Biking on campus?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Wisconsin
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Hey guys!:slight_smile: I’ll be a freshman at UW-Madison next year and I was wondering- do people bike on campus a lot and how easy is it to do? A few more specific questions-

  1. Are there a lot of places to store/lock your bike? Indoors and outdoors?
  2. Are the sidewalks usually pretty clear when it snows?

Thanks so much! If you have anything else to add on the subject please feel free.

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Check out http://transportation.wisc.edu/transportation/bike.aspx

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btw- technically bicycles are supposed to use streets per state law- NOT sidewalks- those are for pedestrians! Plus you need to obey the laws.

Advice often given is to bring a cheap bicycle that is not desirable by thieves. Some apartment buildings will have indoor bike storage but Res Halls has bike racks outdoors.

Remember the many hills- steep ones.

4

Yes, campus is very bike friendly, and there are lanes for bikers.You can get by just fine with a bike and a bus pass. Bus passes are free for students. You might not use it much as a Freshman but they come in handy if you live off-campus or go off-campus a lot. Some people have cars once they get off-campus but most people still don’t have one.

Many people use bikes just for getting around. If you bike for fun, there’s plenty of paved trails and roads with good bike lanes for road biking. If you’re more of a mountain biker, there’s a few places that you can ride to (Quarry Ridge in Fitchburg, Dawley Park in Fitchburg, and Quarry Park which is tucked in a neighborhood a bit west of campus). If you get a car there’s many places you can go, depending on how far you want to drive.

Anyways…

  1. Outdoor bike storage is easy to find. Indoor storage is harder. There is no indoor storage rooms in the dorms. The only indoor bike storage in the dorms is if you find a spot in your room. Dorm rooms are so small that it’s hard to make space, though it can be done if you really want to. Off-campus, apartments often will have a place to store bicycles, especially ones that have underground parking. Otherwise you could put it in your living room. If you get a house, put it in the basement or under the porch to keep it out of the rain.

  2. like wis75 said, ride your bike on the street, not the sidewalks. Sidewalks on campus are cleared pretty fast, and if you end up walking on snow it’s usually packed down by hundreds of people already. It can happen but it isn’t likely. Off-campus it’s not as good, and it might take a day or two to clear the sidewalks,

If you are talking about bike lanes, the main streets are plowed often and the bike paths are kept clean too. But side streets might not be plowed as much, or they might plow the street but leave the bike trail full of slush.

Don’t bring an expensive bike to the dorms just to ride to class and let it rust in the rain. But generally if you keep it locked and it’s not a brand new, high-end bike, it should stay okay.

5

Just want to add on about indoor storage, there are local bike shops that offer winter storage for a fee.

I would also advise getting a bike lock that can’t be cut through easily- at the very least don’t get cable locks.

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You can avoid hills going from the Memorial Union to the Lakeshore area by using the Lakeshore path- well traveled and gorgeous. Read the rules before going to Madison. Bikes follow cars- including riding on the RIGHT side of the road with traffic instead like of walking facing traffic.

Some will have mopeds- all sorts of rules there, including parking restrictions. AND- go the speed limit (at least- it’s been awhile so not sure how fast Madison traffic flows). This means don’t slow traffic in the left lanes heading west on Campus Drive!