Water, water, everywhere. Who wants to visit it on a bike? This week’s newsletter visits the future of one of Madison’s most scenic bike destinations and one of its least bike-friendly thoroughfares. Ride along, will you?
Madison LakeWay public meeting
Tonight — Monday, July 21, at 6:30 p.m. — the Madison Parks Department will host a virtual public meeting on the first phase of development on the Lake Monona shoreline along a rebuilt John Nolen Drive. The meeting will include an overview of proposed lakeshore “amenities,” with updates on progess and next steps, as well as an opportunity to provide feedback. Madison LakeWay, the organization partnering with the city of Madison on plans for more than half a mile of the waterfront, has more information on what to expect.
Speaking of John Nolen Drive construction, if you’re in the mood for some long-term bike route planning, Madison is laying out its plan for detours — including for bike path closures — for several years’ worth of John Nolen construction.
More South Stoughton Road
If you missed the July 15 public information meeting on planning the future of South Stoughton Road / Highway 51, Madison’s Transportation Commission will get an update at their virtual meeting on Wednesday, July 23. As mentioned in previous Madison Bikes newsletters, the current design lacks bicycle and pedestrian access along and across the highway. You can learn more about those issues and how the corridor may change in the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s study materials.
Volunteer for Ride the Drive
Volunteers are needed for the Madison Bikes event at Ride the Drive on Sunday, Aug. 10. The Madison Bikes tent will be on John Nolen Drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. cranking out bike-powered smoothies talking about Madison Bikes. Sign up to volunteer with Madison Bikes here. And/or sign up to volunteer with Madison Parks for the larger event here.
The bike counter’s daily count at 7pm on a Saturday – about 2x the daily average of 1383 at this station.
Welcome to the Madison Bikes Newsletter. This week, we have some meeting news, construction updates, group ride info, and a Madison Bikes volunteer opportunity.
Stoughton Rd Public Information Meeting
On Tuesday, July 15th, there will be another public information meeting for planning the future of Stoughton Rd / US 51. The meeting is one in a series that will dive into the current and potential future issues with the corridor, and what designs and alternatives area residents would like to see to make the best use of the space. There are a myriad of issues with the current design, including a lack of bicycle access along and across US 51, and a glaring lack of pedestrian crossing opportunities. The intersections at Buckeye and Pflaum are notorious for being some of most dangerous intersections in the entire city.
A while back, we shared some conceptual design alternatives from WisDOT on potential changes to the road. While none of the alternatives are perfect, the options that improve the ability for cyclists and pedestrians to safely use and cross the road without going miles out of their way are my preference. What are your thoughts on US 51? If you are interested, you can use the link on the project page to send your comments (look for the “comment now” link), or even better, you can come to the meeting on Tuesday and tell WisDOT you care about safer pedestrian and bike access.
Bikes and Tacos
Did you know that every Wednesday, you can join a casual group ride and get discounted tacos? Well, now you do! Join Motorless Motion for the weekly Taco Ride every Wednesday at 6pm, beginning at their shop on W Washington Ave and ending next door at Bandit Tacos.
A few weeks ago, board member Craig Weinhold helped lead a special Infrastructure edition of the Taco Ride in a collab with Madison Bikes. The ride rolled through town and stopped at notable infrastructure like the exciting, newly completed E Wilson cycletrack (part of the E Wilson reconstruction project). The infrastructure x taco ride was the first of its kind, but hopefully there will be more room for collaboration in the future. And there will always be tacos, so what are you waiting for?
Construction Season Means a Detour for the Detour
Heads up to commuters in SW Madison: this week (July 14-23) Cherokee Dr will be closed to through traffic. Since it was being used as a detour for the Nakoma construction, there will be a new detour on Manitou Way for the week. More info can be found on the City’s Facebook post or the project website.
Volunteers needed for Ride the Drive
Volunteers are needed for Madison Bikes’ Event at Ride the Drive on Sunday, August 10th. This is separate form the volunteers needed by the City of Madison Parks for Ride the Drive. Our tent will be on John Nolen Drive from 10 am until 2 pm where we will be making bike powered smoothies and talking to people about Madison Bikes – who we are, what we do, and upcoming events. You can sign up to volunteer here!
That’s all for this newsletter. Thanks for reading and have a great week!
Over 100 riders showed up for the Motorless Motion Bike Week Taco Ride
Welcome to the Madison Bikes newsletter. What a wonderful Bike Week it has been! There was so much effort that went into the planning and coordination for the past week of rides, classes, discounts, snack stations, and more. We are incredibly grateful for all of the community members, businesses, and volunteers who put on or helped with the events that made this week incredible. With a record number of 89 events, including a party with a pig, classical music on the bike path, and an awesome end-of-week party with over 300 attendees, the past week is one we will remember for a long time. To everyone who organized, helped, or attended events: THANK YOU!
With a record number of events came several infrastructure tours that I’d like to share more about. To kick off Bike Week on Sunday the 1st, Madison Bikes board member Craig Weinhold took community members around the East side of Madison to see current and future infrastructure project locations. One of the highlights was seeing the potential future location of the Cap City to Glacial Drumlin connector path. The path, once in existence, will safely connect the East end of the Capital City Trail to the Glacial Drumlin Trailhead in Cottage Grove.
Craig (right) talks to the infrastructure tour group about the future Glacial Drumlin Connector path
The photo above was taken just South of Wagon Trail, near I90, where a portion of the path will begin after the route takes you through existing neighborhood streets. The portion from here through the I90 crossing has been committed to by the city of Madison and is likely to be constructed in 2026. For the next portion, the county is responsible and we are likely to see it in 2026-2027.
Map of existing and future path plans for the Glacial Drumlin Connector, courtesy of Craig
Shifting gears over to the West side of town, on Saturday the 7th, Jerry Schippa took infrastructure enthusiasts on a ride from the Western BRT terminal on S Junction Rd all the way to downtown. The ride stopped at notable points of infrastructure including lots of improvements along Mineral Point Rd that came with the BRT construction. One highlight of the tour was seeing the inside of a traffic signal cabinet.
Jerry Schippa showcases the internals of a traffic control cabinet at University Ave / Ridge St / Marshall Ct
This cabinet contains a sophisticated system that uses sensors and complex algorithms to manage traffic flow for vehicles, buses, bikes, and pedestrians. This technology, rather than being a simple timer for traffic lights, can do things like detect the presence of vehicles through loops embedded in the road and preemptively change signals to prioritize emergency vehicles. Cabinets like this can even be controlled remotely to make quick updates to signaling.
While many are newer, some of the traffic control cabinets around town are over 40 years old. Some of these older cabinets are not able to support the complex signaling required for those who are walking or biking to safely and conveniently use the intersection.
Another interesting traffic signal you might see in Madison is an indicator light showing cyclists that a bicycle has been detected so they are not wondering if the light is going to change for them, or be at the mercy of a motor vehicle coming along and triggering the sensor. While buried detection loops for bicycles are common in Madison, the city currently only has 2 of these visual signals: one at Park/Erin and the other at E. Johnson/First. They are very expensive, and to get more intersections added, the city is considering making them in-house in the future.
Also on Jerry’s ride, we got a peek at a new path section being built from High Point Rd to Zor Shrine Pl (beyind REI). It is the second-to-last section of the long-awaited West Beltline Path.
Along with being a great infrastructure tour guide, Jerry also has a YouTube channel with dozens of videos and shorts about traffic signal operations and other infrastructure content.
New Week, New Path
The newly added path on the North side of N. Shore Dr
The new path along the North side of N. Shore Drive is coming along nicely. It is part of a series of bikeway improvements that are currently in progress. Other current projects include a new path along the NW side of E. Washington between the Yahara Path and N. First St. and a path connection between Winnebago St and Lafollette Ave. All of the above are expected to be complete by mid June.
That’s all for this newsletter. We hope you enjoyed Bike Week and as always, thanks for being a part of the Madison Bikes community.
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway cuts the ceremonial ribbon at the Highway 30 bridge opening | Harald Kliems
Welcome to the Madison Bikes newsletter. We have a lot of events coming up, so read on to learn about them!
Advocacy Event @ Machinery Row
This Wednesday from 7-8:30pm at Machinery Row, Madison Bikes is partnering with WI Bike Fed to host Driving Federal Bike Safety Legislation, an event where you can learn how to be more involved in bike advocacy by making your voice heard. If you want to get more involved in bike advocacy but don’t know where to start, this is the event for you. Hear a first-hand account of pushing for change in the wake of tragedy. Madison Bikes board member Alicia Bosscher and her father Dirk Debbink will share the story of the loss of Sarah Debbink Langenkamp to traffic violence, the inception of the bill named her, and it’s progress through congress.
While Madison is already a great place to ride a bike, we still have a long way to go to make transportation outside of a personal vehicle safe and comfortable for everyone. Especially now with the current federal political climate, it’s more important than ever to let our representatives know we won’t back down and accept road and street infrastructure that is not safe for all users, and that they should support funding for alternative transportation options like biking.
Transportation Commission: Safe Streets
On the topic of safe street infrastructure, Transportation Commission is meeting on Wednesday, and the agenda includes discussing a number of new safe streets projects. The Safe Streets Madison program aims to improve the safety and accessibility for all users, including those who walk, bike, drive, and take transit. The program uses data from a High Injury Network that records incidents like crashes around the city to prioritize and plan future projects, including the ones on the agenda for approval this week. You can watch the meeting online on Wednesday at 5pm or find info about submitting feedback here.
Mini-Documentary Screening @ UW Arboretum
If you are interested in art, film, and traveling by bike, we have an exciting event planned for you! On Sunday, April 27th, Madison Bikes and UW European Studies are hosting an event featuring Julia Bourdet, a graphic novelist who traveled across the US by bike and train, while journaling and sketching her voyage. She is making the compiled material into a graphic novel, as well as a mini documentary, which we will be showing at the UW Arboretum at 11am. The event will be held in the Arboretum visitor center. Julia will be joining us virtually from France to discuss her documentary and work. You won’t want to miss this exciting and moving story about human-powered travel, adventure, and climate awareness!
RITUAL MTB Film Tour
On Wednesday night, go to Union South for the RITUAL Mountain Bike Film Tour:
Shimano presents RITUAL Mountain Bike Film Tour powered by Outside is a nationwide celebration of unforgettable film-going experiences like only the big screen can provide. The film tour highlights incredible athletes, creative filmmakers, engaging storylines and stunning cinematography; bringing riders together in 23 of mountain biking’s greatest cities and venues across the country. Doors 6pm, Show 7pm Local Time, tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door.
Join us for Celebrate Trails Day! 2025 with a pit stop at the Velo UnderRound! Your host is Bike Fitchburg. 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! The Velo UnderRound is a two-level interchange among five regional trails, serving Fitchburg, Madison, Verona, and locations throughout Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Water, rest rooms, air pump, and repair stand with tools are nearby at Fitchburg’s Dawley Bike Hub. Epic mountain biking is adjacent at the Dane County Seminole Mountain Bike Park, just south on the Military Ridge Path at Saris Trails, and on the Military Ridge State Trail at Fitchburg’s Quarry Ridge Recreation Area. https://www.facebook.com/events/509841501781179/
That’s all for this newsletter. Thanks for reading and we hope to see you at one of our upcoming events.
Participants line up near the start line of the Hugh Jass finale race at Blackhawk in Middleton
Welcome to the Madison Bikes newsletter. I hope you enjoyed the two week fat biking season. Well, that’s over and now it’s False Spring 2 meaning days are getting longer and bike rides are getting slightly warmer and more bearable.
Transportation Commission: W Wash and Transportation Improvement Program
Transportation Commission is meeting on Wednesday at 5 pm. The agenda includes a couple of relevant biking projects: one involving the SW Path crossing at W. Washington and the other about the Transportation Improvement Program.
During this week’s meeting, TC will give an update on the SW Path crossing alternatives. If you aren’t in the loop, the Railroad Commission is requiring that the city remove the Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacon (RRFB) which was installed in 2017. Back in September 2024, following a series of crashes, this crossing was temporarily narrowed down from 4 total lanes to 2, which decreased crossing time and improved safety for users of the SW Path. Because the RRFB has to be removed, there are two alternative considerations. While both options involve adding a traffic signal to the intersection to stop vehicle traffic for path users to cross, one includes keeping the currently built 4 lanes, while the other involves curb work to permanently narrow it to 2.
The other topic on the agenda is the Transportation Improvement Program. The document lays out the potential road and path projects from 2026-2031, including street reconstructions, resurfacing projects, bikeway and sidewalk additions and improvements, and bridge repair. One notable new path planned for later this year is the bike path along the North side of North Shore Drive (opposite the existing bike path) from the SW Path to Bedford. Infrastructure projects like this path extension take a lot of planning ahead of time, so it’s necessary to plan them well in advance to better anticipate the needs of our growing city. Check out the program slides for more detailed info and all the known projects.
Bike Packing Social Event
Looking ahead to later this month, on March 23rd, Madison Bikes will be hosting a Bike Packing Social community event! We’ll be at the Goodman Community Center at 2 pm to share bike packing stories, gear tips, and get ideas churning for future adventures.
We’ll have brief show-and-tells featuring different gear setups and explanations of what you will need to pull off your own adventure. Presenters will talk about their experiences exploring northern Wisconsin, doing an ultra race around the Netherlands, riding RAGBRAI without having to worry about carrying your gear, and riding through the Alps. After that there will be plenty of time for Q&A, socializing, and planning for getting out there on the next adventure.
If you have Facebook, please let us know you can make it on the event page.
That’s all for this newsletter. Thanks for reading! Hope to see you at the bike packing event or one of our other functions this year.
Welcome to the Madison Bikes newsletter! It seems Winter is finally here and those of us who enjoy fat biking, ice skating, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and more are taking what we can get. I hope you all are doing well in whichever way you choose to fight off the Winter blues.
Tom Lynch Retires; City Seeks New Director of Transportation
After 7 years as Director of Transportation, Tom Lynch is retiring. Over his time as Director, Tom has supported active transportation and improving transportation safety through projects such as Vision Zero, Complete Green Streets, and Transportation Demand Management (just to name a few). He has clearly been a strong ally for cycling and other alternatives to driving, and for that, we say a huge THANK YOU and congratulations!
That also means the city is looking for a new Director of Transportation. The new director will be expected to expand on the work Tom has accomplished and lead our growing city into an even more efficient, safe, and equitable transportation future. Experienced urban planners and transportation professionals need only apply here.
Cycling Friends Unite: GearShift Gathering
This Friday, January 17th from 4-7 pm, Bikes for Kids Wisconsin is hosting a GearShift Gathering where local bike nonprofits will meet to socialize, share updates on bicycling projects, and learn about volunteer opportunities. Visitors are more than welcome to attend and learn about what’s going on in the Madison bike scene and how they can get involved. There will be snacks and door prizes, too! If you plan to attend and you have access to Facebook, please RSVP on the event page.
Brazen Dropouts Bike Swap
Polish up your spare bike parts and get ready to haggle. Bike enthusiasts will not want to miss the annual Brazen Dropouts Bike Swap this Saturday, January 18th from 10 am – 1 pm at the Alliant Energy Center. If you haven’t been to this event before, the exhibition hall with be filled with tables full of used and new bike parts, accessories, and gear, along with a corral of complete bikes available to be test ridden.
The bike swap will take place in the New Holland Pavilion, where parking is available for $8, or ride your bike for free! While you do not need bring anything to “swap,” if you (and 2 friends) have surplus bike parts or gear you want to sell, you can sign up to be a vendor. As of the time of writing this, there are still tables available. You can also bring complete bikes to sell along with a completed Bike Corral form, no table required. The form and all other bike swap info can be found on the website linked at the top of this section.
Be aware that there is a cost if you want to shop early for the best selection:
$10 early bird admission 10am-11am $5 general admission 11am-12pm $0 free admission 12pm-1pm
The swap will be sure to have some great deals, and it supports reusing bikes and parts that still have a lot of life left in them!
That’s all we have for you this week. Hope to see you at an upcoming event and thanks for being part of the Madison Bikes community.
A bicyclist rides down the Yahara River Path in Winter
Welcome to the Madison Bikes newsletter. It’s a light week in bike advocacy news with the holiday, but there is some highway news we think you should know about.
Stoughton Road Redesign
The second public involvement meeting for the Stoughton Road redesign project was last week, and WisDOT is looking for more feedback on the design alternatives. The project scope includes US51 (Stoughton Road) from just South of Highway 30 to just South of the Beltline. That corridor of Stoughton Road is notoriously dangerous, with record numbers of crashes including 8 bicycle/pedestrian injury crashes and 2 fatal vehicle on pedestrian crashes. 83% of all crashes in this corridor are at intersections, with both Buckeye and Broadway being ranked in the 10 worst intersections for crashes in Madison. In addition to the poor safety record, WisDOT has observed concerning and inefficient traffic conditions at most existing intersections and anticipates 1/2 mile backups by 2050 if no changes are introduced.
For the redesign, the materials included 6 options (including the “no change” option). Alternatives included expanding intersections or removing frontage roads and providing direct access to businesses. Some of them propose reducing speed limits to 35mph and adding safe bike and pedestrian infrastructure. You can see all the design options in detail on the project site, or check out the one-page summary here.
Personally, I would love to see a number of changes to Stoughton Road to improve safety and access for users outside motor vehicles, including reduced speed limits, increasing the number of safe crossings, and reducing the total width of the roadway to allow for more green space. Studies have shown that increasing the number of lanes and adding extra capacity for motor vehicles does not have a positive impact on the amount of traffic, but instead encourages more people to drive resulting in the same or worse traffic congestion as before the expansion. The only reliable way to reduce traffic congestion is to provide viable alternatives to driving. What can you do to help with that mission and make biking better in Madison? It only takes a few minutes to fill out the survey and let WisDOT know you care about bike, pedestrian, and transit access.
Come Chat Winter Biking With Us
Looking ahead to next week: on Tuesday, December 3rd Madison Bikes is hosting a Winter Bike Social at Working Draft, from 5:30-7:30. We’ll be enjoying warm drinks and chatting about all things biking, including how to have a successful ride in cold and wet weather. Stop by any time and bring your bike and your favorite piece of Winter bike gear!
That’s all we have for you this week. Thanks for being part of the Madison Bikes community.
Revolution Cycles Hosting a Fall Bike-to-Work Commuter Station on 9/27
Welcome to this week’s newsletter! It was wonderful to see all of you who came out for the Bicycle Film Festival at the Barrymore last week. What an inspiring series of films and an awesome event! Here’s what you need to know about this week:
Campus Path Closed
Heads up to commuters and other path users near Campus Drive and the Vet School: the multi-use path will be closed from Monday-Friday (Oct. 7-11) for repairs. Those traveling through will want to take the detour to the North on Walnut St. and Observatory Dr. instead.
Donate Your Old Bikes
Saturday, Oct. 12th from 10am-2pm, Bikes for Kids Wisconsin is hosting a bicycle donation drive at their shop at 354 Coyier Lane, Madison, WI 53713. Bikes of all types and sizes will be accepted. Donation bikes should be gently used, although they will also help recycle bikes that are beyond repair with a small monetary donation. Check out the website, https://bikesforkidswi.org/2024-bike-donation-drives-oct-12-nov-23/, for more info and other donation options!
New Opportunities in Bikeshare
On October 1st, Bicycle Transit Systems (BTS) acquired BCycle from Trek. Prior to the acquisition, BTS ran the bikeshare operations (using BCycle bikes and software) in Philadelphia, LA, and Las Vegas. All of the employees of BCycle, including myself, were offered roles at BTS to continue to run and support the BCycle systems across the country. With more of BCycle unified under the BTS umbrella, the organization will be able to focus solely on bikeshare and product development to deliver the best possible bike rental process.
Among the changes, Helen Bradley was promoted to Director of Business Development for BTS, so Madison BCycle is looking for a new General Manager! If you love bikes and transportation, are a leader, problem solver, and have business aptitude, you are encouraged to apply. Check out the responsibilities and requirements and apply here.
Flock to State Ending & Feedback
Have you gotten a chance to enjoy the pedestrian mall on State Street this Summer? If you hadn’t heard, the city further restricted traffic on State Street by limiting the times that non-emergency vehicles can use the street, calling it “Flock to State.” While the street has be closed to private vehicles since 1974, in May the city decided to run a pedestrian mall experiment, where from Gorham to Hawthorne, State Street did not allow any non-emergency vehicles from 3pm to 4am on weekdays and 10am to 4am on weekends.
In addition to the traffic limitations, there were also events planned around that area of State Street such as the #MadisonIsMusic Concert Series in September, Science on the Square (upcoming on October 17th), and of course the Madison Night Market. The pedestrian mall is ending on October 30th, and the city wants your feedback on the experiment to determine the next steps. If you enjoyed having this space further dedicated to and prioritizing pedestrians, please consider filling out the super short survey and telling the city what you liked and didn’t like about it!
Mifflin Diverter Project
Looking ahead to next week, the Mifflin Diverter will be installed on Monday, October 14th. The test will add a motor vehicle traffic diverter to the Westbound lane of E Mifflin just past Breese Stevens Field. Vehicles traveling West on E Mifflin will have to turn onto N Paterson, but bicycle and pedestrian routes will remain unaffected. The project is focused on improvements to the bike boulevard on E Mifflin, a critical bicycle traffic artery North of E Washington. Traffic Engineering has been gathering data about traffic volumes before the install, and they will continue to do so throughout the coming months when the diverter is in place. They will also be looking for public feedback, so if you ever bike along this route, be sure to send them a note!
That’s all we have for you this week. Now go ride your bike!
Bicyclists cruise down John Nolen Drive at Ride The Drive
Welcome to this week’s newsletter. Here’s what you should know about in the Madison biking-for-transportation world this week.
Housing Week is Here
It’s Madison Housing Week! As the population in Madison continues to rise, Madison Housing Coalition is thinking about what can be done to increase access to housing for those who want to work and live here. Going on now, from August 17th-22nd, is a series of events to learn, discuss, and advocate for solutions to the housing shortage. Some events you may want to check out are:
Housing on Tap on Monday, August 19th from 5:30pm – 7:00pm at Vintage Brewing Company
Housing Environmentalism on Wednesday, August 21st from 6:00pm – 7:30pm at the Central Library, room 301
Dane County Exec Debate & Social on Thursday August 22nd from 6:00pm – 9:45pm at The Tinsmith
To see the full list of events, their details, and to RSVP, check out the site at madisonhousingweek.com.
Madison Bikes Board Elections
Madison Bikes board elections are coming up this Fall, and we want to know if you are interested. Have you volunteered with Madison Bikes in the past and want to take your involvement to the next level? Are you interested in helping promote bike advocacy and put on awesome community events? Would you be interested in writing this newsletter? While you don’t need to be on the board to do any of those things, we always welcome and encourage anyone to let us know if they’d like to join. What is it like to be on the board? Well, that’s up to you. Some members focus mostly on planning events, some specialize in the website and social media, and some focus on educating the community on important bike advocacy issues. We all meet to discuss these topics with the goal of making Madison a better place to comfortably ride a bike. If that sounds like your jam, board elections are coming up soon and we would love if you reached out to us at info@madisonbikes.org.
Cannonball Extension Disappointment
In July, Wisconsin’s Commissioner of Railroads rejected a proposed extension to connect the Cannonball Path and Wingra Creek bike paths. On Friday, August 16th, Madison officials decided not to appeal the decision. The proposed route would have crossed Fish Hatchery Road and the Wisconsin and Southern railroad tracks, but was deemed unsafe by Commissioner Don Vruwink, who cited risks such as train derailment and potential bike accidents. The issue with the decision is that it overlooks the dangers of biking on the heavily trafficked Fish Hatchery Road. Despite the frustration of yet another bike infrastructure conflict with the railroad, the city is planning to explore alternatives, such as expanding sidewalks, to address the lack of safe connection from the Cannonball to Wingra Creek.
The approximate location of the path extension that was rejected by the Railroad Commission
West Washington Crash
A cyclist was struck by a driver on West Washington on Saturday, August 17th at the Southwest path crossing. Not much is known about the crash at this time other than the motorist stayed at the scene and the bicyclist was taken to the hospital and is alive.
This intersection is notoriously dangerous and has seen several crashes involving drivers and cyclists this year alone. Despite having a Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacon (RRFB) there are multiple potential reasons for the level of danger at this intersection. Path users have to cross 4 motor traffic lanes to get across W. Washington, with a refuge island in the middle. In addition to the issue of crossing multiple lanes at once, often times the driver in the first lane will stop to yield for a pedestrian or cyclist and the driver in the next lane will not. Speeding and driver inattentiveness can also play roles in making this area more dangerous.
What could be done to reduce the risk? Some have suggested a pedestrian bridge. While that would help avoid conflict, it is still a car-centric design. It would be very costly and likely require cyclists to make a significant climb to clear the minimum height of a bridge. Pedestrians would also have to travel a much longer distance to get across, and would likely opt to cross the road directly instead. Another option would be to implement a road diet by narrowing it to one lane in each direction or create other traffic calming measures such as making the path a raised crossing. Personally I would love to see one or both of those changes implemented, as they would be much more cost-effective and have been proven to slow down drivers and make crossing the road safer, often without reducing traffic volumes. What kinds of changes would you like to see?
That it for this newsletter. Stay safe and thanks for being a part of the Madison Bikes community.
Welcome to this week’s newsletter! Summer is in full swing and it’s a great time to ride your bike to get where you need to go, or just ride for fun.
It’s a light week in terms of biking advocacy. Here’s what you should know.
Volunteer Opportunity: Ride the Drive
As we mentioned last week, Parks is looking for volunteers to help with Ride the Drive on August 11th. They need help with things from setup to photography to intersection guides and more. If you aren’t familiar, Ride the Drive is a form of Open Streets celebration where select major streets around town are closed to cars and open to walking or rolling. Vendors will be set up along the route for food and drinks and other exciting things. Volunteers will also get a free Ride the Drive T-shirt. You can read more about the various roles and sign up to help here.
The map of streets and hub locations for Ride the Drive
Machinery Row Rides
Are you interested in riding 100 miles? It sounds like a huge amount, but you may be capable of more than you think! Machinery Row is hosting a series of Century Training Club rides designed to help you train for a century ride by the end of the Summer. It’s not too late to join and get in some longer rides and make some cool new friends! They meet at Machinery Row every Sunday at 8 AM through September 1st. Join soon, since the longer you wait the longer the rides will be!
Riders line up to begin a Century Training Club ride
Are you an e-biker and want to meet other fellow electric bike enjoyers? Consider joining Machinery Row’s other option: Lunch Bunch E-Bike Rides, which go down every Friday from 12-2 PM. The rides are a casual pace and include a lunch stop! Rental options are available though the store or through Madison BCycle.
Best WI City for Biking?
If you didn’t catch PeopleForBike’s city ratings yet, here’s what they found. According to their latest rankings for 2024, the best city for biking in Wisconsin is Washburn, located in Chequamegon Bay, about 50 miles East of Duluth, MN. Washburn also ranked 5th out of the 2579 cities evaluated across the country. Madison is rated 13th in Wisconsin and 86th in the country.
Why is a town of 2,025 people a better place to bike than Madison with all of our paths and great bike infrastructure? Well, to understand that, we have to understand how it’s scored. The score is a “Bicycle Network Analysis” and it is intended to measure how well the bike network gets people to where they need to go. In further detail:
A low score (0-20) indicates a weak bike network, meaning the city lacks safe bikeways or there are gaps in the network. A high score (80-100) indicates that most common destinations are accessible by safe, comfortable bike routes that serve people of all ages and abilities.
So my interpretation is Washburn is highly rated because it’s easier to get all your basic needs by bicycle for most of the people living there. The town is about two miles end-to-end and almost all residents live in safe biking distance from school, groceries, the doctor, or any of their other basic needs. Most importantly, the safe, bikeable areas are well connected so more people feel comfortable getting to their destination by bike.
Compared to Madison, Washburn is much more connected. Madison, especially farther on the outskirts (like West/South of the Beltline or East of Stoughton Rd.) would be really tough places to live without a car. While we have some great trails for commuting and recreational riding, there are still lots of areas where it’s very uncomfortable to ride due to high traffic speeds. Furthermore, due to the design of some suburban neighborhoods, traveling only by residential or slow traffic streets is mostly impossible. Washburn, on the other hand, while admittedly much smaller, is a grid of mostly low speed streets.
The grid system also makes a city more walkable. No winding, sprawling suburban streets that take you nowhere (except around the block). Yes, I realize there are some large lakes in Madison that prevent it from being a perfect grid. No, a grid is not impossible in Madison and more grid-based design would make the city better for biking, assuming it were combined with some hefty rezoning, but that’s another story.
Madison’s Bicycle Network Analysis score map.
It’s not all bad for Madison, though. PeopleForBikes recognized it as a “2024 City on the Rise” due to the city staff’s recognition and participation in bicycling and bike-related projects. The total score rose from a 50 in 2020 to a 60 in 2024, which is a really great improvement considering the average score across all US cities measured is only 28.
What are your thoughts on the PeopleForBikes city ratings? Are there any areas of Madison you bike in that you wish were better connected?
