Madison Bikes

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

New Year’s Resolutions for Madison Bicyclists

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Update to Cannonball Path

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

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

As always, you can find an overview of all bike events on our Community Bike Calendar. Email us at info@madisonbikes.org to add your events. And if you value our newsletter and other work, consider donating to Madison Bikes. For construction updates, check out the city’s Bike Madison page.

Thanks to our sponsors who make our events possible!

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

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

Midvale Boulevard plans in flux

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

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

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

Charting the right route for the Beltline

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

Holiday lights by bike

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

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

BCycle begins hybernation

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

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

As always, you can find an overview of all bike events on our Community Bike Calendar. Email us at info@madisonbikes.org to add your events. And if you value our newsletter and other work, consider donating to Madison Bikes. For construction updates, check out the city’s Bike Madison page.

Thanks to our sponsors who make our events possible!

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

A few winter riding tips and etiquette–

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

This Week

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

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

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

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

Whiskers on kittens…

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

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

E-Motos

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

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

Zook Park

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As always, you can find an overview of all bike events on our Community Bike Calendar. Email us at info@madisonbikes.org to add your events. And if you value our newsletter and other work, consider donating to Madison Bikes. For construction updates, check out the city’s Bike Madison page.

Thanks to our sponsors who make our events possible!

It was an abrupt entry to winter, for sure! For those with a typical weekday/weekend schedule the timing of the storm was fortunate, as it allowed snow removal crews time to get things into pretty decent shape, all things considered, by Monday morning. Some sketch out there but also some fun winter biking to be had if you’re prepared with some combination of wider tires, studs, patience and determination.

This Week

On Wednesday at 5 p.m. the Transportation Commission meets virtually. You can find the agenda here. A few interesting items include updates on the Southwest Area Plan, Regent Street reconstruction, and Capital City Path extension eastward.

On Saturday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Motorless Motion, join CORP Trails in celebrating “a great year of local singletrack, gravel, and ‘cross! There will be food, beverages, time to catch up with old friends, and make new ones. We’ll award our ‘Hardest Working Volunteers’, review 2025 accomplishments, and get a glimpse of upcoming plans!”

On Sunday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. the monthly Bike Advocacy Meetup will be held at Machinery Row Bicycles. It looks like there are a couple of agenda items, including a presentation of updates to the City’s All Ages & Abilities (AAA) Network Map along with a brief overview of OpenStreetMap by Madison Bikes’ Harald who will demonstrate “how you can use OpenStreetMap data and how you can make the map better by contributing your local cycling knowledge.”

The CPSC has warned people to immediately stop using battery packs for a huge number of RadPower e-bikes sold on their web site, Best Buy and local bike shops. From the press release: RadPower “has refused to agree to an acceptable recall. Given its financial situation, Rad Power Bikes has indicated to CPSC that it is unable to offer replacement batteries or refunds to all consumers.” So that’s where we’re at now. Remember to use discretion when buying battery-powered devices and to store and charge your batteries safely.

On a lighter note, remember back when winter biking was more of a hypothetical, just a few weeks back? Let’s revisit what people said about that with some “person-on-the-street” interviews Harald did at the Winter Bike Fashion Show:

Last Week, Craig posted some a couple of photos to slack on the progress of the Limnology Bypass construction along Lake Mendota. I found them interesting, thanks!

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!

Did you attend yesterday’s Winter Bike Fashion Show? We last had the show all the way back in 2019, and so I wasn’t sure how things were going to go. Would people show up? Does the format still work? We’ll share more later, but I think the show was a great success. Models that showcased a variety of approaches to riding in the cold; volunteers and sponsors contributing their labor and door prizes; a wonderful venue; over 100 people attending. The Fashion Show is back!

Curb management at the Transportation Commission

The Transportation Commission is meeting on Wednesday. One item of interest is an update to the curb management project. What is curb management? The curb on city streets is an important and often contentious dividing line. Should the space to the left of the curb be used for car parking, delivery zones, bike lanes, sidewalk cafes? Should the city charge for the use of that space? And how much, at what times, with what goals? There are many more aspects to this, and this is why the city is undertaking a comprehensive study of policies, practices, and technologies related to managing the curb.

It is still early days in the project, and the current step aims to finalize a guiding framework by this fall. You can provide input by emailing transportationcommission@cityofmadison.com or registering here: https://www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/committees/meeting-schedule/register

Downtown Plan process

The city keeps working on updating its area plans. As the Southeast and Southwest plans are getting closer to completion, the revision of the Downtown area plan has just started. How can you be involved? For now, you can add comments on transportation, land use, and other issues on this interactive comment map: https://plans.cityofmadison.com/downtown-area-plan There are already a lot of bike-related comments on that map!

Bike shop map and t-shirt store

Did you know that we have a map of Madison area bike shops and repair stations on our website? The map was broken for a while, but now we updated the map and you can find it here. Another update to our website: We now have a link to our merch store in the main menu of the page. So if you want to buy a Madison Bikes shirt, go here.

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!

Brrrr! Time to get out the winter gear. The Winter Bike Fashion Show couldn’t have been timed much better. More on that and other news below in this week’s edition of the update.  

Winter Bike Fashion Show is Sunday

Only six days to go, then we have to wait another year. Whether you are a seasoned winter cyclist or just curious about how and why people manage to bike through the cold and snow, consider attending. And you could win a door prize!

This free, family-friendly event promotes an exchange of ideas to extend your cycling season. Veteran winter bikers will share secrets of their success.

The agenda includes:

• Models showing off high tech and budget-friendly winter cycling wear. One model will do a reverse strip demonstrating how to gear up for rides from 60˚ F down to -10˚ F.  Models will participate in a Q&A about how they are able to continue biking through the coldest months.

• Get your picture taken in your winter biking gear or tell us your best winter biking tips in a short video.
• Mark your commute route on a large map to share with others.
• A table where you can bring winter clothing to help kids enjoy safe winter biking or walks to school. Hats and mittens are the biggest need, but items such as coats and rain pants are also welcome.
• Practice putting your bike on a (non-BRT) bus in a low-pressure environment.

We still need volunteers.  Tasks range from setup to break down and everything in between. Many activities offer opportunities to interact more with attendees. Click here to volunteer.

The Fashion Show will be held this Sunday, November 16 from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm at the Goodman Community Center- Ironworks building. (Cap City Trail at Waubesa St.)

More information on the event here.

Still time to comment on Southwest Area Plan

The city accepted comments at three input sessions on the Southwest Area Plan, but you can still comment on Southwest Area Draft actions here.  The transportation section of the plan starts on page 11. Comments will be accepted until December 4. It’s also informative to view comments by others on this document.

Some specifics on the draft plan include:

• Work with Fitchburg and the Arboretum to upgrade Seminole Highway bicycle facilities to All Ages and Abilities standards from the Beltline to the Cannonball path.
• Addition of separated bike lanes on Whitney Way.
• Increase shared-use path connectivity to and through Elver Park which would include extension of the existing path along Hammersley Rd west to McKenna Blvd.
• Three crossings of the Beltline and an upgrade of the Whitney Way crossing(see DOT Beltline Study below). These are increasingly important because over 2,900 housing units have already been built or planned just north of the Beltline between West Towne and Westgate. The additional development will require more infrastructure to allow those who live and/or work in the area to move around.

DOT Beltline Study

Freeways can be efficient at moving motor vehicles over long distances, but for the 30-40% of the population who don’t drive, they serve as fences; obstacles to active transportation.  Connections between employment centers and businesses to neighborhoods are disrupted.

The city has recognized this in the Southwest Plan which includes three Beltline crossings between Whitney Way and High Point Rd. The West Plan, which is complete, also includes two Beltline crossings parallel to Old Sauk Rd.  Other crossings have also been proposed. However, the Beltline is a state highway and implementing these crossings requires cooperation with the DOT. So, whenever the DOT considers freeway crossings and other improvements, we should be all ears.

Good news, one of these opportunities is coming up soon. WisDOT will hold a virtual public involvement meeting for the Beltline Planning and Environment Linkages (PEL) study. For the first time since 2014, the DOT will present preferred strategies and gather feedback on the Preferred Strategy Package and information included in the  Draft PEL Summary Report. There is a lot in this report including information on many new crossings as well as parallel routes.

The meeting will be on Thursday, December 4, at 5:30 PM. We’ll share updates and sign-in details as they become available.

Be Bright

One of my favorite advocacy activities is participating in Be Bright, the partnership of UW-Police and the City of Madison.  Here’s how it works: UW police stop bicyclists who are riding without lights and instead of just handing out tickets, they take a moment to educate the bicyclists about bike light laws. Cyclists then get to choose  – either accept a citation or allow volunteers or city employees to put a front and rear light on their bike. This gives volunteers a chance to do further education and connect with cyclists.

Most bicyclists were students with diverse backgrounds, many of whom rely on their bicycle for transportation. Quite a few were new to Madison and hadn’t considered using bicycle lights before. Almost all were enthusiastic about getting free bicycle lights and many were eager to learn more about use of lights and safe bicycle riding.

During just two hours, police stopped over 130 bicyclists, most of whom left with free lights. In some cases, they just had to be reminded to turn on the lights on their bicycles. It was great to see cyclists ride away with their new lights twinkling on a safer journey.

Transportation Commission Meeting

Willy St Rush-Hour Lane Removal:

The trial: Rush-hour lanes were removed from Willy Street in September to test whether a single motor vehicle lane in each direction would be adequate. Parking was prohibited in these lanes during rush-hour prior to the trial but was allowed during the trial except near corners. Users of the road and sidewalk were surveyed.

Results: Automobile travel times before and during the trial did not differ and backups did not result from the lane removal. The survey drew 1520 responses, 72% of which were from motorists. Results showed that 91% of bicyclists, 88% of peds, 76% of Willy St residents, 35% of motorists, and 31% of merchants favored removal of the lanes.

Decision: After considering data and comments collected during the trial, the commission voted to make removal of rush-hour lanes permanent. The city will install traffic cameras on Willy Street to enable them to monitor and adjust signal timing and parking restrictions. The parking restrictions near intersections during the trial period will mostly be rescinded.

Milwaukee Street Resurfacing/Utilities project

Milwaukee St between the Starkweather Creek Bridge and Woodmans will be completely rebuilt in 2027 together with the development of the Voit Farm lot into a mixed-use neighborhood. Not all details are available yet, but the city wanted feedback from the Transportation Commission on a four-lane road vs. a Two-Way Left-Turn Lane (TWLTL) design.

Both options include a two-way multi-use path on the north side of Milwaukee Street.

No decisions were made at this meeting, but the TWLTL design option received some positive comments from the commission.  In addition to the multi-use path on the north side, the addition of a bike lane on the south side was also discussed.  

That’s it for this week’s update. Just a pat on the back for all of you who have been commenting orally or in writing regarding bicycling issues at the Transportation Commission and planning meetings. This participation helps city officials understand our real-world experiences and priorities and helps to create infrastructure that is safe and accessible for everyone. Without this input, vocal minorities could distort perceptions and influence decisions in ways that could mislead decision-makers.  

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!

See you at the Winter Bike Fashion Show on Sunday!