I have a feeling that this was not supposed to be leaked until Wednesday's press conference, but I got word through my neighborhood listserv (see below), and then a reporter also leaked it on-line a few minutes ago: http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt_and_politics/city_hall/article_599d62ba-3e7c-11df-99af-001cc4c002e0.html
Here's what my neighborhood got this morning: [start forward] Dear neighbors, The City of Madison, Madison Parks, Wisconsin Bike Federation and Trek Bikes are hosting a Kick-off press conference April 7th 10AM at UW Arboretum to announce plans for two Ride the Drive Programs (June 6th & Aug 29th) and The Trek Time Trial (August 29th). I know many of you took advantage of last year's Ride the Drive: it was truly a great event and lots of fun to see bicyclists and pedestrians take over our downtown streets. Of particular interest to our neighborhood: the August 29 Ride the Drive route will include parts of our neighborhood. I will be working closely with city staff to try to minimize any disruption. As the route gets finalized and the date approaches, I will make sure to share more detailed information with all of you. In the meantime, here is some general information: Ride the Drive Information June 6, 2010 & August 29, 2010 www.cityofmadison.com/transportation/ridethedrive/ Ride the Drive is a wonderful way to celebrate the City’s culture, experience the picturesque landscapes and develop alternative transportation lifestyle. Ride the Drive transcends the benefits to the Grater Madison area by expanding the opportunities to connect individuals to neighborhoods, neighborhoods to commerce and commerce to the entire Madison community, it is truly and all inclusive event. Following the success of the inaugural Ride the Drive (August 30, 2009) the City of Madison, Madison Parks, Wisconsin Bike Federation and Trek Bikes is pleased to continue our efforts in providing the community with a car free care free days by offering two Ride the Drive experiences. Sunday, June 6th and Sunday, August 29th the City of Madison will once again open the streets to non-motorized transportation and invites pedestrians to bike, stroll or skate along miles of City streets and pathways. · The June 6th (10AM-4PM) RTD event will travel the original course established for the inaugural RTD, but there has been major additions to on the street entertainment, family activities and 2-hours of expanded time (close at 4PM). · The August 29th (12noon-4PM) program will be extended from 6-miles to over 11-miles and will be the course for the Trek Bicycle Corporation, Trek Time Trials. · The Trek Time Trials (7AM-12noon) will pave the way for the August 29th RTD with an early morning closed course race that welcomes professional and amateur athletes to compete for best times. After which Trek sponsored athlete Lance Armstrong will pilot the Ride the Drive opening ceremony by leading the first lap of the course as it opens to the community to enjoy the Ride the Drive atmosphere and a host of Ride the Drive programs and activities. Ride the Drive Highlights · Traffic – Traffic Engineering has established a traffic plan for both courses (maps will be on the web next week) that provides access to all areas of the City. We do understand that there may be some minor delays and will make adjustments day of i.e. bike escort, traffic signal timing and police intersections. Both Ride the Drive events are designed to accommodate city traffic and Metro users with updates provided on the Ride the Drive website, www.cityofmadison.com/transportation/ridethedrive During the Trek Time Trial (August 29th 7AM-12noon) it is a closed course. Close Course is for the safety of the participants and spectators. Only emergency vehicles will be allowed to cross the streets during the Time Trial. The professional athletes will be escorted by motorcycle to help alert spectators. · Emergency Service – All emergency service will have access without delay · Schedule of Events - o June 6th Streets will be closed at 7AM for sponsor and vender set-up and the event will be from 10AM-4PM. o August 29th Streets will be closed at 5AM for the event set-up. Time Trial 7AM-12noon and RTD 12noon-4PM · Route – Participants do not have to ride the entire course, it is only what that want to do (as much or as little). There are family activities, entertainment stages, comfort stations and vending areas throughout the routes so participants can select to stay in one area or ride the entire course. · Cost to participate – this is a free event but there will be donation areas for those individuals that are interested in supporting Ride the Drive activities. · What will this cost the tax payer – in 2009 the goal was to have the event pay for itself not tax monies used for supplies or other services and charges, the same is true for 2010. · Communication/ Information Plan o Kick-off press conference is scheduled for April 7th 10AM at UW Arboretum o Website www.cityofmadison.com/transportation/ridethedrive/ o Direct Communication will be sent via multi-media outlets. · Community Impact o Ride the Dive promotes healthy lifestyles, environment improvement and alternative transportation habits. o Economic impact to the community is very positive. Local business benefit with having thousands of individual shoppers at their front door. Sponsorships are designed to provide business the opportunity to purchase advertisement at all levels. Additionally, non-for-profits and small business will have the opportunity to host program areas and provide information. o Community spirit is enhanced as Madison’s extraordinary landscape the background for local artist to perform, neighbors to reconnect and new friendship develop. Respectfully, Shiva Bidar-Sielaff District 5 Alder (608) 220-6986 [end forwarded message] Shiva asked that the alders get some idea what was going on, since some new neighborhoods - such as ours - will be part of the course in August. Not only will more areas of town be impacted, but the the event will last longer as well. The above is what was sent to her. Now, don't get me wrong, I am thrilled that my neighborhood will be part of this event. Instead of a "street closing," this is really a "street opening" for people using non-motorized transportation. But it's generally a good idea to let the residents (and alder) know when you are planning something that may upset a bunch of people. We can all work it out, and most of my neighbors are likely to be very supportive, but big surprises aren't always universally welcome. Robbie Webber Bike Walk Madison Steering Committee www.bikewalkmadison.org Join our group on Facebook! _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
