The Madison Transportation Commission on Oct. 22 approved a list of Safe Streets Madison projects priced at $301,700, with the caveat that the work is contingent on the 2026 Safe Streets Madison budget being adopted by the Common Council.

The items approved include 14 small-scale pedestrian, bicycle and crossing-safety projects selected from the program’s project spreadsheet. Tom, a staff member presenting the program, said the list was “sorted by the score on the right, the overall benefit to cost score,” and described how projects are screened against larger reconstruction plans and federal grant work such as Safe Streets for All.

Why it matters: Safe Streets Madison funds lower-cost interventions intended to reduce fatalities and serious injuries and close sidewalk and bike gaps. Tom said the projects approved by the commission were intended for 2026 construction and that the executive budget proposal included $1,411,100 for Safe Streets in 2026; approval by the Common Council is required before the projects can be built.

The commission discussion focused heavily on school-area safety, how rectangular rapid-flashing beacons (RRFBs) are installed and scored, and whether bike parking and certain park-side walking improvements fit the program. Alder Harrington McKinney and other commissioners asked staff to clarify why a proposed Lakeland Avenue sidewalk segment — which would guide pedestrians around a park effigy mound — was included in Safe Streets rather than being handled by the Parks Department. Tom replied that staff had evaluated alternatives with Parks and concluded the pedestrian route could not reasonably be routed around the effigy on park property, and that the proposed work was intended to provide protection where pedestrians are currently walking in the street.

Commissioners also discussed priority scoring for school-area projects and whether the program should highlight or separate school-related projects. Tom said the program keeps track of school locations and could either continue noting them in the project list or create a separate list in future rounds.

Motion and vote: Harold (mover) put forward the motion to approve the $301,700 project list; Alder Okavich seconded. The motion included the explicit caveat that the work is contingent on the 2026 Safe Streets Madison budget being approved. The chair took the motion by unanimous consent; the commission recorded the motion as carried.

Next steps: Staff will incorporate the commission’s recommendation into the project package, finalize designs and coordinate with procurement and the city’s concrete contracts for construction timing. Tom said some projects will be simple (paint or pads) and could be built quickly while others requiring survey and grading could be scheduled later in 2026 or 2027.

Quotes: “We get requests all the time throughout the year,” Tom said, describing the scoring and design process. On the Lakeland Avenue proposal he said: “the only option and what people are doing now are just walking in the street.”

Ending: The commission’s approval moves the selected Safe Streets Madison projects forward to the Board of Public Works and the Common Council for budget and final authorization. If the 2026 Safe Streets budget does not pass, the projects will not proceed as approved.