Wisconsin Bicyclist Volume 6, No. 1 Springforth, 2000 Official Newsletter of the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin.

Here is Vol. 5, No. 3, of Wisconsin Bicyclist (Dogdays 1999).

New Commuter Route Under Way
Hank Aaron State Trail

The construction of the Hank Aaron State Trail along the Menomonee River in Milwaukee is finally under way. When completed, the trail will cover approximately six miles, starting at Lake Michigan and ending at the Milwaukee County Park's Oak Leaf Trail in Doyne Park.

The trail will pass the summer festival grounds, through the historic Third Ward, and enter the Menomonee Valley. The corridor offers views of the Menomonee River and numerous sites of historic and cultural interest. It will also offer a less congested path to the Brewers new baseball stadium.

The trail will provide recreational opportunities for those wishing to bike, roller blade, walk, fish, or canoe. It will also serve as a commuting corridor, linking the west side of Milwaukee with the downtown, the largest employment center in the state. Unlike most DNR trails, using it will not require paying a fee.

The entire trail will eventually be paved with asphalt. Segments that have been developed include:

• Segments along 44th Street making the connection between Doyne Park and the stadium
• a half-mile segment directly across from the stadium
• and a 1.25 mile segment along the river from 13th to 25th and Canal Street.

Other portions along the Menomonee River are still in gravel and are a bit rough. These segments are along the south side of the river and go from just west of Mitchell Park, along the river, west to the stadium. Additional portions of the trail will be completed over the next few years. Possibly the most important segment, a bridge spanning the active railroad yards which will provide the linkage of the east and west portions of the trail, is scheduled for 2002.

The White House Millennium Council has designated the Hank Aaron State Trail as a Millennium Legacy Trail. Hank Aaron is scheduled to be on hand for the formal dedication of the trail, which will take place on August 19, 2000, in conjunction with a fund raising run/walk sponsored by the Metro Milwaukee Civic Alliance and the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. For more information, contact Trail Manager Melissa Cook at 414-263-8559 or e-mail at cookm'dnr.state.wi.us.

Bike to Work Project Gaining Momentum

by Andrea Broaddus

Three downtown Milwaukee employers are participating in the Milwaukee Bikes to Work project as demonstration sites. They are Johnson Controls, Miller Brewing, and the City of Milwaukee. Each worksite has formed a Bicycle Action Committee, which is working to identify barriers to biking and improve bike facilities on site. The committees are also planning outreach and incentive programs for the summer months.

Surveys conducted last December asked employees about their commuter habits. The response rate ranged from 16% at Miller to 31% at the City Municipal Complex, and 34% at Johnson Controls. Of those who responded: 76% own a bicycle, 68% bike recreationally, 15% have tried biking to work, and 4% said the bicycle was their primary or alternative method of getting to work. The survey indicated that 51% live within ten miles of the workplace, and 20% within five miles.

Respondents said the main reasons they use their car as their primary method of getting to work are convenience and schedule. The top three reasons given as things that prevent biking to work were: inclement weather and/or darkness, professional dress code, and worries about safety. Other reasons given were living too far away, child-care dropoffs and pickups and other errands on the way to and from work, and using the car during the day. The three factors most often cited that would encourage biking to work more frequently were: safe, friendly bike routes/lanes to work, better facilities at work, and employer-sponsored incentives. Other high-ranking incentives were having an emergency transportation option available at work, and having someone to ride with.

Andrea Broaddus is the project manager for Milwaukee Bikes to Work, 414-225-9496, milbtw'chorus.net

Milwaukee Bikes to Work Week

by Andrea Broaddus

This year marked Milwaukee's biggest-ever Bike to Work celebration. Milwaukee Bikes to Work week was May 22 - 26, and featured a series of fun events to encourage people to use their bikes as a means of transportation to work, to shop, and to go out for entertainment. Biking to work is healthy and fun. Riding your bike reduces stress, gives you cardiovascular exercise, and cuts down on car expenses and parking hassles. Even riding just once or twice a week during the summer can make a difference, improving your health and Milwaukee's air quality.

Brown bag workshops and a bike buddy program are part of a project by the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin to encourage bicycle commuting. Find out more at www.mkebikestowork.org.

Look for an article in the next issue of Wisconsin Bicyclist on the great success of Milwaukee's first ever Bike to Work Week. You can help make Milwaukee a bike-friendly city. Contact Andrea at 414-255-9496, or info'mkebikestowork.org for more information.

The BFW Executive Director's Report

by Jeanne Hoffman

This issue of the Wisconsin Bicyclist has a theme: living car-free. It is fitting that we also have several articles about bikeing to work. Many people think about living car-free or biking to work as an 'all or nothing' choice. This is not the case.

Just as parents control the amount of TV their children watch, or how much candy and other sweets they eat, families can also control how much driving they do. Setting aside one day a week or one day a month as a 'car-free' day could very easily become your 'have fun with your kids' day.

Trips to the park, zoo, or local swimming pool take on a whole new sense of adventure when bikes and kid trailers are the mode of travel. Once you discover how easy and fun it is, it will be easy to add more car-free days. When the kids understand that not driving is good for the environment, they will clamor for more pollution-free days.

In the workplace, the employee that bikes to work is, at times, labeled 'that weird bike guy' and the conversations in the break room and around the drinking fountain often are about how 'I could never do that!' Well, guess what? You can, and it is not that hard to do.

People who choose to use their bike for transportation are not simply bike commuters.They are also good neighbors, fun-loving parents, environmentally conscious citizens, active community members, and healthy employees. In other words, they can be anyone who cares about the community they live in.

You may notice a change in this issue of the Wisconsin Bicyclist. The new layout comes with a new executive editor, Tim Wong. Please let us know what you think of the new layout.

Change is a good thing and the Bicycle Federation has been going through a lot of change during the past several months. Our board retreat in February focused on the organization. Discussions included board and staff relationships, organizational structure, and staffing issues.

The Bike Federation is looking towards the future and a possible grant project is a bicycling encouragement campaign called 'Go by Bike.' If approved by WisDOT, 'Go by Bike' will work with retail areas to encourage and promote using your bicycle for daily trips to the grocery store, the video store, the local pharmacy, and even the malls. In addition, the Bicycle Federation hopes to work with Dane County to develop bicycle safety materials and programs through an Enhancement-funded project

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The Wong Truth Conspiracy
Can Car-Free Living Become Mainstream?

by Tim Wong

This newspaper espouses the view that bicycling is a viable transportation alternative to driving a car. However, in the face of the subsidies given to motorists, the gasoline and paving industries, and the ever-widening and faster roads that make auto dependence and sprawling suburbs so dominant, we have a daunting task ahead of us to make this a reality.

Of course, millions of people in this country don't own a car. In New York City, even people with six-figure salaries go without a car because transportation alternatives are both cheaper and faster. But elsewhere, many of those carless millions wish they could afford a car and would consider their lives much improved if they owned one. And in certain situations they may be right.

What are our choices in a country that assumes everyone has a car and jobs may be ten miles or more away? Employers locate on the fringes of town because free parking' in a lifeless wasteland is more important to them and their employees than working in a viable downtown with diverse shopping and non-chain eating.

Appropriations for transit by legislators, motorists all, are minimal and totally inadequate for viable alternatives to driving. Transit bigshots, who never ride the buses themselves, make decisions to run buses in packs in near-downtown neighborhoods where most of the ridership lives rather than staggering them. These decisions to minimize the frequency of service make sense only to the non-riders who devise the schedules.

Meanwhile, in a half-hour segment of TV, there may be as many as ten ads for Dodge Different and other cars and urban assault vehicles. They don't show the traffic congestion typical of a city, nor the consequences of car exhaust and the number of deaths and illnesses air pollution and crashes cause. Instead, car companies pay to have roads blocked off so that their ads can showcase their shiny, brand-new cars traveling in pristine, usually curvy and mountainous, environments and they are the only vehicles on the road. How many ads for bicycles, buses, or any alternatives to cars do you ever see on TV?

Advertising tells us we must have a car. Once the car, license, insurance, registration, and all the other fixed costs are paid, the incremental marginal cost of use is negligible, and we drive frivolously, spewing poisons on our neighbors. Americans think nothing of wasting up to $30,000 on a car. Yet a bike trailer that could transport their kids as well as haul their groceries seems too expensive at $300. The savings in gas in the first year alone would pay for the trailer.

Studies show that a quarter of all trips are less than a mile in length; yet, more than 75% of them are taken in motor vehicles. Over 75% of all trips are less than three miles, and almost all of them occur in cars; yet these trips could easily be made by foot or bike. Every medical professional will tell you Americans need more exercise; here is a place to start.

Relying on cars unnecessarily doesn't only happen in the sterile sidewalk-less, car-mandatory suburban hells built in recent years, but also in our very viable near-downtown neighborhoods in Madison, Milwaukee, and other cities.

We read about chunks of Antarctica the size of Connecticut drifting off to sea. We hear that the polar ice caps are becoming chilly swimming pools, and we read predictions that New Orleans will soon be under water. Yet, politicians of both major parties react in horror when gas prices rise a few dimes from their historic lows of last year. If each American motorist avoided one three-mile trip a day, the resulting 300 million fewer miles driven daily would reduce pollution greatly. But we don't acknowledge how our short trips contribute to the global warming that is suffocating our world, and thus we blindly drive on towards environmental Armageddon.

Is it so hopeless that we should give up, sell our bikes, and put a down payment on a Ford Explosion? Well, is it?

Car commuters rarely say, Wow, I really enjoyed sitting in bumper-to- bumper traffic today! I especially enjoyed the seven cars that cut in front of me almost causing an accident? The exhaust fumes coming through my vents were particularly delightful.'

As bicyclists come in to work feeling refreshed from their commute, how many are also thinking about the trapped and angry motorists they passed up in traffic jams and wonder how long it's going to take before city planners and motorists themselves realize there are saner alternatives?

Living without a car is freedom from hundreds of dollars each month in car, gas, maintenance and insurance payments. Car-free living is found in neighborhoods that are bikeable, walkable and have good transit service. As more people choose to not throw their money away on cars, they will demand transportation alternatives for themselves and their children. Neighborhoods with sidewalks, slowed-down traffic so people can safely cross the street or ride a bike, transit service that is frequent, reliable, and fast'these make a livable community, and the demand is rising.

The culture is changing little by little. For the oldsters in our midst, how many people in the 1960s and 70s thought that we would ever see a time when smoking would be a frowned-upon activity? Cars, like cigarettes, are a drug. Driving's an addiction, and it's hard to kick. Many of the people who hang around the Bike Fed office don't own cars, even though they could afford them. And the people who do own them feel embarrassed to admit that they drove when they could easily have biked.

Even motorists are beginning to see their contribution to global warming and want to move closer to where they work and shop. The unprecedented construction of upscale condos in downtowns everywhere is testimony to this.

Most workplaces now ban cigarette smoking; restaurants ban it as well, or at least provide non-smoking sections. It is unlikely that the laws and culture that prohibit this second-hand smoke will be reversed.

We look forward to a time in the not so distant future when private motor vehicles will routinely be banned from central cities during weekdays or from certain arterial streets to keep our urban areas safe and clean. Those who drive unnecessarily will be pitied for their addiction as we now pity those who still smoke.

Many European cities have experimented with banning or restricting private vehicles from central cities, and citizen reaction has been very positive, with more car-free days planned. The more we personally commit to being car-free or consciously restrict our driving, the closer we will come to emulating our European citizens. And bikeability will be greatly enhanced.

Road Builders Spill a Few Crumbs for Bikers and Pedestrians

by Tom Huber Great River Road Plan

The WisDOT helped the Mississippi River Parkway Commission develop a bicycle corridor plan for the Wisconsin portion of the Great River Road. WisDOT worked closely with the Departments of Natural Resources (DNR) and Tourism in the preparation of this plan. The Parkway Commission adopted the plan at its December meeting and will present it to communities and counties. In the plan, WisDOT reaffirmed its support for wide paved shoulders along the river's primary roadway, State Highway 35. WisDOT and the DNR are currently working with a multi-state team in connecting its Wisconsin route with a national millennium' trail stretching from Minnesota to New Orleans. Wisconsin's portion is a very scenic, offering bicyclists incredible views of the river and bluffs. It could potentially be one of the most popular bicycle destinations in the upper Midwest. WisDOT will help develop detailed bicycle maps for the Great River Road to be offered by the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin and the Parkway Commission.

More Spending on Bicycle Projects

WisDOT is currently considering numerous applications from local governments for bicycle and pedestrian projects. Two programs

Pedestrian Plan Development

WisDOT has held a series of focus group and citizen meetings over the past four months to solicit concerns and issues that Wisconsinites have regarding foot transportation. A citizen committee has also been established to help advise WisDOT on the direction and content of the plan. People are invited to submit their pedestrian concerns or to contact us to be placed on the plan's mailing list. A draft plan is expected to be available in September, 2000. To contact Tom Huber: 608-267-7757; WisDOT, Box 7913, Madison, WI 53711; thomas.huber'dot.state.wi.us

Southern Wisconsin Bike Improvements

by Dave McCosh

This summer, cyclists in Madison and the southwestern part of the state will see a lot of construction, as this year's new urban area bike trail construction gets under way. Shorewood, Darlington, Edgerton, Janesville, Madison, Monona, Verona, and Waunakee will all let contracts for trail building. Most of the trails will provide convenient routes for commuter bicyclists.

Two of the trails have been forced into design compromises by the not in my back yard' (Nimby) crowd, but in general the trails show cities' commitment to build coherent systems for cycle travel. Cyclists should be encouraged that urban leaders are beginning to recognize biking as a legitimate transportation alternative.

In the big cities, Janesville and Madison, plans for lengthy trails are being completed, to add to those cities' already good trail networks. Janesville will construct the Ice Age/East Side trail, approximately two miles long, from Ruger Avenue to USH 14 on the city's east side. The trail connects to downtown with Ruger Ave., providing a good connection beneath the I-90 interstate, ideal for commuters. Near Madison, a four-mile long trail will be built between Fitchburg and Verona, making it possible to commute or recreate between Madison and Fitchburg to Verona and the popular Military Ridge trail.

The City of Madison will let a contract to build the Southwest Commuter Trail, from Camp Randall, through the Monroe St. neighborhood to the Beltline near Nakoma Plaza. Objections by neighborhood Nimbys have caused delays and re-designs for some of the connections the SW Trail should make to residential areas, but city officials expect these neighborhood connections to be completed in the near future. The Southwest trail will eventually make connections to the Military Ridge Trail and the Dane County Parks E-Way trail.

On June 3 (National Trails Day) the Dane County Parks Department is planning a grand-opening ceremony for the Nine Springs E-way Trail, an extensive, nine-plus miles paved trail that benefits both commuters and recreational riders. The trail's termini at Chalet Gardens and Nob Hill, as well as intersections with Seminole Hwy., Fish Hatchery and McCoy Roads allow excellent access to local street systems and destinations. A connection between Nob Hill and the Lake Monona bike path, though, has not been built and is sorely needed.

The Village of Shorewood Hills' Blackhawk Bike Path is another trail with good local street and trail connections distance. It runs along the Wisconsin Southern railroad track between University Avenue and a golf course. After a decade of unpleasantness and argument, the trail's alignment has been moved to the south side of the tracks, away from the edge of the Blackhawk Country Club golf course. The trail was relocated due to Nimby attacks from doughty Country Club golfers, who fear the proximity of marauding bikers if the trail were built on the north side nearer to their golf course. Moving the trail required relocation and reconstruction of a railroad switch and siding, and caused a long delay in the design process. Project development has taken more than ten years; an 80% increase in funding for the trail was necessary, due to inflation and added work. Finally, though, if and when built, this connection will allow bikers a safe run between the northern part of the west side and Campus/Downtown.

Smaller communities in the southwestern part of the state are testing the concept of urban bike trails with shorter, albeit useful, trail plans. Darlington will let a contract for about a mile of trail through its downtown park along the scenic Pecatonica River. The trail will be a boon for riders of the Cheese Country and Pecatonica trails, offering connections to those trails, camping and easy access to the city's facilities and county fairgrounds.

Edgerton is developing a short trail in its Central Park, with a bridge over Saunders Creek, and Waunakee is finishing its design of a trail on the STH 113 right-of-way, across Six-Mile Creek. The Waunakee trail will allow bikers and peds a safe north-south route between built-up areas to the south of the creek and developing areas to the north. The City of Monona will add on-street bike lanes on Broadway Ave., between Bridge Rd and Monona Dr.

Bikers should extend their thanks to local officials for all of these new facilities, and keep on pushing for more. Show the Nimbys that their fears are unfounded and politicians that you're a respectable constituency. Ride on!

Kickapoo Valley Scenic Route in Jeopardy
State Highway 131: Quaint Road or Speedway?

In January the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved plans to widen and straighten a seven-mile stretch of State Highway 131 from Rockton to Ontario in Vernon County. While all parties agree that work is needed on this stretch, the plan put forward by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) would change the attractive, winding road into a broad thoroughfare with a wide-open cleared and scraped right of way. Not only would the construction entail massive cuts and fills, including the destruction of wetlands, but the highway is expected to become a preferred shortcut for heavy commercial traffic that now takes other routes. WisDOT is now preparing final design details prior to drawing up the bid specifications. It is expecting to let bids in February of 2001, begin construction that spring, and finish in 2002.

The Kickapoo Valley Stewardship Alliance (KVSA) is organizing opposition to the plan and proposing less destructive alternatives. The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin, New Transportation Alliance, Sierra Club's John Muir Chapter, and the Wisconsin Environmental Decade are also working for a more moderate road plan. The final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) hearing was held in November. WisDOT's Preferred Alternative' was opposed by more than a 5-1 margin at the hearing.

KVSA is now requesting that FHWA review its okay of the project. The appeal is based on many factors, but the central issue is that WisDOT did not prepare an adequate range of alternatives that could fulfill the needs of the project; and that it arbitrarily threw out the few alternatives that it did originally list. Many of the social and environmental consequences of the Preferred Alternative were ignored as well.

The National Environmental Policy Act requires that alternatives be fully considered. However, without political pressure FHWA might continue to side with WisDOT. This would force lengthy court battles that would further delay needed maintenance on this road.

KVSA is specifically asking that a supplemental EIS be prepared that includes a range of intermediate alternatives. The alternatives should analyze a variety of possible improvements to the existing road and would balance the options for safety with the need for preservation. They are also requesting that no further funding be added to the project until the basic issues of where and how the road will be built are resolved.

KVSA asks you to support their work. They see the choice as between a famously attractive valley and just another big, fast highway. For more information and to make contributions, write KVSA at PO Box 172, La Farge, WI 54639, e-mail: kvsa'mwt.net, or call 1-888-379-3597.

KVSA is asking individuals and groups to urge US Senators Kohl and Feingold as well as their congresspeople to support the request for the review of the FHWA decision. The senators can be contacted as follows:

Senator Russ Feingold
716 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
russell_feingold'feingold.senate.gov

Senator Herb Kohl
330 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
senator_kohl'kohl.senate.gov

Bike Enthusiasts have Mixed Success
La Crosse River Trail To Be Built

Connector To Be Completed By Fall.
Plans are in the final stages for the La Crosse River Trail, which will run along the La Crosse River from Riverside Park in downtown La Crosse to the Great River State Trail and La Crosse River State Trail near Highway 16 and the Valley View Mall. The $1.4 million multipurpose trail will be a crucial north-south link, tying into several existing trail systems. Construction for the project will begin later this summer and be completed in the fall. Funding for this project is from the statewide Enhancements Program under TEA-21.

Railroad Crossing Petition Denied
In January, the City of La Crosse petitioned the Commissioner of Railroads for a bicycle/pedestrian crossing of the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. tracks on the north side of La Crosse at Gillette Place. This pathway would connect the residential area west of the tracks with the industrial and commercial area to the east, as well as provide a crucial north-south link between the cities of La Crosse and Onalaska. This project has been of major interest to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee since it was proposed in the 1994 regional bicycle/pedestrian plan.

Although the hearing examiner agreed that a public crossing for bicycles and pedestrians is needed in the area, the petition for the at-grade crossing was denied mainly for safety concerns. The area is currently used for various train operations, and serves as a crew changing location where the trains sit idle for up to ten minutes. These train operations would frequently block the crossing, which would reduce its utility. The City has appealed the examiner's decision.

Trails Sprout With Greenways Help

The outpouring of hundreds of pedestrians, bicyclists, wheel chair users, and joggers onto Highway 441 in September 1993 before it opened to automobiles revealed the Fox Cities' desire for safe, linear transportation and recreation. This enthusiasm led to the founding of the Outagamie County Greenway Committee, and in turn the Fox Cities Greenways.

Why is a trail/greenway group helpful? We discovered the importance of a private/public partnership in publications such as Greenways: A Guide to Planning, Design, and Development edited by Loring Schwarz, and Greenways for America by Charles E. Little. We organized as a non-profit 501(c)(3) group, rather than more casually, because of the multiplicity of governments in the Fox Cities area (three counties, four cities, four villages, and nine towns.) IRS Publication 557, Tax-Exempt Status for Your Organization, tells you how to proceed.

Since Fox Cities Greenways was formed, trails such as CE, North Island, Apple Creek, and CB have been added to the existing WIOUWASH, Newberry, and Bill Miller Trails. New highway bridges are accessible to walkers and bicyclists; in addition, bike/ped over- and underpasses are planned. A Circle Trail around the Fox Cities is under way. The Little Lake Butte des Morts railroad bridge will provide an east-west connection, with eventual links to Green Bay, Lake Michigan, and Waupaca.

• Federal ISTEA and TEA21 funding is available for alternative transportation;
• Support from other organizations such as Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, American Hiking Society, Sierra Club, Trust for Public Land, and Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin;
• Public health awareness of the importance of exercise.
• State support from the Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources and Transportation. WisDOT is including bike/ped access on bridges, and is purchasing right-of-way along Highway 10 to create hard-to-assemble linear corridors.
• Supportive local governments and boundary agreements between commu-nities.
• A knowledgeable and skilled board of directors, representative of the entire area.

Fox Cities Greenways acts as an information hub, attending meetings, sharing information, and putting a new town Trail Committee in touch with an experienced Trail Committee. While we originally thought we would do trail maintenance and planting, we have found we are most valuable as an information center. Our inventory maps, newsletters, and participation in community trail groups have enhanced regional coordination and cooperation.

Madison Cyclists Demand Improvements

Local advocates with the Bicycle Transportation Alliance of Dane County continue to promote bicycle-friendly development on a number of fronts.

The Dane County Bicycle Plan is under construction, with the assistance of BTA steering committee members Robbie Webber and this reporter. The plan will map current and future bicycle routes. Preserving urban-rural connector routes is a priority. The plan also expands Effective Cycling and Enforcement for Bicycle Safety.

The city Pedestrian/Bicycle/Motor Vehicle Commission is still struggling with city plans that lack bicycle access. BTA steering committee members Robbie Webber and Darin Burleigh are leading local bike advocates in promoting safe, convenient, and pleasant bike/ped access to the emerging neighborhoods, such as Marsh Rd, Sprecher Rd., and Cross-Country. The plans were much improved for bikes and peds thanks to their diligence.

BTA's efforts are beginning to pay off. Bike advocates have been hammering the city on livability-bikeability issues for so long that one alder got fed up and drafted a Livability Resolution.' Ald. Ken Golden's resolution accounts for many of the bike community's concerns, particularly safe convenient, pleasant, and continuous access to and through all neighborhoods, commercial, office, and industrial districts. The current cul-de-sac to four-lane highway road system has left many cyclists stranded

Willy St. Grocery Coop moved to new digs last October. The site plan neglected to request bicycle access to a residential street behind the Coop in an otherwise perfectly bikeable neighborhood, forcing bikes into a busy arterial or onto sidewalks. Lack of bicycle access is now the store's number one complaint. BTA members Tim Wong and this reporter are now working with the coop and the neighborhood's alder on a solution for this oversight.'

One of northern Dane County's more idyllic routes

Dane County, in conjunction with BFW, is set to embark on a Parking for Free' incentive program for county workers to bike, walk, or take the bus. This program grew out of BFW's nationally acclaimed Bike Commute Program in place in Milwaukee and Madison.

The Blackhawk Trail of broken promises continues into infinity. Every year for over ten years, Shorewood Hills and WisDOT have promised to build the trail. It has yet to be built. Meanwhile dozens of cyclist injuries and at least one death have occurred, as bicyclists are forced onto an exceedingly dangerous stretch of University Avenue.

UW-Madison pavers are attempting to gather support for yet another parking ramp. This one is to be plopped down in pedestrian heaven - Library Mall. Grad students/BTA'ers Pete Taglia and Chuck Strawser are heading up an information campaign to enlighten the university community on the ridiculousness of this expensive, anti-pedestrian project, which city parking statistics show is not needed.

BTA will be contracting with the Midwest Renewable Energy Association conference (June 16-18), the Madison Blues Fest, and the Great Taste of the Midwest to provide bike valet parking for attendees astute enough to transport themselves to the event by bike. Robbie Webber will be looking for volunteers to help park bikes in exchange for free admission to the events.

The Capitol City Trail/E-Way segment was largely completed last fall and is now open. Unfortunately you can't get there from here. The trail is disconnected from the John Nolen Bike Path by a short 150-meter stretch under the Beltline. So the beautiful new looping trail system is inaccessible to most Madison cyclists. Why? The railroad and the city cannot agree on where to site the path under the bridge. This snafu has gone on for more than five years. BTA'er George Perkins is attempting to make the connection.

For years, year-round commuters have had to contend with a sloppy mess along the UW Lakeshore Path. Peter Taglia has been working on the plan committee to make this a more bike-friendly route. He has been looking at alternative paving materials to address the concerns of folks who are against the paving of the path.

Mike Barrett can be found on the UW Union Terrace every Friday expounding on local bike issues and pounding hoppy beverages, unless he's knocking the L' out of Manilla in a faraway archipelago. BTA membership and other info can be found at http://danenet.wicip.org/bcp.

Bike Trail Activities Increasing in the Fox Cities Area

There is good reason for optimism that the region's growing trail mileage will ultimately result in an interconnected network, forming the backbone of the regional bike route system.

Beginning with the opening of the CE Trail between Appleton and Kaukauna five years ago, there has been increasing interest in providing bicycle accommodations in the Fox Cities area. Although development of a regional trail system remains far from a reality, seemingly little things like one county's policy decision to routinely include four-foot paved shoulders as it upgrades its highways reflects a sense of commitment that was unheard of a decade ago.

Already in place are the Mountain-Bay Trail between Green Bay and Wausau and segments of the WIOUWASH Trail between Oshkosh and Antigo.

Other recent additions to the trail network include the CB Trail in the towns of Menasha and Neenah, and the intersecting Highway 10 Trail. WisDOT has worked closely with local leaders to secure the necessary right-of-way to extend the trail westward from the Fox Cities to Fremont, as the new alignment of Highway 10 is constructed. The trail will also intersect with the WIOUWASH Trail about seven miles west of the Fox Cities.

Plans are also under way to extend the Highway 10 Trail across Little Lake Butte des Morts eastward through the City of Menasha to High Cliff State Park near Sherwood, and ultimately to Lake Michigan. Work on converting the lake's half-mile abandoned rail trestle into a bicycle/pedestrian facility is awaiting final negotiations between the City and Town of Menasha, WisDOT, and DNR. Fred Scharnke is a principal planner for the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.

Three Rivers, A Bike, and Lots of Fun
Activity-Filled Bike & Pedestrian Fair Planned

The La Crosse Area Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee will hold its fourth annual Bicycle & Pedestrian Fair on June 10, 2000, at the La Crescent Community Arena in La Crescent, Minnesota. 20-, 40-, and 60-mile bike tours will take place prior to the event. The bike tours, named the Three Rivers Ramble, will leave the arena at 8:00 a.m. and travel west of La Crescent into scenic Houston County. The $20 fee for the rides ($25.00 the day of the event) will benefit the Special Olympics of La Crosse.

The bike tours will generate a more exciting atmosphere for the fair, and increase the exposure of the event. Different length tours are intended to provide a healthy challenge for all skill levels. Each participant will receive an event T-shirt, snacks and beverages at rest stops on the tours, and a dinner back at the Bicycle & Pedestrian Fair.

The fair provides the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee the opportunity to showcase alternative transportation options available in the Coulee Region, as well as improvements to the bicycle and pedestrian transportation network. It will have an exposition atmosphere with booths and displays from area stores and trail groups. There will also be a number of demonstrations and events occurring throughout the day, such as a bike rodeo for kids and BMX trick bikers. Door prizes will be given out throughout the day.

Anyone interested in participating in the Three Rivers Ramble Bike Tours should call (608) 789-7512 for more information and a registration brochure.

Packerland Gets Bike Friendly

The Fox River Trail, located on the east side of the Fox River, is just a few signatures away from opening as a Rails-to-Trails corridor. The trail is composed of a seven-mile paved urban segment and a six-mile suburban/rural crushed limestone segment. This will be a major north-south commuting corridor, with a trailhead close to downtown Green Bay. Before trail work could begin, the State Joint Finance Committee had to approve the funding and obtain approval from the Governor. With approval behind us, plans are to open the trail by August 2000.

The City of Green Bay is making progress in creating a more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly downtown. The area is becoming an entertainment hot spot, with free pedicab rides provided by the downtown Green Bay businesses during dinner and bar times on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. Steps are being taken to convert all one-way streets back to two-way. In addition, the parking authority has provided free sheltered bicycle parking near the toll booths on Pine Street, Main Street, and Cherry Street. An uncovered bike rack is also located outside the Port Plaza Mall on Adams Street.

A new bus terminal is currently under construction near downtown and should be completed by Fall 2000. This facility will have commuter showers and bicycle parking.

The City of Ashwaubenon has approved a traffic calming project on Broadway, which is now a heavily traveled, five-lane urban thoroughfare through the city. Plans are to make Broadway a two-lane boulevard, with a bike lane in each direction, eventually connecting with the bike lanes in DePere on Fort Howard Avenue. Once completed, this will be another north-south corridor, accommodating commuters from the west side.

Mall Sprawl Presents Challenge
Oshkosh Struggles to Implement Its Bike Plan

Oshkosh is a place with settlements sprouting to its west and north. The center of town is no longer its historic downtown but several miles to the west where retail malls parallel Highway 41. In this new landscape, the challenges to those concerned with bicycling for purposes of recreation and commuting are profound. These challenges are complemented by opportunities afforded by a place made beautiful by the lakes and river that permeate it.

The good news for bicyclists and others interested in this issue is that city planners and others are responding. In 1998, this city planning commission approved its first bicycle and pedestrian circulation plan. The plan itself is ambitious, addressing numerous physical changes to the roads, paths and trails leading bicyclists and pedestrians to different neighborhoods and parks within Oshkosh as well as to vicinities in neighboring communities. The bad news is that implementation has thus far been slow given limited public funds and other urgent political priorities.

Perhaps the most promising news has nothing to do with the creation or improvement of any specific bike trail or bike lane. Rather, it concerns the willingness of city government leaders to enact a citizens' advisory committee before the end of the year to deal with the myriad of issues detailed in the plan. The challenges facing those who will serve on this committee are daunting. Its representatives must represent all those with an interest in the outcomes of the plan. They must persist in communicating their views in ways that can be understood by those who do not necessarily share their passion or who have had the opportunity to study the issues as thoroughly.

Ultimately, the benefits to be derived from increasing opportunities for bicycling in this city will be most advanced by those civic leaders selected to serve on this citizens' advisory committee. If they can succeed, every adult and child in this community will be rewarded with a more livable place. The committee members' actions will, for better or worse, influence the lifestyle choices afforded to present and future generations of those who call Oshkosh their home.

Duluth Reinstalls Bike Racks on buses
Get On Your Bike & Ride the Bus

The Duluth Transit Authority (DTA) has reinstalled bike racks on all DTA buses and resumed transporting passengers with bicycles on Sunday, April 2. Last year, DTA buses carried over 8,000 bikes during the seven-month season. DTA introduced Bike & Bus in the spring of 1994 in an effort to meet the growing popularity of cycling in the Twin Ports.

DTA bike racks, located on the front of the bus, can transport up to two bicycles at a time. Cyclists are responsible for loading and unloading their bikes on a first come, first served' basis. It takes less than 30 seconds to load a bike onto the bike rack, and no additional fares are charged for transporting bicycles. Bike & Bus has opened new multimodal opportunities for bicyclists in the Twin Ports, such as biking to work and busing home or busing to a bike trail and back. This service allows cyclists to easily access many established bikeways from anywhere within the DTA service area.

Bike and Bus also makes DTA service more accessible to those who live beyond walking distance to a bus stop. For more information about the Bike & Bus, please call 218-722-4426 x306.

Why Don't We Bike More In Our Communities?
Top Ten Bicycle Infrastructure Issues

'I'm out of shape.' 'It takes too long.' 'It's too far.' 'My bike is a wreck.' 'I'll ruin my clothes.' 'What if it rains?' 't just isn' safe.'

There are a lot of excuses for not riding your bicycle to the office or to the grocery store. But for many people, the decision to ride or not to ride is influenced by the physical design of their community. If one looks out the front door and sees safe streets and bicycle-friendly businesses, (s)he is more likely to use a bike than one who looks out and sees only miles of highways and other barriers to bicycle travel.

How do you create a high-quality bicycle environment? Some of the answers are simple. Others are more daunting. Here is a list of the top ten infrastructure issues facing the bicycling community:

10. Street Maintenance Bicycle facilities should be designed for easy maintenance. Loose gravel and other debris should be cleared along major bicycle routes on a regular basis. Potholes and cracks should be fixed promptly.

9. Bicycle Signs and Markings Communities should provide signs along bikeways and paths to mark designated routes and make drivers more aware of non-motorized traffic.

8. Showers and Lockers Large businesses and other major destinations should provide bicyclists with lockers, changing rooms, showers, and other facilities.

7. Bicycle Parking Developments that provide parking for cars should also provide parking for bicycles. The needs of most bicyclists can be met by providing bike racks that are protected from the weather, easily accessible, highly visible, and well-lit. Bicycle commuters would benefit from fully enclosed bike lockers or special storage rooms for secure long-term storage.

6. Bicycles on Transit Communities should make it easier for bicyclists to use other forms of public transportation. Transit agencies can accommodate bicyclists by providing bicycle racks on buses, trains, taxis, and ferries. They can also help by providing parking at bus stops and transit centers.

5. Bicycle-Safe Intersections When designing, signalizing, striping, or upgrading an intersection, communities need to consider the safety of bicyclists, and minimize potential conflicts with motorists.

4. Bicycle Lanes on Major Streets New roads and roadway improvement projects should include appropriate bicycle facilities.

3. Continuous Network of Bicycle Routes. There should be a safe and efficient system of paths and streets that provides bike access to parks, workplaces, and commercial and residential areas. Cities and towns should try to coordinate their bicycle planning efforts with nearby communities in order to eliminate gaps' in the network. This can be accomplished by requiring developers of new projects to provide direct bicycle links to surrounding neighborhoods.

2. Land Use and Transportation Planning Land use and development decisions should be coordinated with transportation planning in order to improve the safety and convenience of bicycle travel. Communities should promote mixed-use development, where homes, shops, and workplaces are built close together. They should also coordinate land use decisions with existing and planned public transit projects.

1. Economics and Funding State, county, and local governments need to provide adequate, predictable, and dedicated funding for bicycle programs. Money for the construction of new bicycle projects and the preservation of existing facilities should be an integral part of all transportation budgets. Without money, none of the other infrastructure needs will be met.

As communities start to address these issues, it becomes easier for people to look past the excuses, inflate the tires on the old wreck, and make bicycling a regular part of their daily lives.

Biking in Venezuela

Jeff and I biked nearly 600 miles around the gorgeous scenery of Venezuela, gorgeous as long as you are able to overlook the litter of plastic bags and disposable diapers on the roadside.

We pedaled over lots of mountains, through dry cactus-covered hillsides, through rain forests, and into the high Andes. Our first day alone we climbed from the coast into the coastal mountains, climbing 7,000 feet in 24 miles before dropping into the town of Tovar. Settled by a group of Germans in the 1800s, all the buildings are white with black crossbeams and red roofs, a bit of the Alps halfway around the world. It was pretty funny to see blue- eyed, blond-haired Germans running around speaking Spanish. After cycling two more days down the coastal mountains only to go up and over them again, we spent two blissful days at the beach or la playa in Choroni and the beach town Puerto Columbia.

Choroni was a beautiful colonial town with narrow streets and typical stucco, tiled-roof one-level flats that were painted in vibrant colors. Some of the streets were so narrow you had to stand with your back against a building when a slow-moving truck lumbered through the sleepy town. Puerto Columbia, just a short walk down the road, was very different with loud bars and restaurants that were open very late.The palm trees and gorgeous sand on the Caribbean Sea was just the place to rest for a day. With 7000-foot mountains springing up right behind us, it was a spectacular view.

After our break on the beach, we then pedaled down six-lane interstates 'autopistas' with no shoulders and heavy traffic, but it was the only road from Valencia to Bejum‚. Finally the road was just too dangerous, I put my foot down and said NO WAY!

We hitched a ride with a cute couple for about 15 miles until our road turned off.

Finally we started up the Andes. For two days we pedaled up into the high Andes.We crossed over them on Venezuela's highest road with the pass at Pico El Agiula, measuring at 13,372 feet, the highest I've ever been in my life. And imagine doing this on a bike that was fully loaded.We even climbed back up it again the next morning from about six miles down the other side, unloaded, to enjoy the sunny view since it was fogged over the day before. There is nothing like high altitude training in the high Andes.Oh yeah, the view was pretty cool too.

We met a lot of great folks and families and I got better at Spanish in two weeks, but, still, don't hire me as an interpreter.

Looking For Great Biking in Wisconsin?
Northwoods to Capitol Tour Has It All

Want to have an incredible week of biking that ends with a hilltop view of beautiful Lake Superior? That is just one of the things in store on the Northwoods to Capitol Tour. We have designed a new route for 2000 that showcases central and northern Wisconsin's scenic beauty and finest two-lane roads. Cyclists will begin pedaling northward from the beautiful countryside in Wautoma, Wisconsin. The route winds along rustic roads and through glacial hills and picturesque forests, ending up at Chequamegon Bay on Lake Superior in Bayfield. This week-long tour runs from June 24th to July 1, 2000.

We are fortunate to have our own tour chef this year. The Wild Goose Restaurant from Luck, Wisconsin will be serving great gourmet meals all week long. Last year our participants gave the Wild Goose folks a standing ovation for their mouth-watering food. If you sign up for the food plan, you will enjoy primarily organic, all-you-can-eat food for the entire week of the tour.

On the Northwoods to Capitol Tour 2000, cyclists will be visiting many remote jewels of natural beauty, including the cliffs of the Dells of Eau Claire, Timm's Hill, the highest point in Wisconsin, the pickle vats of the Chain O'Lakes area, the Saxville covered bridge, Chequamegon National Forest, and the Bayfield/Lake Superior area. A Friday night end-of-tour Northwoods fish boil on the grounds of the Big Top Chautauqua music tent show is included in the registration fee. Riders may also choose to attend the Big Top Chautauqua music tent show performance later that evening.

The final day of the tour is a play day! Tour participants can choose from the following options for the last day of the tour: the Grand Boat Tour of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, travel via the car-ferry over to Madeline Island, pedal the Bayfield area loop, or just sleep in and relax. Registration is limited to 300, so sign up now and don't miss the fun! Read more online at www.bikenorthwoods.com or contact us for more information. bicycle'execpc.com. Northwoods to Capitol Tour, P.O. Box 3142, Madison, WI 53704. Phone 608-244-6598.

Planning & Engineering for Biking in Traffic

Beginning this summer BFW will be offering the bicycle education course, Planning and Engineering for Bicycling in Traffic: Effective Cycling' Road I, to planning and engineering professionals from across the state through Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs).

Although local planners and engineers play a very important role in the development of bicycle-friendly communities, most of these professionals have never received any bicycle-specific training. This nine-hour course provides professionals with the theory and experience they need to improve conditions for bicyclists in their communities. Similar training was conducted for district planners and engineers from WisDOT in 1998.

These upcoming courses are made possible by a Transportation Demand Management grant from WisDOT. They will be held in Green Bay, Neenah, Wausau, and Duluth during the summer.

Courses are also tentatively scheduled for Chippewa-Eau Claire MPO, Madison MPO,

Southeastern WI RPC and the City of Milwaukee.

Cycling Instructors Are
Dedicated to Safety

Many folks are committed to bicycling. There are those who ride to work every day, rain or shine. There are club members who ride regularly and volunteer time at benefit bike tours. Then there are the bicyclists who have taken the extra step by devoting hours to bicycling safety.

These people are the Effective Cycling Instructors (ECIs). They were riders like you, members of clubs who love bicycling, but they saw the need for improvement in bike education and became ECIs. This wasn't easy, because they had to go through hours of training and invest a lot of resources to become certified. The four-year old program of Effective Cycling (EC) in Wisconsin has grown, due to the hard work of these people.

There are now 45 instructors in the state, and a few more join every year. This spring the ECIs met with me, the BFW intern, for regional meetings. They shared with me what they do, and we discussed ways in which the BFW can help improve the EC program. The amount of effort involved with teaching shows their dedication to bicycle education.

ECIs work in their own community, teaching classes that they have set up through local municipalities, such as parks and recreation departments. A number of them work with schools to teach the students and teachers. Most have teamed up with other ECIs in the area to share the work of setting up classes and recruiting students.

To set up classes, they meet with agencies which have resources, such as advertising publications and a commitment to education or health. Instructors keep a list of interested people and keep them informed on upcoming classes. The individual level at which these ECIs are working requires a lot energy spent on recruiting students. If you are interested in working with this group of committed bicyclists and want to help others become confident cyclists, call the BFW for more information or look up the ECI in your area.

If there isn't one, why not do something about it by becoming the bike instructor'? Interested students can find a schedule of summer classes by checking out the Wisconsin Bicycle Event booklet, which is now online at www.bfw.org or contact BFW at 608-251-44560.

Why I Hate Paying Higher Taxes to Subsidize Sprawl

Those of us who live in compact urban centers are more efficient users of city services and are unfairly burdened with subsidizing suburban and exurban sprawl residents. Taxpayers in new developments like Hawk's Landing on the periphery of Madison will only pay for 80% of the services they consume. That figure is an approximation

An Internet search for sources nets thousands of hits on the subject of community costs of transportation and sprawl.' These studies generally support the conclusion that taxes in older neighborhoods are higher because of poor land use planning on the periphery. A summary of these studies follows.

This is a very good survey of the literature (includes bibliography) with excellent quantitative summaries for a very wide range of sprawl-induced issues. The study is based on national research and was prepared for Pennsylvania in 1998.

The following excerpts are typical: Generally, patterns of sprawl characterized by large-lot, single-family developments far from the Ocore' of a metropolitan area, will result in greater public capital and operating costs for local roads, schools, and utility infrastructure.' And economies in capital costs are possible under a planned approach, particularly respecting roads and utility extensions, while more modest savings may be gained for schools.' And sprawl appears to worsen city fiscal stress and inner-city deterioration.'

More supporting conclusions from a very balanced academic report, this time from the University of Missouri. This excerpt is telling: Contiguous, commercial uses pay in tax revenues as much as 136% of the cost of providing public facilities and services, whereas scattered, low-density residential development pay as little as 41% in tax revenues for public facilities and services. Even the average revenue-to-cost ratio of 68% assumes that some degree of crosss-subsidization is occurring, either that (i) some areas within a jurisdiction are contributing to making up the fiscal shortfall, or (ii) intergovernmental transfers of funds contribute to subsidization of development.

Here is another exhaustively researched report, written for the Sierra Club Foundation. An excerpt: In Culpeper County, Virginia, a 1988 study (Larson and Vance) found that an Oaverage new residential unit can be expected to produce a deficit in the county budget of $1,242 an annual Obottom line' negative balance of capital and operating expenditures over revenues.'' Of course, the Sierra Club has a lot more information on sprawl at its web site.

Finally, an old report (this stuff is not news!) from the Environmental Protection Agency: The Costs of Sprawl: Environmental and Economic Costs of Alternative Residential Development Patterns at the Urban Fringe: Detailed Cost Analysis,' April 1974, (no web site)

This study is often referred to as the definitive costs of sprawl' analysis. Stating that current pressures upon the nation's finite resources cannot be accommodated without better planning,' it offers a detailed cost analysis for a number of different development types. Visionary in its depiction of the perils of excessive auto use and the limitations of low-density, singleuse communities, the study provides a thorough examination of sprawl's effects on air and water quality, land consumption, wildlife, vegetation, and quality of life issues. It concludes that public investment costs incurred through provision of social services are inflated by sprawling development patterns and could be reduced by up to 40% by planning higher density communities.