for bicycle advocates in the Madison area. As we gather to address both the joys and challenges of biking, this issue touches upon critical matters—from supporting those affected by tragedy, to community meetings where discussions of bicycling safety can take place.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of Joseph Solomon, who was killed by a driver while biking home from work on Lien Rd on the East Side. I can’t express how frustrated and angry it makes me that there has been another bicyclist death due to traffic violence. We have to do better to protect vulnerable road users, especially in areas farther away from downtown where separated bicycle infrastructure is often sparse and disconnected. If you wish to donate, his family has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for his funeral and provide support for his daughter. Thank you to those who have made contributions.

Community Event: Vision Zero & Active Transportation Planning

Join us this Monday, March 25th, 6:00 PM at the Central Library downtown to hear from Renee Callaway and learn about Vision Zero and Active Transportation planning. Renee is the new Assistant Director of the City of Madison’s Traffic Engineering division. Renee has over 20 years of experience in Transportation Planning and was recently promoted from her previous role with the city as Pedestrian Bicycle Administrator. We’re looking forward to having her come talk with us about Madison’s progress in Vision Zero, bike and pedestrian infrastructure planning, and Safe Routes to School planning.

We’ll be in Room 301 (note the change from 104) and we’ll have pizza, so come down, grab a slice, and chat with us about Making Madison a better place to ride a bike.

Transportation Commission

On Wednesday, at 5:00 PM the Transportation Commission will meet. Included in the agenda is one North/South BRT topic, the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPT). The LPT is the desired configuration for things like stops, dedicated bus lanes, and other operations like transit frequency and fare cost. Tune in to this meeting or see more information by vising the city website.

Upcoming Bicycle Education

The League of American Bicyclists has a few upcoming classes at the Fitchburg Community Center:

Smart Cycling on Saturday, April 20.  This course is a fast-paced class that provides cyclists with the confidence to ride safely and legally in traffic or on the trail. We will cover the basics of bike maintenance, rules of the road, on-bike skills, and crash avoidance techniques.

League Cycling Instructor (LCI, May 31 – June 2).  LCIs are ambassadors for better biking through their education efforts. After earning certification through a three-day, League Coach-led seminar, LCIs can teach a variety of Smart Cycling classes to children as well as adults, helping them feel more confident and secure about riding. From our youth focused classes to our Bicycle Friendly Driver curriculum, LCIs can educate people who bike and drive how to safely and legally share the road.

Smart Cycling is a prerequisite to LCI, and LCI is not held locally very often, so those in Wisconsin who are interested in getting certified should take advantage.

That’s all for this newsletter. We really hope to see you at one of our upcoming events. There are a lot of interesting, fun, and educational events coming up, including during Madison Bike Week 2024 in June. Stay safe and see you out there.

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.

Categories
Bike News Newsletter Weekly Update

Bicyclist killed in crash, West Area Plan, BCycle tour

The worst possible news on Friday: Around 6:20 p.m., according to the Madison Police Department, a 35-year-old man riding a bicycle was hit and killed by a driver on Lein Road near Parkside Drive. His name has not yet been released. The incident report says police impounded the vehicle believed to be involved and located its owner, but are still investigating.

The West Area Plan … area. (City of Madison map)

Comment on city planning

The public comment period for Madison’s West Area Plan — addressing future growth and development in the area enclosed by North and South Midvale boulevards, the beltline and Middleton — will be extended, according to the Department of Planning, Community & Economic Development, though a new end date has not been announced. Public input was to close on March 20, but a notably noisy public meeting on March 12 apparently signaled the need for more time for feedback.

While the recent meeting went off the rails over potential zoning changes, the plan addresses bicyclist and pedestrian safety that may benefit from continued supportive comments: new bike lanes and underpass improvements on several school routes, traffic-calming through street design and road narrowing on some of the area’s diciest thoroughfares, and the Sauk Creek Greenway shared-use path that has piqued the same sort of reactionary ire that packed the recent public meeting.

There are some pleasant things to share!

If you didn’t catch Madison resident Daniel Eckberg’s Isthmus essay on how much walkable and bikeable neighborhoods enrich the lives of the people who call it home, give it a quick read.

On foot or two wheels, “It’s amazing how much more you notice at that pace, how many hole-in-the-wall spots you find, how many hidden paths you uncover,” Eckberg writes.

If you have the choice, he figures, you ought to consider choosing a neighborhood friendly to walking and biking. Good advice! And enough — shouldn’t it be? — to spur us to make more of Madison just that kind of accessible for people who don’t have a choice.

BCycles at Tenney Park station. (Chris Barncard)

The bikes are back in town

If you were about town over the weekend, braving almost seasonably (for a change) brisk temperatures and wind, you may have noticed the return of bikes to many BCycle stations around Madison.

This Thursday, March 21, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., you can get a closer look at BCycle operations — covering topics like battery charging and bike safety — on a Madison Bikes tour of the bikeshare’s Madison facility, 312 N. 3rdSt. You can even join a group ride to BCycle, gathering at Law Park, 410 S. Blair St., at 4:30 p.m.

See you there!

Other items on the calendar:

March 18, 5:30 p.m.: Tancho Drive Public Path Information Meeting (via Zoom)

March 25, 6 p.m.: Madison Bikes Community Meeting “Vision Zero & Active Transportation Planning” with Renee Callaway, Madison Public Library Central Branch, 201 W. Mifflin St.

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.