Check out “Trail Work day - Estabrook” on Metro Mountain Bikers

Harold Schmidt

Time: May 27, 2011 from 9am to 12pm
Location: Dam parking lot in Estabrook
Organized By: Harold Schmidt

Event Description:
Tune up the north end of the new trail in Estabrook.  Need to do some stone work and a bit of benching

See more details and RSVP on Metro Mountain Bikers.

The City of Waukesha, ALTA Planning Consultants, and the Bike Federation of WI are developing a comprehensive Citywide Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Plan.

They are inviting the public to attend a public workshop/input meeting on Wednesday, May 25. Public input will help shape the development of safe, functional, convenient, and attractive bike and pedestrian facilities throughout the City.

For more information contact Ron Grall, Director of the City of Waukesha Parks, Recreation and Forestry: 524-3734, rgrall@ci.waukesha.wi.us

They will be silent to be noticed.

At nine locations around Wisconsin, cyclists will start pedaling at 7 p.m. Wednesday as part of the international Ride of Silence, slow-moving memorials to bikers killed and injured on the road. By grieving and riding quietly, they hope to remind motorists and fellow bicyclists to follow the law and share the road. The consequences of not doing so will be exemplified with emotion in Waukesha, where the widows and families of two men killed in crashes last year will join the riders. Brett Netke, 42, was hit by a car while riding on Highway 18 in the Village of Summit on Father’s Day, May 20. Jeff Littmann, 56, was hit by a car while riding on Wisconsin Ave. in Nashotah on Oct. 1. They were among the nine bicyclists killed in crashes with motor vehicles in Wisconsin in 2010. “I’ll be there to support Darlene (Netke) and to put a face to what has happened, just so that people know this is life and death,” said Rachel Bishop, Netke’s sister. “I want people to know that this has been a major disruption for everyone involved.” Bishop will travel from Holland, Mich., to join the memorial with Netke’s widow and his children, Tyer, 8, Alyssa, 6, and Gabrielle, 4. “My hope and my prayer for Darlene is she gets some peace from this, and some comfort,” Bishop said. “I hope she can see that people are standing up for some sort of awareness, and for safety on the road. “It won’t heal her completely. Nothing will. But I hope this will, a little bit.” Littmann’s widow, Kelly James-Littmann, said she hopes motorists will notice the memorial ride and remember to be more watchful and more compassionate. That might help ease the fears she has for her children, Ashley and Michael James, two cyclists who train and compete like their stepfather. The Ride of Silence started in Texas in 2003, in memory of Larry Schwartz, a cyclist who was hit and killed by the mirror of a school bus. Rides are expected to take place this year in 150 locations. In Waukesha, the Spring City Spinners Bicycle Club will host its memorial event for a second year. The ride will start at the Waukesha State Bank, 151 E. St. Paul Ave. Similarly, this will be year two for the ride starting at the Wheel & Sprocket store in Fox Point. The Warshafsky Law Office helped coordinate the ride in Fox Point and promoted the cause with a list of five bicycle-related laws motorists should know. Topping the list is the requirement that motorists provide three feet of clearance when passing a cyclist. The driver who killed Brett Netke was ticketed for failing to yield the three feet and paid a $114 fine. On a more basic point, the participants want to remind drivers that they have a right to be on the road. In addition to the events listed above, rides will be held in Appleton, Green Bay, Lake Geneva, Madison, Oshkosh, Racine and Viroqua. Details can be found at www.rideofsilence.org. Comments (22) View Comments » Tags: cycling : advocacy Permalink | Email This Blog

‘Oak Hill Trail Work’ on Metro Mountain Bikers!

Please RSVP if your coming so we can plan work/bevs.

Oak Hill Trail Work Time: May 15, 2011 from 4pm to 7pm
Location: Oak Hill
Organized By: Marty Weigel

Event Description:
It’s spring cleanup time! Come help tune up and clean up the Oak Hill Trails (aka Harley Woods) along the Menomonee River north of Capitol Drive. Meet along the Parkway in Tosa just north of Capitol. Trash pick-up, deberming and minor reroutes. Weather permitting.

See more details and RSVP on Metro Mountain Bikers:
http://metromountainbikers.com/events/event/show?id=2974397%3AEvent%3A21159&xgi=4A1WcoqcBJn12W&xg_source=msg_invite_event

Tax for bike lanes dropped in Maine, debated elsewhere
e-mail print By Tom Held of the Journal Sentinel
May 10, 2011 2:12 p.m. |(3) COMMENTS

A proposal to impose a 2% tax on sales of new bicycles failed to win approval in Maine, but with tight budgets in states around the country, similar suggestions for funding cycling improvements are likely to follow.

“If bicyclists want bike lanes they should pay for them” is a common argument following stories about bike and pedestrian paths. The point was made again last week, after a blog post on the decision to cut $5 million for bike and pedestrian enhancements from Wisconsin’s 2012-‘13 transportation budget.

Across the country, local and state authorities have considered various proposals to generate revenue for bike projects - from licensing to the special tax considered in Maine.

Under that proposal, revenue from the 2% tax would have been devoted to building, improving and maintaining “bikeways” along the state’s roads. The purpose, according to the bill’s sponsor, was to make cycling safer, particularly along Maine’s thousands of miles of narrow, rural roadways.

In Milwaukee, blogger Dave Schlabowske offers a variation on that idea: devote all the tax revenue generated on bikes and accessories sales to bike projects.

“If we took the 5% sales tax those sales generate for the general fund and put them in transportation, we would have $7,500,000 to spend on bicycles,” Schlabowske wrote in a piece directed to Gov. Scott Walker.  “That is way more than you had to cut from the budget.”

‘Trail Work day - Estabrook’ on Metro Mountain Bikers!

Check out “Trail Work day - Estabrook” on Metro Mountain Bikers

Harold Schmidt

Trail Work day - Estabrook Time: May 12, 2011 from 9am to 12pm
Location: Central Parking lot above the falls Estabrook is located on the east side of the Milwaukee River between Capitol and Hampton
Organized By: Harold Schmidt

Event Description:
Need a few people to help finish the new line in Estabrook

See more details and RSVP on Metro Mountain Bikers:
http://metromountainbikers.com/events/event/show?id=2974397%3AEvent%3A21143&xgi=3NLzVVdKMKpQ2P&xg_source=msg_invite_event