I believe that the bike trail along the rail corridor between the Village of Shorewood Hills and Middleton could be constructed in 2013 - 2014, if there was support. Thus far, we have some interest expressed by Middleton staff but we are lacking the biking support we enjoyed for the SW Bike Trail Missing Link. Compromise does not build bike paths...
________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Doug Adler Sent: Wed 11/19/2008 16:18 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Bikies] Bikies Digest, Vol 56, Issue 22 I disagree. While rail trails are great, University sorely needs some bike/ped improvements. There are stretches of nice path along there, but the bike route detours in a few sections are ridiculous if you are commuting or trying to get to a business along University versus taking a liesurely weekend ride. And just continuing those existing multi-use paths along University is no good due to the number of dangerous road & driveway crossings. Bike lanes in those sections connecting the existing paths would seem a good compromise. I like arterials for the same reason motorists do - they are usually the most direct route, and there aren't stop signs every few blocks. If it were a real, immediate either-or choice I might think differently, but right now the tantalizing possibility of a nearby rail trail in some distant future isn't enough to convince me not to spend money on bike lanes. And on that report, it would seem to me that "provision of separate cycling facilities" would include marked bike lanes. While no doubt completely separate is better, it's rarely practical and even more rarely actually pulled off.. -Doug Adler ________________________________ Subject: RE: [Bikies] University Avenue lane re: encouraging cycling From: "Schimpff, Jeff A - DNR" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:26:11 -0600 To: "Nelson, Larry" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> , "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Nelson, Larry" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> , "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Indeed, the rail route would be infinitely preferable to biking along University Avenue. Over time, pedaling on a high-traffic roadway like that does cause respiratory damage, not to mention the moral distress it causes to see so many people yakking alone on their cell phones. The rail route provides a healthy separation from traffic pollution and a scenic boost to the psyche. If rail transit ever emerges, then the engines will need to be all-electric, rather than diesel electric, to protect trail users' health. It is overall cleaner as well as lower-carbon and more energy efficient to run a train on electricity produced at the Walnut Street plant than by a diesel engine, even if it ran on biodiesel. It would be great to team up with Middleton and Dane County at the same time, and extend a path all the way to Deming Way, and then connect across Hwy 14 to the Hwy 12 path (as much as I denigrate its proximity to Hwy 12, that junction could be the site of a successful "Park and Bike" for our daily guests from Cross Plains and Sauk Prairie, the next time oil prices leap to record levels). Jeff Schimpff Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Madison, WI 608-267-7853 "Bus, Bike, Carpool to Work for Clean Air for Kids" ________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nelson, Larry Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 8:01 AM To: Meiers, Steve; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [Bikies] encouraging cycling "The key to achieving high levels of cycling appears to be the provision of separate cycling facilities along heavily travelled roads and at intersections, combined with traffic calming of most residential neighbourhoods." I believe that we have reached the same conclusion but we continue to add bike lanes on arterial streets rather than provide separate cycling facilities. Case in Point: we are required to add bike lanes on University Avenue between Segoe and Allen (scheduled for 2011). To do so will require the acquistion of right of way, which will be quite costly. Those resources could be better spent on a separate facility, such as the construction of a bike path on the rail corridor about a 1/2 mile to the south. Now that facility would get people out of SOVs. ________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Meiers, Steve Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 7:48 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Bikies] encouraging cycling This is in a British Journal Transportation Review- you may be able to get a copy of it through your local library. Journal Article Making Cycling Irresistible: Lessons From The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany. Pucher J, Buehler R. Transp Rev <http://www.safetylit.org/week/journalpage.php?jid=6004> 2008; 28(4): 495-528. DOI: 10.1080/01441640701806612 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01441640701806612> What is this? <http://www.safetylit.org/definitions.htm#doi> (Copyright © 2008, Taylor and Francis Group) This article shows how the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany have made bicycling a safe, convenient and practical way to get around their cities. The analysis relies on national aggregate data as well as case studies of large and small cities in each country. The key to achieving high levels of cycling appears to be the provision of separate cycling facilities along heavily travelled roads and at intersections, combined with traffic calming of most residential neighbourhoods. Extensive cycling rights of way in the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany are complemented by ample bike parking, full integration with public transport, comprehensive traffic education and training of both cyclists and motorists, and a wide range of promotional events intended to generate enthusiasm and wide public support for cycling. In addition to their many pro-bike policies and programmes, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany make driving expensive as well as inconvenient in central cities through a host of taxes and restrictions on car ownership, use and parking. Moreover, strict land-use policies foster compact, mixed-use developments that generate shorter and thus more bikeable trips. It is the coordinated implementation of this multi-faceted, mutually reinforcing set of policies that best explains the success of these three countries in promoting cycling. For comparison, the article portrays the marginal status of cycling in the UK and the USA, where only about 1% of trips are by bike. Language: Eng Steve Meiers Safety educator (608) 267-1102 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________ _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
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