Madison Reporter

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway is committed to doing all she can to curb the city’s dangerous cycling issues.

“Through the City's VisionZero project we are tackling the streets of highest concern,” Rhodes-Conway said in a recent Twitter post. “Together we can make #Madison a safer place to travel.”

While Vision Zero is now in effect and has resulted in some changes, streets across town remain far from cycling accident-free. WMTV reported a fatal early-morning mishap that took place on Aug. 6 in the westbound lanes of Highway 12 near Agricultural Drive, where a biker was killed and lanes were shut down for hours.

Over the summer, at least two other bikers have been killed in vehicular collisions in Madison, with one taking place this month near Pflaum Road at Mustang Way. In the other incident, a biker was struck and killed by a drunk driver on Mineral Point Road in early June.

While authorities have yet to identify the 70-year-old bicyclist killed near Pflaum Road, Traffic Division Lieutenant Tony Fiore noted that the victim was in the dedicated bike lane adjacent to the traffic lane, a recent WKOW report said.

A vigil was held in honor of 29-year-old Taylor Dunn, a Channel 3000 report said. Okima Jones, 42, has been charged with one count of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. Police said Jones registered a .129 BAC on a breathalyzer test and admitted she was looking at her phone at the time of the crash.

Madison Bikes helped organize the vigil, which included placing a white “ghost bike” in the area of Mineral Point Road and Ganser Way.

The mayor’s Vision Zero plan places special emphasis on reorganizing roadways across the city in hopes of better serving cyclists and keeping them safe from more crashes and deaths, the WKOW report said. Part of the plan includes many roads receiving speed decreases on stretches that have come to be viewed as problem areas.