|
|
Inflation Reduction Act makes historic climate investment with goal that reduces carbon emissions by roughly 40% by 2030.
Watch for a special e-news summary coming soon!
|
|
Don't miss our September Webinar
|
Get ready for Pedestrian Safety Month in October! Whether your primary form of transportation is a car, a bicycle, or a bus, one thing we have in common is that we are ALL pedestrians. Pedestrian Safety Month is a great time to evaluate the pedestrian networks where you live and advocate for better sidewalks, crosswalks, curb cuts, and more. Join us for a webinar on September 7, 2022 from 12-1pm. Facilitator Susan Gaeddert of 1000 Friends and presenters Denise Jess of the Wisconsin Council for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Cassie Steiner of the Sierra Club - Wisconsin Chapter will share best practices for pedestrian-friendly infrastructure and effective strategies for advocating at the local level.
The webinar is free. Link to register on zoom is here:
|
|
We have work to do!
2022 State Safe Routes Report
Safe Routes Partnership has recently released state report cards which provide a snapshot of how supportive each state is of walking, bicycling, and physical activity for children and adults as of 2022.
1000 Friends is working with communities across the state to improve access to safe routes for biking, walking, and rolling. See below for just one example of our work.
|
|
Bike/Ped Safety Project - Safe Routes |
1000 Friends has partnered with UW-Madison Center for Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) to to identify best practice changes to improve the network of sidewalks and bike path that children and families use to access schools and parks. We are working with 3 Green Tier Legacy Communities: Monona, Wisconsin Rapids and Stevens Point to locate 1-2 particular areas of concern. We're collecting data, meeting with local planners for onsite visits, interviewing residents and reviewing current bike/ped plans, to find where there may be gaps. Stay tuned - we will be releasing our reports in late December.
|
|
We're doing our part to help Wisconsin communities remove barriers to walking, biking, and rolling. We believe this project will promote health, equity and safety in participating communities. As you can see from Wisconsin's report card, We must take action at the local level now!
|
|
Advocacy Update: Rethinking 794 in Milwaukee |
|
Communities across the country are reconsidering downtown highways, inspired by the Park East removal in Milwaukee. Now I-794 in downtown Milwaukee is being revisited. 1000 Friends is challenging WisDOT’s plan to replace the interchanges near the Summerfest grounds at an expected cost of $300M. We have launched our Rethink 794 campaign, with architectural rendering coming in September. It is a galvanizing project because this highway separates the Third Ward from Downtown and the lakeshore. This is exceptionally poor land use for some of the most valuable land in Wisconsin. With this campaign, we hope to replace the highway with an at-grade boulevard, reconnect these neighborhoods, and make a more sustainable downtown Milwaukee.
|
|
While the I-94 East-West Expansion in Milwaukee continues to move forward, our coalition has won some hard-fought and significant victories. We are extremely excited by a recent announcement that the Stadium Freeway, running perpendicular to the highway, would be studied as an at-grade boulevard. A boulevard here would reconnect two adjacent neighborhoods torn apart in the 1960’s and was a key recommendation from our Fix-At-Six report. Additionally, WisDOT has proposed a smaller intersection near the Stadium, which would have a smaller impact on the surrounding neighborhoods and would include better walking and biking connections. This came after months of advocacy opposing WisDOT’s alternative that would have created another enormous interchange in Milwaukee. Unfortunately, expansion remains on the table and our coalition continues to push for permanent transit solutions, including BRT parallel to the route. However, these victories are important, and we celebrate these changes which will create a more resilient Milwaukee. Photo Credit: Ebony Cox / Milwaukee JournalSentinel
|
|
Ride Across Wisconsin
Follow Susan's adventure
|
Ride Across Wisconsin is this weekend - and Susan Gaeddert, 1kfriends Special Projects Manager, is planning to bike 165 miles from La Crosse to the Trek headquarters in Waterloo over two days, August 20-21. RAW was founded to promote great riding in the state of Wisconsin and is a fundraiser for Wisconsin Bike Fed.
Susan has been posting social media updates as she trains and will continue as she rides across Wisconsin! Be sure to follow the 1000 Friends Instagram account for the updates!
|
|
Smart Growth America just released the 2022 Dangerous By Design report. The number of people struck and killed while walking reached yet another new high in 2020. More than 6,500 people were struck and killed while walking in 2020, an average of nearly 18 per day, and a 4.5 percent increase over 2019.
This epidemic continues growing worse because our nation’s streets are designed primarily to move cars quickly at the expense of keeping everyone safe.
|
|
|
|
A new documentary airing on PBS and Amazon TV spotlights the grassroots movement for safer streets. Premieres August 25th.
|
|
Dulcie Canton, one of the activists featured in the documentary, is a bicyclist who has been hit by a driver. (Image courtesy The Street Project) |
|
Summertime!
Time to get on your bike or hike your favorite trail, roam around your neighborhood or sit on your porch and enjoy the sounds and smells of Summer!
|
We are working remotely so please contact us via email at
New Address:
1000 Friends of Wisconsin
Box 259704
Madison, WI 53725
|
Follow 1000 Friends Online: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
