S.O.S. -- Save Old Sauk

[ Action Alerts | Contacts | Documents & Maps ]
Last udated: $Date: 2003-07-13 21:20:06-05 $

The City of Madison proposes expanding Old Sauk to four lanes west of the Beltline to Prairie Smoke Road. We think needed improvements can be made to Old Sauk Road without turning it into an alternative to the Beltline. Please read the documents below and then contact your elected officials.

ACTION ALERTS

• Important Dates:

  • The next steps in the disapproval process:

    • TUESDAY, JULY 20th - The Madison Common Council has decide not to decide on four-laning Old Sauk Road from Heartland Trail to Prairie Smoke Road. In 2002 or 2003 plans for phase II will have to be approved by the Common Council with a two lane option to be considered! This might be a victory but some big questions remain and we are working hard to sort them out. So far there's been no reply to our questions from the City Engineer. Not a good sign...

      Thanks to all the people who came out to speak their mind.

    • July 7th - Public Works APPROVED the project. On Wednesday last week the Old Sauk project wasn't on the agenda and with the holiday all, by the time we were sure it was to happen we had no time to get the word out. Instead leadership from the BTA and BFW spoke to the commission. It seemed to us that the commission was willing to dismiss all of our comments even those that related to cycling preferences! I guess those commission members know a lot more about biking than the likes of us. After all they biked when they were kids, we only bike every freakin day! I wish I could say that the whole thing wasn't silly but I can't. The actual arguments opposing the expansion out shined the arguments in favor on all counts. So despite this, plus formal opposition by the County Exec, business leaders, bike groups, and environmental groups they approved the whole thing with no one voting against it. Now it's up to YOUR ALDERPERSON!

    • June 22nd - Ped/Bike Motor Vehicle Commission considered project. Here's the blow by blow, thanks to Pam Barrett.

  • On June 14th - the comment period on the EIA was closed. This resulted in official comments from:
    • the Sierra Club
    • the Environment Decade
    • Bombay, BTA, and BFW bike groups

  • On May 24th - Public Hearing on the Environmental Assessment of the project took place and cyclists and neighbors spoke against the project.

  • On December 13 (1998), city staff and the engineering contractor met with about 50 or so cyclists and community members about the Old Sauk Road expansion to four lanes. Now is a good time to write your alderperson. Read the letter to cyclists and the other documents here and write away.

  • On November 17th we sent S.O.S. Postcards to the BTA/BFW membership to make it easy for them to contact their elected officials. You can too! See the responses below!

  • On October 27th letters and calls to the city resulted in the PBMVC delaying a decision on the expansion of Old Sauk Road to four lanes. Thanks to all that called and wrote.

Contacts

• Madison Mayor Sue Bauman
• County Executive Kathleen Falk
• City of Madison Common Council Members
• Dane County Supervisors
• Neighborhood Associations
• Bicycle Transportation Alliance of Dane County
• Find Your District

You can also follow a discussion on this and other cycling related topics on the Internet by joining the bikies email list. Send email to majordomo@danenet.org with the following as the body of the message to find out how to join:

info bikies
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Documents Related to the Four-Laning of Old Sauk Road

Here we have put together items relating to the proposal to turn Old Sauk Road into a four lane road.

• The Sierra Club comments regarding the Old Sauk Expansion

• The Environment Decade comments regarding the Old Sauk Expansion

• Comments regarding the Old Sauk Expansion from the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin, Bicycle Transportation Alliance of Dane County, and Bombay Bicycle Club of Madison in PDF format and Plain Text format.

• Letter to Mayor Bauman, April 7th 1999

• Example letter to the Editor

• Mike Ivey writes about Bike to Work Day, Old Sauk Road, and the faceless Suburanization of Madison.

• Road-widening plan doesn't please cyclists is an article written by Mat Mullins for the Wisconsin State Journal.

• Cyclists rap Old Sauk plan as building to the size of the car is an article written by Pat Schneider for the Capital Times.

• Cyclists in Spin over Wider Old Sauk is an article written by Pat Schneider for the Capital Times.

• Historic church a tight fit with U.S. 12 is an article written by Pat Schneider for the Capital Times. Despite the title it refers to the historic church may be affected by the Old Sauk Road expansion.

• Induced Traffic studies complied by Darin Burleigh

• Action Alert, Meeting on Old Sauk Road

• The Proposal from the City of Madison Traffic Engineering Division

• An Alternative from Mark Shahan, PBMVC Member

• A letter from County Executive Falk in Response to the S.O.S. postcards

• A letter from County Executive Kathy Falk to the PBMVC

• A letter from Mayor Sue Bauman in Response to the S.O.S. postcards

• A letter to Mayor Bauman from Margret Smith, VP of Operations

• A letter from 1000 Friends of Wisconsin

• A Map of the Proposed Expansion Area

• A Figure Illustrating the Likely Increase of Through Traffic

• some Talking Points

• a Bike Ride

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