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Record of Proceedings

Fitchburg Bike and Pedestrian Commission Meeting – January 21, 2026

Common Council & City Boards — Wednesday, January 21, 2026
BodyFitchburg, Wisconsin
SessionCommon Council & City Boards
DateWednesday, January 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 55:30

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Hi, I'm Jeremy Crosby, and I'm Nick Bouchet.

0:02

We're your hosts for the program that's all about your city, Talking Fitchburg.

Speaker 2

0:06

Every weekday we pull together the news, events, and information you need to stay on top of what's happening in the city of Fitchburg.

0:12

Find

Speaker 1

0:12

Talking Fitchburg on Cable TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and our live stream on the web.

0:18

Plus, you can find all our headlines and stories on Facebook, YouTube, and our video on demand service.

Speaker 2

0:23

This is your city.

0:24

Keep up with Talking Fitchburg and the issues affecting you and your neighbors.

Speaker 3

0:35

Visit Fitchburg WI.gov on your computer or mobile device and select the big notify me button on the left.

0:41

Enter your email and or phone number, whichever is best for you to get notifications.

0:46

Scroll down the list and select all the topics you're interested in to receive email or text messages about.

0:51

You'll be notified every time one of your topics is updated.

0:54

Sign up for Notify Me.

0:56

One more way to keep up with your Fitchburg government.

Speaker 4

1:25

We have a thumbs up back there.

Speaker 5

1:50

Motion to approve.

Speaker 4

1:52

Motion a second.

1:53

Any discussion on those minutes.

2:03

Aye.

2:04

Those opposed, nay.

Speaker 6

2:06

That's our approved.

Speaker 4

2:08

Item number three is public appearances for non-agenda items.

2:11

We have a member of the public with us, but it's not signed up for

Unassigned speaker

2:14

the year for

Speaker 4

2:15

just two agenda items.

Unassigned speaker

2:19

We

Speaker 4

2:19

can then move on to an agenda item number four A, which is resolution R 174-25.

2:27

Approval of the City of Fitchburg Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan 2025 date.

2:36

We have a motion and a second.

2:40

Is that a second?

2:41

Sorry, by Jim or by Brandon.

2:43

Okay, thanks.

2:50

I'll invite you forward.

Speaker 6

2:57

Thank you.

2:58

Steve Arnold, 2530 Targe Street.

3:08

First, I would point out that I am on the what I thought was a steering committee, but it was apparently a one-time thing.

3:19

Would have been good to just be able to join the discussion rather than be restricted to three minutes.

3:43

So I don't have a printout.

Unassigned speaker

3:46

I

Speaker 6

3:46

didn't bring my computer in case I have to refer to it.

3:50

Many of the uh proposed

Unassigned speaker

3:54

uh

Speaker 6

3:54

improvements were

Unassigned speaker

3:57

uh

Speaker 6

3:58

dismissed with uh the reason of content preference not critical to change should have been submitted during the draft stage for staff and consultant review.

4:12

Uh so

Unassigned speaker

4:14

uh

Speaker 6

4:14

I wonder what was the draft stage.

4:16

Was that the text-only version that we discussed in August?

4:20

Why was a referral draft issued if no changes could be made?

4:26

And whose preferences are paramount?

4:29

It seems like there's uh strong staff preference for no change.

Unassigned speaker

4:34

Uh our objective speaking for Bike Fitchburg is to get as many good things in the plan as possible, and therefore have uh goals and guideposts for the next five years, or if staff suggestion stands the next 10 years.

Speaker 6

5:17

I'll just cover a couple of things that I was concerned about.

5:22

Um we suggested that the plan referenced the uh active Wisconsin agreement that the chamber and the um

Unassigned speaker

5:38

uh city

Speaker 6

5:39

and bike fitchburg entered into in 2017, and um the comment was that we'll reference that resolution, but we need to make clear that it was a 2017 partnership and nothing active is going on.

5:56

Uh many parts of the city government continue to cooperate with Bike Chimp Fitchburg in the chamber, and we refer to that agreement often.

Unassigned speaker

6:07

Uh

Speaker 6

6:08

it was never intended to be a one-year agreement.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Active Transportation███████████████████████████████████████████43%
Public Engagement█████████████████████21%
Comprehensive Planning████████████12%
Procedural████████8%
Youth Programs██████6%
Public Transportation█████5%
Public Safety███3%
Public Private Partnership██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Fitchburg Bike and Pedestrian Commission Meeting – January 21, 2026

The Bike and Pedestrian Commission (BPC) met on January 21, 2026, to consider the 2025 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan update, hear public testimony, receive updates from staff and partner organizations, and discuss future planning processes. The commission voted to recommend approval of the plan to the Common Council with the intention to treat it as a living document.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Meeting Minutes: The minutes from the previous meeting were approved unanimously without discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Steve Arnold (Bike Fitchburg): Expressed frustration that substantive changes to the 2025 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan were dismissed due to timing, despite his group not having been able to provide earlier input. He noted that the drafting period in August did not include maps and figures, and that when 10 pages of comments were submitted two days before the BPC vote, staff only incorporated critical or minor changes. He questioned why improvements were not accepted, citing specific examples: the plan should reference the 2017 Active Wisconsin partnership (which he said is still active), a photo of a rumble strip that is not best practice, the formalization of the ad hoc bicycle committee, enforcement language on page 99, the implementation of ProWag, and a policy allowing bikes on sidewalks (which he argued requires an ordinance, not just a policy). He urged the commission to consider these changes.

Discussion Items

  • Resolution R 174-25 – Approval of the City of Fitchburg Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan 2025 Update: Staff member Phil presented the plan, noting that the consultant budget was exhausted and city leadership wanted to avoid further delay. He explained that a drafting period existed in August but no feedback was received, and that when late comments arrived, staff selected critical or minor changes to include. The Community Equity Committee tabled its vote due to lack of equity metrics, and the Transportation Transit Commission approved the plan. The Common Council had delayed its vote to allow BPC to vote first, with a recommendation to add a clause directing staff to make critical changes before final publication. Commissioners discussed making the plan a

Meeting Transcript

Hi, I'm Jeremy Crosby, and I'm Nick Bouchet. We're your hosts for the program that's all about your city, Talking Fitchburg. Every weekday we pull together the news, events, and information you need to stay on top of what's happening in the city of Fitchburg. Find Talking Fitchburg on Cable TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and our live stream on the web. Plus, you can find all our headlines and stories on Facebook, YouTube, and our video on demand service. This is your city. Keep up with Talking Fitchburg and the issues affecting you and your neighbors. Visit Fitchburg WI.gov on your computer or mobile device and select the big notify me button on the left. Enter your email and or phone number, whichever is best for you to get notifications. Scroll down the list and select all the topics you're interested in to receive email or text messages about. You'll be notified every time one of your topics is updated. Sign up for Notify Me. One more way to keep up with your Fitchburg government. We have a thumbs up back there. Motion to approve. Motion a second. Any discussion on those minutes. Aye. Those opposed, nay. That's our approved. Item number three is public appearances for non-agenda items. We have a member of the public with us, but it's not signed up for the year for just two agenda items. We can then move on to an agenda item number four A, which is resolution R 174-25. Approval of the City of Fitchburg Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan 2025 date. We have a motion and a second. Is that a second? Sorry, by Jim or by Brandon. Okay, thanks. I'll invite you forward. Thank you. Steve Arnold, 2530 Targe Street. First, I would point out that I am on the what I thought was a steering committee, but it was apparently a one-time thing. Would have been good to just be able to join the discussion rather than be restricted to three minutes. So I don't have a printout. I didn't bring my computer in case I have to refer to it. Many of the uh proposed uh improvements were uh dismissed with uh the reason of content preference not critical to change should have been submitted during the draft stage for staff and consultant review. Uh so uh I wonder what was the draft stage. Was that the text-only version that we discussed in August? Why was a referral draft issued if no changes could be made?

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