Transportation Commission votes 5-3 to add buffered bike lanes on Midvale Boulevard, launches parallel Safe Streets work on Owen and Seagull

The Madison Transportation Commission on Wednesday voted 5-3 to move forward with a resurfacing design for Midvale Boulevard that adds buffered bike lanes and removes some on‑street parking, and requested staff pursue complementary Safe Streets projects on Owen Drive and Seagull Road.

Tom Moore, a traffic engineer with the city, told the commission the Midvale resurfacing covers the segment between Mineral Point Road and University Avenue and is intended as a limited resurfacing (no major utility work) that would preserve the roadway for roughly 10–12 years until a full reconstruction. The preferred resurfacing design presented to the public would install a 7‑foot bike lane with a 3‑foot buffer adjacent to travel lanes and remove on‑street parking on some blocks where the corridor is too narrow to accommodate parking plus bike lanes.

The city collected parking‑utilization counts in 2023 and ran an online survey in July that drew more than 2,000 responses. Moore said option 1 (bike lanes along Midvale) produced roughly 53 percent “support plus acceptable” citywide and the most “do not support” responses (44 percent). Option 2 (partial Midvale treatment) had about 65 percent combined support/acceptable, and option 3 (routes using Owen and Seagull as a bike boulevard connection) had roughly 74 percent combined support/acceptable and won as the top choice for about 54 percent of respondents. Staff warned, however, that option 3 would push north–south bicycle traffic onto crossings of Mineral Point and University that would require additional crossing improvements.

More than a dozen residents spoke during the public comment period. Several residents who live on Midvale — including Linda Krueger, Valerie Johnson and Juan Colas — urged commissioners to preserve on‑street parking and voiced safety and access concerns for families, elderly visitors and tradespeople if parking were removed. Krueger said the proposed lanes were not “all‑ages and abilities,” and that nights and weekends (when the parking study had lower counts) are the times residents need parking. “Removing parking really is going to have a real day‑to‑day impact on families like ours,” she said.

Other speakers, including Nicholas Davies, Dave Stecker and Mark Shahan, supported adding bicycle facilities on Midvale or favored a lane reduction to calm speeds. Davies said alternative routes do not address safety on Midvale itself and argued a lane reduction would reduce speeding; Stecker recommended curb extensions and full pedestrian signals at key crossings rather than only rapid‑flashing beacons.

Commissioner Harold Cleems moved the motion that the commission “recommend moving forward with option 1” (the buffered bike lane design), request staff pursue improvements on Owen Drive and Seagull Road as separate Safe Streets Madison projects, and consider adding back on‑street parking at full reconstruction in the future. Commissioner Robbie Weber seconded. A roll call vote recorded five yes votes and three no votes; the motion carried.

Vote record (roll call as read by staff): Sean O’Brien — no; Dina Martinez Rutherford — no; Robbie Weber — yes; Chris McKay Hill — yes; Bill Bremer — yes; Harold Cleems — yes; Kaylee Jamieson — yes; Lynn Olsen — no. The tally reported in commission minutes: 5 yes, 3 no (one commissioner had left earlier and two were excused per roll call).

Staff emphasized a procedural next step: because option 1 would remove some blocks of residential permit parking, the city will hold a separate public hearing and process on removing residential permit parking (a formal Transportation Commission hearing and subsequent Board of Public Works/assessment steps are required). Staff also said they will return with the Safe Streets project proposals for Owen and Seagull through the Safe Streets Madison program (budget and scope to be developed). Moore noted the resurfacing project intentionally avoids curb reconstruction and major utility work now; a full reconstruction in roughly 10–15 years would allow more substantial redesign (possible protected lanes, median changes, tree impacts) but would likely require tree removal and greater expense.

The commission’s action means the resurfacing contract design will proceed toward the public hearing on residential permit parking and subsequent approvals; residents and alder offices will have additional opportunities to provide input when staff brings the parking removal item and when Safe Streets proposals are developed.

The city agenda and staff materials, including the full set of written public comments collected in the survey, were referenced repeatedly during the meeting and remain posted with the Transportation Commission packet.