Madison Community Foundation Pledges $84,000 to Boost City Bicycle Initiatives

Look down at a bike path near Monona Bay (Aaron Hathaway/Madison Commons)

The Madison Community Foundation announced an $84,200 grant last week which aims to expand bicycle access to Madison residents and increase community education on bicycle maintenance and safety.

Called ‘Mad About Bikes,’ the grant aims to fund local bicycle charities and recruit volunteers to help expand community access to Madison’s bicycle infrastructure. Key elements of the grant are a 1,000-bicycle giveaway, the installation of new roadside repair stations throughout the city and multiple bicycle repair internships for local youth. This grant is one of 12 gifts composing a nearly $1 million dollar charitable giving campaign, running through May 2018 to celebrate the Madison Community Foundation’s 75th anniversary.

Local organizations participating in the Mad About Bikes program include Wheels for Winners, the Madison Area Transportation Planning Board and Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison, which refurbishes used bicycles and redistributes them to youth in need.

“Madison is blessed to have world class cycling infrastructure and advocacy and our goal is to make sure that extends to everyone in our community,” said Andy Quandt, executive director of Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison.

Free Bikes 4 Kidz will be organizing the campaign’s 1000-bicycle giveaway, which aims to collect bicycles from the community through a public collection day on January 13th, 2018. Area residents interested in donating used bicycles can find their nearest dropoff location online.