Greater Madison MPO

BICYCLING AND WALKING FOR COMMUTERS

BICYCLING

With the great bicycle route network in Dane County bike commuting is an excellent and healthy way to get to work.  Bicycling even just one day a week can save you some money and help you get in your daily dose of exercise.

 If you are new to bicycle commuting here are some suggestions to get you started:

    • Plan your route using the Low Stress Bicycle Route Finder for trips in urban areas of Dane County.  You can also find routes appropriate for experienced adult bicyclists in rural areas of the county by using the Dane County Bike Map. Remember that the route you drive to work is usually not the same route that will work best for bike commuting.
     
    • Try out your route on a weekend to make sure you know the route and to see how long it will take.
     
    • If a co-worker commutes from your neighborhood ask if they would ride with you at first. If you don’t know any bike commuters log on to www.RoundTripGreaterMadison.org and look for a Bike Buddy.
     
    • Start with just one day a week and then progress to more often as you get comfortable making the trip.
     
    • If you live far from work then combine bicycling with transit to make the trip easier. Metro Transit has bike racks on the buses to make it easy to combine biking and transit.
     

WALKING

   Walking is one of the most basic ways to get where you need to go. Here are        

   some suggestions to get you started walking for transportation:

    • Select a good pair of walking shoes.
     
    • Try a practice walk to work on the weekend so you know how long it will take to get there.
     
    • Look for a route with good sidewalks and crosswalks.
     
    • If you will be walking after dark wear something reflective so vehicles can see you. On a multi-use path you should consider attaching some small blinking lights to your bag or jacket so bicyclists can easily see you.
     
    • No matter how you get to work, walking to lunch or to run errands can keep you from driving around looking for parking while allowing you to get some exercise.  Many online map programs also have a walking feature so you can determine how far your destination is by foot.