Dear Mayor Cieslewicz,
I want to thank Marjorie Ward of the Bicycle Federation of
Wisconsin for crafting the well thought out letter on possible changes to
the current bicycle parking policy for State Street during Halloween.
After reading her letter and reading news accounts, I came up with a few
more ideas.
1. It seems that the concerns about the bike racks being used as
projectiles or causing injuries are a function of rack design. Could these
problems be eliminated by a different style of bike rack? If so, then a
new style of bike rack needs to be selected relatively soon because the
first phase of the State Street reconstruction is scheduled to begin in
2004. If this new style of bike rack is different than what has already
been selected for the State Street reconstruction, I would suggest
installing the new style racks instead of the currently selected racks.
2. Media accounts stated that the Halloween celebration caused congestion
problems not only in the State Street area but in the Isthmus area as a
whole. I would suggest mitigating traffic congestion using ideas from the
traffic demand management the UW implements for UW home football games.
Have shuttle busses from the east and west bus transfer points drop people
off at either end of State Street; encourage people to walk or bike to
State Street; reserve part of nearby parking ramps and lots for secure bike
parking; and advertise these initiatives in the media and through the UW
community well in advance of Halloween. If the police don't have to deal
with as much traffic congestion, more effort can be focused on State Street
and maybe less police overtime will have to be funded.
3. Finally, I note that the bike parking policy for State Street during
Halloween has never been brought before the Pedestrian/Bicycle/Motor
Vehicle Commission (PBMVC). I would suggest that the Bicycle Federation of
Wisconsin participate in a discussion of this policy with Madison Police
department representatives before the PBMVC. PBMVC has a regularly
scheduled agenda item for a Police Department representative (Stephanie
Bradley-Wilson) to appear on traffic related issues. A discussion of the
bike rack policy as well as congestion mitigation could be scheduled under
this agenda item at everybody's earliest convenience. I would further
suggest that congestion mitigation measures be brought before the Transit
and Parking commission for their input.
I know the aftermath of this year's Halloween celebration is a
difficult issue with which to deal. Thank you for your consideration of
these ideas for dealing with one part of that issue. Please feel free to
contact me if you have any questions.
Mark N. Shahan
Chair Pedestrian/Bicycle/Motor Vehicle Commission
607 Piper Drive
Madison, WI 53711-1338
(608) 274-9367
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
At 1:27 PM -0600 11/11/03, Marjorie Ward wrote:
> FYI...the following letter went out last week...
>
> November 3, 2003
>
> MayorDave Cieslewicz
> 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Room 403
> Madison, WI 53703
>
> Dear Mayor Cieslewicz:
>
> At the request of Jeanne Hoffman I am providing a list of possible future
>changes to bicycle parking policy for State Street during the annual
>Halloween celebrations.
>
> Each year the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin receives many complaints
>with regards to the removal of bicycle parking and the �towing� of
>bicycles from State Street for Halloween. I understand that the City has
>many public safety concerns with regards to Halloween, and in an effort to
>improve conditions for everyone and to continue to move Madison towards
>the alternative transportation leader that it is becoming; I submit the
>following ideas gathered from BFW staff, BFW members, and local Madison
>bicycle enthusiasts:
>
> � Verify whether bicycle racks actually pose any problem.
>
>
>o Is
> there a history of people being injured by the racks or using them as
>projectiles? Have the racks been damaged by crowds in the past? Great
>inconvenience for bicyclists and great expense for the City could be
>avoided entirely by leaving the racks in place.
>
>
>If racks must be removed, consider the following:
>
> � Improve notification of removal of bike racks.
>
>
>o More
> (and more prominent) notices posted on State Street and other affected
>areas. In addition to being posted on bike racks, signs should be posted
>on lampposts and other fixtures that would likely be used for alternative
>parking once the bike racks are removed.
>
>o Encourage State Street businesses to post signs warning of rack
>removal and �towing� prior to and during removal operations.
> o Get media hits before removal of the racks rather than after, so
>people can plan for alternate bike parking or transportation.
> o City send a notice of removal dates to BFW and UW Transportation
>Services prior to removal�possibly also to Metro.
> o Make sure policy on removal is consistent and clear. Give
>locations and specific dates and times when bikes and racks will be
>removed. This year, many people only understood that bikes would be
>removed from State Street itself�not side streets.
> � Improve notification of how to retrieve �towed� bicycle
>
>
>o Provide
> phone numbers for retrieval on all notices and media hits.
>
>o Make an attempt to notify owners of registered bikes that are �towed�.
> � Reduce the amount of time for �towed� bicycles to be returned.
>
>
>o Plan
> better for the increased load on the property office. Rent extra trucks
>or hire temp workers to take up the extra workload. For some individuals,
>their bicycle is their only means of transportation and two days delay in
>getting their vehicle returned is a hardship. Bicycle retrieval should be
>available during the weekend.
>
>� Provide alternate bicycle parking during Halloween.
>
>
>o Relocate
> removed racks to nearby automobile parking garages. This may require a
>few spaces in the garages be blocked for a few days.
>
>o Provide signage indicating where alternate bicycle parking will be
>located during and after rack removal.
> o Other ideas for alternate parking include using a UW surface lot
>or renting an empty storefront on State Street.
> o Study if it is really necessary to remove racks from the 100-300
>blocks of State Street and from side streets.
> � If possible, avoid destroying bike locks when removing or moving
>the racks.
> � Commit the resources to replacing the bike racks as soon as
>possible after Halloween, at least within a day or two at the most.
>
> In the past, it is my understanding that Craig Heywood was in charge of a
>majority of the work associated with bike removal. The problems in the
>past were not nearly so severe as this year�s issues. Mr. Heywood did not
>participate in this year�s process. Perhaps Mr. Heywood could again work
>on this project or consult with others working on the project.
>
> Thank you for your consideration of these ideas and for your on-going
>support of bicyclists in Madison. Please feel free to contact me if you
>have any questions or would like to discuss the matter further.
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
> Marjorie Ward
> Executive Director
> Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin
>
> Cc: Jeanne Hoffman
> Arthur Ross
> Lt. Ballas
> Jim Nikora
>
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