The Good
I got out for a training ride on my road bike this morning to celebrate May 1.
My destination was the Arboretum to take a photo of the Zurich, my carbon road bike of 16 years, with the immaculately blooming effervescent lilacs.
The ride is just under 30 km and wanders through the Arboretum and along Lake Wingra and Wingra Creek before returning to the near east side of Madison along the SW Commuter Trail and Capitol City.
The lilacs were worth the ride even though many weren’t yet in full bloom.
The Bad
Earlier in the week, I rode over rails on a railroad crossing that had failing fillings. There are a number of these rails throughout the city with old dilapidated wooden beams for fillings.
These fail over time from exposure to various weather and as a result are extremely dangerous to users, including cars, bicycles, motorcycles, etc.
I wrote the city after my ride. They responded that it was up to the railroad that owned the land to make the upgrade.
The text of the email is as follows:
Good morning!
As I commute on my bicycle, I have suffered through countless dangerous rail crossings in Madison.
The fillings have failed in many places leaving dangerous ruts. Crossing them causes great pain in joints and back and is unhealthy.
The pot holes and uneven wear of the fillings make it dangerous to cross. Vehicles may get flat tires from protruding bolts. Drivers and riders may lose control riding over the bumps.
The address of the dangerous rail crossing in the above photo is approximately the intersection of La Follette and Winnebago. The crossing should look like the one below.
Please replace the fillings at your early convenience.
If you require more information regarding the overall condition of rail crossings in Madison, please do not hesitate to contact me at this email.
Best,
RLS
Since the railroad, Wisconsin Southern, has not been interested in replacing these extremely dangerous fillings with far more reliable steel ones or steel cages with concrete filling like the one below, I have been calling a contact at the Federal Railroad Administration which overseas private railroads. Still no response however.
