On Two Wheels

This summer I've been riding my bike (a Giant purchased at the Village Pedaler two years ago) quite a bit and more recently started commuting to work by bike.

I always thought it was way too far to ride my bike to work until I actually mapped it on Google Maps and found that it is about 10.3 miles - or two miles less than the Lake Monona Loop. It takes me about an hour, but that time is dropping.

Some observations. This area has some very good bike facilities. They could be better (more grade separations at busy streets like University), but they are very good.

One of the first things I did after commuting to work for a few days was to buy some bright orange t-shirts. I noticed a lot of the seemingly experienced bicyclists wearing bright reflective colors - and with good reason, there are plenty of drivers who just are not paying much attention. I also realized that I need to be a bit more aware of my surroundings, especially one part of the route with more traffic (auto and bike).

Streets. This morning (Sunday) I decided to ride on Monona Drive from Winnequah up to Walter Street. Dealing with the traffic was no big deal, it being around 11 a.m. on a Sunday. The condition of the road was another matter. Due to all the patches, riding a bike on Monona Drive is a bone-jarring, tire-rattling experience.

(I later road on Broadway from South Towne to Ahuska and it was fine.)

I've also looked more closely at the so-called bump-outs on Winnequah Road. First thing to note: They are not actually bump-outs. The areas with the red sidewalks do not stick out into the road any more than the bike lane. To me, the big problem with the 'bump-outs' are the ridiculous entry points, which are angled and bordered by an angled curb. The angle makes them less desirable to use than the bike lane for the average rider and plain impossible for anyone pulling a Burley. I will try and put a few photos to show what I am poorly describing. I'm really not sure why they are angled or why the curb is angled. They would be a lot more useable if the entry was a straight shot. The other (lesser) issue with the red sidewalks is the way they go up and down. Again, not sure why that was done either.

Here are some Madison area bike maps

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My route if you are interested: I take Winnequah Road to the Lake Monona path and along Waunona Way and then north to the trail at Wingra Creek and northwest on the Wingra Creek Path to Vilas Park, cut across the park, and come out north of Edgewood College and tkae Harrison Street across Monroe Street and over the Southwest Bike Trail, then cut over to Allen Street, take that north to Kendall (runs parallel to University) and then go across University at University Bay Drive and catch the bike path west to Whitney Way.