The Madison Bike Week calendar is filling up with great events stretching from June 1 to June 8. It’s time to double-check your own calendar to make sure a few of them are there — and maybe triple-check whether you’ve got something to add to the events. A few to consider: COOKIES. Do you already miss Girl Scout Cookies season? Here’s your chance for another thin mint, and for free (courtesy Girl Scout Troop 8267) on the Cap City Path at Jackson Street from 1 to 3 p.m. on June 1. Explore another silent sport. Join Badger Rowing at their Porter Boathouse, 680 Babcock Drive, for a bagel-and-coff ..read more

(disclaimer: this is a personal blog and not an official position of Madison Bikes) Alder Nikki Conklin recently announced the scuttling of a long-planned North/South path through the Sauk Creek Greenway on Madison’s far west side. This is an unfortunate capitulation. The tragedy isn’t so much the loss of the path, but the way in which it was lost and how it unfairly perpetuates a “Bikes vs Trees” narrative. If you just want action, jump to Next Steps at the bottom of this painfully-long blog. An area map of planned bike improvements, with the Sauk Creek greenway highlightedBackground The 26 ..read more

Metro Transit bus, by Lauren Graves – UW Transportation Services Metro Transit hits 1M+ rides in February Metro Transit once again hit a post-pandemic milestone of providing over one million rides in February 2024. The agency reports having provided 1,019,324 rides in February ’24, a 12.5% year-over-year increase over February ’23. This is the second non-consecutive month Metro has had more than 1 million rides in a month since before the pandemic, with October 2023 being the last seeing roughly 1,075,500 riders. Metro continues to make progress in recovering post-pandemic ridership Coming thi ..read more

Bike Wash and Safety Check The Madison Bike Week 2024 webpage is up! Events are starting to come in, and soon the calendar will start filling in as groups, businesses, neighborhood associations, non-profits, and individuals start submitting their plans. Do you want to host an event? The form to let us know what you’d like to do is on that page as well. There are some pre-approved locations from the city in public parks and rights of way (streets), but you can also add events on private property or get city permission for additional locations. Let us know if you have questions. Updates fro ..read more

‘Tis the season for prescribed burns — it’s an oldie-but a goodie (Harald Kliems and Cyclists of Madison) If you’re interested in shaping the future of our Dane County Parks, please consider taking the time to complete the Dane County Parks and Open Space Plan Survey. The survey is open until May 1, 2024 so you’ve got a couple of weeks to collect your thoughts on the subject. The results of the survey will shape the next five year plan so it’s literally a once-in-a-lifetime (of a guinea pig) opportunity! Also, here’s your once every few months (the lifespan of a flea) reminder to subscribe to ..read more

Aftermath of last week’s snow on the University Bay Dr overpass Is this the week that spring is going to start in earnest? Is it time to take off the studded tires? I dare not make any predictions, especially for a week that starts with a solar eclipse. But it seems several bike clubs and riding groups are starting their season. Read more below. A new kind of traffic signal On the far west side of time, at Junction and Watts, Madison premiered its first 4″ bike signal. While we have full-size bike signals in several places around town, these signals are right-sized for being on the near side o ..read more

Ghost Bike placed in memory of Joseph Solomon who was killed by a van while riding home from his job at HyVee East (Photo: John Chady)RoundTrip’s Spring Roll Challenge Earth day (April 22) is approaching and it’s a perfect time to shake off the rust and get in the commuting habit again if you haven’t already. The RoundTrip transportation options program is jump starting this process by launching the Spring Roll Challenge to encourage car-free and car-light trips during April.  The news release from the City of Madison is here:   https://www.cityofmadison.com/news/2024-03-27/roun ..read more

Cyclists cruise down the Cap City Trail on Madison’s East Side Welcome to this week’s newsletter. If you aren’t familiar, this newsletter shares the need-to-know information for bicycle advocates in the Madison area. As we gather to address both the joys and challenges of biking, this issue touches upon critical matters—from supporting those affected by tragedy, to community meetings where discussions of bicycling safety can take place. We are deeply saddened by the loss of Joseph Solomon, who was killed by a driver while biking home from work on Lien Rd on the East Side. I can’t express how f ..read more

The worst possible news on Friday: Around 6:20 p.m., according to the Madison Police Department, a 35-year-old man riding a bicycle was hit and killed by a driver on Lein Road near Parkside Drive. His name has not yet been released. The incident report says police impounded the vehicle believed to be involved and located its owner, but are still investigating. The West Area Plan … area. (City of Madison map)Comment on city planning The public comment period for Madison’s West Area Plan — addressing future growth and development in the area enclosed by North and South Midvale boulevards, the be ..read more

It’s daylight savings time. Don’t forget to skip your clock an hour forward if it isn’t automatic- you don’t want to miss this week’s updates. A ghost bike memorial for the late Sarah Debbink Langenkamp (credit: Alicia Bosscher, 2022) This week – urgent action needed Sarah Debbink Langenkamp was killed while riding her bike in a bike lane in Bethesda, Maryland in August of 2022. The driver who struck her received a meager sentence of 150 hours of community service and a $2,000 fine. Sarah’s husband, Dan, is urging lawmakers to take action and pass the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transporta ..read more