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Newsletter Weekly Update

MPO Vote, Group Rides, Trail Updates

One of the Three Elroy-Sparta Rail Trail Tunnels You Safely Ride Through (After May 14th). Photo: Eric Reischl Photography

Last Week

Bike and Walk To School Week: The Lapham Elementary PTG organized a social at the school to celebrate bike and walk to school week, and had a great turnout! Thanks to Kyle Hanson for helping organize the event, and showing that in a well-designed city, walking and biking to school can be safe for all ages and abilities.

Madison Bicycle Center Membership: Madison Bicycle Center has opened its long-anticipated membership program, which offers downtown bicyclists secure indoor bike parking, bike and human showers, two tune-ups per year, and other services. See details here.

UBRC Video: The University Bicycle Resource Center on UW’s campus put out a new video about the services available to affiliates, check it out here.

This Week

Monday: Madison’s casual, fun, and inclusive Monday 40 group rides are up and running again, leaving from Orton Park at 6:00pm. See details here.

Tuesday: Slow Roll Cycles will host their weekly group ride, leaving from their shop on the Eastside at 6:20pm, details here.

Wednesday: Transporation Commission is meeting at 5pm, see here for agenda and participation details. Then, at 6:30pm Greater Madison Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is meeting to discuss and take action on their Regional Transportation Plan 2050. Link to agenda and participation details here.

Saturday: The famous Elroy-Sparta rail-trail is finally reopening after four years of repairs, following extensive flood damage in 2018. With the Stewart Tunnel closed to bikes, you can get your tunnel biking fix on this trail, which features three bikable rail tunnels, along with interesting scenery and camping accommodations. For adventurous riders interested in a tour from Madison to LaCrosse as the weather warms, the Elroy-Sparta is a must.

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

National Bike Month, Stewart Tunnel Survey

Gates in front of Badger State Trail’s Stewart Tunnel. A survey by the DNR seeks public input on how best to reopen or reimagine the tunnel. Photo from WI DNR.

May is National Bike Month! National Bike Month was started in 1956 to promote the benefits of bicycling, and to encourage more people to try it, according to the League of Amerian Bicyclists.

This June 5 through June 11, Madison Bikes is promoting Madison Bike Week! Feel free to register your event here if you want to host an event! The deadline to register your event is May 27. Check out the FAQ if you have any questions about hosting an event.

Last Week

First, the St. Paul Avenue, Ohio Avenue, Talmadge Street, Jackson Street, Lafollette Avenue Reconstruction Project started last Monday. East side riders may have noticed the Capital City Trail closure by Atwood, and this project is why. There is a signed detour using Waubesa Street, LaFollette Avenue, and Dunning Street. Also, the project’s website has a map of the detour. Once completed, there will be substantial improvements to the path intersections with Ohio Avenue and Jackson Street. This portion of the project is expected to last until mid-summer.

Next, the Wisconsin DNR posted a survey and a draft analysis about the future of the Badger State Trail’s Stewart Tunnel. The Wisconsin DNR closed the Stewart Tunnel in 2019 for structural reasons. The survey closes on June 1.

Lastly, a new bike shop opened up on Monroe Street! Destination Bicycle is Madison’s newest bike shop, and is mechanic owned and operated. Their website has information on services and pricing.

This Week

This Saturday, May 7, from 9:00AM to 11:00AM, there is a Cycling Without Age Celebration. The Village of Cross Plains now has a Cycling Without Age program. A celebration will take place at the Vessel Cafe, 1820 Main St, in Cross Plains, WI. The founder of Cycling Without Age, Ole Kassow, and Paulette Glunn, the Executive Director of Northwest Dane Senior Services, will speak at the event. There will also be a silent auction.

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

Madison Bikes Community Meeting, Atwood Update, More Bike Jobs

A pair of Madison bicyclists on a tandem last Friday. Photo: Harald Kliems.

This Week

On Monday from 6:00-7:30 PM, Madison Bikes is hosting a virtual community meeting to discuss gaps in Madison’s low-stress bike network and how to fix them. Fixing these gaps is an essential step towards making Madison a place where anyone living in any area of the city can safely get around without a vehicle. After a deadly year for Madison’s pedestrians and bicyclists, momentum is building at the city level to close these gaps. Community participation is essential to keeping that momentum going. Zoom link here, Facebook event page here.

Transportation Commission updates:

  • TC recommended Option 1 for Atwood Ave. reconstruction around Olbrich park, with Option 3 as the preferred alternative! This is great news, as these two options are the safest for bike riders of all ages and abilities – kudos to everyone who responded to our messages to vote! Parks will announce their final decision soon. For now, the survey is still open if you haven’t yet voted.
  • Madison BCycle presented expansion plans, including utilizing federal Transportation Alternatives funding to reach underserved areas of the city. A large expansion of their e-bike share stations is planned for this year.
  • Buffered bike lanes were approved on Tokay Blvd. between Whitney Way and Segoe Rd.

Ride the Drive cancelled for 2022. We are sad to hear that parks superintendent Eric Knapp notified the city last week that Ride the Drive is being cancelled for 2022, as Parks prioritizes other city projects due to staffing shortages. Blog post here. We will keep you updated with other kickoff event plans for Bike Week!

Bike jobs! DreamBikes is hiring a bicycle technician. DreamBikes is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization that works with local youth organizations to provide hands-on paid job training in the bike industry to Madison-area teens. Job posting 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

Bike Advocate Jobs; Group Rides; Policy Meetings; Detour Updates

A Madison bike commuter riding last Friday. Photo: Harald Kliems.

Last Friday’s Winter Bike to Work Day featured lots of fun. Thanks to the volunteers who helped hand out free food and drinks, and to our sponsors who provided deals to people commuting on bikes. Congratulations to Tara Dary, who had the closest guess for the Bike Counter total on the Cap City Path. The number was 262 and Tara guessed 249. That brings the counter to 1,570 for the week! Thank you to Revolution Cycles for the generous prize donation, which will be delivered by bike to Tara by one of our board members.

This Week

Bike advocacy jobs in Madison! This week you can apply for two jobs that support efforts to make Madison a better place for all pedestrians and bicyclists. Traffic Engineering is hiring a permanent Pedestrian Bicyclist Outreach Specialist with competitive pay and great benefits, application deadline 2/28/2022. Details here. The Bike Fed is also hiring an Educational Programs Instructor for the Madison area, application deadline 3/17/2022. Details here.

Detour update: The University Ave bike path detour via Flambeau Rd. through Indian Hills Park is now open, allowing users to avoid detouring via Whitney Way. See below for current detour and part of the path still closed.

On Monday, the Transportation Policy and Planning Board (TPPB) will be discussing plans for new streets in the Oscar Meyer Special Area Plan, which may make it easier to bike to areas of Madison siloed by Packers and Aberg avenues. TPPB will also be discussing making streeteries permanent, and will provide an update on Let’s Talk Streets. Link to more information.

On Tuesday, ride over to Slow Roll Cycles on Monona Drive for their weekly mellow group ride. Details posted on their Instagram and Facebook on Tuesday mornings, rides leave at 6:20 PM. Looks like it might be above freezing this week!

On Wednesday, join a free webinar with Beth Osborne, director of Transportation for America, for a discussion of Transportation for America’s “Driving Down Emissions” report. The report hones in on solutions to the challenges of making US transportation accessible to anyone, year round, whether they own a car or not. In reducing car dependence, these policies combat the largest driver of climate change in the US – transportation emissions. Registration required, link here.

Graph: EPA Emissions 2019 (https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions)

Wednesday at 5:30 PM, you can participate in long-term regional transportation planning in the Madison metro area. WisDOT, Metro Transit, and local government units in the Madison Area work with Madison MPO to make comprehensive, movable transportation plans for the area that comply with federal law. You can ask questions and provide feedback on the processes found in MPO Public Participation Plan, Regional Transportation Plan 2050, and Transportation Improvement Program during the meeting by registering here. Written comments can also be submitted by March 17th to wisconsin.fhwa@dot.gov.

On Thursday, a public information meeting about Russell Street reconstruction will happen at 6:00 pm. This small street can be used to access Atwood businesses and restaurants from the Cap City path, and its pavement is of particularly poor quality. Link 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

Winter Bike (To Work) Day

A cyclist rides past the Southwest Path’s Bike Counter. Photo: Cyclists of Madison Twitter.

This week has an exciting day for Madison Bikes. Friday is International Winter Bike To/From Work/Anywhere Day, and to celebrate, we have a special announcement! Announcing the International Winter Bike to Work Day “Guess the Bike Counter” contest!

Guess the correct total # of riders that pass by the bike counter at Capital City Trail @ N. Shore Dr. from 12:00am to 11:59pm on Friday, February 11th. Guesses must be submitted by 11:59pm on Thursday, February 10th – no late entries will be accepted. Submit by email (liz@madisonbikes.org) – one guess/entry per person. The prize, donated by Revolution Cycles, will be bike delivered to you by a Madison Bikes board member (if you are located in Madison).
Good luck!!

This Week

First up this week is a pair of public information meetings for the Hammersley Road Resurfacing Project. The pair of meetings is to allow more of the public to participate in the planning process. The first meeting is Tuesday evening at 6:00 PM, and the second is Wednesday at noon.

Hammersley Road is scheduled to be resurfaced between Brookwood and the W Beltline Frontage Rd in 2022 and 2023. The current plans are to remove on-street parking and bike lanes, replacing the bike lanes with an off-street multi-use path on the north side of the street.

Hammersley Rd Project Limits. City of Madison.

To learn more about the Hammersley Rd project, and how to participate in one of the public meetings, check out the project’s webpage. Also be sure to take the survey.

Wednesday also has a meeting of Madison’s Transportation Commission. The big items on the agenda are related to the permanent continuation of Madison’s Streatery program that allowed restaurants to use street space for expanded dining areas. A few other items are updates on 2022 Transportation projects, but there isn’t much info about them other than locations.

As mentioned earlier, Thursday at midnight is when guesses due for the “Guess the Bike Counter” contest for Winter Bike to Work Day.

On Friday, February 11, join Madison Bikes and our partners as we celebrate International Winter Bike to/from Work (or anywhere) Day:

International Winter Bike to Work Day is a real thing…and we’re loving it! Join us on your way home from work or school and enjoy a warm beverage, a hot fire and some friendly winter biking conversations. Coffee donated by Lodgic Everyday Community.

In addition to various specials all day around the city, join us between 3pm and 5pm along the Capital City Trail — near the timekeeper between the convention center and the causeway. We’ll have treats, a hot fire, warm beverages and a lot of the enthusiasm!

On Sunday, Freewheel is restarting its Sunday Volunteer Day. This volunteer opportunity is at the Madison Bicycle Resource Center on S Pinkney St. Learn more about this volunteer opportunity 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

December brings flurry of activity

We don’t have any snow yet, but it’s coming!

After a slow couple of weeks, what with Thanksgiving and then few meetings afterward, we are going to see a bunch of activity before the end of the year. We are also seeing the first snowfall/freezing temperatures, so I hope everyone has figured out their winter biking options. If not, swing on by the Madison Bikes Community Facebook group, where there will be plenty of discussions of how to cope with/enjoy winter on a bike.

The week ahead

Monday

A reminder that a portion of the Blackhawk Path through Shorewood Hills will be closed starting today. The portion that will be closed runs from Tomahawk Trail to about where the path crosses under University Ave. The closure is expected to last six weeks. More information on the project, as well as maps of detours, can be found here. 

The Transportation Planning and Policy Board meeting was cancelled, so nothing to report for that. 

Tuesday

The University Bicycle Resource Center will have an in-person class from noon-1:30 pm: Bike Through Winter. The UBRC is located in the parking garage under Helen C White Library, across Park St from Memorial Union. You can also check out recordingings of all their past classes on YouTube.  

Wednesday

The Transportation Commission will virtually meet at 5 pm. You can view the agenda, watch online, or comment by email or during the meeting here. On the agenda are a few items of interest to bicyclists. 

  • An update on the buffered bike lanes that were passed at the last TC meeting. Not sure what the update is about, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a few comments in support. I think staff were surprised how easily it went after the difficulties getting the lanes on Whitney Way. 
  • Update on reconstruction of St Paul Ave on the east side. This project will include raised crossings for the Cap City Trail at Ohio Ave and Jackson St, so fewer bumps riding that section of path!
  • If you are interested in how the new system to allocate funding for traffic calming, Vision Zero, bike/ped improvements, and school zone safety is coming along, there will be a discussion and a review of a list of projects under the title of Safe Streets Madison. 
  • The committee will also review the signal priority list, deciding where new traffic signals should be placed. 
  • Finally, the committee will review the crash report from 2020 and discuss what it shows us. The report shows the most common crash types and locations for motor vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycles, and mopeds. There’s a lot to learn in this report. 

Thursday

The Plan Commission will hold a special session to discuss a proposed Transit-Oriented Development overlay zoning for the BRT route and surrounding areas. TOD zoning specifically calls out improvements in bicycling and walking connections to facilitate both access to high capacity transit and to discourage auto-oriented land use. Although this is not bicycle-specific, it will be an interesting discussion to hear and will give us some insights into future non-auto development that is likely to happen along the BRT routes. The meeting starts at 5:00 pm, and you can stream it or watch it later here.

Saturday

Finally, it’s time for the Santa Rampage! Starting at 9:00 am at various locations to converge on Library Mall at 11:00 am, make sure to wear your holiday finest — don’t show up without a costume, but it doesn’t have to be Santa — and ride the streets of Madison spreading cheer and raising funds for Bike Fed’s efforts across the state. This is a slow roll, family-friendly event, so bring everyone.

This year, there will also be a clothing drive for kids that may not have warm stuff for winter. More details, timing, routes, and registration can be found at the event page or by contacting Caitlin Hussey at Caitlin@wisconsinbikefed.org.


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

TPPB, TC, Hub Demo, Cranksgiving, and Much More

Winter slowly creeping its way in. Photo credit: Harald Kliems

Last Week

At Tuesday’s Common Council budget meeting, an amendment to halt funding for BRT until the council approved an alternate route failed to receive enough votes to pass. This means that for now, BRT will continue to be funded with the plan to have it run down State Street.

On Friday, The Bodgery unveiled its new bike work stand area. Members can schedule its use 24/7. It is a warm space where you can work on your bike projects over winter.

On Saturday, Madison Bikes held its Winter Bike Meet and Greet. If you missed it, you can always post to our Facebook Community page with any questions you have about extending your riding into the winter season!

This Week

This is a pretty packed week with lots going on, so let’s dive in!

On Monday there will be a virtual meeting of Madison’s Transportation Policy and Planning Board at 5:00 PM. One big item is the approval of TAP projects. These are projects that would improve the ability of people to get around without a car. Here’s the full agenda.

On Tuesday, the University Bicycle Resource Center is holding a hub overhaul demo at 6:00 PM. The class will cover disassembling and repacking a hub’s bearings. This is a free event and will be located at the UBRC’s location in the Helen C. White garage, next to the Memorial Union.

Also on Tuesday, there will be a public meeting for Connect Greater Madison 2050. This meeting will take place at noon. You can learn more about it and register for the virtual meeting here.

On Wednesday Madison’s Transportation Commission will meet virtually at 5:00 PM. On the agenda is an update on Sheboygan Ave bike lanes, and an item asking for review and feedback of 2022 Public Works transportation projects. You can get the full agenda here.

On Friday, the Bike Fed of Wisconsin will be holding its Fall FUNdraiser. This event will be at Trek HQ in Waterloo, and is scheduled to run from 6-10 PM. You can read more about it and get tickets here.

On Saturday, the Wisconsin State Cyclocross Championship races are being held at Trek HQ in Waterloo. This event starts at 9 AM. You can learn more about that here.

Finally, Sunday is Cranksgiving. Cranksgiving is “part bike ‘race’, part food drive, part scavenger hunt”. This year’s event will be more virtual, but you can participate by picking up a manifest at Black Saddle Bike Shop in N Sherman, biking to the various grocery stores for items, then dropping off those items at Goodman Community Center on Waubesa St. You can learn more 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

Review the budget, take a survey

Look at those new Whitney Way bike lanes! Photo credit: Ben Sandee

Join Our Board of Directors!

We are seeking applicants for our Board of Directors! Harald covered the gig in detail here; I also tried to list as much as I could remember about the work Madison Bikes has accomplished in just the past few years. Please share the Board application with those who you think might be a good fit. If you are at all in doubt, we would love to talk with you.

Last Week

The city held a session about John Nolen Drive, which is set for reconstruction in the next few years. Take their survey if you haven’t yet, and please share with others who get around by bike, bus, wheels, and feet. So far, the city has noted that the survey indicates “John Nolen Drive should be an automobile centered corridor” route, although as someone who has witnessed crashes on the narrow trail along the causeway, and has looked wistfully over at the multiple, mostly-empty traffic lanes while the multi-use trail was packed with cyclists, children, workers, couples, and joggers, I would argue that John Nolen could actually be much more than just what it is. This is especially important given the reality that we will very likely see denser development in areas like Bram’s Addition and other surrounding neighborhoods, and we should be doing better to connect those folks to the city safely and easily (including by bike and by transit).

Speaking of surveys, take the second Let’s Talk Streets survey. In direct contrast to the John Nolen discussion, this survey is looking for your approval to move forward with a vision of our streets being first for people and their safety. Really, take the survey!

This Week

Whoosh! It’s budget season. You might want to spend time brushing up on the Executive Budget, both capital and operational. Finance Committee hearings kickoff this week. On Monday, October 11, the Finance Committee will hear about Transportation (Public Works will come on Tuesday, October 12). Meetings start at 4:30 pm. I’d recommend checking out the map of the Capital Improvements budget items. Dane County also has a proposed Executive Budget out from County Exec Joe Parisi; I’m actually going to pass you over to Madison Bikes Community Facebook member Craig Weinhold, who summarized the bike-related items in that budget well here. You can read the budget memo here (bike stuff on pages 19-20).

Also on Wednesday at 6:30 pm, the Parks Commission will meet. A few of its items are relevant to the biking community, including options for a new multi-use path through Olbrich Park. You might also be interested in learning more about the PARC and Ride grant from Dane County.

There’s a lot going on with transportation in Madison and Dane County these days, and it’s hard to follow. I wanted to shout out to Madison Bikes’ President Harald Kleims (who also serves on the Transportation Commission) for writing a great Twitter thread about his perspective on the Bus Rapid Transit discussion and stop options. I’m the first one to jump into some jokes on this issue, but if you haven’t been following, I think Harald lays out clearly why no options are perfect (turns out, nothing is!), but why State Street is generally a better routing option.

Wow, did you get all the way to the end of this post? Sounds like you might be a great fit for our Board of Directors. We’d love to have 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.

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Newsletter Weekly Update

Velo Underround Opens, Meetings

Velo Underround. Photo credit Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District

Last Week

As of Friday, the bike roundabout that links the Capitol City, Military Ridge, and Cannonball trails, commonly known as the Velo Underround, has been officially reopened! The roundabout had been closed for several months this summer to improve storm water drainage from the site. According to the MMSD, this project finished two months ahead of schedule.

This Week

On Monday, the City’s Transportation Policy is meeting online at 5:00 PM. Much of the agenda will be focused on transit planning. There will be at least two semi-bike related items. The first is a discussion item on the lowering of speed limits on East Washington. The second is about the Draft Vision Zero Action Plan.

On Wednesday, the more region-focused Greater Madison Metropolitan Planning Organization is meeting at 6:30 PM. On the agenda is adopting the five year 2022-2026 Transportation Improvement Program. This is a planning document that goes into detail about projects that should be considered over the next five years in Madison and Dane County. There will also be an update on the Connect Greater Madison Regional Transportation Plan 2050. This is a more forward thinking plan about where we would like to see Dane County’s transportation network by 2050.

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.