Doug Adler wrote:
Bikers from the south crossing at Perry are still destined for FH
(albiet without the nasty Beltline crossing) or a nastier yet Park
Street to get downtown.
Actually, there are several options for getting downtown without riding
on Fish Hatch or Park. You have to _cross_ Park, but that can be done at
a light.
Neither Fish Hatchery or Park are all that bad for a competent commuting
cyclist. It's the crossing of the Beltline - with the on/off ramps and
distracted drivers changing lanes - that is hell on wheels (sorry for
the pun.) In addition, since the hearing tonight is a Madison body, they
can really only deal with Madison roads or connections.
There are also plans for another connector on the recently-abandoned
rail line that crosses the Beltline near Todd Drive. (You can see the
route as a small dashed line on the Madison Bike Map. Although this will
be a good connector as well, it does not help those trapped between Fish
Hatcherey and Park/Hwy 14. Until there are good east-west routes south
of the Beltline other than the Cap City Trail, these pockets of
residential, retail/commercial, and job sites will continue to be
difficult to reach by bike.
All that said, I want to reassure you that a longer distance, and also
longer in the future route to Oregon is being pursued by the
Metropolitan Planning Organization, the body entrusted with
transportation decisions in the greater Madison area.
www.madisonareampo.org
However, the route to Oregon is currently considered a lower priority
than some other routes in the MPO area. If you want to raise that
priority, people need to speak up. I assure you that lots of people are
telling the MPO that a North Beltline, an expanded Verona Road, and
4-lanes on Cty Hwy M to Verona all need to be funded. We as bicyclists
need to make our voice heard as well.
Hope to see lots of people at the hearing tonight. A reminder that you
can also submit written comments in person and avoid staying while
others testify. Or, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] AND
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Ask that the emails be distributed to the entire
commission and included in the public hearing record.
--
Robbie Webber
Bicycle Friendly Communities Coordinator
Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin
www.bfw.org
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