Madison Reporter

The City of Madison recently kicked off Bike Week, although the event has been marred by a tragic occurrence that supporters of the cause point to as an example of how much more needs to be done to make the town more accessible for bicyclists.

In the early hours of June 7, a male bicyclist was killed when he was allegedly struck by a female driver who now could face charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle.

“Although Madison has made strides, we have a long way to go,” Madison Bikes board member Robbie Webber told Channel 3000 this week. “But I do want to acknowledge that things have gotten so much better in Madison in the last 25 years.”

Even with the upgrades, officials are concerned about high safety ratings that large vehicles have received, the Channel 3000 report said. In particular, critics have disagreed with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s decision to award five-star safety ratings to large SUVs.

“The vehicles on our roads are getting bigger and heavier,” Yang Thao of the Madison Traffic Division told Channel 3000. “There should be safety considerations given to people outside the vehicles as well when safety ratings are given.”

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway is among those still pushing the use of bikes as a great means of transportation and is vowing to take steps to make things safer.

“We are committed to building a bike network that reaches the entire city,” she told Channel 3000. “We are addressing gaps in that network to improve usability of the system.”

Madison is now one of only five cities across the country recognized as a Platinum Biking Community, Rhodes-Conway continued. She also noted a number of projects the City has completed that benefit bicyclists, among them the Madison Bike Center.

“The City of Madison and myself, personally, are committed to eliminating serious and fatal crashes on our streets,” she said. “We’re committed to making streets safer for bikers and for everyone.”