Madisonians may be able to shave minutes off commuting time with the city's addition of roughly six miles of new bike trails and unpaved walking paths on Madison's east side over the next few years.
City officials hope the new trails will provide residents and UW-Madison students with an alternative way of commuting to work, campus and class. The plan will especially cut time for commuters with its construction of a bridge over East Washington Avenue.
Ald. Austin King, District 8, said a reduction in traffic is one of the more prevalent goals of the initiative. In addition to less traffic, King said allowing residents more opportunities to bike is great for the city.
""It's a very important part of the transportation infrastructure,"" King said.
Madison is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the U.S. and relies heavily on bikers to maintain smooth flowing transportation.
King said an increased number of trails would help alleviate some of the traffic congestion downtown and even improve traffic flow.
James Morgan, Park Development manager, said the proposed paths would not only benefit bicyclists, but also walkers, skaters, skateboarders and strollers.
""We are so far ahead of other communities in the attention we pay to biking, the fact that you can put your bike onto a rack, a lot of cities aren't even at that point yet,"" Morgan said.
According to Morgan, the project would also serve as a means of revitalizing a long-time neglected area—Starkweather Creek, on Madison's east side.
""This is very exciting for neighborhood residents who we've been working with,"" Morgan said. ""They've been waiting for something this positive for a long time.""
Immediate plans involve a north-south route near Starkweather Creek, which covers 40 percent of the Madison area. The two paths—one beginning just beyond Dane County Regional and the second on the backside the East Towne mall—would merge at Olbrich Park near Lake Monona.
Still, Ald. Robbie Webber, District 5, said the Starkweather area is one that has long been a wasteland in Madison and is long overdue for a bike path.
""It has been an abused waterway for a long time,"" Webber said.
Both Webber and Morgan agreed the plan still has some hashing out to do, but Morgan said adding new paths will increase the overall quality of life in the Madison, as well as promote bike friendliness on the east side.
""Madison has its priorities in the right place,"" Morgan said.
