Mass Riding Gaining Momentum -- Meeting March 31
Drawing attention to bicycles as a legitimate mode of transportation may be one way you hear proponents of Critical Mass describe their monthly bike rides through town. The idea began in big places like New York and San Francisco (check out the article in the National News section), but has grown and now reaches cities like Milwaukee, Green Bay and Eau Claire. If you want to join a ride or get to know more about Critical Mass, there will be a group of cyclists meeting at the Owen Park band shell on Friday, March 31, at 5 p.m.

From Phoenix Park by Trail
The trailhead at Phoenix Park is growing some limbs. At the end of 2005 the multi-use trail stopped abruptly underneath Barstow Street. With the completion of the Chamber Building, trail construction is progressing and will soon allow users to travel east to Boyd Park. The picture below shows the construction alongside the Chamber building as of March 3.

The plan for this trail is to continue along Galloway Street all the way to the new Hwy. 53 bypass.  To commemorate this addition and help plan for the future of Boyd Park, a planning meeting will be held at the Boyd Park warming house on Tuesday, March 14, at 7 p.m. The discussion will center on park planning and the importance of trails for connecting neighborhoods to parks. For information about this meeting, contact Doug Reace at (715) 836-0910.

Eau Claire Bike-to-Work Week
Mark your calendars. Bike-to-Work Week (BTWW) will be May 15-21 this year. Planning activities are underway in Eau Claire. Riders can look forward to many activities including a bike rally and lunch celebration. We’re curious to know if anyone in Chippewa Falls or Menomonie is sponsoring events for this week? If you want your community to get in on the action, call the Bicycle Federation in Madison and ask Alison for a copy of the BTWW organizer’s guide. She can be reached at (608) 251-4456. A summary of planned events will be posted in our May issue!

Public (Bike) Parking Guide for Downtown Eau Claire
The downtown Eau Claire focus group (DECI) is making it easier than ever to bicycle to your downtown Eau Claire destination. They have redesigned their public parking guide for the Historic Waterfront District in Downtown Eau Claire. Welcome additions to the map are bike rack locations. For your copy, surf over to http://www.downtown-eauclaire.com/docs/DTParkingBrochure06.pdf.

BPAC (Bike/Ped Advisory Committee) Update
A time frame is beginning to take shape for the formation of the Eau Claire BPAC. After an introductory meeting in March, the first step will be to determine what the BPAC is going to look like. We have some examples to draw from--Milwaukee and LaCrosse currently have committees in place. Eau Claire citizens are poised to make a similar impact on their community. If you would like to be a part of this process, please contact Brad Henderson at bhndrsn@charter.net.

Roundabout Design Beneficial for Bicyclists and Pedestrians?
On January 23, the Eau Claire City Council heard concerns about placing a roundabout at the intersection of Mitscher and Rudolph Rd.  How does the design impact pedestrian and bicycle travel? This intersection confronts children attending South Middle School and Manz Elementary School . How does the design reflect the needs of young pedestrians? For now, the Council has delayed construction of the roundabout at this location. City staff report that the issue will likely be brought back before the City Council in the next 60 to 90 days. However, at the same time, they are moving forward with construction of a roundabout at Golf and Rudolph Road, which should be underway by this fall.

Charter Communication Presents: The Chippewa Valley Firecracker
The Chippewa Valley Firecracker is returning Sunday, July 2, for the second year as part of the Wisconsin Off-Road Mountain Biking Series (WORS).  Race Director, Phil Johnson, has been holding organizational meetings throughout the winter. He has this to say about this year's race: “After a great inaugural race, the 2006 event will be even better. We have tweaked the course, relieving the traffic jams and improving the flow of the race.  Course director and designer Craig Manthe, responding to the feedback from racers, immediately started improving the course after last year’s race with the help of the dedicated Chippewa off–road group.  This course promises to challenge every level of rider with flowing, tight, single-track, multiple creek crossings and fast, double-track through beautiful Lowes Creek County Park.” The Chippewa Valley is a great place to visit and this is a premier event that you don’t want to miss! More information about the Firecracker and all the races in the WORS series is available at www.wors.org.

Clairemont Avenue Extension of Chippewa River Trail Planned for 2007
Plans are nearly completed for a 3.5 mile multi-use path along the north side of Clairemont Avenue.  Greg Weyandt, design engineer with Short, Elliot and Hendrickson explained, “We didn’t try to cut any corners in the design. Retaining walls and separation barriers were used to enhance the design and a new bridge extension over State Street will allow for a 10-foot path, separated from traffic by concrete barriers.” The path will create a continuous paved corridor along which bicyclists and pedestrians can travel. Special consideration was given to the 11 intersections this path must cross. The plan also calls for enhanced pedestrian crossings at the busier intersections such as Hendrickson Drive. The portion of the project designed by Weyandt stops between Hastings Way and Fairfax Drive in front of K-Mart. A different designer will complete the trail from there to the new bypass. A complete set of plans for the project is available for review and comment. Contact Greg Weyandt at (715) 720-6266 or e-mail gweyandt@sehinc.com before March 30 if you would like to make comments or suggestions about the proposed path.

Red line is proposed multi-use path.

View looking east on Clairemont at Hendrickson intersection.

2005 Edition of the Wisconsin State Bike Maps
The Wisconsin Bicycle Map highlights the most favorable bicycling conditions and rates all roadways. The map is split into 8 panels printed on 4 separate "maps." Each quarter-section map may be purchased separately, or all four may be purchased as a set. The most recent version of the maps was updated in 2005.

Maps can be purchased at bicycle events, at bike shops, at the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin office in Madison (106 E. Doty #400), (608) 251-4456, or by calling Wheel and Sprocket, toll free, at (800) 362-4537. Prices at this toll-free number and at your local bike shop are set by those businesses and are subject to change. Businesses that would like to get maps for distribution should contact American Bike Trails at (800) 246-4627. A portion of the sale of each map benefits the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin’s mission to make Wisconsin a better place to bicycle.

The maps have routes marked according to their appropriateness for cycling (level & speed of auto traffic, presence of shoulders or bike lanes, etc.). The maps also show the state trails that do not allow motorized vehicles in non-winter months. New features of the 2005 edition include locations of all Wisconsin bike shops, designation of local dirt roads, paved shoulder information for state highways, and interchange and non-interchange crossing locations for freeways. The maps are ideal for long-distance touring bicyclists as well as casual recreational riders or transportation bicyclists.

UW-Madison Bike Annex Open in Winter
(Condensed from Capital Times article by Aaron Nathans)

University of Wisconsin-Madison students and employees can learn to fix
their bicycles and gain free access to tools under a newly expanded program.

The UW Bike Annex, located in Lot 60 near the UW Hospital and the Pharmacy School, has expanded its repair assistance program to the winter. The small building has tools, and is staffed by a student employee who knows how to fix bikes.  But the employee doesn't actually fix the bicycles.  He or she shows visitors how to fix bicycles themselves. Williamson Bicycle Works of Madison donated the tools.

"It's a teaching experience. We're not there for full service," said Matthew Burczyk, Bicycle-Pedestrian Coordinator. "We're trying to teach people safe biking and bicycle maintenance so they can do it on their own for years to come. With more people interested in the service, the university is working to fill the demand for bicycle repair services in the winter, too,” Burczyk said.

According to Burczyk, it is safe to ride a bicycle in the winter, especially on city and campus trails.  Half of university employees get to campus some way other than driving.  "We're trying to get to those people who still drive to campus and give them an incentive to do something else," Burczyk said.

Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin State Bicycle Lobby Day
Wednesday, April 26, 2006 will be the first annual Wisconsin Bicycle Lobby Day. The goal of the Bicycle Federation is to have a district resident bicyclist visit every one of the 99 state assemblypersons and 33 state senators. The Bicycle Federation can be a resource and an overall state voice for bicyclists, but ultimately elected officials are servants of their home district constituents. A visit from a constituent is a powerful statement to a state assemblyperson or senator. Constituents will be bringing three messages to the Capitol on April 26:

1. I bicycle and I vote!
2. Support funding for bicycle trails and programs.
3. Join the Wisconsin State Bicycle Caucus.

The schedule of events for April 26th will include a breakfast training session, a day of visiting offices, and an evening reception. For more information and to register to attend this event, please visit: http://www.bfw.org/events/lobbydayregistration.php

City Rebuffed in Trying to Bar Mass Bike Rides
(Condensed from The New York Times article by Jim Dwyer )

For 18 months, the city has spared few efforts — on the street or in courts — to clamp down on a group bicycle ride in Manhattan called Critical Mass that the authorities say causes havoc by blocking traffic.

A state judge rejected the city's latest attempt and took the extra step of asking both sides in the dispute to calm down.
Calling the city's legal strategy against the ride "highly irregular" and "as unnecessary as it is inappropriate," Justice Michael D. Stallman of State Supreme Court in Manhattan refused to bar an environmental group and four people from taking part in it, from gathering at Union Square Park beforehand, or from announcing the rides on the group's Web site, as the city had requested.

The city had also asked the judge to issue an unusual civil declaration, without a trial, that the environmental group, Time's Up, and the four individuals had "criminal culpability" for violating laws and regulations that carried penalties of fines and imprisonment. The judge also rejected that request.

Justice Stallman concluded his 24-page decision by urging city officials and the ride participants to work out their differences.
The rides take place on the last Friday of the month in about 400 cities, and have no acknowledged leadership or routes. For nearly a decade, the rides in New York attracted little notice and no arrests until the evening of Aug. 27, 2004, a few days before the Republican National Convention opened.

The judge said the city had wrongly argued that the Critical Mass rides were a form of parade or procession that required a permit because the riders "travel en masse." Following the city's reasoning, the judge wrote, "New Yorkers commuting over the Brooklyn Bridge on bicycles during a transit strike could be considered as 'bicycling en masse.' " Such a restriction, he said, raised constitutional concerns.

"Riding a bicycle on city streets is lawful conduct, as long as one observes the applicable traffic laws and rules," he wrote.

Bicyclist & Pedestrian Times is published in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, bi-monthly or as there is news.
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