Cyclist ticketed for riding in Chatham shoulder in serious left-hook crash

On December 19th the Chatam Patch reported a bicyclist suffering serious injuries in a crash involving a left turning motor vehicle while the cyclist was riding in the shoulder.  It is bad enough that the cyclist, Jose Batista of Cranford, was seriously injured in the crash but according to the Patch report, the Chatam Police intend on issuing a summons to Mr. Batista for "failure to exercise due care when passing a standing or slow-moving vehicle proceeding in the same direction."

In this case it would appear that Mr. Batista was riding his bicycle heading east in the shoulder while passing backed up motor traffic in the travel lanes to his left.  At the entrance to the CVS Pharmacy a driver heading east left a gap open so that Patrick McVeigh of Chatham, the driver of the vehicle involved in the crash who was heading west, could turn left and enter the CVS parking lot.  As the vehicle driven by Mr. McVeigh crossed the path of Mr. Batista, Mr. Batista then crashed into the rear of Mr. McVeigh's vehicle.


The first curb cut on the right is likely site of the Batista crash. View Larger Map

This case brings up a number of problems with shoulder cycling in New Jersey that continue to put cyclists at risk of injury, as well as prosecution from the law.  As reported by WalkBikeJersey earlier this year, The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled on a lawsuit that involved a cyclist tragically killed while traveling in the shoulder.  That case had the court rule on the legality of shoulder cycling and the court declared:

Bicyclists do not have special privileges on a roadway’s shoulder. Indeed, a bicycle rider is directed to ride on the furthest right hand side of the roadway, not on the roadway’s shoulder. The Motor Vehicle Code does not designate the roadway’s shoulder as a bicycle lane. 

If one were to only consider the court's interpretation of Title 39 it would seem that Mr. Batista was in clear violation of the law.  However a commenter on the Chatham Patch story notes that, just a half mile to the west of the assumed crash site Main Street, also known as NJ 124, has a marked bike lane in the town of Madison. 2008 Google Streetsview imagery would seem to confirm this.  The commenter also notes that at the municipal boarder of Madison and Chatham Borough, which is the intersection of Division Ave/Brookdale Road and Main St, there are no MUTCD compliant "Bike Lane Ends" signs.  This too is confirmed on Google Streetsview.


This "Bike Lane" symbol is located in the town of Madison and is less than 2500 feet from the likely crash site.
View Larger Map

Unfortunately for Mr. Batista, he likely assumed that either he was allowed by law to ride his bike in the roadway shoulder and/or that the shoulder was still a designated bicycle lane in the Borough of Chatham as it is in Madison. Also, the ambiguity of the signage and the roadway markings (the marked bike lanes in Madison are stripped more like shoulders and do not follow bike lane standards) and the lack of proper bike lane signage did not help clarify things for him.

The reality remains that shoulder cycling has been declared illegal and will remain so until this issue is addressed in the New Jersey Legislature.  Still, where shoulders have been designated as bike lanes, all effort must be made to mark them properly in accordance with accepted national standards.  It is simply not fair and even dangerous for cyclists to do it any other way.  Riding a bicycle on New Jersey's roadways is difficult enough.

Tri-State Transportation Campaign releases its Northern New Jersey’s Most Dangerous Roads for Biking report

Despite New Jersey's already great cycling and our states potential to be truly exceptional amongst its peers, the unfortunate reality is that the number of bicycle / motor vehicle crashes remains all too high.   The Tri-State Transportation Campaign took a simple and objective look at these crash numbers in northern New Jersey in a new report released this past Tuesday.  From the TSTC's blog:

TSTC’s new analysis, Northern New Jersey’s Most Dangerous Roads for Biking, highlights the 19,551 bicycle (bicycle and motor vehicle) crashes in 13 Northern New Jersey counties (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren) that occurred from 2001 through 2011. Of these, 81 were confirmed fatal. The analysis supplements the 2011 TSTC report, Southern New Jersey’s Most Dangerous Roads for Biking.

The brilliance of this report is that it does nothing but simply map out the crash locations in each of the northern 13 New Jersey counties and lets the patterns speak for themselves.
   

Bergen County Bicycle Crashes 2001 - 2011.  TSTC.

From the TSTC's analysis it would seem that the crash rate correlates very closely with the population density of each county.

Also, as TSTC noted, a large percentage of these bicycle / motor vehicle crashes are on arterial roadways whether that might be in Essex or Hunterdon County and all others in between. This is something that most experienced cyclists know instinctively and try to avoid those roadways whenever possible, even in the most sparsely populated parts of the state.

This report is solid evidence that two things should be happening to make bicycle transportation in New Jersey much more safe:

1 – When at all possible, efforts must be made to make these arterial roadways safe for cycling whether that be shoulders, bike lanes, road-diets, cycletracks, etc. As for road diets, a good number four-lane roadways simply do not have the traffic volume to warrant the need for four lanes.  These could very easily be put on a road diet and bike lanes installed.  Elsewhere, other solutions will need to be explored.

2 – Wherever practicable, bicycle routes should be created that guide cyclists off of the arterial roadways and onto safer rural tertiary and urban residential roadways. New Jersey, unlike most other states, has great interconnected residential and rural tertiary roadway networks. Experienced cyclists know this and use this network to safely navigate all around the state. A well thought out and marked, MUTCD compliant bicycle route network could aid less experienced cyclists and those new or just traveling through New Jersey, to find safer routes off the major arterials, that still provide reasonably direct routes to their final destinations.

Again, thank you Tri-State for crunching and geo-coding the statistics.

PS - Could you use red push pins to highlight the fatalities next time?

Jersey City announces plan for 54.7 mile bicycle network

This news is getting a little old now but is significant enough on the statewide level that WalkBikeJersey needs to cover it.

Early last week the Jersey Journal reported about Jersey City's plan to add 35.2 miles of bike lanes and 19.5 miles of sharrows throughout the city in a attempt to start a comprehensive, 54.7 mile bicycle transportation network.

Jersey City is in a unique position to create a fairly luxurious bicycle network as most of the main avenues are exceedingly wide and underutilized, at least in the eastern portion of the city.  It has been my own personal experience that much of Jersey City's streets are easy to navigate, even during rush-hour, as motor traffic demand is just not there.

This is, in part, due to planning efforts in the city that placed much less emphasis on accommodating the car and instead focusing efforts on planning around pedestrians and public transportation, namely the Hudson-Bergen Lightrail and PATH.  Also, Jersey City doesn't even require parking and puts a maximum on the number of spaces!  So effective has this planning been, that it was the focus of a major Streetfilms series and can be viewed below. 

This is the first large New Jersey town to embrace a comprehensive bicycle plan and will undoubtedly act as a model and leader for many other Jersey towns to follow.

Go JC!

Tacks found in shoulder of Rt 9W in New Jersey

Image courtesy and (c) Cyclists International

Cyclists International blog reported on December 4th of tacks being sprinkled on the shoulder over a 2 mile stretch of Rt 9W in New Jersey.  For those that do not know, this portion of 9W is the most popular bicycle route in the nation with as many as 1,500 cyclists and more using the route.

For more details regarding this incident check out the full story on Cyclists International.

Bike Ped Plans In Brigantine, Pleasantville and Atlantic City

While Governor Christie talks about the "new normal" for Ocean and Monmouth County beaches the old normal seems to the general condition of shore communities south of Little Egg Inlet. My brief visit to Atlantic City yesterday (away from the beach) confirmed that. I can also confirm that urban bicycling in AC is still a less than pleasant experience. I had plenty of company out there and the lack of accommodations has resulted in an improvised bike riding culture, with cyclists riding every way and place except on the street with the flow of traffic. On the pedestrian side the City is second to Newark in pedestrian crashes per capita.

But the City is doing something about it. NJ DOT in concert with the Casino Redevelopment Authority (CRDA) is wrapping up its bicycle and pedestrian plan and it will be making a final presentation to the public. The boldest proposal - a road diet and cycletracks on Atlantic Avenue, a heavy lift indeed. There is also a proposal for a two way cycletrack on wider and less busy Baltic Avenue which would hook in to a "24 Hour Loop" on the north end of the Boardwalk (which by chance happened to be the section that was conveniently wiped away by Sandy). Look for a public meeting to happen in late January, the plan will have to be approved by City Council although the City and the CRDA have already begun looking to fund some of the plans recommendations

Two of the City's neighbors are also taking advantage of NJ DOT's Local Bicycle/Pedestrian Planning Assistance Program with bike ped plans. Tomorrow Pleasantville will be holding a final public meeting tomorrow December 6th at the Pleasantville Library between 5:30 and 8:00 pm. The Library is located at 33 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, next to Pleasantville City Hall.

Finally Brigantine is in the early stages of developing its bicycle and pedestrian plan.  The first phase involves filling out this online survey. If you walk or bike in Brigantine and would like to see more improvements (the city already boasts some bike lanes) then please fill out this survey (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/brigantinebeach).

We cannot over emphasize the importance of the Local Bicycle/Pedestrian Planning Assistance Program. It is one of NJ DOT's most cost effective tools and has helped them earn a top 10 position in the Bicycle Friendly States program. One of the most difficult things to do these days is to ask a municipality to find tens of thousands of dollars and a reputable consultant to develop a plan to make it easier to walk or bike. If you look at a map of bike lanes in New Jersey you will find that about 80% are in communities that have adopted a plan. You won't find an official NJDOT page, although Googling will give you some access to previous applications. Contact NJ Bicycle and Pedestrian Office for more information

Bike / Ped investments critical as Hoboken PATH Station remains closed

News 12 New Jersey is reporting today that demand for bicycle parking at the Newport PATH Station has skyrocketed as the Hoboken PATH Station remains closed due to flood damage from Hurricane Sandy.  This is not surprising to us here at WalkBikeJersey.  With the opening of the Newport section of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway in 2009 the cities of Hoboken and Jersey City are connected for bicyclists and pedestrians like never before.  The Newport walkway has proven to be very popular with locals and exceptionally useful to commuters during normal circumstances.  In the Summer of 2011 the East Coast Greenway Alliance conducted trail counts and found that over 1,100 trips occurred on this section of the walkway between 4 and 7pm on one particular weekday.     

Locals walk and ride from Hoboken to Jersey City on the Newport section of the walkway, Summer 2011. (c) AJ Besold

With the Hoboken PATH Station remaining closed due to extensive damage, the walkway is now proving to be critical transportation asset.  By bike and using the walkway, the trip between the two stations is stress-free and takes about 5 minutes.  By road, cyclists would have to travel on treacherous Observer Highway, Marin Blvd and Washington Blvd (all roads even this LCI would rather not ride on) and its nearly twice as far (Note - WBJ realizes that those living in western Hoboken would find it more direct to use Marin Blvd to get to the Newport PATH Station).


View Hoboken PATH to Newport PATH in a larger map

This sudden emergency demand for bike parking at the Newport PATH didn't just materialize out of the blue after Hurricane Sandy.  Under the leadership of Mayor Dawn Zimmer, the City of Hoboken has been working hard to make the city and the Hoboken Transit Terminal much more accommodating for those looking to use a bike.  Back in October, Hoboken was named a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists.  With the Hoboken PATH Station remaining closed, the Newport PATH Station has become an obvious alternative for those looking to access the PATH system by bike.  Without the Newport walkway the PATH system would have remained much more difficult to access for many Hoboken residents.

Restore the Shore Better than Before!

You have seen the disaster photos over and over, but what I noticed in these photos was that the most basic forms of transportation - walking and biking were the only viable ways to get around in the hours immediately after the storm. In the absence of subways, traffic signals and even gas stations, Bike Portland did an excellent job of documenting the surge of bicycle traffic in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. On a lesser scale pictures from the barrier islands showed the same thing. Roads were either destroyed or covered with sand and debris that made car travel impossible.

Buried within the $30 billion dollar price tag are miles of damaged boardwalks and multi-use paths.Check out the shambles left over from the Sandy Hook Bikeway and the Henry Hudson Trail.  The tourist packed boardwalks will be rebuilt very quickly (perhaps too quickly). But the lesser used off-road paths may be pushed way down the priority list and perhaps in the case of the frequently damaged Bayshore section of the Henry Hudson Trail,a discussion about a total redesign. It is going to take a concerted effort by bicycle and walking advocates to bring these trails back up to speed

Multi-Use Path at Sandy Hook

The discussion of sustainable redevelopment of the coast is focused around the restoration of natural features to buffer the damage that robust coastal storms bring as well as implementing stricter building codes. But this rebuild is also an opportunity to create a more sustainable and safer transportation system as well.

Route 35 between Island Beach and Pt. Pleasant is a great example. In the 50's and 60's this road was expanded to create a four lane highway through some of the most densely built beach communities in the state. While there are wide shoulders, much of the road lacks sidewalks, crosswalks and even landscaping. To reform minded planners and landscape architects Route 35 looks like a blank slate.






View Larger Map
We can make this a complete street! Photoshop anyone?

The need to cross major arterials in shore communities is very strong. Accommodating all those beachgoers with beachfront parking would require huge and unsightly parking fields. So most renters and weekend visitors use the best ways available to get there - on two feet or two wheels (or sometimes 3 wheels). These roads are often the biggest barriers to get to the beach and can be especially frightening for groups with lots of gear and small children.

The rebuild of roads like Route 35 and Route 71 will put the NJ's complete streets policy to the test. County roads such as Long Beach Blvd are not subject to the State's policy, but the discussion to make all roads ravaged by Superstorm Sandy safer begins Today!

What were you thankful for this Thanksgivings weekend?

As you likely remember, the weather this Thanksgiving Day was spectacular.  When it became logistical possible for me to ride my bike the 50 miles to dinner at my brothers house in beautiful Long Valley New Jersey, I jumped at the opportunity to do the spectacularly fun ride.   As luck would have it the wind was at my back and the sun warmed the Autumn air just right.  The miles ticked by at fast and seemingly effortless pace and elevated my mood even more than on a typical ride.

With nearly three hours of time alone with my thoughts, I let my mind wander and ended up contemplating the meaning of the holiday.  As someone who is passionate about making the world better for those who walk and bike and inspired by the beautiful New Jersey countryside, I began thinking of what I'm thankful for. While this is far from a comprehensive list, and it sure doesn't replace friends, family and health, I thought I'd let you know of some of the things that I'm thankful for in our small niche in the world.

• New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition - It's been a very tenuous first couple of years but New Jersey's still fledgling biking and walking advocacy is getting a little more stable.  For several years the Coalition was being held together by the tireless and valiant efforts of its past presidents, Jim Nicholson and Karen Jenkins.  Without their effots I doubt we would be having a 4th Annual New Jersey Bike Summit this February. 
  
  However I'm extra excited this year because the Coalition has a paid executive director. I am very thankful that Cyndi Steiner is at the helm simply because she's a highly experienced "bicyclist".  She just doesn't ride a bike once in a while but rather lives her life around the bicycle and uses her bike everyday for spirited high-speed fun as well as practical transportation.  As such she knows, firsthand what its like trying to ride a bike around the state and dealing with its drivers.  But what few people know is she wouldn't be there if it wasn't for Brendan Poh, owner of Cyclecraft, who is significantly underwriting her salary.  Talk about putting you money where your mouth is.  Thanks a bunch Brendan!


• NJ TRANSIT - Yeah, they sometimes disappoint us bike advocates.  And yes, I don't ride the trains everyday during rush hour to have become bitter but no other state has a statewide transit network like NJ TRANSIT.  With new, world class, rail and bus rolling stock, NJ TRANSIT is becoming an increasingly attractive option.  The new, low-floor metro buses serving the northern half of the state now have bike racks like those found in South Jersey giving bicycling commuters even more multi-modal options.  And it doesn't stop there. 
  
  While it is a slow process, every time NJ TRANSIT renovates a train station they hit a home run.  No.  The smash grand-slam!  The Trenton Transit Center is again, world class and absolutely spectacular.  Even the new modest Somerville Station is exceptionally pleasant and well thought out.  And these stations are the focus of many of our walkable older towns.  They help keep these towns vibrant and very viable as the stations provide a very critical, car-free link to well paying jobs in New Jersey, New York City, Philadelphia and beyond.
  
  Now if NJ TRANSIT could give us some better bike parking and vertical bike-racks on NJ TRANSIT rail cars, I'd be over the moon!


•  Voorhees Transportation Center - Housed at the Bloustein School at Rutgers University, very few states have a transportation think tank with the caliber of faculty and staff like VTC.  Even fewer have one that has an office dedicated to investigating bicycle and pedestrian and Safe Routes to School issues.  And no others have a John Pucher on its faculty, the undisputed leading expert on bike/ped policies and comparing them across states and nations.  When John speaks, the who bike/ped world listens and he's here in New Jersey!


•  NJDOT - Yes, we here at WalkBikeJersey don't always see eye-to-eye with NJDOT and that's okay.   We would rather have our occasional disagreements with a NJDOT that has a leading and well staffed bike / ped and Safe Routes to School office than dealing with almost all other states.  The bicycling and pedestrian policies at NJDOT are leaps and bounds ahead of a vast majority of other states.  NJDOT's Complete Streets Policy is considered the best in the country.  I've been told that the staff at bike/ped office were instrumental at preventing rumblestrips from being installed on rural roads which had the potential to create significant hazards for bicyclists and ruin many very bikable roads.  Also, NJDOT reserves state transportation monies to fund bicycle and pedestrian projects.  While this pot of money has shrunken significantly over the years it is also something few other states do.
  
  And while we are on the topic of NJDOT, I'm very thankful for Commissioner James Simpson.  He clearly gets it.  Last year, when we here at WalkBikeJersey bought to his attention of how restrictive new NJ TRANSIT rules were that prevented cyclists from boarding and deboarding trains at low-level train stations, he understood and quickly acted.  I expected a long drawn-out battle on this but we got what we wanted almost immediately.  Thanks Commish!


• Living in New Jersey - Finally, as simple as it sounds, I wouldn't give up living here for almost anything!  The cycling in our state is truly second to none.  Every time I get on a bike and travel out into the countryside my love affair with our state is renewed and strengthened.  New Jersey has a fantastic network of quite, scenic and endlessly entertaining, centuries-old rural roads that await anyone with a bike, a spirit for adventure and a willingness to explore.  And the quality cycling isn't all that bad once one one enters the suburbs or even the cities.  With a large amount of New Jersey's suburbs and cities built prior to the age of the dead-end cul-de-sac, it is often very easy to find quite residential roads that will take you across town or with a little more investigating, even across the county.
  
  New Jersey's charms don't end once one gets off the bike.  Again, many our towns and cities were built when the pedestrian was king, not the car.  Accordingly our towns are suburbly walkable with good sidewalk networks, functioning and charming downtowns, with many having access to transit.  Yes, many still need help to repair their pedestrian networks.  Sidewalks need to be fixed and even installed in places.  And in other towns the street layouts have been bent to the will of the automobile but the solid bones of a great walking environment are still there. 
  
  And if you think I only like rural New Jersey for biking and walking, I invite you to take a ride on pleasantly wide JFK Boulevard East in Hudson County or walk along its spectacular pedestrian promenade.  For several miles you will be 200 feet above the Hudson River with unmatched views of the Manhattan Skyline.  Simply WOW! 

So as this holiday weekend comes to a close, lets not forget how good we have it here.  Yeah Hurricane Sandy did give us a pretty big wallop.  Some of our favorite places, many of which we love to walk and bike, have quite literally been destroyed including many peoples' homes.  And yes, we have a long way to go to make New Jersey a bike/ped paradise we want it to be but we are well on our way and way ahead many other states.  We just need to not forget what we have been blessed with already.

We also need not forget to say thanks along the way.

- Andy B.

Do the DVRPC "Bike to Transit Stations" survey

The very nice yet exceptional sheltered bicycle
parking at the Hoboken NJ TRANSIT Station.

If you live in, or travel with your bike in the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) service area, please take a moment to fill out the Bike to Transit Stations survey.  In New Jersey DVRPC services Mercer, Burlington, Gloucester, and Camden counties and this survey is investigating bicycle parking conditions at all rail transit stations in these counties.  These include all RiverLINE and PATCO stations, SEPTA's West Trenton Station, and NJ TRANSIT's Princeton, Princeton Junction, Hamilton, Trenton, Cherry Hill, Lindenwald and Atco Stations.  This is a map based survey.  Simply scroll over to the station or stations that you use, click on the button and give your feedback about the bicycle amenities (or lack there of) at that particular station.

The survey is open until December 1st and when I looked at it today many New Jersey stations had not been surveyed even once.  So if you get board watching football between courses at Thanksgiving dinner, do the survey instead and fill in those blanks!

More about this survey can be found in this write-up by Silva and our friends at the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance.

Parks, Trails and favorite bike roads likely unsafe and closed this weekend

Stay out of the parks!  Stay off the trails!  And be careful when you ride your bike on the road this weekend!

Most state parks are closed due to storm damage mostly in the form of downed and dangerously hanging trees.  D&R Canal State Park (includes Six Mile Run) and Allaire are on the list.  Both parks are popular with mountain bikers and casual cyclists alike who ride on multi-use trails.

Many county parks are likely in the same condition.  Checking the Monmouth County Parks Department webpage didn't find any mention park closures but its hard to imagine that they are in any better shape.  Hartshorn Woods reaches several hundred feet in elevation only a half mile from the Atlantic.  With such exposure to the brutal winds of Sandy, it's easy to imagine that the forest receive significant damage there.

Elsewhere in Monmouth County, it is highly probable that the Henry Hudson Trail will also have tree as well as flooding damage.  The exceptionally scenic Bayshore Trail portion of the Henry Hudson (between Highlands and Atlantic Highlands) was damaged by storm surge in the March 2011 Nor'easter.  With stories coming in of catastrophic flooding damage in many Raritan Bay communities the trail must be in much worse condition after Sandy.

Scenarios like these are sure to be repeating themselves in many parks throughout the state.  If you haven't been specifically informed that the park and or trail is safe for you to walk, hike or bike, you should stay out!  There is no need to put more demands on our strained emergency management systems.

The same amount of caution applies to us road cyclists too.  While the roads may be open to traffic, hazardous conditions remain.  Tree and other debris still liter roadways, particularly on the edge of the roads that cyclists frequent.  Not only could one crash into unexpected hazards deposted at the side of the road but branches, leaves and other litter can cause one to slip and crash, particularly when riding a bike with narrow tires.

Again, be safe and maybe wait till next weekend to go out and have fun.  We got too much cleaning up to do this weekend anyway.

Post Your Bikes After Sandy Photos

Tired of looking at photos of gas lines? How about photos of bikes being used for transportation in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy? We would like to see them, tag them as bikesandy on Flickr.

Princeton wins Bicycle Friendly University Bronze Award

It's been a busy and truly monumental past couple of days here in New Jersey on the bicycle advocacy front.  Finally after years of work New Jersey now has three Bicycle Friendly Communities, well engineered and well executed on-street bicycle lanes and sharrows have been installed in New Brunswick (more on that soon), and now comes word that Princeton University has been given a Bronze level Bicycle Friendly University award.


Princeton's efforts were even highlighted in yesterday's press release from the League:

At Princeton, also a Bronze BFU, new students get information about bicycling in their welcome packets, introducing them to the large network of campus paths, weekly bike maintenance classes, plentiful bike parking, free bike locks and the wide array of U-Bikes and CycLab programs and events.  

"Princeton is honored to become part of the Bicycle Friendly University program," said Andrea DeRose of the University's Transportation & Parking Services. "The University encourages biking as an efficient mode of transportation for faculty, staff and students -- and strives to increase the number of bicycle-related facilities and bicycle-related polices on campus."

Congratulations to Princeton for being the only University in New Jersey and in the Philadelphia and New York Metro area (Yale is a little far to be included) to be awarded the honor so far. 

NJ Bike & Walk Coalition will be at Philly Bike Expo this weekend

The 2012 Philly Bike Expo is coming up this weekend! Both the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and the NJ Bike and Walk Coalition will be in attendance.  Stop by their booths both Saturday and Sunday for t-shirts, info, maps, memberships, stickers, and other schwag and charm.

This two-day event is happening again at the 23rd Street Armory (22 S. 23rd St, Philadelphia PA).

Ticket available at the door, at Eastern Mountain Sports stores, and in advance online.

For us Jersey folks, if you never been to this show before you are truly missing out.  This edition will have over 80 exhibitors including several from Jersey and 25 seminars.  It's tons of fun for any bicycle junky.

And don't forget the seminars!  Our friends at the BCGP will be participating in the following (in Griffin Hall, located nearby in First Unitarian Church):

• The Circuit, Saturday, 10-10:45 am. The Circuit, our region's burgeoning trail network. Learn which trails are coming soon, what issues are preventing critical segments from being built, and how you can get involved.
• Sunday from 3:00 - 4:45 pm, The Women's Roundtable.

Ben Franklin Ramp Design Contract Is A Major Victory In A Long Campaign

Originally posted on Greater Philadelphia Bicycle News by our friends at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

This week the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) Board of Commissioners gave the go-ahead on the design phase of the Ben Franklin Bridge walkway ramp project. The engineering firm, Amman and Whitney was awarded the $598,000 contract to design the walkway. Before the vote, DRPA Chief Engineer Mike Venuto stated that the project will include public meetings during the design process. The optimistic timeline is 2013 for design and 2014 for construction if funds are made available.

The saga of the Ben Franklin Bridge walkway goes all the back to the Bicycle Coalition's earliest days. Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition member Bob Thomas led a successful campaign in 1973 to reopen the bridge walkway that had been closed due to the Korean War (yes, you read that correctly). After the walkway was closed for construction in 2000, the Bicycle Coalition and DVRPC negotiated with the DRPA to establish an alternating north and south walkway closure policy.

Making this view possible without ascending 3 vertiginous sets of metal stairs

There were more closures to come. Four weeks after the September 11th attacks, the DRPA ordered a walkway shutdown after KYW-TV's Paul Moriarity broadcast a report speculating about the walkways' vulnerability to a terrorist attack. Moriarity emailed the Coalition stating that the motive of the report was to have the bridge walkway actively patrolled, not closed. Negotiations and a public outcry forced the hand of the Authority and the walkway was reopened in December 2001.

But it was the one month closure after the London Bombings in July 2005, along with several incidents of bridge users being trapped on the bridge after the gates were locked, that spurred BCGP volunteers Matthew Anastasi and Jim Kriebel to form a Ben Franklin Bridge walkway committee. Their goals were to obtain full access to the bridge and the construction of an ADA accessible ramp. After several meetings with no movement, DRPA finally added the ramp into the 2008 5-year Capital Improvement Program.

The home stretch wasn't smooth. In 2011, the Authority suffered a public relations crisis related to a 20% bridge toll hike. The Board felt the pressure of "unnecessary expenses" and deferred ramp project in the 2011 and 2012 programs. A coalition of advocates, Camden-based businesses, nonprofits, and elected officials pressed back, and got the decision reversed in early 2012.

Over the years, a thawing relationship between the Authority and walkway users has yielded improvements to access: hours have been extended, winter weather closures have shortened, and new security cameras are being added. The ramp project, however, is the first big expenditure from the Authority's Capital Budget to make the bridge walkway more accessible for all users. We will be following the progress of the project and notify you when public meetings are scheduled.

Hoboken AND Ocean City awarded Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community Awards

Last week the League of American Bicyclists announced its Fall 2012 Bicycle Friendly Communities award winner.  Both Hoboken and Ocean City were awarded Bronze BFC status and join West Windsor that also won Bronze in 2011 giving New Jersey three Bicycle Friendly Communities.

Hoboken's award has been received by New Jersey's bike/ped community with much acclaim and rightfully so.  The City of Hoboken has been aggressive by putting in 8 miles of bikes lanes which covers 25% of the total street mileage and greatly expanding bike parking.

However, Ocean City's award is equally important and should not be overlooked.  Ocean City has been on the cutting edge of bicycle accommodation, even on a national level for a number of years now (1, 2)  and likely could have won BFC status several years ago.  But that's not stopping Ocean City from moving forward.  OC is working to extend their bikeway network beyond Haven Avenue, New Jersey's only bicycle boulevard.  They are installing in street bicycle parking and planning an expansion of the bicycle boulevard towards the north end of the island.  Take a look at one of the cool things Ocean City had been doing for years now.



It should be noted that both cities have complete streets policies.

Congratulations go to both Hoboken and Ocean City in joining West Windsor.  We at WalkBikeJersey knew long ago that you had it in you and hope that more New Jersey Communities are inspired by your accomplishments.

Medford Township Passes A Complete Streets Policy

Medford Township has become the first municipality in Burlington County to pass a complete streets resolution. Congratulations Medford!

October 16, 2012

TOWNSHIP OF MEDFORD

RESOLUTION   132-2012

Establishing a Complete Streets Policy

            WHEREAS, the Township of Medford is committed to creating street and roadway corridors that safely accommodate all street and road users of all abilities; and

WHEREAS, the Township Council supports this “complete streets” initiative and desires to reinforce its commitment to creating a comprehensive, integrated, connected street and road network that safely accommodates all street and road users of all abilities for all trips; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Township Council of the Township of Medford that the Township hereby supports the “complete streets” initiative by making it Township policy that all public street and road projects, both new construction and reconstruction (excluding maintenance) undertaken by the Township of Medford shall be designed whenever feasible and subject to Council approval to do so in order to safely accommodate travel by pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit, and motorized vehicles and their passengers, with special priority given to pedestrian safety, subject to the following conditions:

A.  Pedestrian and bicycle facilities shall not be required where they are prohibited by law.

B.  Public transit facilities shall not be required on streets or roads not serving transit routes and the desirability of transit facilities will be determined on a project specific basis.

C.  In any project, should the cost of pedestrian, bicycle, and/or public transit facilities cause an increase in project cost exceeding 5% as determined by engineering estimates, that would have to be funded with local tax dollars, then, and in that event, approval by Council shall be obtained for the same prior to bidding the project.

I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of a Resolution adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Medford, at a meeting held on the 16^th day of October, 2012.

DRPA To Vote On Walkway Ramp Design Contract Wednesday

Originally posted on Greater Philadelphia Bicycle News by our friends at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

The ramp will make this no longer necessary

On Wednesday October 17th the Delaware River Port Authority will be voting on the design contract for the Ben Franklin Bridge walkway ramp. Ammann and Whitney, a firm specializing in bridge construction, has been tentatively selected to complete the design work in a 9 month timeline.

If you have supported the saga that is this ramp, we encourage you to attend this meeting on your way to work Wednesday morning. We want to remind DRPA that there is public support for this project, and that support wants to see it completed in a timely fashion.

DRPA Board of Commissioners Meeting
Wednesday October 17th 
9:00 - 10:00 AM
11th Floor
One Port Center Two Riverside Dr
Camden, NJ

Save the Date: MAP-21 Conference in New Jersey

The following comes to WalkBikeJersey from the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

Months after the passage of a federal transportation bill, local communities, advocates, states, and even Washington are still sorting out what the new law means. To ease the transition and make sure that the legislation is used to create a more sustainable transportation network, Tri-State and Transportation for America are hosting Mapping It Out: A User’s Guide to MAP-21, an event for government officials, advocates, and the general public. The conference, which is being held at Rutgers’ College Avenue Campus on October 17^th, will:

• Explain the new federal transportation bill;
• Help government officials and advocates understand what they need to do to ensure that the law is implemented well; and
• Give a preview of upcoming federal decisions affecting transportation, from important upcoming deadlines to the work necessary to make the next transportation bill better than the current one.

Transportation for America Director James Corless and Policy Director Nick Donohue will both speak at the event.

Mapping It Out will be held from 9 am-12:30 pm in the Brower Commons Conference Room at Rutgers’ College Avenue Campus (145 College Avenue, New Brunswick, New Jersey). The event is free of charge, but attendees must RSVP to steven@tstc.org.

'Hillier than Thou' bike ride to benefit NJBWC

Not doing anything next weekend?  Want to torture yourself in New Jersey's most notorious and vertically challenging ride for a cause that could make your future ride safer and more pleasant?  Well step right up and challenge yourself to 12,000 feet of climbing over 100 miles to help support the New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition in Hillier than Thou.

Wait!  Wait!  Stop screaming and running for the door!  There's an easier Metric Century that "only" climbs 7,000 feet.  :)  Whichever you choose you will be "entertained" by the infamous Fiddlers Elbow Road that climbs over 900 feet and attains a wall-like 22% grade.  Between the delirium caused by oxygen deprivation and lactic acid buildup in your screaming legs, you'll be treated to New Jersey's world class, scenic rural cycling in Morris, Warren and Hunterdon Counties.

411

• Long Valley, NJ  
• Sunday, October 07, 2012 
• Century (100 miles), 7:30 AM 
• Metric Century (64 miles, 100 km), 7:45 AM 
• (Routes subject to change)
• Cost: $75 in advance $100 day of.

While this is not a race event, the ride will be timed so riders who make the time cut will receive a special award. Awards will be given to the top three male and female finishers, and the top finisher in age categories 35+, 45+, 55+ and 60+.

In addition, enter the Hillier Than Thou KOM/QOM Strava competition! Sign up for Strava before the ride and track your ride. A KOM and QOM jersey will be awarded to the top male and female Strava winners. Come back next year and wear your well-earned KOM or QOM jersey!

The rides will feature rest stops, tech T-shirts and post ride Bar-B-Que and entertainment. Day-of registration is available; ride fee will be $100. Hillier Than Thou starts in Long Valley, NJ. Parking and ride staging will take place at Long Valley Middle School.

Registration, breakfast, afternoon Bar-B-Que and Awards Ceremony will take place at Cycle Craft. Park at the Long Valley Middle School, 51 West Mill Road, Long Valley, NJ.

Don't fear the reaper, sign up today! Proceeds from the event will go to the New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition to fund the campaign to enact a 3-Foot Safe Passing Law in New Jersey.

Camden County Bicycle and Multi Use Trails Plan Listening Session

The Camden County Bicycling and Multi-Use Trails Master Plan will guide the implementation of multi-use trails and on-road bicycle facilities in Camden County. The project, based on recommendations initially made in the 2004 Camden County Open Space and Farmland Preservation Plan, will connect county residents to greenways and trails, as well as enhance opportunities to walk or bike to schools, parks, shops, and employment centers.


Upon completion of Phases III and IV of this project, all four parts will be combined into a county-wide plan. Before presenting the finished document to the Camden County Board of Freeholders for potential adoption, citizens will have an opportunity to comment on the plan in its entirety via an online mapping application.

In the meantime the public will get a chance to talk about their suggestions for the Countywide plan during a public listening session on October 25th at 6PM in the Camden County Boathouse, 7050 N. Park Drive, Pennsauken, NJ. Bring your ideas on how to make Camden County a bicycle friendly community.

To get a general idea of the work done on the plan so far go take a look at the Phase II document which was completed as a draft last year.Camden County Bikeway Trail Plan Phase II draft

Press Release - Newark to Launch Complete Streets Program

INITIATIVE WILL MAKE STREETS FRIENDLY FOR ALL USERS OF ALL ABILITIES

Program designed to create street corridors and intersections that will be safe

for pedestrians, motorists, bicyclists, seniors, children, and the mobility-challenged

Newark, NJ – September 25, 2012 – Mayor Cory A. Booker and Engineering Director Mehdi Mohammadish announced today that the City of Newark adopted a Municipal Council Resolution creating a “Complete Streets Policy.” This policy was adopted by the Municipal Council on September 6, 2012, is designed to create street corridors and intersections that will be safe for pedestrians, motorists, bicyclists, seniors, children, and the mobility-challenged.

The Complete Streets Policy will create a comprehensive, integrated, connected multi-modal network by facilitating connections to bicycling and walking in all of the City’s street and sidewalk projects.

“We have taken a holistic approach to making our streets and sidewalks safe and accessible for all of our residents and visitors, whether they walk, drive, or bicycle. Newark’s streets will be the safest and most welcoming in the entire nation,” Mayor Booker said.

“We have always emphasized the highest levels of accessibility and safety in our efforts to maintain and improve our streets and sidewalks. The Complete Streets program will provide us with a comprehensive plan to achieve those goals,” said Director Mohammadish.

“Complete Streets is defined as a means to provide safe access for all users by designing and operating a comprehensive, integrated, connected multi-modal network of transportation options,” said Manager of Traffic and Signals Jack Nata. “Newark is committed to creating street corridors and intersections that safely accommodate all users of all abilities.”

The Complete Streets program calls for the following:

·         Providing safe and accessible accommodations for existing and future pedestrian, bicycle, and transit facilities.

·         Establishing a checklist of pedestrian, bicycle, and transit accommodations such as accessible sidewalks, curb ramps, crosswalks, countdown pedestrian signals, signs, curb extensions, pedestrian scale lighting, bike lanes, and shoulders.

·         Transportation facilities constructed for long-term use shall anticipate likely future demand for bicycling and walking facilities and not preclude the provision of future improvements.

·         Designs shall address the need for bicyclists and pedestrians to cross corridors, as well as travel along them, in a safe, accessible and convenient manner.

·         Designs for intersections, interchanges, and bridges shall anticipate use by bicyclists and pedestrians.

·         Bicycle and pedestrian facilities shall be designed and constructed to the best currently available standards and practices.

·         Provisions shall be made for pedestrians and bicyclists when closing roads, bridges or sidewalks for construction projects.

·         Improvements shall comply with Title VII Environmental Justice, Americans With Disabilities Act, and complement the context of the surrounding community.

Manager Nata noted that the City has already undertaken projects to enhance Newark’s accessibility for bicyclists and pedestrians, with a new bike lane on Washington Street, and new curb ramps and sidewalks as part of its Streetscaping efforts on Broad Street, Ferry Street, and other arteries.

The announcement drew praise from the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. The Campaign is a non-profit policy watchdog organization working for better transit and transportation policy in New Jersey, downstate New York, and Connecticut. 

“Tri-State applauds the passage of a Complete Streets policy in Newark, the largest city in New Jersey.  The adoption of this policy supports Newark’s other efforts, such as bike lanes and Go Bus, towards building a more green, sustainable, and progressive city. With its many green initiatives, Newark serves as an important model for sustainable streets that should be replicated elsewhere,” said Janna Chernetz, Esq., New Jersey Advocate for Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

Under the Booker administration, the Department of Engineering has begun a vigorous program of improving the City’s infrastructure. The City of Newark is close to completing the largest park expansion and rehabilitation initiative in more than a century. On July 28, 2009, Newark opened Nat Turner Park, the largest city-owned park. Through public-private partnerships, the City was able to secure $40 million for the parks initiative, in collaboration with GreenSpaces, a public/private partnership, and the Trust for Public Land. Thus far, the City has completed new parks and fields at St. Peter’s Park, Kasberger Field, Boys Park, First Street and Thomas Silk Parks, Ironbound B Field, and, in cooperation with Newark Public Schools, has built a new athletic complex at Weequahic High School.  Parks have been renovated in every ward throughout the City.

In May 2008, the Department of Engineering won the New Jersey Concrete Committee’s Merit Award in the Decorative Category for the first phase of the Broad Street Streetscaping, which saw massive renovations to denote the historic nature of the historic “Four Corners” intersection at Broad and Market Streets. The project reconstructed sidewalks, created fence panels, installed new street furniture and traffic lights to promote pedestrian safety.

In November 2009, the Department won the New Jersey Society of Municipal Engineers Honor Place Award in the Municipal Construction Management Projects “F” Category for the first phase of the Ferry Street Streetscaping Project. The $1.9 million project, funded by the City of Newark and the New Jersey Department of Transportation, was a partnership with the Ironbound Business Improvement District, designed to enhance the Ironbound’s central artery and gateway to businesses and restaurants in the East Ward, as well as improve safety conditions for pedestrians crossing the busy thoroughfares. Under the program, state-of-the-art sidewalks with planters and decorative lighting were placed down Ferry Street from Union to Madison Streets. These sidewalks improved safety for motorists and pedestrians. The project also reconstructed sidewalks, utilities and drainage, created fence panels and utilized already existing bike paths. New street furniture, signage and traffic lights also enhanced safety for pedestrians.

The Department of Engineering has also undertaken a number of pedestrian safety improvements, highlighted by “Project Red Light,” a partnership with the Police Department, the Municipal Court, and RedFlex Systems. This automated photo enforcement system snaps pictures of license plates of cars that run red lights at key intersections and automatically sends tickets to the cars’ owners. Operating since December 2009, this system has made these intersections safer for both motorists and pedestrians.

In 2012, the Department launched $27 million worth of streetscaping, road re-surfacing, traffic calming, and traffic signal installations. The projects will improve the City’s infrastructure and enhance safety on its roads for motorists and pedestrians alike. Among the projects is the largest traffic-calming program in Newark’s history, currently underway in the West Ward.

The Department has also launched a comprehensive rehabilitation of the City’s Recreation centers, Police precincts, firehouses, and other facilities. At the same time, the Department of Engineering has opened new repair facilities for City-owned vehicles, added environmentally-friendly electric cars to its motor fleet, launched green initiatives, and is continuing the restoration of historic City Hall.

For information about this or any other City of Newark policy or program, contact the Non-Emergency Call Center at (973) 733-4311.

Contact:         Newark Press Information Office: (973) 733-8004.

                        E-mail: Pressoffice@ci.newark.nj.us

Middlesex Greenway opens in grand fashion on Sep. 15

Like the Greenway itself, this post is a little late in coming.

After twenty years in the making, the Middlesex Greenway opened in grand fashion on Saturday, September 15th.  The  mayors of Edison, Metuchen and Woodbridge, three towns that the Greenway traverses, along with numerous Freeholders and a US Senator were all in attendance.  While there are still a few details that need to be completed before the initial 3.5 mile trail segment is entirely complete, the popularity of the trail was readily apparent on the grand opening Saturday as at least one hundred people were observed using the trail, most of whom were not attending the grand opening ceremonies.

Some of the dozens of users seen on the Greenway.

It was interesting to see that this grand opening event attracted the attendance of Senator Bob Menendez.  Support for bike and pedestrian infrastructure would seem to make good politics.

Senator Bob Menendez speaks at the trail opening.

This project was spearheaded by the group Edison Greenways and not enough can be said of their persistence to get the project to this point.  Also of significant importance to the project was the East Coast Greeway Alliance that designated a portion of the Middlesex Greenway as a part of the 3,000 mile East Coast Greanway years before the first construction crews started work.  Being designated a segment of the East Coast Greenway has acted as a catalyst to get many trail, sidewalk, bike/ped bridge and even bike lane projects built here in New Jersey and in many other states that the East Coast Greenway passes.

Mike and Anne Kruimer of the East Coast Greenway Alliance pause on the bridge over US Route 1 built several years ago by NJDOT for the Middlesex Greenway as part of a highway renovation project.

This project also has great potential for providing a Safe Routes to School.  The Herbert Hoover Middle School of Edison is directly adjacent to the trail.  The new bridge over US Route 1 built by NJDOT now provides a nearly traffic free route for Edison students who live on the west side of Route 1 and might attend the school.  Middle school age children were seen riding their bikes almost every time this author traversed the bridge over US Route 1.


View Middlesex Greenway in a larger map

Finally, it is hoped by greenway planners and advocates that this 3.5 mile segment is only the beginning.  To the west there are already plans in Metuchen to extend the Greenway to the limits of the Metuchen boarder and possibly beyond.  On the eastern end there are tentative plans to extend the trail over the Garden State Parkway and into Perth Amboy.  This addition would greatly increase the transportation utility of the Middlesex Greenway.  However, even though the train tracks over the Parkway haven't been used for years, the railroad company has plans to reactivate the tracks in the future to service warehouses, industry and a possible port on the Raritan River in Edison.

Either way, the Edison Greenway is greatly welcomed  recreation and transportation amenity in northern Middlesex County and many hope that this will be the first of a number of other rail trail and other similar multiuse trail projects in the county.

For more photo's see the slide show below. All photo's in this post and below slide show are copyrighted and are the sole property of Andrew J. Besold.