Mission Statement:
To advise policy makers on ways to make the city of Milwaukee more
bicycle friendly.
Who?
In 1991, Mayor John Norquist constituted the Bicycle Task Force to
develop a bicycle plan for the City of Milwaukee, with the main goal
of increasing both commuter and recreational bicycling. In 1993, the
Common Council formally recognized the BTF, which is made up of volunteers
from the DPW, the Safety Commission and the community. Although the
official members are appointed by the Mayor, the task force meetings
are open to the public and other interested cyclists attend on such
a regular basis, that they have become defacto working members.
What?
Since its inception, the task force has been the driving force behind
making Milwaukee more friendly place for cyclists. Here are some of
the things it has accomplished through its partnerships with the City
forces:
1993 Common Council adopts the BTF's Bicycle Plan for the City of Milwaukee.
1994 Makes secure bike parking, lockers and shower facilities available
within the City Hall complex to city employees who commute to work by
bicycle.
1995 City streets are evaluated to determine which best accommodated
cyclists, and 140 miles of on-street bike routes were designated and
signed.
1996 Purchased and installed 36 bike lockers for commuters. The lockers
are available to the public on a semi-annual or annual basis through
an inexpensive City of Milwaukee DPW permit. Call 414-286-3312 for more
information.
1998 Design, print and distribute 70,000 copies of the City Bike Map,
complete with safe bicycling information.
Ongoing projects:
Designate locations for the installation of free bicycle parking racks
to businesses and business improvement districts around the city.
Evaluate existing bike routes and bike lanes and make recommendations
for improvements.
When and Where?
The full task force meets quarterly. The date for the next meeting is
June 16th from 9-11 AM in room 709 of the Frank P. Zeidler Municipal
Building at 709 N. Broadway Ave. the public welcome to attend. Members of the
cycling community and the BTF meet more informally on the third Thursday of
each month. For the location of the next informal meeting, call
414-271-9685 or email david@bfw.org.
