Op-Ed: WWBPA shows how local advocacy is done

I know I recently talked about how well the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance (WWBPA) does local advocacy but I was again VERY impressed by an example of their work.

The WWBPA is advocating that a proposed roundabout at the intersection of Old Bear Brook and Bear Brook Roads be made more bicycle friendly so it is can better suit the needs of all skill levels of cyclists. On their website they have even created a specific webpage highlighting their advocacy efforts on this particular road project in their town. What is most impressive about their advocacy efforts is their correspondence to their mayor and town council which they again have posted on that special webpage. The letters are very professional and show a high degree of political savvy. They even included a diagram of a ideal bicycle "friendlier" roundabout, which I'm dying to know the source of (Yes I know; dangling participle).

View Larger Map - Site of the proposed roundabout.

When many of us left Denville at the end of the NJ Bicycle Summit back in February, we were told to go out and make a difference in our local communities by every one of the national advocate leaders that came and spoke with us that day. Well, if you want to see a superb New Jersey example of how a local advocacy group stumps for bicycle and pedestrian innovation in their own towns, I can't think of a better group to emulate than WWBPA.

I just hope the Bike&Walk Montclair folks don't take too much offense to my saying that (I hear they have a "bike lane fairy").

Comments Wanted: Moorestown Bicycle Circulation and Safety Plan

As originally report by John and our friends at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia:

Do you live or bike in Moorestown, NJ? NJ DOT's Office of Bicycle and Pedestrian Programs are working on bicycle plan and have posted an interactive map online to gather comments from the public about bicycling in Moorestown.

NJ DOT and their consultant Toole Design (who are also working on the Philadelphia Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan) are looking for information about streets and routes you believe are bicycle-friendly, or un-friendly, and areas where you think improvements are needed. The comments will be used in the planning process that is underway to establish a comprehensive bicycle circulation plan for the Township of Moorestown.

You can participate in the planning process by going to the online map located here.
http://www.communitywalk.com/MoorestownBikePlan


View Larger Map
An unusual bike lane configuration on Haines Dr. in Moorestown

The Bicycle Coalition is a member of the steering committee and yesterday I had a chance to go out with the study team to look at conditions on the ground. A mid-sized (15 sq. mi pop. 20,000) built out township, Moorestown already looks like a leader of bicycle use among its peer communities in the region. The township has several miles of sidepaths and a steering committee member reported that nearly one hundred bikes are parked at the middle school on warmer days and even the high school typically attracts between 20 and 30 bikes. Walking to school? We saw a score of parents walking children from school at Baker Elementary.

But there are many problems, outside of downtown the township is spread out and multi-use paths sometimes end in the middle of nowhere or cross major arterials without any signalized protection or traffic calming. And while some roads have great shoulders others are narrow and busy. Getting to the Moorestown Mall which is on the other side of Route 38 is nearly impossible to get to by bike.

This is another example of NJ DOT's free Bicycle and Pedestrian planning assistance to counties and municipalities. It's only open for local governments that are committed to supporting bicycling and walking. To apply for this you need your county or municipal elected officials to contact NJ DOT's bicycle and pedestrian office.

Andy B here again:
Looks like this might be in response to a couple of incidents that happened in Moorsetown a few years back. It's good to see the town following through on its commitment to cycling it made back then.

Also, Toole Design is an excellent firm out of Washington DC that does nothing but bicycle and pedestrian planning. They definitely give New Jersey's own and equally good, RBA Group a run for their money for quality consulting on bike/ped planning.

Sec. LaHood makes major Bike/Ped friendly policy announcement

This is Big!

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, already well liked in the bicycling community and now famous for his table top speech at last weeks National Bicycle Summit, made a major announcement today on his blog. The USDOT will put the needs bicyclists and pedestrians on equal footing with other modes of transportation. "This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized," LaHood announced. To make this happend Sec. LaHood proposes key recommendations for state DOTs and local communities:

• Treat walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes.
• Ensure convenient access for people of all ages and abilities.
• Go beyond minimum design standards.
• Collect data on walking and biking trips.
• Set a mode share target for walking and bicycling.
• Protect sidewalks and shared-use paths the same way roadways are protected (for example, snow removal)
• Improve nonmotorized facilities during maintenance projects.

This picture © J. Maus of BikePortland. View the BikePortland Flickr stream here.

For more details about the policy see the official USDOT Policy Statement on Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation.

Also don't forget to see Ray LaHood's statement on his "Fast Lane" Blog.

Bike League Offers Apology For Bicycle Friendly State Misprint

The American Bicyclist Jan/Feb 2010 edition and current printing of the 2010 Bicycle Friendly America Yearbook incorrectly highlights the 2008 Bicycle Friendly State rankings. You can find the current 2009 rankings here. We apologize for the confusion. Stay tuned for the 2010 state rankings and new Bicycle Friendly State award winners to be announced Bike to Work Week this May!

Action Alert - Stop the NJ Transit Service Cuts and Fare Hikes

New Jersey moves up to 9th most Bicycle Friendly State

New Jersey is back up to number nine in the League of American Bicyclists, Bicycle Friendly States rankings. The rankings for 2010 were recently released along with Bicycle Friendly Communities and Businesses in LAB's latest edition of its magazine American Bicyclist (only available in print at the moment). New Jersey once held the number nine spot two years ago in the first Bicycle Friendly States rankings but was pushed down to number ten last year by a then surging Delaware (now ranked at 32).


New Jersey's continued high ranking is clearly due to the strong support by state agencies and NJDOT's recently adopted Complete Streets Policy. Not to be overlooked was also the creation of the New Jersey Bicycle Coalition and the New Jersey Bicycle Summit they helped to organize last month. These factors clearly helped New Jersey stay and advance further into the top ten in 2010. However, New Jersey still does not have any Bicycle Friendly Communities or Businesses and on-street bicycle facilities are still few a far in-between.

NJ Bike Summit News Roundup

The New Jersey Bike Summit at the Denville Municipal Building was a big success. More than 100 people spent the day meeting their peers from around the state. Several blogs and news sites reported on the event.

• Daily Record: Denville hosts state's first bicycle summit
  
• Go By Bike Blog: NJ Bike Summit
• West Windsor Bike Ped Alliance: 1st NJ Bike Summit is a Big Success
• Benepe's Bike Blog: NJ Bike Summit First Of Its Kind - Optimism in the Face of Reality
• Philadelphia Bicycle News: The Bike Lane Fairy Casts a Spell at the NJ Bike Summit
• NorthJersey.com: N.J. bicyclists form statewide union
  

Jersey Off Bicycle Association Government Liaison Wally Tunison speaks to the attendees of the NJ Bike Summit