An icy bike trail (generated on DALL·E by Daniel Villegas, 12.3.2023) Attention, bike riders of Madison! Here are your updates: Prepare for more cold weather this week out on the trails. Help do your part by reporting ice or snow-covered trails to keep all of our neighbors safe using “Report a Problem.” Report a Problem “Report a Problem” is a non-emergency tool the City of Madison uses to collect reports of ongoing issues or concerns with city services. Regular riders lately will have already taken note of the recent snowfall and exercised caution while navigating the bike trails. Our safety ..read more

In late November we hosted a community meeting about the planned North-South bus rapid transit (BRT) route and how it relates to biking. Staff from Metro and the city gave a presentation, followed by an extended Q&A and comments from attendees. If you couldn’t make the meeting, you’re in luck. We recorded the meeting, have the slides to share, and also have a complete transcript of the meeting. If you have any feedback, questions, or comments, please reach out to us (info@madisonbikes.org) or to the city: BRT@cityofmadison.com or via the website https://madisonbrt.com Thanks to Mike Cechva ..read more

Car-free Holiday Fantasy in Lights The highlight of this week is definitely our Car-Free Holiday Fantasy in Lights event. On Tuesday, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy Holiday Fantasy in Lights for two hours without having to worry about cars. Our Facebook event has over 1,800 people “interested,” which may be a record for any Madison Bikes event! From 5-7 pm, come bike, walk, or roll with us in Olin Park and enjoy a free coffee or hot chocolate provided by our friends at Wonderstate Coffee! And after you’ve done a loop or two, ride over to the Sheraton Madison for a social gathering from 6 ..read more

A map of Metro’s planned Bus Rapid Transit network. The North-South route (Route B) is shown in green. Image: City of Madison Madison’s first bus rapid transit (BRT) route, going from Junction Road on the west side to East Towne Mall on the East Side, is still under construction. But the City and Metro are already preparing for a second route, connecting the north and south side. If all goes well, the route could be in operation as early as 2028. Initial concept for a reconstructed Park Street, with a widened sidewalk on only one side of the street. Source: City of Madison The project will inv ..read more

Madison Bicyclist in front of the Monona Terrace. Photo: Cyclists of Madison S. Park St. Redevelopment Wednesday from 6:00PM – 7:30, join a virtual city meeting discussing S. Park St. redevelopment for BRT. Thursday from 5:30PM – 7:30 PM, there will also be an in-person meeting on the same topic in Fitchburg. Madison Bikes board member Craig Weinhold mentioned these meetings two weeks ago in an in-depth blog post about the sacrifices bicyclists and pedestrians have had to make to avoid disruptions to single occupancy vehicle traffic as BRT is expanded. Bicyclist safety and accessibility on S ..read more

Welcome to the Madison Bikes newsletter! We hope you’re keeping warm this week as you pedal your way into November. Remember, your hands and feet will be the first to feel the cold so make sure to have good gloves that keep the water out. If you don’t have waterproof gear and you have to cycle in some nasty conditions, try this. Hack #1: Layer your normal gloves with kitchen or latex gloves. To keep your feet warm, doubling up on socks can help, but if your shoes are already snug, you’ll want to avoid it because it can reduce circulation. I’ve also found that wind still goes right through eve ..read more

Madison’s Transportation Commission meets at 5 p.m. Wednesday to take up an agenda that includes a pair of Bikeways 2023 projects. The Bikeways program covers “small improvements and repairs to the city bike network,” and the projects up for review fit the bill. Each is just a skinny block long and meant to ease bikes past higher-traffic interruptions in otherwise lower-traffic routes. One of the two projects — both scheduled for construction in 2024 — would add an off-street bike path along Seminole Highway between Manitou Way and McCaffrey Drive, providing an easier entrance to the UW Arbore ..read more

(disclaimer: this is a personal blog and not an official position of Madison Bikes) You can learn more about the Mineral Point Road sidewalk project and provide input at Tuesday’s public information meeting: https://www.cityofmadison.com/calendar/brt-meeting-mineral-point-rd-sidewalk-widening In 1966, the Capital Community Citizens lobbied for a bicycle way on Mineral Point Rd to serve Memorial High School, then under construction. The idea of a “bike lane” or “bike way” was such a foreign concept that one member thought it might be a series of wood planks in the ditch next to the road. Opposi ..read more

Let’s start with a quick reminder that the Cap City Trail on the John Nolen Drive causeway is closed for repairs this week until Friday. More info here: https://www.cityofmadison.com/news/path-closure-capital-city-trail-along-john-nolen-drive-causeway Speaking of John Nolen Drive, last week the Transportation Commission approved the design for the intersection of Broom Street and John Nolen Drive. The new intersection will be a great improvement of the current design: The bike/pedestrian crossing will become much wider and have space for people queuing at the crossing; a slip lane from John No ..read more

In case you missed it in this week’s newsletter: We have a great event coming up at Union South on October 30, starting at 5pm (movie screening at 6pm): We are partnering with the Wisconsin Student Planning Association and the Wisconsin chapter of the Congress for New Urbanism to show “The Street Project.” The movie documents stories about humanity’s relationship to the streets and the global citizen-led fight to make communities safer. Here’s a bit more about the movie: In 2010, the small community of specialists who pay attention to US road safety statistics picked up on a troubling trend ..read more