Madison Bikes

After an especially dry few weeks, we made up for it with a rain storm that flooded areas of the city and resulted in the cancelling of Ride the Drive. Boooo…. Madison Bikes had planned to have the Bike Blender serving smoothies; Machinery Row had a Pedal Parade with costumes planned; and lots of other non-profits and community groups — not to mention tons of families — were ready to enjoy John Nolen Drive and other local streets without cars rushing by.

Many cities around the world do events like this every month or even every week. It’s too bad that Madison can only manage it once a year. At least we have lots of paths and quiet streets where we can be (almost) car-free every day.

Recap of the last week

Cap City Trail extension meeting

On Thursday, there was a meeting about the extension of the Cap City Trail east to the city limits. “When are they going to close the gap from the Cap City Trail to Cottage Grove?” has to be one of the top bike questions in the last ten years. Now you can find out how the city and county plan to fill the gap.

The city project would only go as far as the interstate, or technically, just under it. From there to Cottage Grove, it becomes a county project. You can view the slides from the city meeting as well as a recording of the meeting at the city project page. It wasn’t a long meeting – 40 minutes, including Q&A.

Briefly, two options were presented: 

One would cross the RR tracks at Vondron Rd, meaning no additional permissions required for another RR crossing. This would be more expensive and a longer path, plus the city would need a new easement, but wouldn’t be held up by requesting another RR crossing (which is a huge PITA.)

The other option would cross the RR at Wagon Trail. This would mean a very short path along an existing city easement and would be much cheaper. But the request for another RR crossing could take much, much longer, and could be flat out denied. Ironically, the city once had permission to cross the tracks in this location, but the permission was rescinded by the Office of the Commissioner of Railroads. The reason for the rescission is unclear. 

You can also take a look at the slides outlining the upcoming county project that would run from the interstate to Cottage Grove. It is considerably less complicated, as the county already has the right of way to build the trail.

The week ahead

Midvale survey

Remember to fill out the survey on Midvale Blvd. The survey asks what option you would prefer for an upcoming city resurfacing project of Midvale Blvd from Mineral Point Rd to University Ave.

This section does not have bicycle accommodations, but it does have quite a few destinations that would otherwise be easy to reach by bike. The project will include some intersection safety improvements, and possibly bike lanes on Midvale. There has been significant pushback from neighbors to removing on-street parking for bike lanes, so other north-south options – on parallel streets – have been proposed. Especially if you live, work, shop on Midvale/at Hilldale, or otherwise need to reach destinations in the area, it is important to make your voice heard. 

No excitement at city meetings

The Transportation Commission meeting looks fairly dull as far as bike-related content. There is a presentation about safety on Williamson St after a number of high-profile crashes, some resulting in damage to local businesses. 

Social rides and other community events

If you just want to go out and ride with some folks, there are a bunch of rides and events from our partners around the community. You can find more information on locations, time, group dynamics, etc. on the Madison Bikes Community Calendar:

Monday: Mad Town Mondays weekly party ride

Wednesday: Madison Queer Bike Ride. Also, the Motorless Motion Taco Ride

Friday: Lunch Bunch E-bike Group Ride

Saturday: Lake Monona Loop with 1st Baptist Church of Madison

Sunday: Century Training Club Group Ride. Also, Freewheel Open Shop at Neighborhood House

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’s a quiet week out there! The biggest news is that the Wisconsin Bike Fed is immediately hiring for three full-time positions.

• Dane County Youth Education Program Manager
• Statewide Education Manager
• Pedestrian Safety Program Manager – MILWAUKEE County

Help them find the perfect people for these important positions!

This Week

On Wednesday there’s a Transportation Commission meeting at 5pm but there’s nothing in particular to note here. If you don’t believe me, here’s the agenda so you can look for yourself.

Be aware of an ongoing construction project to add sidewalks to sections of long-sidewalkless Nakoma Rd that will impact those who are biking the “Small Lake Loop” (aka Lake Wingra). Or those simply accustomed to riding Manitou Way near the Arboretum. Instead, follow the signed detours on Cherokee Dr. Expect this minor detour to last until mid-August.

On a slow week, it’s worth explicitly calling out our calendar, which consists largely of group/social rides this week. In fact, there’s a well-established one tonight (Monday) so take advantage of those long summer evenings and socialize, if that’s your bag! If you have a regularly scheduled ride that you don’t see listed, this is as good a spot as any to include those details so let us know and we can add or update it.

Coming Up

Volunteers are needed for Madison Bikes’ annual event at Ride the Drive on Sunday, August 10th. Please note that this is separate from the volunteers needed by the City of Madison Parks. Our tent will be on John Nolen Drive from 10 am until 2 pm, where we’ll be making bike-powered smoothies and talking to people about Madison Bikes — who we are, what we do, and upcoming events.

If you’re able to volunteer for Madison Bikes, please use this link to register your interest. Thank you!

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!

Whew. We seem to have entered the heat of construction/detour season as well as the hot weather. There are a bunch of projects that might disrupt your normal biking patterns, but most seem to be on the near west side.

The city used to have a weekly update on construction and projects, but that seems to have disappeared with Renee Callaway.

There aren’t any bike-related city meetings or agenda items at committee meetings this week, but there’s still plenty of news.

Ride the Drive Needs Volunteers

Here’s your chance to volunteer for a fun event. Ride the Drive is on Sunday, August 10, from 10 am to 2 pm, with streets closed from 8AM to 3PM. This event promises to be a fantastic day of community, cycling, and fun.  

Most shifts are only 2 hours, so you can volunteer AND ride in the event. The roles with the most need are: Intersection Guides, Setup Crew, Information Station Guides, Cleanup Crew. Sign up today at ridethedrive.com and be a part of this wonderful community event!

 How to Sign Up:

1. Review the volunteer role descriptions and choose a position or positions that work for you.
2. Click Browse Opportunities and Register Online
3. Enter the requested contact information, select “Register” and you will receive an email confirmation.
4. Report to your registered location and time on Sunday, August 10 to receive further instructions and pick up your free, RTD t-shirt!

Next advocacy meetup at Machinery Row

The next Bike Advocacy Meetup is Sunday, July 6 from 5:00-6:30pm at Machinery Row! We’ll spend time writing postcards to city employees and other government officials thanking them for their advocacy and efforts to complete the Autumn Ridge Bike Bridge and the Sycamore Bike Park; handing out Bike Advocacy Bingo cards; and discussing advocacy work and projects we want to focus on in the coming months. We hope you can join us for a fun and informative filled evening!

Discord correction/update:

Last week we mentioned the new Madison bike advocacy Discord server. The link had expired. Here’s a new link (good until Friday): https://discord.gg/abZASVmB

City survey closes July 1

One more reminder that the city survey about walking and biking, and what they can do to make it easier, safer, and more comfortable, closes July 1. This is different than the survey put out by the MPO. 

Construction:

Highland/Campus Dr Path

Starting today, Monday, June 30 until the end of August, the southbound lane of Highland Ave will be closed from the VA Hospital parking lot to University Ave. The on ramp from Highland to Campus Dr will also be closed. However, the Campus Dr Path will remain open, and possibly be a much easier crossing without turning vehicles, half the cross traffic, and generally fewer motor vehicles. However, if you need to transition from the path to Highland – like me – you will have to use the eastside sidewalk to get under the Campus Dr bridge.

The C bus will also be routed down the 2600 block of Stevens St and Farley instead of on Campus Dr, and the E bus will take Regent to Farley, so take care if these streets are part of your route.

More Shorewood Hills detours

From our friends in Shorewood Hills: “Beginning on Monday June 30^th, the westbound University Ave bike lane between Shorewood Blvd and Highbury Rd will be closed nightly from 7pm to 7am.  The bike lanes will be open outside of these hours. We anticipate this nightly closure will last a few weeks, with all work requiring the detour expected to be completed by Monday, August 4^th.

“Alternate Route: During this timeframe, westbound cyclists are encouraged to use Shorewood Boulevard to Locust Drive to Rose Place to University Avenue which will be marked with signage. We recommend riders allow a few extra minutes of travel time.”

UW Lakeshore Path/Eagle Heights access disruptions

There is yet another water pipe project happening that will disrupt path access, this time on the UW campus. It won’t start until July 7, but I’m including it now so I won’t forget. It’s unclear how long this project will last. The work will be done in small chunks, so it should be fairly easy to detour onto University Bay Dr when a section is closed.

Access to Eagle Heights apartments will be affected, and the drive will need to be closed for the day. However, the primary impact is on the Lakeshore Path. To minimize disruption, the plan is to replace 20 feet of pipe at a time, backfilling each section as we progress to maintain passability.

Despite these efforts, Lakeshore Path traffic will be interrupted. The UW wants to be sure everyone is aware. Please share any concerns or comments regarding the planned reroute of pedestrian traffic. with the UW Transportation Services.

The future of the top of State Street

Although this is not a bike facility per se, many people bike through the intersection of W Mifflin, N Carroll, and State Street every day. The city is going to rebuild this important junction, and they have started having public meetings asking what people want to see. Last week there was an in person and online meeting, which you can watch at the link above. Then send the city your thoughts about what’s important to you. (This is an important bike connector for me, since I usually access the Square via W Mifflin. For years, I rode illegally between the cul-de-sac and the top of State. The city finally made it legal.)

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!