Greater Madison MPO

bicycling & Walking

Bicycling

Check out the Bike Madison page to find an online bike trip planner and other resources to help you navigate your way around the Madison bike paths, bike lanes, bike boulevards and bike routes.  Madison is a great place to have a bike as it is often faster and certainly cheaper to get around by bike than by car. While you’re at it don’t forget to register your bike once you get to town. 

If you don’t want to own your own bike you can get a B-cycle bikesharing membership and just use one when you need it. Or if you don’t own a bike and aren’t ready to buy one check out the Red Bike Project and get a bike and lock for a refundable deposit.

Looking for assistance fixing up a bike? Madison has many great bike shops but also has a community bicycle workshop called FreeWheel. This workshop is run by volunteers and during open shop hours anyone can bring a bike in to work on it or can come in and get help building a bike from scratch. 

 

Are you a woman who is intimidated by keeping your bike operating or feels intimidated going into a bike shop because you don’t have enough knowledge to understand bike mechanics?  Look no further than the We Are All Mechanics (WAAM) program.  WAAM provides classes for women to learn the basics of bike mechanics,

Some local campuses also have incentives or resources for their students.

 

Walking

Walking is a great way to get around especially for distances one mile or less (although plenty of people walk further). Remember a few simple things to keep you safe when walking. Be aware of your surroundings.  When crossing the street make sure that vehicles have seen you by making eye contact. At night walk in a well lit area and walk with friends. 

 

Scooters and Skateboards

Scooters and skateboards are popular as they are an easy way to get around town for short distance trips.  Just remember that city and state rules prohibit the riding of skateboards and scooters in the road except when crossing in the crosswalk and city ordinance prohibits skateboards on the sidewalk in a business district (such as State Street).