Save $15! NJ Bike & Walk Summit pre-registration closes at midnight!

Long distance road bicyclist and Assemblywoman, Grace Spencer to attend in a surprise, last-minute addition to the Summit!

Still hemming and hawing about going to the NJ Bike and Walk Summit this weekend?  Don't wait!  Register now!  Online registration closes at midnight!
Register online and pay only $50 and avoid paying the $15 "at the door" fee.  Space is filling up fast so you better not wait anyway.  And if you are a student with a valid ID you will only pay $25 but that will rise to $40 if you wait.  It's going to rain anyway on Saturday so what else are you going to do?

Assemblywoman Grace Spencer to appear on featured panel   
A member of the New Jersey Legislature, Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer (D) has represented the 29th Legislative District, which includes the Essex County municipalities of Belleville and a portion of Newark, since November 2007. Ms. Spencer received her BA in business management from Rutgers University and her JD from Rutgers Law School.  She specializes in liability law at the firm of Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman and Goggin. Ms. Spencer is a member of the Major Taylor Cycling Club of New Jersey.

In total, the NJ Bike & Walk Summit will have a total of 18 educational session with over 50 speakers.  To find out more, check out the Summit Schedule.  The Summit will be on Saturday February 23rd at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, a five minute walk from the New Brunswick train station.  Pre-registration closes on February 21 at midnight. Registration will be available on the morning of the summit, for an additional $15 per registrant. Register today!

NJ Bike Summit in just five days! LAB Board President to speak

The New Jersey Bike and Walk Summit, presented by the New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition is proud to announce the late addition of Hans van Naerssen, Chair of the Board of Directors of the League of American Bicyclists.  Hans is a bicycling activist, and an active bicyclist. He is also co-founder and Board Chair, Pennsylvania Walks and Bikes, and Board member and past President of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. He has a Governor's appointment to the PA Pedestrian and Pedalcycle Advisory Committee.  The addition of Hans to the list of speakers is a real surprise as he is will undoubtedly provide a valuable perspective on bicycle activism having experience working with all levels of government.

For all you trail users out there, the session "Building Community Support for Trails" should prove very interesting.   While the session will remind trail advocates that trails are used by groups well beyond the typical, hiker, biker, horseback rider groups, it will also be one of the few time members from all of these groups will all be in one room.  A sampling of the panel include Michael Gray and Becky Taylor of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation, Janice Elsishans, Trails Advocate for the New Jersey Horse Council , Equestrian Chairperson for the Heritage and Agricultural Association, participant in the Sussex County Trails Partnership and President of the Paulinskill Valley Trail Committee, and Wally Tunison of the Jersey Off Road Bicycle Association (JORBA)

In total, the NJ Bike & Walk Summit will have a total of 18 educational session with over 50 speakers.  To find out more, check out the Summit Schedule.  The Summit will be on Saturday February 23rd at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, a five minute walk from the New Brunswick train station.  Pre-registration closes on February 21 at midnight. Registration will be available on the morning of the summit, for an additional $15 per registrant. Register today!



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4th Annual New Jersey Bike Walk Summit Happening February 23rd

The New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition in partnership with the Voorhees Transportation Center will be hosting the 4th Annual New Jersey Bike Walk Summit (link to preliminary agenda) on Saturday February 23rd at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Rutgers University in New Brunswick. This year there will be 20 panel sessions to choose from, including one that will discuss The Circuit and how it can affect trail development and bike mobility in New Jersey.

The NJBWC headed up by Executive Director Cyndi Steiner is diving headfirst into state bicycle and pedestrian issues. They have partnered with us as well as the Tri State Transportation Campaign, NJ Future, the Safe Routes to School Partnership and other local advocacy groups on numerous issues. Most notably they have been working with NJDOT and the State's three Metropolitan Planning Organizations on policy changes under MAP-21 and with New Jersey Transit to improve its bike on rail policies. NJBWC's statewide advocacy strengthens our local advocacy efforts in the Garden State.

Registration fee for the Summit is $50 online, $65 at the door. For more information on the NJ Bike and Walk Summit go here. The Bloustein School is just a 5 minute walk from the NJ TRANSIT New Brunswick Station at the corner of Livingston Ave and New St.

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New Jersey Bike & Walk Summit coming to New Brunswick

Registration Opened!

The New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition is pleased to announce that the 2012 NJ BikeWalk Summit will be held on February 25, 2012 in New Brunswick, NJ. The event will be hosted by the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center which is in the Edward J. Bloustein School at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.  Co-hosts will be the Central Jersey Bicycle Club who will lead a tour of New
Brunswick with NJBWC LCIs.

Registration is open for the Summit and cost will be as follows:

December 7, 2011 through January 15, 2012:
$50 – Individual
$25 – Student

January 16, 2012 through February 22, 2012:
$55 – Individual
$25 – Student

If space remains after on-line and mail registration closes, you may register at the door at a cost of $65 (no student discount)


You may register on-line here.  To register by mail, send a check made out to the “New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition” to NJBWC, P.O. Box 843, Mahwah, NJ  07430.

Note that registration for the 2012 NJ Bike & Walk Summit will bring you either a one-year membership in the Coalition or an extension of any current membership!

The  agenda for the Summit is currently being developed but you can check the website and future editions of the newsletter for announcements.  There will be concurrent sessions during the day.  Bring friends and cover them all!  There will also be a mix of presentations, workshops and discussions designed to help you get things done in your own communities and in your state.  Valuable information for all!

Sponsors Wanted!!

Sponsorship of the New Jersey Bike & Walk Summit can be valuable exposure for your company or service, and will reach well beyond the 150 or so who will actually be there on the day.  If you are interested in reaching a diverse, educated, and affluent market of bicycle and walking advocates and professionals, sponsorship of the Summit may be for you. You can find information on sponsorship opportunities here.

Sights and details from the 2011 NJ Bike and Walk Summit

UPDATED! 

I knew that Jen Benepe would have much more extensive look into this years NJ Bike and Walk Summit which is one of the reasons why I didn't really bother going into great detail here.  Plus, when I cover events, I often just shoot from the hip.  Jen, with a degree in journalism could be seen diligently scribbling on her notepad all day at the Summit.  I wasn't willing to compete against that.  For more in-depth coverage of the Summit, take a look at Part 1 of Jen's coverage on her Benepe's Bike Blog.  

The impressive Trenton Masonic Temple.

Without a doubt the 2011 New Jersey Bike and Walk Summit hosted by the NJ Bike and Walk Coalition was a great success.  The event was held in the beautifully exquisite Masonic Temple directly across the Trenton Barracks and a block form the State House.

For a general gist of the days events, the summit agenda pretty much covers most of what you need to know.  The expected highlight of the day was the keynote address given by Rutgers' and New Jersey's own Prof. John Pucher, famous the world over for his groundbreaking bicycle and pedestrian research.  As is typical of the man, he gave one of his memorable presentations that had the crowed laughing and roweled up. However there was much more to the summit including a number of neat and unexpected highlights that were not on the schedule.

First, Jim Nicholson was given an award for his leadership role in founding the NJ Bike and Walk Coalition.  I've told him personally but I think every bicyclist and pedestrian in New Jersey owes him a debt of gratitude for getting the Coalition off and running.

The crowed gives Jim Nicholson a standing "o" for his work with the Coalition.

The other big highlight of the day was the awarding of a $5,000 grant from the good folks at the REI to help continue to good work of the NJ BikeSchool (link to in depth presentation about program).  Founded through the incredibly hard fought efforts of Leigh Ann Von Hagen at the Voorhees Transportation Center, NJ BikeSchool brings League of American Bicyclists, Cycling Instructors to schools around the state so that children are given a solid education on the safe operation of a bicycle.

Leigh Ann grins ear to ear after receiving the big plastic check.

So if you didn't make it this year, you sure missed out. For more of the sights from the summit, check out the photo gallery below. Remember though, all photos in this post as well as all other unattributed photos on this blog are copyrighted and I'll only grant permission to copy them if you ask in writing.  Enjoy!

How are you getting to the NJ Bike/Walk Summit this Saturday?

Leave the car at home and walk, bike and/or take transit to get to the NJ Bike and Walk Summit this Saturday, February 26!

The new Trenton Transit Center *

With the NJ Bike and Walk Summit located in Trenton this year there are plenty of opportunities for you to ride, walk, take a trail, train, light rail or bus to get there.  Trenton was ranked as the 8th most walkable city in 2008 by Prevention Magazine.  The new, world class, Trenton Transit Center welcomes riders of NJ Transit's NE Corridor Line, RiverLINE Light Rail as well as numerous bus routes, all equipped to handle riders with bicycles.  Also arriving at the Transit Center are numerous Amtrak trains as well as SEPTA's Trenton Line (formally called the R7).

Bicycle accommodations on the RiverLINE. *

Once you get to the Transit Center getting to the Summit is an easy task.  At only 0.9 miles away, the Masonic Temple is about an 18 minute walk or a 5 minute ride by bicycle.  Sidewalks are plentiful and traffic on State Street is calm and sparse particularly on a Saturday with all the state offices closed.

Also, WalkBikeJersey has been notified that THERE WILL BE BICYCLE PARKING AVAILABLE ON SITE, and likely inside the Masonic Temple.  Make sure you bring a lock even if bicycle parking is allowed inside the building.





View NJ Bike/Walk Summit: Trenton Local Directions in a larger map

It is also possible to take the Delaware and Raritan Canal Towpath to get to Trenton from destinations north along the Delaware River and now also from the northeast, from Princeton and destinations beyond. This is due to the recently completed, paved section of trail along Rt US 1 and the train tracks, between Mulberry St and North Broad St.

The dusty but paved new section of trail just south of Mulberry St. *

One is also not restricted to using the D&R Canal Towpath to get into Trenton.  South Clinton Ave makes a fine approach for cyclists from the southwest.  The modified street grid network of Trenton and surrounding Hamilton makes approaches from the area east of Rt 1 fairly doable.  Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the area to the north and west of US Rt 1, out to the loop of I-95 and in the newer sections of Hamilton Township to the east.  Here the residential streets only partially connect and nearly all the arterial roadways have little accommodations for cyclists.  Still, there is always the bus.


View NJ Bike/Walk Summit: Trenton Directions in a larger map

* - All images taken and copyrighted by the author and can only be reproduced after a formal written request is submitted and permission granted.

NJ Bike/Walk Summit on-line registration closing on Saturday

The below comes to WalkBikeJersey from the NJ Bike and Walk Coalition:

Today is the closing day for NJ Bike/Walk Summit on-line registration.  The Summit will take place in Trenton, NJ on Saturday, February 26, just ten days away. 

We normally hold registration open for a few days after the deadline because registration forms sent to us by mail lag a bit.  We've decided to leave the on-line registration open also, but only until Saturday, February 21, at which point both mail and on-line registration will close.

We've had an excellent response to the summit and THERE ARE ONLY 15 SPACES LEFT!

If registering for the summit has somehow slipped your mind this year, you still have a short window of opportunity left to register and be part of this event.

Join us in Trenton on February 26 and make a statement for bicycling and walking!