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Staff reports TAP grant closed, BCycle counts and bike-friendly business renewals bolster Fitchburg application
Summary
Staff reported the TAP grant for BCycle is closed with final DOT reporting complete, commissioners discussed using BCycle checkout numbers, trail-pass data and a local survey to strengthen a forthcoming Bike Friendly Community application, and noted a sweep of bicycle-friendly business renewals.
City staff told the commission the TAP grant for BCycle is complete: reimbursements have been processed and the final DOT reporting submitted. Staff said the city will continue to manage BCycle stations covered by that grant.
Commissioners discussed data sources to support the Bike Friendly Community (BFC) re-application due in about a year. Ideas included supplementing ACS commuting data with a city-run survey, obtaining trail-pass sales or station-level data from the Wisconsin DNR, and submitting BCycle checkout numbers tied to local stations. Commissioners and staff noted BCycle checkouts associated with Fitchburg stations are in the low thousands (staff described several thousand checkouts across Fitchburg stations) and agreed that station, trail, and counter data could strengthen the application if assembled with demographic context.
Staff also reported outreach to bicycle-friendly businesses: the city helped 36 businesses renew awards and monitored a Bike League 'grace period' issue; league staff signaled they are tightening grace-period rules, so ongoing renewals will keep Fitchburg’s standing strong in national comparisons.
Action items: staff will contact DNR about trail-pass data availability, compile BCycle station counts, consider a local survey to capture non-commuting bicycling, and coordinate with the Bike League on documentation approaches for the BFC application.
Quote highlights
“The TAP grant is totally wrapped up,” staff reported, noting final reporting to the DOT is complete.
What this means
The commission has prioritized data collection and outreach to support the BFC re-application: staff follow-ups on DNR trail-pass data, BCycle station and checkout counts, and a potential local survey are intended to produce evidence of ridership and programmatic activity for the Bike League review.
