New Wilson Street Bike Path

Addition Promises Safety For All Road Users

Marco Marquez

Hey everyone, Marco here – I’m the new Healthy Homes & Transportation Coordinator for Healthy Climate Wisconsin! I’m writing to share some exciting news for those who live in or visit Madison: a new bike path has been created on Wilson Street!

I know what you’re thinking, “Why is a new bike path something that Healthy Climate WI should care about?” Well, did you know that the transportation sector accounts for 27% of Wisconsin’s greenhouse gas emissions? That’s because we have thousands of roads and highways crossing our entire state, full of gas-guzzling and polluting cars, trucks, and cargo vehicles.

After WWII and the invention of the American highway system, our cities and towns have been designed with only one mode of transportation in mind: the automobile. Communities, especially redlined Black neighborhoods and businesses, were razed and divided by Wisconsin interstates, and gone were the days of buses, electric train cars and passenger rail lines in and between cities.

Since our cars could take us further and quicker than our feet could, we built attractions and amenities really far away from each other, and we had to make sure buildings had enough space between them in order to make parking lots for those cars. With places and spaces that we want to get to now further away from our homes, many people no longer have access to essential services and we’ve seen an increase in the amount of cars per family, in miles traveled, and, unfortunately, in greenhouse gas emissions.

The pollution from these gas cars has contributed immensely to climate change, but it has also brought health damages to millions of children, elderly folk, and poor community members who live near busy streets and highways. Not to mention our ever expanding roads and highways often lead to the shrinking or total disappearance of urban trees, parks, and naturally wild spaces that act as carbon sinks and improve our air quality.

Of course, electric cars would be better than gas cars, but replacing every single gas car with an electric one will take a lot of time and resources. Until we reach that point we should also be re-investing in environmentally friendly infrastructure that can help reconnect communities, move thousands of people more efficiently, reduce urban sprawl, and preserve biodiversity. In 2020 the Federal Government spent $305B tax dollars on highways alone. Compare that to the $98B spent on public transit, and bike infrastructure is an even smaller portion of that. The climate crisis is here right now, our money should be spent on electrifying cars, busses, trains, and expanding bike infrastructure!

That’s why so many people gathered on Wilson Street in Madison last Wednesday to celebrate the grand opening of this new bike path. Bikes are a great way to exercise, they create virtually no pollution when you ride them, they’re quiet, and biking instead of driving gets cars off the streets!

The Wilson Street bike path addition started a decade ago when water mains broke beneath the street. Advocates pushed for a corridor study to be done to evaluate the best uses of the road. The corridor study found that the road could be transformed to accommodate drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities. This project now takes bicycles off the road and onto their own bike path, which makes drivers and cyclists safer.

Congratulations to Mayor Rhodes-Conway and all the elected officials, city officials, grassroots activists, and community members who made this happen! If you’re interested in volunteering your time to make sure our transportation options in Wisconsin are safe, sustainable, and accessible for all, please join our new Healthy Homes & Transportation volunteer team. Our next meeting is on September 30th at 5:45 PM. RSVP here, hope to see you there! If you can't make this meeting, but want to get involved, email me at: marco@healthyclimatewi.org.