by Tim Wong ,The Bicycle Transportation Alliance will soon attempt to get alderoids to introduce an ordinance to the City Council to ban use of cell phones by an operator of a motor vehicle while it is in motion.
Thirteen countries, including Australia, England, Germany, and Japan, have banned the use of hand-held phones by drivers. At least four municipalities in the U.S. have banned the use of phones, including one in Ohio, one in New Jersey, and two in Pennsylvania. Ironically, Brooklyn, Ohio, an industrial suburb of Cleveland, one of the cities to ban cell phone use by drivers, was the first state to mandate seat belt use 40 years ago.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1997 found that drivers using cell phones were 4.3 times more likely to have an accident than non-users, a rate similar to the hazard associated with driving with a blood alcohol level at the legal limit of 0.1%. The study also found that hands-free phones were no safer than hand-held ones. Navigation systems being installed in some cars call increase the risk of crashes by 30 times, according to Tom Dingus, director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. "If we don't understand and deal with these devices, by the time we have 20 million of them in cars, it will be too late," he said.
Recent national publicity by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has prompted the BTA to spearhead the drive to ban cell phone use by drivers. While everything on the road is clearly threatened by these self-important babblers, bicyclists and pedestrians at especial risk.
If you would like to help with the campaign, contact chief spearheader Tim Wong (249-9664, evenings, or 266-2067 days (leave a message), or timwong@mailbag.com).
by Darin Burleigh,
Old Middleton Road (OMR) is falling apart, and repairs have been stalled by a political stalemate.
OMR is a two-lane road, which parallels University Ave, connecting Madison's west side to Middleton. It is an important route for cyclists.
The western portion of the road is in serious need of repair. According to city staff, it needs to be rebuilt, not just resurfaced. It is also very narrow in spots, making it doubly hazardous for bikes.
A proposal to rebuild the road some years back was met with strong objections by many of the residents along OMR. The city's proposal, which would have included sidewalks and bike lanes, would have widened the road considerably. It currently varies from 28 to 34 feet wide, and the city's proposal would have been upwards of 40 feet. Widening would almost certainly mean the removal of a great deal of vegetation, in particular some large old oaks. The neighbors were also concerned that widening the road would increase traffic and speeding. The city has addressed some of these concerns, by lowering the posted speed limits, adding stop signs, and reversing traffic flow on the one-way street St. Dunstan's Drive.
Meanwhile, the potholes have not gone away. The neighborhood association offered its proposal, which was little more than adding a single five-foot wide sidewalk as a "bike/ped route." Meetings have been held. But according to City Engineer Larry Nelson, nothing will happen until there is "consensus."
The Ped/Bike/Motor Vehicle Commission (PBMVC) addressed the issue on June 27 and again on July 25. City staff presented five options. BTA members Robbie Webber, Pete Taglia, and I offered testimony that this is an important route for cyclists. Robbie suggested that we could fit two four-foot bike lanes into a 34-foot roadway. Residents from OMR made it clear that they were not opposed to bike lanes, that they were only opposed to losing the rural character of the road. They felt they could live with a 34-foot roadway. Hurray! It seemed we had consensus!
Not so fast, though. PBMVC member Alderman Steve Holtzman, (19th district), offered a resolution to support the most regressive of the options--a 22-foot roadway with no bike lanes or sidewalks. This proposal was specifically labeled "substandard" by Traffic Engineering, and is in fact narrower than the current road. Strangely enough, though, the resolution passed.
Hopefully, this ridiculous resolution will die before it gets to the City Council, and it may be years before anything is done to improve the condition of this road. Stay tuned for news as it develops. (More details can be found on the Bicycling Community Page: http://danenet.wicip.org/bcp/omr.html .)
by John Coleman,The bike/pedestrian paths along the shores of Lake Monona and the Isthmus bike path tie much of the east and near south sides together. The Southwest Commuter path and the Black Hawk trail will provide links within the near west and the southwest sides of town. Yet there is no link between all these bike paths. By linking these east and west side path systems through the middle of Madison, safe and convenient commuter and recreation bicycling can become reality for Madison.
To complete the link between the east and west sides, the Southwest Commuter path should be extended along the abandoned rail right-of-way all the way east to Park Street rather than terminating at Randall Street. From Park Street east, the new path should follow a mostly unused 50-foot right-of-way straight to Monona Bay where it would meet the Lake Monona bike path.
The bicycle artery would cross Park Street and Murray Street by bridges. The only significant at-grade crossings would be at West Washington and North Shore Drive. Some accommodation for a path crossing at North Shore Drive should be incorporated into the redevelopment of the Findorff property. The West Washington crossing could be accomplished at either the Bedford St. or Regent St. intersections until an overpass can be built.
This month's intersection is where John No Lane, Blair, and Williamson converge right at Williamson St. Bikes. On the south side of the intersection are two driveways that cross the bike path. Now, historically speaking, this intersection has been worse. Prior to the reconstruction of the intersection in the very early 1980s, John No Lane went straight into Williamson with a move into Blair Street a left turn. This obviously cramped everything to the south of the intersection, as the building now housing Williamson St. Bikes was already there. Compounding the problem was a very thick telephone pole, which narrowed the sidewalk to about two feet. It was a completely blind corner at the time, not that it kept many bicyclists from blasting around it at high speeds.
It was a very dangerous intersection. During the reconstruction it was configured to make going onto Blair from No Lane a straight-ahead, while making movement onto Williamson a right turn, in keeping with a then-current traffic plan to concentrate car traffic on East Washington and off of Williamson. While the engineers improved the intersection, they failed to make it a safe one for bicyclists coming off the heavily traveled Law Park path.
The two driveways, a scant 50 or so feet apart, facilitate car traffic. The westerly driveway allows cars to enter from No Lane and to get onto No Lane and travel onto Blair or left onto Williamson. The easterly exit works for cars going right onto Williamson or for those coming from Blair or Williamson. For bikes, though, it is a nightmare. The stop signs notwithstanding, cars wait for a clearing in car traffic in the middle of the bike path, and do you think they yield to bikes before entering from the car streets . . . ? No, they don't. Is it ironic that the majority of the car violators just came from or are going to a bike shop?
City of Madison Meetings Madison governmental bodies hold regular meetings, which are open to the public. When issues of controversy arise, a public hearing is scheduled, where the general public can voice or write an opinion. For more information on Madison governing bodies, visit http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/ccc.html . Or, call your alder for more information.
The work of seven public bodies holds particular interest to cyclists. Their regular meetings are listed here, but are subject to change. So if you plan to go, call the city staff contact number ahead of time to confirm.
Madison Common Council: first and third Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m., City County Building, Room 201. Office (608) 266-4071.
Long Range Transportation Planning Commission: third Thursday, 4:30 p.m., Madison Municipal Building, Room LL110 or LL130. David Trowbridge (608) 267-1148.
Pedestrian/Bicycle/Motor Vehicle Commission: fourth Tuesday, 5 p.m., Madison Municipal Building, Room 260. David Dryer (608) 266-4761.
Plan Commission: first and third Mondays, 5:30 p.m., City County Building, Room 201. Mark Olinger (608)266-4635.
Public Works: first and third Wednesdays, 4:30 p.m./hrgs @ 6:00 p.m., City County Building, Room 103A. Larry Nelson (608) 266-4751.
Transit and Parking Commission: second Tuesday, 5 p.m., Madison Municipal Building, Room 260. Paul Larrousse (608) 266-4904.
Urban Design Commission: first and third Wednesdays, 4:15 p.m., Madison Municipal Building, Room LL-130. Bob Gutzman (608)266-4635.
Dane County Meetings
Dane County Board of Supervisors: first and third Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.,
City County Building, Room 201. Office (608) 266-5758.
Web site:
http://www.co.dane.wi.us .
by Robbie Webber ,One opportunity to highlight the ease of bicycling for transportation and the need for better facilities is by joining BTA in providing bike parking at local events. Last year we kicked off the idea at the Great Taste of the Midwest Beer Festival, and we will be parking bikes at this event again this year on August 12. We will also be providing parking for the Madison Blues Festival August 25-26. Both events are in Olin Park--an easy destination by bike, but a real pain by car--just the way we like it! Tips and donations go to support bike advocacy, and volunteers get into the event for free.
Think of the great biking routes you lost in the last ten years. Think of the roads you are riding on now. Ten years from now they will be gone due to the same developmental pressures. Join us now, don't let a second John-No-Lane happen to you!
The Bicycling Transportation Alliance of Dane County is our area's premier bicycle advocacy organization.Click HERE to join!
Members not only receive the benefits of effective representation in a growing bicycle advocacy organization, they also receive member discounts at these bicycle shops:
