It’s no secret — the political atmosphere in Wisconsin is a challenging one to navigate. After spinning our wheels on legislative initiatives that were deemed polarizing or not worth the time of the legislature, we knew we needed to make a change.
How can we engage our elected officials in a way that won’t be viewed as partisan or politicking? How can we demonstrate that whether you sit on the left or right side of the aisle, a love for Wisconsin’s outdoors – especially via two wheels! – is universal? We needed to find the answers to these questions in order to advance cycling throughout the state as well as our advocacy efforts at the Capitol.
Looking Through a New Lens: Connectors & Connections
The answer came through exploring new lenses through which we look at how we can further our advocacy outreach and legislative goals. We need to connect on a personal level with our legislators, and we need to show the value constituents hold for cycling throughout the state. With these objectives in mind, we have coined a new outlook we’re calling Connectors & Connections — an opportunity to prioritize the connectors that cyclists in our state enjoy, the connections between Bike Fed and Wisconsin cyclists, members, and elected leaders, and the relationship-building opportunities both of these avenues have when pursued in tandem.
Under the Connectors & Connections mind frame, we have identified key connectors — projects — that are important to cyclists from every corner of the state, and pinpointed invaluable connections — people — at the advocacy, government, and business levels to advance our collective goals for Wisconsin cycling.
Below you will find the status of each of our Priority Projects. We wanted to showcase our “wins” with projects that have been approved and fully funded, where we’re at with projects “in progress”, and the work have yet to do to with projects that have just begun:
2022 Wins
1. Highland Bike and Pedestrian Path – Ozaukee County
2. Highway 67 Tunnel – Waukesha County
3. Wagon Wheel Connector – La Crosse County
4. Peace Trail – Rock County
In-Progress:
1. Fox River Trail – Brown County
2. Wisconsin River Bridge – Sauk County
3. Granite Peak – Marathon County
4. Stewart Tunnel – Dane County
5. Wisconsin River Trail – Grant County
Work to do:
1. White River Trail Extension – Racine County
2. Omaha Trail – Juneau County
3. 30th Street Corridor – Milwaukee County
4. Flyway Trail – Buffalo County
5. River Trail – Vilas County
6. Glacial Drumlin & Capital City Trail Connector – Dane County
7. Laurie’s Trail – Green Lake County
8. Pelican Path – Dodge County
Keep Wisconsin Biking Strong!
Wisconsin Bike Fed’s advocacy work around this issue and many others is made possible thanks to your support. Consider making a gift today!