Shared Streets, Let’s Plan for Next Year

The City of Madison launched several new initiatives earlier this year to provide residents with safe, healthy spaces for walking and biking during the COVID-19 Safer at Home order.

A number of locations were designated as “shared streets”. City staff used equipment and signage to show those designations throughout the summer and into the fall. These street closures widened the distance for pedestrians and bikers to safely travel while maintaining physical distancing. People with destinations along these shared streets such as residents, delivery providers, emergency service personnel and City services continued to have vehicle access.

This very popular program has ended for the remainder of 2020 to allow for effective winter maintenance of the streets.

As the weather cools down, Traffic Engineering will also be using the winter to evaluate the Shared Streets Program. Staff will be able to determine how to best move forward in 2021, expecting COVID-19 will still be with us, and expecting that the public wants the program back. The City is reaching out to you to help gather information on the program. Take a look at the survey, share your thoughts and please submit it by December 1.

The survey can be taken in three different languages and will soon be available in Hmong.

English

Spanish

Chinese

And while you are thinking about Shared Streets, if you have other ideas for expanding our safe spaces, let us know!