Neighborhood opposes bike boulevard

Tonight, the Sherman Neighborhood Association voted to oppose the Ruskin Street bike boulevard proposal, which falls within its boundaries. The association could be the first in Madison to express such an opinion on a proposed bike boulevard. Instead, it called for the City to maintain the current posted bike route, and to organize an overall Northside bike plan with community participation.

At tonight's meeting, which I attended and participated in, there was a healthy discussion about the project. Nearly everyone had an opinion about it, and those who did ranged from skeptical to opposed. However, there was no hostility expressed toward bikers or bike projects in general. In fact, a number of folks identified themselves as riders, expressing dissatisfaction with the City's lack of progress on developing substantive bike infrastructure for the Northside.

Neighbors who didn't even know about this blog raised the concerns I've discussed here, like the existing bike route, the lack of an overall public plan, and the muddy future of bike boulevards. They're also concerned about the safety impact of increased bike traffic on the street, and the expense of $17,000 on a project with dubious benefits.

With the City's stated intent to complete the bike boulevard yet this fall, the consensus opinion was to oppose the project and call for a Northside bike plan, developed with residents and all the Northside neighborhood associations. (Full disclosure: I crafted the motion to reflect that opinion, which was adopted unanimously.)

I sincerely hope our alder will give the opinion of the City's officially designated neighborhood body the weight it deserves.