Tag: Transportation Commission

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Newsletter Weekly Update

Ride For Your Life, Bike Drive, Underpass Funding

Photo: Harald Kliems, Bike Parking at Great Taste of The Midwest at Olin Park

SUNDAY: Ride For Your Life

Ride for Your Life Madison is finally here this Sunday, October first. The ride has been discussed quite a bit in previous blog posts this summer. It is being held in memory of the tragic death of Sarah Langenkamp, as well as countless other cyclists and pedestrians killed by drivers in a country that has long prioritized motor vehicle convenience over public safety.

The ride is Sunday, October 1, 2023. Bicyclists will ride 5-6 miles at a slow pace, and pedestrians will walk 1 mile through Madison to the steps of the State Capitol. A rally to raise awareness of the need for pedestrian and cyclist safety will then be held. Ride staging begins at 2:00pm at Brittingham Park, and riders will depart at 2:30pm. The ride will end on the steps of the Capital with the rally ending at 4:00pm.

Please pre-register for the ride, and donate or volunteer if you can. All are welcome to join for the ride or the rally.

Underpass Funding

The city Finance Committee will vote on capital budget amendments on Monday. Alder Verveer has proposed two amendments that would significantly improve the John Nolen Drive project for bikes:

  • Amendment 6 would extend the project’s scope, allowing construction of a new multi-use path on the north side of North Shore Drive, from JND to Bedford
  • Amendment 7 would allocate $1M for design and another $4M for construction of a bike/walk underpass of John Nolen Drive at North Shore Drive, connecting to the path from Amendment 6, creating a safe route between downtown and the lakefront path that doesn’t rely on the bike elevator.

Send comments to financecommittee@cityofmadison.com

The Bassett neighborhood has several overlapping path projects, all of which create a network much more connected to downtown. See a map of all existing and proposed projects below, courtesy of board member Craig Weinhold.

FB4K Bike Drive

Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison is hosting its first Fall bike drive Saturday, September 30 from 9am-2pm, with a goal of 400 bikes donated. They will spend the winter refurbishing them before giving them to folks unable to access their own. Please also volunteer to help unload bikes at the drive if you can. Gently used bikes of all sizes and styles are accepted. Bikes that cannot be saved can be dropped off with a $20 disposal donation. Bring bikes to 354 Coyier Lane, Madison, WI 53713 near Rimrock and the Beltline Highway. If you are unable to donate on the 30th, drop off Monday-Friday between 9:30-3pm at the same location. If you live in an apartment complex and see unused bikes at your bike rack, FB4K suggests asking your property manager to donate them before throwing them away!

Madison Is For People Ride

After a very well-attended first event, Madison Bikes is again co-hosting a group ride with Madison is For People. Both of our organizations believe in a Madison where safe and equitable car-free transportation is accessible to all. See the event page for more details.

The ride is roughly 7.5 miles, starting at Law Park off John Nolen Dr., near the B-Cycle station at 6pm. We’ll go counter-clockwise along the Lake Loop and end at Garver Feed Mill where we can hang out, chat, eat and drink. The pace will be leisurely, around 10 mph. Nobody will be left behind. This is a great opportunity to meet your fellow housing and bike advocates and have fun!

Sunset will be at 6:45pm, so you must bring bike lights!

Group Rides

Tuesday evening is Madison Women’s Cycling Club or the Slow Roll Ride. Friday is the Bi-Weekly Ride for Trans Rights. Saturday you can check out Brazen Dropouts’ morning Row 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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Newsletter Weekly Update

Ride For Your Life, MPO Updates, Move In/Out Season

Photo: Harald Kliems, Bike Parking at Great Taste of The Midwest at Olin Park

Ride For Your Life Madison

Sarah Langenkamp was a mother of two and a US diplomat. She provided assistance to Ukraine in the early days of the Russian invasion before being forced to evacuate to Bethesda, Maryland with her husband and two sons. Last August, Sarah was riding her bike home from her son’s elementary school when the driver of a flatbed truck struck and killed her.

In the wake of Sarah’s tragic death, her family organized Ride For Your Life in Washington D.C. to advocate for infrastructure, technology, and policy changes known to prevent crashes that kill vulnerable road users like bicyclists and pedestrians.

Sarah’s sister Alicia, along with the Wisconsin Bike Fed, Madison Bikes, and Trek Bicycles, are hosting Ride for Your Life Madison. The ride will be held in memory of Sarah and countless other cyclists and pedestrians killed by drivers in a country where transportation policy and infrastructure choices continue to prioritize motor vehicle convenience over public safety.

The ride is Sunday, October 1, 2023. Bicyclists will ride 5-6 miles at a slow pace, and pedestrians will walk 1 mile through Madison to the steps of the State Capitol. A rally to raise awareness of the need for pedestrian and cyclist safety will then be held. Ride staging begins at 2:00pm at Brittingham Park, and riders will depart at 2:30pm. The ride will end on the steps of the Capital with the rally ending at 4:00pm.

Please pre-register for the ride, and donate or volunteer if you can. All are welcome to join for the ride or the rally.

Madison is For People Ride

As mentioned last week, we are co-hosting a ride with Madison is For People. Both of our organizations believe in a Madison where safe and equitable car-free transportation is accessible to all. We now have a Facebook event page for this ride.

Move In/Move Out Days

Be careful riding this week, as tomorrow is the day leases end for many people in Madison, which means lots of traffic, including potentially many drivers unfamiliar with the area. This issue will increase once UW campus housing has its move in at the end of the month. Unfortunately, it’s best to assume drivers are totally ignorant of your existence when you are alongside, in front, or behind them. This is especially true at intersections. Be aware of your surroundings, ride defensively, and be sure to have lights at night.

MPO Updates

The MPO issued a press release last Wednesday with a list of approved funding for projects significant to safe and accessible bike transportation. Link here if you missed Ben’s MPO explainer for those not familiar. Exciting details include a new multi-use path on the West side of Rimrock from John Nolen to the Beltline slated for 2026, as well as funding for one of the last links connecting the Cap City to the Glacial Drumlin. Link here to look at all that was approved and timelines for implementation.

Group Rides

Tuesday evening is Madison Women’s Cycling Club or the Slow Roll Ride. Friday is the Bi-Weekly Ride for Trans Rights. Saturday you can check out Brazen Dropouts’ morning Row 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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Newsletter Weekly Update

Transportation Commission; Parking Rant; Group Rides

A crowd gathers for Saturday's Free Bikes 4 Kidz Slow Roll
A crowd gathers for Saturday’s Free Bikes 4 Kidz Slow Roll | Photo by Harald Kliems

Hello and welcome to another weekly update! In case you missed it, Free Bikes 4 Kidz hosted a South Side Slow Roll on Saturday. The purpose of the ride was to give newer riders experience on group rides, explore our beautiful trails, and of course have some fun. Those of you who participated may see yourselves on the story from Channel 3000.

Transportation Commission

This Wednesday, August 9th the Transportation Commission will meet virtually at 5pm. Included in the agenda are:

  • A Complete Green Streets project checklist review
  • A public hearing regarding removing residential permit (RP3) parking on Sheboygan Ave between Whitney Way and Segoe Rd.

You can register to comment or tune in to the meeting here.

When it comes to removing parking spaces, I am a huge fan. We give away far too much of our public space for storing personal vehicles when we could be using it for more productive purposes. Not only do street-parked cars take up public space, but they also pose a risk because they block drivers’ ability to see cyclists and pedestrians. Depending on the street configuration, they can also be an issue when cyclists have to ride in the “door zone” and risk being hit by an opening car door. The city of Amsterdam is aware of these problems and in 2019 they decided to remove over 10,000 parking spaces from their city center. I realize we are not and will never be Amsterdam, but a person can dream, right? If we could take just a tiny portion of their ideas and implement them in our city, vulnerable road users like bicyclists would be a lot safer. Unfortunately, a lot of the way our city is configured prioritizes car throughput over pedestrian and cyclist lives. If that bothers you, take action by attending local meetings and and letting your representatives know how you feel.

Madison Queer Bike Ride

Also on Wednesday: the monthly Madison Queer Bike Ride will be taking place, starting at 6pm at Law Park. The route for this month will be the Cap City loop. It will be a casual party-paced ride with a stop along the way for food and socializing. Check out @madisonqueerbikeride on Instagram for more info!

The route is the Cap City Loop and the ride will be Wednesday, August 9th. 6 PM at Law Park.
The route for this week's Madison Queer Bike Ride
The route for this week’s Madison Queer Bike Ride | @madisonqueerbikeride on Instagram

Save the Date: August Community Ride

We haven’t had a community meeting in a while, but we have something good planned for you later this month. Mark your calendar for Friday, August 25th when we will be co-hosting a bike ride and social event with Madison is for People. Madison is for People is a group that wants to make housing more sustainable and affordable, and make car-free living possible for more people in Madison. The ride will meet at 6pm at Law Park, take the lake loop counterclockwise, and end at the East Side Club for food and beverages. Stay tuned for more information about the event in the coming weeks. We can’t wait to see you there!

Final Thoughts

Thanks for reading. If you want to hear more about how parking sucks, or if you just enjoy painfully long urbanist videos, you may like this one on minimum parking requirements from Climate Town. It’s a truly eye-opening deep dive into the laws that force builders to create way more parking than we actually need, the damage that causes to our cities, and what we can do to improve the situation.

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

Air Quality & Bikes

People biking on the University Path, photo: https://botsin.space/@cyclists_of_msn

Let’s Talk Air Quality & Bikes

The air quality forecast for this week is relatively good as smoke from this year’s record-breaking Canadian wildfire season is clearing from Wisconsin for now. It’s a good time to become familiar with the Air Quality Index and make a plan for outdoor exercise and transportation depending on the AQI number and your individual sensitivity to poor air quality, if you haven’t already done this.

AQI numbers don’t account for all differences in location and time of day. Outside of wildfire smoke, people on bikes grapple with pollution from motor vehicles, especially on busy roadways and intersections. Air quality in these locations can be significantly worse than on bike/walk paths physically separated from roadways. Being in a car does not prevent exposure to roadway pollution, either. There is evidence bike commuters can sometimes experience lower exposure to motor vehicle air pollution than drivers on high-traffic urban roads, as bike riders are less likely to spend significant time sitting in traffic.

Risks from exposure to poor air quality vary based on individual health circumstances, and one’s healthcare provider is the best source of individual advice on these risks. However, existing data support the idea that for most individuals, health benefits from biking outdoors outweigh risks even when air quality is fairly poor, with the exception being days with extremely high pollution levels (such as those associated with advisories to stay indoors) or very long-duration exercise (such as experienced by bike couriers in dense urban environments using no mitigation tools).

There are ways to mitigate exposure to poor air quality when biking. If you must be outside during an air quality alert day, you can use a well-fitted N95, KN95, or better respirator to significantly reduce exposure to harmful particle pollution. These respirators are not designed to handle non-particle pollution including ozone, VOCs, and NOx. N95+ options catering to people biking or running also exist.

Photo: Madison Bikes Board Member Craig Weinhold wears a respirator designed for outdoor activity

Fitchburg Festival Of Speed

It’s technically not in Madison, but if you’re looking for a good time this weekend either participating in a group ride, racing a criterium, or spectating this Saturday, Fitchburg Festival of Speed has something for you. The organizers encourage biking to the event, which you can do from Madison fairly easily on either the SW path or the Cannonball path.

Group Rides

Monday evening you can join the Monday 40 social ride. Tuesday evening is looking great for the Madison Women’s Cycling Club or the Slow Roll Ride. Saturday you can check out Brazen Dropouts’ morning Row 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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Newsletter Weekly Update

Gear Up for Madison Bike Week: Volunteer, Engage, and Ride On!

A cyclist rides along the streets of the lake loop in Monona.
A cyclist rides along the streets of the lake loop in Monona | Photo by Christo Alexander

Welcome to another Madison Bikes weekly update! Here’s a few things you need to know about biking in Madison this week:

Wanted: Bike Week Volunteers

Bike Week is coming soon, June 3-10, and Madison Bikes is looking for volunteers! If you’re interested, we would love for you to sign up on our form here. Additionally, if you’d like to learn more and meet with the Madison Bikes crew, join us at Working Draft on Monday, May 22nd at 6-7:30 PM for a Bike Week Volunteer Open House. Did we mention there will be pizza?? Please RSVP on our Facebook event if you plan to attend. See you there!

Transportation Commission

In the May 8th weekly update, we mentioned a proposed change to an ordinance stating how members of the Transportation Commission are appointed. As of the 5/16 meeting, the following language was adopted: “The Mayor shall appoint members who meet the following requirements to the highest extent practicable… one (1) member whose primary mode of transportation in the City is the bicycle.” With the updated language, it will still be a goal to have a member whose primary mode of transportation is cycling, but it’s now stated with less firm language and more room for interpretation.

The Transportation Commission will meet again Wednesday, May 24th at 5pm. On the agenda are some important topics including an update on the transit network redesign. Bus routes are changing June 11th, so you’ll want to stay informed on how your commute could change. Also on the agenda is a session for the John Nolen Drive project where the design alternatives will be presented to commission members. You can learn more and watch the meeting online here.

Construction Photos

Construction of the University Bay Drive overpass is underway and we wanted to share some progress pics! You can see from the photos that the piers for the overpass are going up on the West side of the road. The project is still scheduled to run through 10/01/23.

Orange construction barriers show that the path is closed while the overpass is being constructed.
The beginnings of a new overpass: piers that will hold up the walkway have been stood up.
Piers for the overpass being constructed on the West side of University Bay Drive. A construction worker works on the nearest pier and a large water tank truck is parked nearby.

And here’s a bonus pic of the progress on the Atwood Ave bike path. From the plans: “A 15-foot wide path with adjacent sidewalk will be constructed along the south side of Atwood Avenue from Oakridge Avenue to Dennett Drive.” The Atwood Ave reconstruction is scheduled to run through Fall 2023.

A black asphalt path under construction alongside Atwood Avenue, which is torn up to gravel with some curbs installed.
The new path under construction South of Atwood Ave at the Walter St. intersection.

Mark Your Calendar: Bike Week Events

Madison Bike Week is right around the corner and events are filling up the schedule fast! Take a look and plan your week so you can take advantage of as many awesome events as possible. We can’t wait to see you out there!

As the weather warms up and our paths get busier, remember to be an ambassador for cycling and be welcoming to beginners. The more users of bike infrastructure there are out there, regardless of the type of bike (or skateboard, rollerblades, etc.) they ride, the fewer cars there are on the road. Get out there and enjoy!

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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Action Alert In Depth

The Time is Now for a John Nolen Drive Underpass

(disclaimer: this is a personal blog and not an official position of Madison Bikes)

Last fall, Bicyclist Thomas Heninger was killed as he crossed John Nolen Drive by a distracted driver racing 60+ mph to beat a red light. His death is an exclamation mark on just how dangerous the grade crossings are at North Shore Dr and Broom St. That’s something we bicyclists know all about.

Thankfully just groceries. 2020. Photo: Tom Wilson
Car crossing slip lane against “No right turn” light. Sep 2022. Photo: Kai Mast
Slip lane knock-down. Aug 2019. Photo: Chris Collins

Danger aside, almost more impactful are the daily inconveniences of the grade crossings: tight staging areas, multiple “refuge” islands, lengthy wait times, slip lanes, complex & confusing signaling, uneven railroad tracks, and, of course, the noise and smell of 50,000 daily cars and trucks. To many, the North Shore Dr and Broom St crossings are an ordeal best avoided.

It is time to build an underpass so that bikers and pedestrians can have safe and unimpeded movement between the Lake Monona waterfront and the City’s interior.

An underpass is not a new idea, but it is a challenging one.

Why Now?

  • The City’s John Nolen Drive (JND) Reconstruction project is in full swing, and the concrete poured will shape the causeway and southern Law Park for 30+ years. When City engineers brought up various crossing ideas at a recent public information meeting, the underpass concept received, by far, the most support. If this project moves forward without an underpass, it will be nearly impossible to add one later for reasons explained below.
  • The City itself recommended an underpass as a long-term solution in 2017’s Blair/John Nolen Drive Corridor Study
  • Engineer Ron Shutvet independently researched the technical feasibility of two underpass concepts in the Dane County Master Plan Collaborative 2011 & 2017. His designs are practical and innovative.
  • In the Lake Monona Waterfront Design Challenge, two of the three designs called for underpasses in this area. One called it a top priority. With the next steps of the Challenge, Madison’s JND project engineers will have access to technical and aesthetic expertise of a world-class urban design firm to build an underpass that Madison can be proud of.
  • The City’s long-discussed plan for two-way cycletrack along Wilson Street is now kicking off. That new path will provide the gentlest climb from the lakefront up to Monona Terrace and the Capitol Square. This new path needs a low-stress connection to the path along John Nolen Drive.

What are the Obstacles?

  • Water. A tunnel under today’s John Nolen Drive would be 3.5′ below current lake level and 6′ below the high water of 2018. I’m told it is still possible, but only with careful engineering and costly pumps.
    The workaround is to raise the streets! The City’s 2017 JND/Blair corridor study did just that, raising JND by the bare minimum of 2′. Ron Shutvet’s concepts went farther, raising the streets 6-7′, raising the railroad 4′, and also realigning the tracks. These are not far-fetched ideas. Every part of Law Park’s surface is man-made and both the road and the railroad tracks have changed many times over the last century. There’s no reason we can’t do it again to create a better, safer, and friendlier waterfront.
  • Multiple jurisdictions. Possibly the biggest obstacle is that a tunnel would involve State DOT highway, State DOT Railroad, and the State DNR. To City engineers, such multi-jurisdictional projects are hassles, adding meetings and extending timelines by months or years.
    That’s a poor excuse not to get this done! The City works with the State all the time on Hwy 151 and beltline projects. Passenger rail will require Federal coordination. Just a few years ago, County, State, and Federal agencies successfully worked together to realign the Canadian Pacific railroad tracks near the airport. When the need is there — and the underpass is a top need — multiple jurisdictions can work together to get the job done.
  • Money. An underpass will cost several million dollars, and it is not currently funded. Thanks to the $15M Federal grant secured last month for the John Nolen Drive project, the City now has much more freedom to explore underpass concepts.
    Overall, the underpass cost is also low compared to the value it brings to the City, the Bassett Neighborhood, non-motorized transport, and recreation opportunities. It would immediately become the main way to reach the lakefront from campus or anywhere south or west of the Capitol, shaving minutes off every bike/ped journey. It would also achieve many of the lofty goals of the Lake Monona Waterfront Design Challenge at a fraction of the price.
  • Time. The City hopes to have a final JND causeway design in 2024 and do construction in 2026. An underpass would likely delay that schedule. I feel it’s worth it. As mentioned earlier, if reconstruction proceeds without an underpass, it’s almost certain that none will ever be built.

Does an Underpass Have Other Benefits?

  • Street-level crossings would still be needed but could be engineered to a more car-friendly standard, meaning less delay to drivers, less idling, better air quality, and less acceleration & braking noise.
  • One of Ron Shutvet’s options includes stormwater filtration. All three Lake Monona Waterfront Design Challenge firms also included stormwater management to reduce the amount of pollution reaching Lake Monona.
  • One of Ron Shutvet’s options also realigns the railroad tracks so that Broom St only has a single track crossing instead of two. This simplifies our streets and enlarges Brittingham Park 2.
  • Raising JND where its causeway meets North Shore Drive might allow for higher boat clearance into Monona Bay, which could be helpful during high water events like 2018.
  • The 4-acre “Brittingham Park 2” west of JND with the courts and dog exercise area is difficult to reach and lightly used. An underpass would seamlessly connect it to the lake, increasing its exposure and making it a good place for amenities sought by lakefront visitors such as playgrounds, picnic areas, bathrooms, etc.
  • Although this is a bicycling blog, an underpass would naturally benefit pedestrians of all types and especially people who have mobility challenges. My wheelchair-bound mother lives on West Main St. I pushed her across the Broom St crossing — two traffic islands, six ramps, two sets of railroad tracks with uneven pavement, three signal phases, and cars whizzing by in front and behind us non-stop; I will never do that again.

For an exhaustive list of underpass pros & cons, please see Ron Shutvet’s Master Plan Collaborative document.

Wouldn’t an Overpass be Better?

To clear the railroad tracks, an overpass would need to be 50% longer and almost twice as high as the current bridge over East Washington near Starkweather Creek. It would eat up much of Law Park, block views, have long ramps, and add ½ mile and 30′ of climbing to anyone’s journey. At a JND public information meeting, a majority of attendees said they would take a street-level crossing rather than use such a bridge.

Some attendees did express concern that underpasses can be dark, wet, unsafe places, especially at night. The hope is that any John Nolen Drive underpass will be a showpiece of Madison, acting more of a natural corridor than an out-of-the-way tunnel. The City has experience in this, and underpasses built in the past decade under Verona Rd and Gammon Rd are wide and inviting (see the ride-through videos on YouTube).

Next Steps?

May 2023 is the critical month. My impression is that City Engineers are inclined to keep the overpass concept on the back-burner. It is now up to the City’s Transportation Commission to insist that an underpass be included in the project. Public input can help! Please follow the John Nolen Drive project, take its surveys, and email your thoughts to JNDproject@cityofmadison.com. Please submit comments to the Transportation Commission in advanced of its meeting on Wed May 24, 2023. Also, reach out to your Alders to let them know how important the underpass is, so that they are informed when the project finally comes before them.

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Newsletter Weekly Update

Volunteering, Fundraiser, Path Fixing, MTB For Teens, Group Rides

https://botsin.space/@cyclists_of_msn

Bike Week Volunteering

Bike Week 2023 is fast approaching! Madison Bikes is looking for volunteers to help with a few activities. We’re hosting a volunteer open house at Working Draft Brewery on Monday, May 22nd from 6-7:30PM. Come hang out and eat pizza on us. Link here for more details and to volunteer during Bike Week. If you use Facebook, RSVP so we know how much pizza to bring. Make sure to check out the Bike Week page as new events continue to roll in!

Volunteering for 2 hours will also get you a “good deed” stamp for Bike BINGO. You can buy a BINGO card at local Bike Benefits locations.

Freewheel Fundraiser

Madison Freewheel Bicycle Co is a local nonprofit bike shop focused on transportation justice. Donations and sales help provide free and low-cost bicycles to individuals in need, while also subsidizing bike building, repair, and maintenance classes. Freewheel was not able to cover operating expenses after the pandemic squeezed their ability to safely keep their doors open and offer in-person classes. They recently had to move out of the Madison Bike Center and are fundraising to find a new physical space. For more information and donation options, you can find their GoFundMe here.

Path Fixing

Lately we noticed a few conversations on our Facebook community page discussing path closures. It can be very frustrating to find what is sometimes the only low-stress route to wherever you are riding is closed (although who doesn’t love a freshly resurfaced path)! It part of our mission to work towards a city where there are multiple safe, low-stress bike routes to any destination. For now though, you can check the city’s path resurfacing schedule to be aware of resurfacing schedules (updated regularly as resurfacing progresses).

Youth MTB Informational

Monday from 5:30-7PM, the Madison East / Lafollette Mountain Bike Team is hosting an informational meeting at East High for students in grades 6-12 interested in joining the team, as well as adults interested in becoming a coach.

Schwinn Bike Drive

Saturday from 12-4PM, Schwinn is hosting a bike drive at their HQ to support FreeBikes4 Kidz. Your donations help give bikes to kids in need! More info here.

Spring Group Rides

Monday evening you can join the Monday 40 social ride. Tuesday evening is looking great for the Madison Women’s Cycling Club and the Slow Roll Ride. Saturday morning is looking nice for Brazen Dropouts’ morning Row Ride.

Saturday evening, don’t miss Black Saddle Bike Shop’s bike ride and overnight campout! Ride leaves from the shop (601 N Sherman Ave) by 5:15pm on a 9.1 mile leisurely ‘no drop’ ride to McCarthy Youth & Conservation County Park. More info and RSVP 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.

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Newsletter Weekly Update

Election Results; John Nolen Feedback; Group Ride Updates

https://botsin.space/@cyclists_of_msn

Election Results

Thank you to everyone who voted last Tuesday. Local elections determine how invested cities are in safe infrastructure and supportive policies for people walking, biking, or using mobility devices. Your vote is very impactful in these races, as evidenced District 14’s alder race being decided by one vote!

Voters also gave Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway a second four-year term, elected a number of new alderpersons, and approved a referendum to stagger two-year alderperson terms. Take a look at the full results from Tuesday and look back to responses from our February candidate questionnaire.

Transportation Commission

The Transportation Commission is meeting on Wednesday. The agenda includes a discussion of survey results for the John Nolen Drive reconstruction project scheduled to break ground in a few years. Polling from last month showed support for narrowing the roadway as much as possible, widening the path, and improving intersections.

In case you missed it, MadisonForAll has a very well-made video describing the North Shore Dr. part of this project, including frustrations over the city’s reluctance to make any substantial safety and accessibility improvements if they impact driver convenience. The most ambitious option offered by the city for this intersection would increase peak hour vehicle travel time by 35-80 seconds. In the video, city engineering describes this delay as “a pretty significant [negative] impact to the traveling public.” Madison recently committed to prioritizing safety for people walking and biking over driver convenience as part of Complete Green Streets, yet the possibility of a delay lasting less than half of a pop song on a driver’s commute is still described as “significant” in a way that fixing a deadly, heavily utilized pedestrian and bicyclist crossing with no grade-separated alternatives is not.

Recently a new alternative design was included by city engineering that is remarkably similar to the idea proposed by MadisonForAll. The city does not have public feedback for this option (Alt 4b) currently, but you can give it in their survey here. You can also use the comment box to voice opinions about improvements you would like to see presented as alternatives going forward.

Group Rides

It’s Spring! Monday evening you can join the Monday 40 social ride for its second ride of 2023. Tuesday evening is looking great for the Madison Women’s Cycling Club or the Slow Roll Ride. Wednesday evening features the Madison Queer Bike Ride, reach out to their instagram page for details. Saturday is looking nice for Brazen Dropouts’ morning Row Ride. Bombay Bicycle Club is hosting a Spring Member Meeting on Sunday, details 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.

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Newsletter Weekly Update

Community Meeting, MPO on TAP, Autumn Ridge Path

Photo: Cyclists of Madison Mastodon

It’s looking relatively warm this week, but keep the studs on and watch out for freeze/thaw ice patches. For more pictures of people enjoying biking in Madison, visit our Mastodon page.

Last Week

Tuesday: Madison had a very strong turnout for the Spring primary election, a reflection of the critical importance of this year’s WI supreme court race. That said, kudos to all of you making your voice heard in local aldermanic and mayoral elections as well. Strong local political leadership is a key part of successful of bike safety and accessibility projects in Madison.

Friday: In case you missed it, Madison Bikes provided comments on the city’s Reconnecting Communities federal grant application. The city hopes to build an overpass connecting N. and S. Perry St. on the South Side. Currently, the Beltline cuts these two streets in half. Hopefully, this project could increase bicyclist and pedestrian access across the Beltline.

This Week

Monday: Join us on Zoom from 6:00 – 7:30 PM to discuss the three final proposals for the Monona Lakefront Design Project. We plan to assess how each proposal contributes to an all ages and abilities bike network, especially in relation to safe connections from the Cap City across John Nolen to access the Capitol. We’d love to hear what you like about the proposals, what you don’t, and any other ideas you have about the John Nolen Drive project. If you aren’t familiar, feel free to explore the links and join us to learn more.

Wednesday: Madison MPO meets at 6:30 PM this week. TAP project scoring for applications from February is on the agenda. Scores will be used to prioritize distribution of $3.5 million in TAP funds. Link here to the draft project scores plus a link to join the meeting.

In case you missed it, the WI Bike Fed recently discussed Governor Evers’ pledge to leverage more federal and state funds to support TAP projects, along with other important bike policies, in his biennial budget. Governor Evers acknowledged the state has a $7 billion budget surplus, and with Wisconsin ranking 49/50 in per-capita pedestrian and bicyclist spending, spending some of that surplus is long overdue.

Thursday: The city is hosting a public information meeting on the Autumn Ridge Path project. Plans include an enhanced crossing of Milwaukee St. east of HW51 and a bike/ped overpass for HW30 just west of Thomson Dr. The HW30 overpass would be the only low-stress crossing east of HW51, would link nicely with the HW51 overpass, and would serve as an important connection between residential and commercial areas on either side of HW30. Info and meeting registration 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.

Categories
Newsletter Weekly Update

Spring Primary; Transportation Commission; John Nolen Redesign

A cyclist dressed for winter rides along the snowy Yahara River Bike path.
A cyclist riding along the Yahara River Bike Path

Welcome to this week’s update! We hope you have been enjoying the wide range of Winter cycling weather we’ve been having. If being on two wheels is bringing you half the joy it’s brought me this season, I’d say you’re doing great. Here’s what you need to know about bike advocacy in Madison this week.

Spring Primary

Get out and vote! Tuesday, February 21st is the Spring Primary to nominate non-partisan candidates to be voted for at the Spring Election. By casting your vote, you are helping to shape the future of your local government and make an impact on issues that matter to you, like the quality of biking in this wonderful city. Earlier this month, we asked the candidates about about their positions on transportation, housing, and sustainability. You can learn more and read the candidates’ responses to the questions here.

Transportation Commission meeting

Wednesday, the Transportation Commission will meet virtually at 5PM. The agenda includes a contract for analysis on pedestrian and bike infrastructure gaps near BRT stations and a TAP grant application for the Glacial Drumlin Connector and West Towne Path projects. The connector project aims to connect the Capital City Trail near I-90 to the Glacial Drumlin trailhead in Cottage Grove, which is a crucial missing link for cyclists heading East from Madison. Check out this link to watch the meeting or learn more.

John Nolen Redesign meeting

There will be a public information meeting on the John Nolen Drive Redesign project on Thursday at 6:30PM. The first phase of the project addresses the causeway from East Lakeside Street to North Shore Drive. The plans include some exciting improvements like expanding the multi-use path to separate bike and pedestrian traffic and a path underpass between North Shore Drive and Broom Street. The project is scheduled to run through 2026.

An aerial shot of John Nolen Drive and East Olin Ave, with Lake Monona and downtown Madison in the background
John Nolen Drive and Lake Monona | cityofmadison.com

Looking Ahead: Community Meeting

Finally, we want to hear your input on the Monona Waterfront Design challenge! Join us on Monday, Feb 27th for a community meeting where we will discuss the plans and what they mean for people on bikes. You can find more info on our 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.