Tell NJDOT to Accommodate Bicyclists crossing US 130 into Cooper River Park

Tell NJDOT to include proper Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodations at North Park Drive and US 130 in Camden/Pennsauken.

There will be a public meeting held tomorrow at:

Camden County Boathouse
Cooper River County Park
7050 North Park Drive, Pennsauken, NJ
APRIL 20, 2011 6:00 P.M.

Work will start this fall on the reconstruction of the intersection of US 130 and North Park Drive (Cooper River Park) adjacent to the old driving range. As some of you already know this is a very difficult intersection to cross on foot or bike, especially heading from the park into Camden. While this hearing focuses on the right of way acquisition of a tiny piece of Cooper River Park it is the design of the intersection that is of the most concern.

While the crosswalk shown in the diagram is an improvement (vs nothing) it still forces a westbound cyclists to cross the intersection at the crosswalk. This means that cyclists will be riding across to a narrow sidewalk instead of a 10' multi-use path. For pedestrians it is much worse - the skewed unprotected intersection will mean that they will have to cross at least 70 feet of roadway across a skewed intersection, very difficult for the young, elderly and disabled.

US 130 has been cited by the Tri State Transportation Campaign as one of the most dangerous roads for pedestrians in the state. we should demand that at a minimum that the crosswalk geometry is fixed, with a pedestrian refuge added in the center median. In addition a pedestrian activated "no turn on red" phase would allow pedestrians to safely cross US 130. The design should also include a westbound bike box for cyclists in front of the stop bar on North Park Drive to get ahead of the turning traffic.

The details of the entire 130/30 project is here.






Click on the image to enlarge - The main section of Cooper River Park is on the bottom of this drawing while the old driving range on the top side.

Meeting announcement