From Steve Arnold:
At meetings beginning at 6:30 the Fitchburg Finance Committee, and at 7:30 the Fitchburg Common Council, will consider a resolution to approve the staff design of Fitchburg's portion of the Cannonball Path.
Staff has proposed, and the Transportation and Transit Commission has recommended, widening of Seminole Highway where the Path crosses, and a ten-foot wide safety island, so Path uses may cross Seminole Hwy one lane at a time. This will be particularly important when Verona Road construction starts next year, as considerable traffic will use Seminole Hwy to avoid the construction.
Fitchburg's Board of Public Works has amended the design to remove the safety island, citing cost and "safety" concerns. (One member said safety islands make him feel less safe, I presume while driving.)
I will argue for the safety island, as recommended by staff. The widening to accomodate the island will have a traffic calming effect, which staff hopes to use to argue for a lower speed limit (e.g., 30 MPH instead of the current 40 MPH) from the Madison limits through the intersections of the Cannonball Path, Dawley Drive, and the Cap City Trail. The lower speed limit will improve safety not only for Cannonball users, but also for Cap City Trail users and cyclists on Seminole Hwy.
The Dunns Marsh neighborhood Association supports the safety island.
The funding for the staff-proposed safety island has already been approved by the Common Council in the capital improvement program. Saving the money for the safety island is not a good tradeoff for the safety of trail users. Citizens speaking at Council members can have a powerful effect on the Council members. If you have an opinion on this matter, please consider registering to speak in support. You can also let your Alders know your opinion directly by e-mail. Our addresses are at
http://www.city.fitchburg.wi.us/government/commonCouncil/.Background: The Path will follow the old Union Pacific right-of-way from the Military Ridge Trail at McKee Road northwest to the "bicycle interchange with the Capital City Trail, Southwest Path, and Badger State Trail, along the Arboretum and Arbor Hills neighborhood, past Leopold School, and finally cross the Beltline on its own overpass between Kayser Ford and Culvers. It will be an awsome commuter route from soutwest Dane County to the Fish Hatchery Road and Park Street Corridors. The Beltline overpass and Fitchburg portions of the trail will be built next year. Snow will be removed for winter commuting. There is a map at
http://www.city.fitchburg.wi.us/departments/cityHall/publicWorks/CannonballPath.php.(Lighting: For those of you interested in whether the Path will be lighted, c.f. Madison's Southwest Commuter Path, the Madison portion of the Cannonball will be lighted. The Fitchburg portion will *not* be lighted initially, but underground work for future lighting of the Fitchburg portion has been recommended as a bid option, in case favorable bids allow it to fit into the project budget.)
