Support Us Button Widget

Answered: Where Madisonians want pedestrian-friendly areas

We asked and you answered. Here’s what the city of Madison thinks about pedestrian-friendly areas around the 608.

608today pedestrian-friendly street

What would State Street or Willy Street look like with walkable districts?

Graphic provided by © GDCI, Global Street Design Guide

Last week, we talked about walkable infrastructure in Madison — specifically, shared + pedestrian-only streets.

While we broke down a few pedestrian-friendly spots that already exist in the 608 (like State Street + Willy Street), we turned to you all — the lovely Madisonians always seeking betterment in our city — to ask where you think pedstrian-only or shared streets should go. Here’s what you said.

You want more walkable zones, just about everywhere:

“Everywhere! Around the Capitol blocks other than State, Willy St, Atwood, even Johnson or E Wash. There are so many opportunities to make areas more walkable, livable, pedestrian-friendly, and attractive as we encourage people to expand beyond the isthmus.” — Elisabeth T.

Williamson St, Atwood Ave, E Wilson St.”Lexi O.

And some of you have the ideas to make it happen:

More pedestrian-friendly crossing on East Washington.(Need I say more?) And in Fitchburg, better crossing experiences on McKee Rd. It seems that the wider the street, the less friendly it is to foot traffic.”Nancy G.

“Atwood-Schenk. There is already the bike path running through it, and some restaurants use their parking lots for outdoor dining. But a whole street that has a permanent festival / outdoor eating vibe in the summer would be amazing.” — Mandy G.

With lots of input about State Street:

“State Street, could be similar to Boulder Colorado’s Pearl St.”Ann P.

“State St needs to be a pedestrian mall. Deliveries by 10AM and then street closed.”Leanne P.

“Lower State Street... make it pedestrian only. Let BRT stay on upper State...”Tom R.

More from 608today
We’ve got the best deals on drinks and bites in town.
Whether you’re a weekend warrior or the next Tiger Woods, these 11 places to play golf around Madison are sure to make for a good round.
Check out these 14 yoga opportunities around Madison which offer beginner classes, memberships, hot yoga, and more.
Check out our guide to the many meaningful murals you can find around our city.
Prepare for fall weather in Madison with these seasonal temperature and precipitation outlooks.
Check out these brunch restaurants, cafes, and diners in Madison, serving a variety of egg dishes, mimosas, bloody marys, and more.
If you don’t have coffee already in hand, consider this your sign to grab some.
Football season is upon us, and we have the need-to-know info about the Badgers + how to make the most out of game days.
Here’s what makes Madison a great sports city.
From lifting weights, indoor rock climbing, personal training, dance fitness, boxing classes, and martial arts programs — we’ve rounded up some gyms and fitness offerings around Madison.