Madison’s Quest for Platinum Bike Status Unveiled

Mayor Soglin and two members of Madison’s Platinum Bicycle Committee today unveiled the collaborative effort to raise Madison’s status from Gold to Platinum level with the League of American Bicyclists.

The Platinum Committee formed in conjunction with Downtown Madison Inc. is working on four key categories to reach the Platinum designation, Bike Infrastructure, Education, Signature Routes and Mode Share. Brandon Buth with Trek Bicycle and Peter Gray with QTI are two members of the Committee who spoke to the media today.

"I am pleased that this group of active citizens and avid cyclists formed this committee to work raise our status with the League of American Bicyclists," said Mayor Soglin. "I am looking forward to working with them to extend our efforts on biking beyond avid cyclists to additional families and children."

The committee is collaborating with the Madison Metropolitan School District to increase bicycle education. As a result, a coalition of school and bike industry representatives have partnered with Trek, Pacific Cycle and Planet Bike for bike donations as well as accessories and helmets. DreamBikes built the bikes and the Foundation for Madison’s Public Schools assisted with fundraising for a bike trailer.

The City has additionally developed an on-line feedback tool for public comment and invites everyone to participate. It can be found at http://www.cityofmadison.com/bikemadison/getinvolved/ideas/ . The City will be working with Neighborhood Centers and local libraries to increase participation in this online tool.

"Madison would be the first city in the Midwest to reach Platinum status, but we are confident we can reach our goal," said Brandon Buth. "We have great partners and dedicated team members and we know what we need to do. We plan to apply for the status in the summer of 2015."