I have completed most of the research on Waukesha county for the updated Milwaukee and SE Wisconsin map. As usual, I find it the most frustrating part of the map. In picking out routes for the map I look for beautiful (or at least interesting) things and safe ways to connect them. Waukesha county falls short on both counts.

On the beauty count, Waukesha county is amply blessed by nature, with lakes, glacial moraines, and forests, and often stunningly attractive farms. The county’s problem is mainly a plague of scattered subdivisions, in their sameness and blandness, lack of connection to their location, and missing, to my mind at least, any pretense of charm.

Its scattershot development has led to an overloaded road system: old two-lane country roads with no paved shoulders or new four-lane highways with no shoulders. Too the extent bike lanes are constructed, they are often haphazard, periodically starting and stopping for no other reason than crossing a political boundary or leaving a construction project.

As a result of these considerations, I am taking off several roads that appeared on previous editions of the map:

• County B through the Pabst Farms in favor of a new section of the Lake Country Trail. When first proposed, the Pabst Farms development was criticized by environmentalists both for taking very fertile crop land out of production and because it was an important groundwater recharge area. What surprised me is how uninspired the development has been. It is dominated by two huge warehouses and the housing areas look like those all over the county. On either side, county B is a pleasant country road that suddenly seems to be going through an industrial park.
• The Walnut-Woodside route north of Sussex. It passes a seemingly endless series of standard issue subdivisions.
• Lisbon Rd east of county KF. Busy traffic with no shoulders. Unfortunately that change also loses the northern section of the very nice Swan Rd.

That said, I should mention a deletion that represents progress: County C between Nashotah and highway 18. A new bike trail along Cushing Park Road offers a much friendlier alternative, with a side trail connecting to Lapham Peak.

About forty years ago, Racine county designed and published a bicycling route circling the county. It followed low-traffic routes near the edge of the county. The county posted signs along the route.

Over the years, the route was left unchanged despite increasing problems. Traffic on county KR, along the Racine-Kenosha county line became increasingly busy. From the start, the route disappeared when it entered the city of Racine. The route was entirely on roads, even as bike trails in the county grew. And several years ago, 7-mile Road was closed at the railroad tracks yet the signs continue to direct bicyclists to the dead-end section of road.

The county has now published a new map with extensive revisions. The southern leg has been rerouted from KR to Braun, which is less busy. Where possible, it now follows bicycle trails. Most of the northern leg has been rerouted away from 7-mile to 5 and 6 mile roads. When I checked it last month, however, the signs had not been changed.

Generally the changes make sense, in my view. Those bicyclists who prefer pavement may wish to avoid unpaved trails (the MRK north of Racine, most of the 7-waters Trail, and the White River Trail) by taking the roads shown on the Milwaukee and SE Wisconsin map. Also some of the roads, particularly in the western part of the county, that were eliminated are quite scenic. Also there is one odd and unnecessary routing on highway 45; not terrible–this section has moderate traffic and good shoulders.

Update: I changed the link above to call up a pdf of the map.

Woods Road in Muskego was part of the old Wisconsin Bikeway from Milwaukee to La Crosse. In recent years, however, traffic on Woods Road has gotten heavier. I was pleased, therefore, to see that a bike trail is being constructed parallel to the road. Like many roads in the Milwaukee suburbs, Woods suffered from a series of short, discontinuous bike trails that would stop short when they reached a property linel

In the next edition of the map, there will be a number of changes in the Kenosha and Racine areas, especially  Kenosha. These changes reflect both the construction of new streets and the reconstruction of others, making them more bicycle-friendly. In constructing new through streets both these cities and their suburbs seem to have settled on a design which consists of a lane of traffic in each direction, with a marked bike lane and a parking lane to its right. Wherever possible, I have tried to move routes onto these new streets (and older ones rebuilt using this design) and away from old streets that offered no separate space for bikes.

For years bicyclists have used a short dirt trail to follow the Lake Michigan and get from Wisconsin to Illinois Beach State Park. Most of the land on either side of the line is in public hands: in Wisconsin the Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area and the Spring Bluff Preserve in Illinois. To make the crossing, from 116th St, travel south on 1st Court until it ends at an unpaved parking area. Then ride on the trail (or push your bike if the sand is too deep) to the marina parking area in Illinois. Then you can travel south on park roads and trails to Illinois Beach.

Philip Vang and his buddies love mountain biking, but wished they weren’t the only Hmong riders on the trails. This past weekend they started doing something about it. They rented booth space at the annual Hmong Sports Celebration in Como Park. With the help of Cycles for Change, they set up a simple mountain bike course on a small hill. They added easy obstacles using free wood from Craigslist, printed flyers and spread out a laminated version of the Twin Cities Bike Map on a table.

They waited. Fifty thousand Hmong came to the festival this year. They came from across the country, from France and from Laos. They came for flag football, soccer, the giant marketplace, the beauty contest and the chance to be part of the largest gathering of Hmong people in the world. It’s safe to say they did not come to test-ride mountain bikes.

“This morning the guys in the tent next to us just looked. They were wondering what we were doing riding up and down the hill.” Mr. Vang told me. Finally, he took a flyer over to them and explained mountain biking. Eventually the guys gave it a try. Later a group of young women rode the course, then tried the road bike on a trainer. By mid-afternoon about 25 people had ridden one of the bikes. If the pattern held through the weekend, Mr. Vang and his riding buddies reached 100 people. Some will joint them for an easy ride around the Salem Hills course next week.

It’s a small but realistic start. Some people dream big, and do nothing. Mr. Vang and his friends started where they could. The numbers will grow. At some point bicyclists will notice. They will speculate about the cause. I already know.

The recent 9 inch rain fall around Duluth, Minnesota has damaged the Willard Munger Bike Trail between Carlton and Duluth. The trail will remain closed in this area until further notice. The trail from Carlton to Hinckley is open but the bridges in Willow River and Rutledge have been closed until flood waters recede and DNR  inspects them for safety. The Willard Munger Trail is featured in Bicycle Vacation Guide and used annually by the MS150 charity bike ride.

Mountain bike trails in the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area were heavily damaged by the rain, but all trails except Sidewinder and Miner’s Mountain Road will open today. The Cuyuna trail system has become a favorite destination for mountain bikers since opening about a year ago.

This spring we had an unexpected run on the Women’s Bikeverywhere t-shirts, causing a three-week outage. They’re back in stock. The shirts are Gildan model 64000 Ladies Soft style Ts. They’re soft, fit well and printed with Eco-friendly water based ink. Tell the world that you are a bicyclist with these stylish t-shirts.

New Belgium Brewery has hosted Tour de Fat bicycle festivals around the country for 13 years. Celebrating bikes, beer and fun, the festival highlight is always the car for bike trade, where one local resident hands over his or her car keys and promises to go car free for one year. In exchange the rider gets to spend $2,250 on the bike of their choice at any local bike shop.

On July 14, Milwaukee will celebrate its third year of the festival. All festivities begin and end at McKinley Marina on the shore of Lake Michigan in Veteran’s Park. Festivities include a costumed bicycle parade, New Belgium beer, food, entertainment, bike contests and other fun activities. The festival is free. Funds from beer and merchandise sales help fund efforts by the Wisconsin Bicycle Federation to make Wisconsin a better place for bicyclists.

The City of Minneapolis Bike and Pedestrian Department has issued the following closure notices:

Hiawatha LRT Trail between 11^th Avenue South and Norm McGrew Place

The Hiawatha LRT Trail between 11^th Avenue South and Norm McGrew Place will be closed from Monday, June 11 at 7:00 a.m. through Tuesday, June 12 at 7:00 p.m. The official bicycle detour will follow 11^th Avenue South, South Second Street and Chicago Avenue South. Pedestrians are encouraged to use Washington Avenue South instead of South Second Street.

The closure is related to work on the Central Corridor LRT line. During the closure crews will be constructing OCS foundations that will support light rail catenary lines. This closure is in addition to the existing long-term closure of the Hiawatha LRT Trail between 11^th and 15^th avenues.

Midtown Greenway Ramp at Bryant Avenue South

Beginning Tuesday, June 12 the eastern portion of the Midtown Greenway ramp at Bryant Avenue South will temporarily close. The closure will last through December of 2012. The western portion of the Midtown Greenway ramp at Bryant Avenue South will remain open and serve as the official detour route.

The closure is related to the construction of the Track 29 Lofts. This construction will also result in temporary sidewalk closures along the 2800 blocks of Bryant and Aldrich avenues and along West 28^th Street between Bryant and Aldrich avenues. The sidewalk closures will continue through the end of June of 2012.