Madison Transportation Commission backs buffered bike lanes on Midvale Boulevard, asks staff to pursue adjoining low-stress routes

The Madison Transportation Commission voted 5–3 to recommend moving forward with staff’s option to add buffered bike lanes on Midvale Boulevard and to ask staff to pursue safety improvements on Owen Drive and Seagull (sometimes spelled Seago) Road through the Safe Streets Madison program.

The decision came after city Traffic Engineering presented background, parking counts and three alternatives for the corridor between Mineral Point Road and University Avenue. Tom Moore of Traffic Engineering summarized a multi-stage outreach process: two public information meetings, a large January meeting with more than 100 attendees, and an online survey that received more than 2,000 responses. Moore said the initial staff design would be a 7-foot bike lane with a 3-foot buffer alongside narrowed travel lanes and removal of on-street parking in the narrower sections.

Why it matters: Midvale is classified in city guidance as near the boulevard type in the Complete Green Streets guide and appears in local planning documents, but the corridor lacks continuous bike facilities. Commissioners and the public framed a key tradeoff: add bike space now through a resurfacing project that cannot alter underground utilities, or defer larger changes until a full reconstruction that could take 10–15 years.

Public input split sharply. Dozens of residents and regular bicyclists addressed the commission. Linda Krueger, who said she has lived on Midvale 14 years, told the commission she and her children would be harmed by losing on-street parking and urged support for Option 3 (a low-stress route using Owen/Seagull). "Removing parking really is going to have a real day-to-day impact on families like ours," Krueger said. Another resident, Nicholas Davies, argued the city should not divert attention from improving Midvale itself: "If the city does something to improve other routes elsewhere in the city, that's nice. But as it pertains to the safety issues on Midvale, these other options are just dividing the discussion and distracting from the core issue," he said. Bicycle commuters who spoke in favor of the buffered lanes said a marked route on Midvale would create a more direct, convenient north–south connection.

City staff described other design possibilities that were considered and dismissed for the resurfacing project: parking cutouts that would disturb trees in some locations; peak-hour floating bike lanes (the city’s Doty Street pilot proved confusing); and permanent lane reductions (feasible in parts but complicated by Midvale’s inclusion in the National Highway System and by current peak-hour volumes). Moore said utilities on parts of Midvale are due for full reconstruction in roughly 10–12 years, which limits the current project's ability to reconfigure curbs except in small areas.

Commission action: Commissioner Harold Cleems made the motion: "Recommend moving forward with option number 1 and request staff pursue the improvements on Owen and Seagull as Safe Streets Madison projects, and for the planned reconstruction in the future, consider adding back on-street parking." Robbie Weber seconded. The roll call recorded five yes votes and three no votes; the chair announced the motion carried.

Next steps and limitations: Staff said advancing Option 1 will require a subsequent public hearing to remove a small amount of residential permit parking that would be lost under the proposal. Staff also said improvements on Owen and Seagull would be pursued separately through Safe Streets Madison and would be presented to the commission as their own projects with cost estimates and detailed designs. Moore cautioned that the buffered lane, while providing a continuous marked bike facility, would not meet an all-ages-and-abilities standard because it would lack physical separation.

The commission’s recommendation now goes to the city process for design approvals and any required public hearings; the parking removal step was flagged as a next formal action before installation.

Votes at a glance: Motion to recommend Option 1 (buffered bike lanes) and request Safe Streets projects for Owen and Seagull — Mover: Harold Cleems; Second: Robbie Weber; Outcome: approved, 5 yes, 3 no. The commission chair called for a roll call vote; the tally was announced as 5 yes, 3 no.

Ending note: Commissioners repeatedly stressed the tradeoffs between near-term resurfacing limits and the broader policy goals in the city’s Complete Green Streets guidance, the Imagine Madison comprehensive plan and the West Area Plan, all of which identify Midvale as a north–south bicycle connection to be addressed over time.