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Carnage in NJ the Traffic Fatality Count 18 Nov 2017 6:13 AM (7 years ago)

As of November 17th
535 Deaths vs 532 in 2016
Drivers - 296 (58 motorcyclists)
Passengers - 75 (2 motorcyclists)
Pedestrians - 148
Bicyclists - 16
Source - NJ State Police

Some Victims from this Week
Michael Nierstedt, 29 Jersey City Off Duty Firefighter Killed as a passenger on Paterson Plank Rd in the City
Kassidy Bush, 15 A Palmyra High School Student killed as a passenger from a crash during a Route 130 Police Chase. The driver of the stolen vehicle a 17-Year-Old boy was reported in critical condition.
Jose Furtado An owner of a Dunkin Donuts in Paterson killed by a driver as he was sweeping leaves from the drive-thru lane of his own store.
Matthew Muklewicz a motorcyclist who was killed by a suspected drunk driver on Route 1 in Edison

A Similar Map of Bicycle and Pedestrian Fatalities in Massachussetts 10 Nov 2017 10:44 AM (7 years ago)

A short presentation on the Intersection of Vision Zero and Complete Streets in New Jersey 26 Oct 2017 8:31 AM (7 years ago)

Here is the presentation that I gave at the NJ Complete Streets Summit in New Brunswick on the intersection of Vision Zero and Complete Streets.

Vision Zero and Complete Streets by BCGP on Scribd

In Memoriam - New Jersey's List of 2017 Traffic Victims as of May 6th 6 May 2017 7:08 AM (7 years ago)

As of May 6th, 164 people have lost their lives in Motor Vehicle Crashes in New Jersey.

Help Us Identify These Victims 9 Feb 2017 6:28 AM (8 years ago)

For the most part traffic fatalities are covered in newspapers and on TV. But a few have seemed to fall through the cracks. If you have any news links or details of these tragedies please reply in the comments section.

1 Driver, Gloucester City - Interstate 676 MP 2-4-17
2 Pedestrian, Randolph Township - Reservoir Dr 1-13-17
3 Pedestrian, Pennsauken Township - Route 70 2-7-17
4 Driver, Parsippany Township (Mount Tabor), Simpson Ave  1-2-17
5 Driver, Woodbridge Township, Route 9 1-8-17
6 Elderly Pedestrian, Haddon Township (Westmont) 1-13-17
7 Pedestrian, Paterson, Illinois and Trenton Ave, 1-16-17
8 Pedestrian, Lakewood Township, Route 9 1-13-17
9 Passenger, Verona Borough, Pompton Ave (Rt. 23) and Claridge Ave 1-24-17

Vision Zero - Tracking All Traffic Fatalities In New Jersey 29 Jan 2017 6:32 AM (8 years ago)

We at the Walk Bike Jersey Blog are dedicated to the concept of Vision Zero. Last year 608 lives were lost on NJ roads. That is 608 too many. To help understand the scope of this ongoing tragedy we are hosting the 2017 NJ Traffic Fatalities Map. It is based on the daily accident (crash) report from the NJ State Police Website and news reports and will be updated several times a month.

To learn more about Vision Zero and efforts going on elsewhere in the US and the world visit the Vision Zero Network.

WalkBikeJersey co-author Andy Besold continues to keep the WalkBikeJersey Facebook Page up to date https://www.facebook.com/WalkbikejerseyBlog/

New Ideas To Make New Jersey's STROADS Safer For All 6 Nov 2015 4:47 AM (9 years ago)

Every year the Tri State Transportation Campaign publishes the Region's most dangerous roads for walking report and Route 130 in Burlington County consistently makes the list. Between 2009 and 2013 57 pedestrians were reportedly hit by motorists on the corridor between Bordentown and Pennsauken but 14 of them (25%) were killed.

Many urbanists and pedestrian safety advocates identify Route 130 as an exemplary case of what urban planners now call a STROAD.  Charles Marohn of Strong Towns defines it better than I could in this article.

"A STROAD is a street/road hybrid and, besides being a very dangerous environment (yes, it is ridiculously dangerous to mix high speed highway geometric design with pedestrians, bikers and turning traffic), they are enormously expensive to build and, ultimately, financially unproductive"

The New Jersey version of a STROAD is particularly hazardous. They feature jug handles that function like mini on-ramps, menacing anyone walking or biking along a STROAD. Those eponymous Jersey Barriers do a wonderful job preventing head on collisions but they replaced medians for pedestrians to wait and have proven to be deadly for wildlife. The Tri State Transportation Campaign found that STROADS were responsible for 70% of the pedestrian deaths in New Jersey.

As for Route 130 The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission is currently conducting a corridor wide study that builds upon the Commission's 2012 report of the bewildering 130/206 merge in Bordentown Township. The 130/206 report offers some interventions that for the first time shows in an official government document a tangible effort to tame the STROADS of New Jersey.

If we are serious about Vision Zero, complete streets and quality of life in New Jersey then we need reimagine STROADS as attractive Multi Way Boulevards. Route 130 in Delran is an area where serious pedestrian and motor vehicle crashes have occurred. Converting the 6 lane STROAD to a Boulevard would make it safer walk and bike along and across the highway, while reducing conflicts. There is already enough right of way here to accommodate everyone safely without creating gridlock.

Multi-Way Blvd with service road for commercial access and bike lanes.

Route 130 Today

Who is looking to preserve New Jersey's dirt and gravel roads? 20 Apr 2015 11:22 PM (9 years ago)

Earlier this month we saw the very successful running of the 7th Annual "Hell of Hunterdon, a challenging, semi-competitive ride that features some of the most beautiful, scenic roads in Hunterdon as well as Somerset and Mercer Counties.  Modeled after the Spring Classics of Europe, the main feature of this ride are the numerous sections of dirt and gravel roads that offer an extra challenge for the riders.

A cyclist's eye view of the 2009 running.  Photo - Hell of Hunterdon.

However, dirt and unpaved roads are also called, "unimproved roads" and engineers hate things that are unimproved or not quite up to modern AASHTO standards.  Near the Hell of Hunterdon route, Long Hill Road in Hillsborough was paved about 10 years ago.  Closer to Lambertville, Mill Road part of this years ride in West Amwell was also paved not so long ago.  How long before more and more of what makes the Hell of Hunterdon a "Modern New Jersey Classic," is paved?  Will Montgomery Road get chip-seal next?  What about Lake Road?  Quarry?  Or super scenic and quiet Stompf Tavern Road that rises from the Delaware River next to a creek bed just upstream from Bulls Island State park?  Will the lovely "Hell" be entirely lost someday soon?

But dirt roads are much more than a challenge ultra-fit road cyclist on a moody spring weekend.  As my friends and I found out, dirt roads can also provide a wonderfully scenic and quite hiking/walking experience.  In West Amwell's and Hopewell Township's Pleasant Valley, Hunter Road (a dirt road close to through traffic due to a rickety bridge and also featured in the Hell) and several others made for a great walk.  It was such a pleasure passing through some of the most scenic landscapes in New Jersey without worrying about cars.  It's called Pleasant Valley after all!

My friend Paul walks south on Hunter Road with Kuser Mountain behind.

My other friend Adam crosses Moores Creek on the bridge closed to motor traffic.

Dirt roads also provide places for people to ride horses as well.  In the ultra-wealth enclave of Bedminster, many of the roads have purposely been left unpaved for horseback riding.  This also has the added bonus of keeping the "riff-raff" out in their Chevrolets (but not my friends and I on our bikes).  And that is likely the ultimate benefit of dirt roads.  They are very effective at preventing most New Jersey drivers from using them as short cuts and therefor provide a quite respite for the adventurous sole that might be on foot, bike or horseback.

Unfortunately, except in some rich locals, no one is looking to preserve and maintain dirt roads as they are.  Admittedly as traffic become slightly heavier on these once hidden roads, it likely becomes more cost effective for local officials to pave them.  That is likely what happened on Mill Road in West Amwell and Long Hill Road in Hillsborough.  But something is also lost when the steamroller comes.  Driver speeds increase and that coziness of a bygone era seems to evaporate.  And in rapidly developing New Jersey, we need places that we can step back into a bygone era and quaint little dirt roads are one of those places.

Who's going to fight to save the dirt roads?

The importance of Romance in the built walking environment 14 Feb 2015 8:34 AM (10 years ago)

Couples take a romantic stroll in the park of my mom's hometown of Bad Kissingen, Germany.

The date was going exceptionally well.  The summer evening was warm but comfortable.  She and I were lucky enough to score a table outside at a restaurant in Freehold's historic downtown.  As we dined al fresco our conversation became more animated and more flirty.  There was definitely a chemistry between us but every five minutes our conversation was interrupted with a  deafening BBBBBRRRRRRAAAAAAAPPPPPP
PPPPPPPP!!!!!!!   of a Harley Davidson or other extremely LOUD motor vehicle who's owner felt the need to showoff.  It became so annoying that the cruising noise became just as memorable as the date.  We both had to just stop our conversation in mid sentence for tens of seconds at a time.  And as we both had parents from Europe (she from Greece and I from Germany) and both of us have visited the Old World numerous times, we both noted that our romantic evening together would never be so rudely interrupted in any restaurant over there.

After dinner we went for a stroll together.  Unfortunately with in a block or two, the scenic downtown gave way to an ugly if not downright scary surface parking lot where her car was parked.  It was clear that our stroll would go no further.  Still, we flirted some more until we both locked eyes, pulled each other close and passionately kissed each other goodnight, right underneath the sodium vapor lights and next to the stinky garbage dumpster.  UGHH!  Not exactly the most romantic place for two lovers to share their first kiss.  Kind of no surprise then that our relationship didn't go anywhere (admittedly it was my fault).

Couples stroll and window shop in the car- free Medieval center of Bad Kissingen.

By contrast I am always amazed by how romantic my mom's hometown of Bad Kissingen, Germany is every time that I return.  There, even the most hopeless romantic can't screw up!  Granted it was rebuilt by the King of Bavaria in the 19th Century, the Romantic Period, to be the Royal Bavarian Spa Resort but nowhere that I've been to in New Jersey and very few in the entire U.S. can come close to its romantic appeal.  Today, Bad Kissingen survives as a spa and resort town but its 19th Century Romantic glory is not lost in today's hectic world.  Even though I've been coming here every other year since early childhood, I have no problem walking for hours in this beautiful town, day after day.  It is clear that the "lure of the stroll" is not lost on the thousands that visit here each year and those that call Bad Kissingen home.  As a spa and "kurstadt" (cure town in English), walking is often part of the treatment so keeping the town romantically walkable has long been part of the design of the town (a ring-road takes loud through-traffic around town, gates prevent through-traffic from crossing town and most of the old town is totally closed to cars).

Unfortunately, back home in New Jersey, I find it so difficult to find anyplace that has the capability to provide hours of romantic strolling as my mom's hometown.  Yes, places like Princeton, Lambertville, Ocean Grove and Montclair offer romantic opportunities but usually after 15 minutes to a half-hour of strolling the opportunities just seem to peter out.  And rarely does one find that perfect place to give that special new love a VERY memorable first kiss.  You got to make it memorable, right?

Lovers sit before the spectacular rose garden in the center of Bad Kissingen.  This is just one of a hundred places in Bad Kissingen that would make for a memorable first kiss.

The lesson here?  There is more to a great walking environment than just sidewalks and crosswalks.  Places need to be beautiful if not downright romantic to truly succeed.  Whimsey needs to be celebrated and not lambasted as a costly extravagance.  On this Valentines Day lets not forget that love is often the product of beauty, as much as beauty is the product of love.

The view of Manhattan from Hoboken's Pier C Park is great place to seal that great first date with a kiss.  He/she is sure to not forget it.

And yes, there is still hope for New Jersey.  Hoboken's Pier C Park, lambasted for cost overruns and delays is a truly world class park.  Even on a cold winters night like that when the photo above was taken, it is still a great place to give that special someone a great memorable kiss.

Go for a walk tonight and find a good spot for a romantic kiss.  Feel free to share your romantic spots to walk and smootch.  I've got to run myself.  Don't want to be late for my date.

2nd Life Bikes First Annual Swap Meet this Saturday! 28 Jan 2015 9:54 PM (10 years ago)

Has the cold of winter got you down?  Is your bike hiding for the winter?  Dreaming of shinny bikes on warm sunny days?  Well if this sounds like you, why not take drive or train ride down to 2nd Life Bikes in Asbury Park this Saturday at 11am for their First Annual Bicycle Swap Meet.  2nd Life Bikes' shop is huge so there is plenty of room inside.  Beside the hundreds of classic bikes 2nd Life has in stock, we've been told that there will be 20 vendor tables.  Take a look below at some of the bikes that we've been told will be for sale at the Swap Meet.  Be there or be square!

Be the king and queen of the next Tweed Ride with this stunning Follis Tandem.

Rip up the boardwalk this summer with this restored '68 Sting Ray!

Helping and Facilitating the "Invisible Cyclist" 7 Jan 2015 9:18 PM (10 years ago)

While it has been frustrating for me to sit on the professional sidelines of bicycle and pedestrian planning, my recent job foray as a professional driver has given me the ability to see and observe a great deal of the real-world transportation environment of northeastern New Jersey.  Recently I had to get the vehicle washed that I was driving at the Super Car Wash of Elizabeth on Rt 1 & 9 just south of the Bayway Circle.  Super Car Wash employes an army of men to do the detail work of sweeping the inside of the car and drying it off everywhere when it comes out of the mechanized washed.  Nearly all of these hardworking men are from Spanish speaking America.

Well, to my surprise Super Car Wash provided a bike rack for its employees and from the look of the rack in the photos, it would seem that a large number of its employees get there by bike.  While the rack is of the less than idea "wheel bender" variety, it seems to work rather well here as the employees can keep an eye on their wheels. 


Hats off to Super Car Wash for providing bike parking for its employees.  While maybe not quite a "Bicycle Friendly Business" in the eyes of the League of American Bicyclists, Super Car Wash provides a good basic model for other businesses who have a employees that rely on a bike to get to work.  Is providing bike parking really all that hard, particularly when so many of an employer's workers use a bike to get to the job?

Death by Walking Fuels Increase in NJ Traffic Deaths. 4 Jan 2015 11:33 AM (10 years ago)

According to the NJ State Police 563 people were killed by motor vehicle crashes in 2014, a 4% increase from 2013. However people in cars and on bicycles actually saw slight declines. There were 170 people killed by motor vehicles while walking in New Jersey, a 28% increase. Pedestrians now account for 30% of all fatalities in New Jersey but as the US Census American Community Survey shows only 3.1% of the residents walk to work.

Sources: NJ State Police and US Census American Community Survey *Census includes Taxi and Motorcycle riders

Inattentive driving (distracted?), impaired driving and speeding were the primary factors for 73% of all fatal crashes. Traffic deaths take their greatest toll on older New Jerseyans, more than 50% of the victims were aged 50 and over.


The societal and economic losses of traffic fatalities is almost impossible to comprehend. The National Highway Safety Administration estimates that in 2010 the economic and societal costs of each traffic fatality was about 6 Million dollars, which tallies up to a $3.4 Billion loss for the State of New Jersey in 2014, nearly equal to NJDOT's entire transportation budget.

Non-ADA Compliant crosswalk on Route 130 at Holy Cross High where 20 year old Christal Smith was killed by a red light runner in 2013

A Vision Zero approach to road safety has been successfully implemented in Sweden, reducing fatalities by 50% since 1970. In Sweden a resident has a 1 in 38,000 chance annually of dying in a crash, while in New Jersey resident has a 1 in 16,000 chance**.

Traffic volumes and traffic deaths in Sweden are on opposite trend lines.

Recently New York City and San Francisco have adopted Vision Zero policies. While much of the early discussion in NY and SF has been around education and enforcement the Swedes have attained much of their success through improving the infrastructure as quoted in this article in the Economist.

Planning has played the biggest part in reducing accidents. Roads in Sweden are built with safety prioritised over speed or convenience. Low urban speed-limits, pedestrian zones and barriers that separate cars from bikes and oncoming traffic have helped. Building 1,500 kilometres (900 miles) of "2+1" roads—where each lane of traffic takes turns to use a middle lane for overtaking—is reckoned to have saved around 145 lives over the first decade of Vision Zero. And 12,600 safer crossings, including pedestrian bridges and zebra-stripes flanked by flashing lights and protected with speed-bumps, are estimated to have halved the number of pedestrian deaths over the past five years.

Completes Streets policies have been aggressively promoted to counties and municipalities by NJ DOT, but while many local governments have adopted policies few have been willing to implement changes. Vision Zero is the broader reaching goal that provides clarity and accountability for strategies like complete streets policies as well as targeted education and enforcement.

**Traffic fatalities divided by total population

No bikes on NJ TRANSIT trains Christmas Day. Eve? 24 Dec 2014 7:38 AM (10 years ago)

Here we go again!  The Grinch is coming to NJ TRANSIT to kick you off the train on Christmas Day.  It's is another bike blackout day on NJ TRANSIT but not today Christmas Eve which seems backwards because today is a much busier travel day.  Considering that reality don't be surprised if crowded trains today force conductors to kick you off today too.

In case you haven't memorized the rules:

Bicycles are not permitted on trains (with the exception of the Atlantic City Line) on New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, day after Thanksgiving, Sunday after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Bicycles are not permitted on the day before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but are permitted on the holidays themselves.

So if you didn't read this in time and you wind up stranded somewhere remember that you can take your bike on the Atlantic City Line, most buses, ferries, PATH and NJT light rail. Bolt Bus will accept bicycles if space is available.

We still feel that if NJ TRANSIT added vertical bike racks to all of its rail rolling stock like that found on the German made RiverLINE lightrail cars, the space efficient storage of bikes would make the need for blackout dates a thing of the past.  RiverLINE trains have no blackout times or days which we feel is in part due to the well designed on-board vertical bike racks.  Connecticut DOT is doing just that and is paying for Metro North RR to install racks on trains serving the New Haven Line.

Bike racks on the NJ TRANSIT RiverLINE.  When not in use passengers can fold down the seats and sit down.  This space efficient design could easily be retrofitted to most NJ TRANSIT heavy and light rail rolling stock.

NJ TRANSIT along with Metro North/Long Island RR and Chicago's METRA are the only commuter rail lines with black out dates. However recently we heard that METRA is narrowing its rush hour restrictions and eliminating black out dates.  With bicycling more popular then ever the time is now to modernize NJ TRANSIT's bike on rail policies.

Where do you park your bike when visiting Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital? 23 Dec 2014 7:52 PM (10 years ago)

Unfortunately this holiday season someone very dear to me is in Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.  Being that the hospital is an easy bike ride from my house and the weather relatively warm, I figured why not ride!

A view of the main building and entrance to RWJUH. Note the nice Sharrow painted on Somerset Street by the City of New Brunswick.

However when I got to the front door and the ER there isn't a bike rack in sight.  There is one about a block away over by the Cancer Institute of New Jersey but it is still far from ideal.

Hey!  Is that bike parking I see near the front door of the Cancer Institute?

Oh...  Wheelbenders!  Moving along...

So with those wheelbender racks not quite cutting the security threshold and being in front of the wrong building anyway, I decided to park my bike to a stainless steel railing near the front door of the main building but a little out of the way of the main entrance.  Still, since this was not an official bike parking spot I felt uncomfortable about leaving it there.  Not that I felt it was unsafe location but because I felt security itself might try to remove it.

Finally a parking spot!  Note the mailbox in this photo and its location in the first photo for an idea where I parked.

So what's the deal RWJUH?  Your the flagship hospital of New Jersey and we all know you do a great job promoting preventative medicine.  So why make it hard for people to choose an active means of getting to your hospital, whether a guest or an employee, by not providing quality bike parking that's easy to find? 

I know.  You're busy doing one hundred and one other things.  That's okay.  We understand but we are here to help.  SERIOUSLY!  If you read this blog post just let us know with a reply in the comments.  I'm a professional regarding all things bike and pedestrian and would be glad to quickly show you the finer points of bike parking at such a large institution over lunch.  Looking around you have quite a few places to stick a few bike racks.  It's not rocket science.  Just send us message! 

A look at Newark's and New Jersey's first parking protected cycletrack before its gone 18 Dec 2014 9:25 AM (10 years ago)

Well, it might have been too good while it lasted. If you read The Star-Ledger or have been following our FaceBook Page you are likely aware of the parking protected bike lanes on Mt. Prospect Ave in Newark's North Ward, the first that we are aware of in New Jersey.  Columnist Barry Carter has been writing a series (1, 2, 3) about the claimed hardships the streetscape redesign, particularly the parking protected bike lanes have caused the local residents and merchants.  This Tuesday he claimed victory over the bike lanes after Mayor Baraka issued an executive order allowing drivers to park at the curb until the roadway could be entirely redesigned without the bike lanes as they are now.

A sample of the bike lane and streetscaping.

So hearing that the day's were numbered for this innovative facility, I made a small detour during my day at work on Tuesday and visited Mt. Prospect Ave by car and then walked around on foot around the entire Streetscape Area.  For those of you who don't know this project is located in Newark's North Ward which is a vibrant Spanish speaking neighborhood just south of the town of Belleville (see map below).  The bike lanes extend right to the Belleville boarder.





Some of the concerns voiced in Carter's columns may have some validity.  Merchants complained that with the road narrowed there is no place for them to receive deliveries without blocking the roadway.  Similar projects in New York City rededicated some parking spaces for deliveries.  I didn't observe any specific loading zones here but there were also no deliveries going on.  Also, residents complain with the road narrowed, garbage pickup now backs up traffic.  However this only happens for a few minutes several times a week at most.  With the traffic volumes I observed this didn't seem likely to be a big problem, no more than illegal double-parked cars (more on that later).

Cars allowed to park in the bike lanes due to the Mayor's executive order.

The other concern was that the city doesn't have a plan to deal with snow removal from the bike lane.  The photo below of this now legally parked van shows the width of the lane.  However I also think this is non-issue.  In Montreal they don't plow most of their parking protected bike lanes and use them for snow storage.  There is no reason why that couldn't be the plan here in Newark too.

This van shows the width of the bike lane.

However the crux of the argument to remove the bike lanes was that they had eliminated valuable parking that was preventing customers from visiting the stores on the avenue.  Also, since the addition of parking protected bike lanes had narrowed the width of the the avenue, customers now would not longer be able to double park to quickly visit store.  However in the hour I was there on Tuesday December 16th between 2pm and 3pm, parking was not at all a problem.  Again, I arrived by car and was able to find a parking space on just about every block, if not on Mt. Prospect Ave itself, on the immediately adjacent side streets.

Plenty of parking on this side street when I was here.

Now I will confess that I was only here for one hour on a Tuesday afternoon.  I do not live or work there.  Things could be vastly different after 5pm and/or on weekends.  Still parking was plentiful on Mt. Prospect when I was there and on the immediately adjacent side streets.  To the west a block away most of the curb space was free for car parking.  I would be hard pressed to believe that one couldn't find a parking space within any one block on this portion of Mt. Prospect at any time or day.  The only real bone of contention here seems to be people's ability to double-park directly in front of the establishment of their choosing which has always been illegal.

Plenty of parking on both sides of Mt. Prospect here too.

Many more photos and the conclusion after the break.


So what's the conclusion here?  First Newark needs to be congratulated for being the first to install a modern, parking protected bike lane in New Jersey.  Yay!  Despite rejection from the local community, I felt the bike lane was fairly well designed.  However there was NO bike parking seen as part of the streetscaping project.  If its not coming that's a pretty big fail.  Boo!

Also, it may have helped to mark and designate individual parking spaces.  I observed parking space wasted due to haphazardly parked cars.  A more efficient and ordered parking of the cars could have made more spaces available.

Ultimately this might have been too much, too soon for Newark.  Elsewhere where such facilities were installed, there was already a bit of a bike culture in place with people willing to defend and speak up when such facilities were attacked.  There were no local champions here to defend the lanes despite that a large percentage of Newarkers don't have access to a car.  When I was there I only observed three people riding bikes, all of whom seemed not to have the means to afford a car.  I doubt local merchants see these people as valued customers.

Maybe a more conventional bike lane might be the way to go.  As much as we despise it, cars could double park there.  Then as more people use bike in the lane they will complain about the double parking until the city needs to do something about it and local shop owners see bicyclists as valued customers.

Let's look at this as a lesson learned and not as a failure.  A more bikeable Newark is undoubtedly in this city's future.

Much more photos and comments below.

Some parking on this side street too!

Look east on Montclair and spades of parking here too!

More parking directly on Mt. Prospect.

And more here too!

Parking is available here.

Again!  More free parking spaces.

Plenty of parking on this side street too (Mt Prospect is in the background).

More parking on this side street too!

Wow!  Look at all that parking in front of one the businesses that claimed the lack of parking was killing their bottom line.  More on the side street too!

More available parking!  There was not a single block or side street that didn't have parking available.

One of the three bike riders I observed on Mt. Prospect Ave in the one hour I there.  None of the bike riders looked like they had the means to afford a car.

Streetscape and design details.

Streetscape and design details.

Streetscape and design details. These cars were moving.

Streetscape and design details.

Streetscape and design details.

Note the lack of a mixing / merging zone a la' NYCDoT.  The bike lane design could possibly use a little more sophistication but yellow gore zone was intended to keep sight-lines open.

Streetscape and design details.

Streetscape and design details.

Streetscape and design details.  The left line on the bike lane should be dashed to allow cars to merge into the lane ped the MUTCD to prevent right hooking crashes.  A NYCDoT style mixing zone may have also helped.

Ughh!  A missed opportunity here.  This sidewalk is way too narrow for such a busy commercial street even in this area which is fronted by private homes.

On the other side of the street the sidewalk was wider in front of these homes.

One really good thing with this project, no "beg buttons" required to cross the road.

Note the curb ramps angled into the intersection.  That's a no-no according to the new PROWAG guidelines. Curb ramps and the tactile pads must line up with the crosswalk

Good retail bike parking ain't rocket science 7 Dec 2014 7:31 PM (10 years ago)

Last week we asked what it might say if McDonald's were to become more bike friendly.  All we were really asking for is better bike parking.  Is that too much to ask? Below is a photo of the bike parking at the Rite-Aid Pharmacy in North Brunswick, NJ which is only 1/4 mile from the McDonald's featured in last week's article.

Two inverted "U" racks, well spaced, right up front!  How hard was that?!?!

In a rare twist, this bike parking was only provided by request of myself and the zoning board during site review. North Brunswick does not have an ordinance requiring bicycle parking and got the parking due to several variances the project required. To my surprise they got the bike parking done perfectly!  Bravo!

Unfortunately good retail bike parking is such a rarity in New Jersey.  My god people this ain't freaking rocket science!  Follow the damned cookbook!  All it takes are two inverted "U" racks, properly positioned and well spaced right up by the front door.  On the rare occasions it is even provided, 9 times out of 10 it is done so wrong, as demonstrated in the selection of photos below, that it is barely even usable.  UGHH!!

Don't forget, all the bike lanes in the world won't do you much good if you don't have a minimally acceptable place to park your bike once you get to where you're going.

Great positioning but that sub-standard "wheelbender" rack is as cheap as they come and not even secured to the ground.

A "wave" rack squeezed up against a wall.  It's amazing that these cyclists were able to park their bikes at all.

An inverted "U" rack placed 4 inches from a wall.  Need we say more?

What would it say to America if McDonalds became "Bike Friendly"? 30 Nov 2014 6:46 AM (10 years ago)

If you're "bike aware" (and likely you are because you're reading this blog) and have ever visited a fast food restaurant you've undoubtedly seen bikes haphazardly parked to anything secure all around the restaurant site.  A vast majority of these bikes are undoubtedly owned by members of restaurant staff who depend on their bikes to get to their jobs in the restaurant.

A bike parked on a street sign outside the McDonalds on Milltown Road in North Brunswick, NJ.

Knowing that a number of their employees rely on a bike to get to work everyday, one would think that these fast food restaurants would provided some official organized bicycle parking that preferably meets the basic APBP bike parking standards.  Unfortunately this is almost always not the case and the sight of bikes parked to whatever the owner can find is common sight not only in New Jersey but at most fast food and chain sit-down restaurants all across the country.

The above two photos and the one below were all taken at the same time at the North Brunwick McDonalds. There are three bikes in this photo plus the one bike in the first photo. Including the author's bicycle (I ate there too), there were five bikes parked at this McDonalds location at one time, a very high actual demand.  The underutilized lawn shown here would have made an ideal location for APBP compliant bicycle parking.

And given no official bike parking and left with few other options, owners will often lock their bikes to trees.  Chaining a bike to a tree will damage the bark and eventually kill the tree.  Trees are expensive to replace if they are replaced at all, so the landscaping at the restaurant sites is often left permanently damaged and never given a chance to mature.

This tree shows clear signs of structural damage which was likely caused by bike parking.

So this is why we ask, "What would it say to America if McDonalds became 'Bike Friendly'?"  We are not picking on McDonalds.  Far from it!  We focus on McDonalds because they are clearly the industry leader and we respect them for that.  If McDonalds makes the move to standardize bike parking for their employees and guests, WalkBikeJersey believes that it would send a message across the entire restaurant industry.  Their engineering consultants that do their local site plans would also be educated about proper bike parking design and hopefully the message would get out to the towns that do the site plan review and then possibly even to McDonalds' competition.  There is clearly the potential for a positive feedback loop here.
 

Employee bicycles locked to the signpost marking the handicapped parking space at the McDonalds on Route 22 in Somerville NJ.  The signpost is much closer to the door than the provided bike rack that fails APBP Guidelines.  As such the bicyclists park on the signpost which could then block wheelchair users from accessing the door.

Also, McDonalds is known for remodeling their restaurants at regular intervals.  Both McDonalds featured in this story were entirely remodeled inside and out within the past 2 years and the North Brunswick location has been remodeled 3 times in the past 15 years.  Their frequent remodeling schedule would allow them quickly implement universal APBP compliant bike parking at large portion of their restaurants.

This APBP non-compliant "wave rack" located at the Somerville NJ McDonalds was far from the door and not immediately visible.  It was also located too close to the bushes seen here to be used properly or easily.

Some locations like the Somerville McDonalds have tried to do bike parking but didn't get the details quite right.  This is a good sign but just the beginning.  We hope McDonalds takes the lead here because not only would good bike parking be good for their employees but it would prevent damage to their landscape trees, limit liability when bikes are haphazardly park to signs and it would be good costumer service as well.  And if McDonalds is smart, and we know they are, they could turn this into a great public relations opportunity.

Now if we could only get them to turn the "drive-up window" into a "walk-up window."  We can dream, no?

Fall leaves New Jersey cyclists in a leafy situation 19 Nov 2014 10:42 PM (10 years ago)

New Jersey is blessed with many wonderful treelined neighborhoods.  The massive trees that tower over some New Jersey suburbs add character and beauty, provide shade that keep neighborhoods cool during the summer, all while filtering harmful particulates and sucking CO2 out of the atmosphere.  Trees are wonderful community assets that too often go under-appreciated.

These leaf piles take up much of the parking lane narrowing the usable roadway for cyclists.

That said, it's at this time of the year where we blessed with big trees must pay the piper and rake up all those leaves.  So far so good.  However it is how the leaves are stored at the curb awaiting pickup that can cause a real problem for cyclists. Most communities just have residents pile their leaves at the curb in the street.  In neighborhoods with lots of large trees these piles can get deep and wide.  Not only do the piles block the portion of the road that many cyclists use, the leaves can also be blow around getting onto the rest of the road causing even more hazards for cyclists as our friends at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia discussed earlier this week.

In Westfield, much of the ridable side of Rahway Ave is blocked by leaves forcing cyclists to ride in the travel lane kept clear by passing cars.  Anyone need a chair?

Will a slight uptick in the economy mean a return to sprawl in New Jersey? 1 Nov 2014 9:26 PM (10 years ago)

It's BAAACCKK!!!!

Yes suburban sprawl is alive and well once again in New Jersey and it seems destine to destroy our favorite rural cycling roads.  Prior to the Great Recession, the housing bubble was eating into vast swaths of what makes New Jersey the Garden State.  During that time I personally saw many wonderfully charming, quite rural roadways straightened, blown out and widened to modern "safety standards" to accommodate large new car-dependent developments and traffic demands 30 years into the future.  With a slight uptick in the economy my rides have once again been filled with the sight of new housing starts like that seen below.  While the rediscovery of urban centers and urban living have been absorbing much of the housing boom here in New Jersey, old habits still seem to die hard here in our state.  Also the massive amounts of wealth being generated in New York City and the region make the dream of a house out in "the country" (well it was the country till all of you moved here) all too attainable and attractive for those who can still easily afford this style of living.

New "estate homes" being built in an empty field off of wonderfully bikeable and entertaining Burnt Mills Road in Somerset County.  Much more of this and the traffic volume on Burnt Mills will render the road un-bikable. BTW - Note the budget bin fiberglass street lamp.  Luxury indeed!

We've talked about the connection between sprawl and the degradation of New Jersey's wonderful rural road cycling before (if you don't understand it, read that old blog article).  Luckily there is something we can all do to slow and hopefully stop New Jersey sprawl once and for all. On this Election Day you can vote YES for Ballot Question #2 which would permanently dedicate a small portion of the state corporate business tax to fund openspace preservation, park maintenance, new trails (!) and new park facilities.  Support is strong for this question in the local New Jersey media.  For details about the question itself see this in the Daily Record.  And here is The New Jersey Conservation Foundation rundown on what voting YES on Ballot Question #2 would mean.

So voting yes on Ballot Question #2 would preserve open space which means preservation of scenic areas we love to cycle, along with the old quirky roads that have so much charm and make cycling in New Jersey so much fun.  It would also provide monies to build and improve trails, parks and park facilities.

A win on Ballot Question #2 is a win for cycling and the overall health of the Garden State.

A look back at last weeks Ciclovia in New Brunswick 21 Oct 2014 9:36 PM (10 years ago)

On Sunday, October 12th the City of New Brunswick held its last Cyclovia event of the season.  John Boyle covered the first event last summer but as I have been away from New Jersey in Idaho, Seattle and then Germany over the past 15 months this was my first Cyclovia and I figured I'd go take a look and offer a fresh perspective on the event.

The weather on that Sunday couldn't have been better and I was pleasantly surprised to find a very well run event, worthy in every way of the spirit and planning of much larger Cyclovia events all over the world.  Admittedly, New Brunswick and the event organizers had plenty of time to refine the event by the time I got to experience it but that only reinforces my admiration of those in charge as it would have been really easy to just give up after one or two possible mediocre events.

What was really wonderful to see was how the Latino community has come to embrace Cyclovia.  Joyce Kilmer Avenue in the heart of Spanish speaking New Brunswick was the center of activity and as a long time resident of the area it was great to see the people in the neighborhood truly embrace the event.  Unfortunately, the University community hasn't embraced the event quite as much but they are working on trying to get to college kids out and on the streets.

Great (Samba?) music!

Overall, I was super impressed at the quality and success of this event.  It was clear to see Cyclovia acting as a elegant bridge between the communities and cultures that reside in the city.  As someone who has become very jaded at seeing one too many poorly executed bike and pedestrian projects here in New Jersey, this event and all the new bike projects going on in New Brunswick giver me hope that we might be turning the corner as to what is expected when planning and building for those who walk and bike here in New Jersey.

Anyway enjoy the photos.  There are many more after the break.

So many kids on so many bikes!  So wonderful to see.

The NBBE provided mech support for those passing by.

New Brunswick's bike guru, Glenn Paterson and his lovely wife "go Dutch."  Love their bikes!

As if riding or walking Cyclovia wasn't enough exercise.

Bouncy house in front of the Court House.

Jazz, art and bikes!

I always find it fascinating how skateboarding bridges cultural and ethnic divides.

 

The kids take over George Street.  Wonderful!

Oooooo.... With a Rohloff Speedhub!  Extra fancy.

The NBFD open their doors to the community.

Closing the Victory Bridge to Bicyclists and Pedestrians Does Not Solve the Problem 19 Oct 2014 9:01 AM (10 years ago)

On September 20th the body of 16 year old Giancarlo Taveras was recovered from the Raritan River after he jumped off the Route 35 Victory Bridge. The death of the teenager drew an outpouring of grief from the Perth Amboy community. As a result the annual suicide awareness walk over the bridge included more than 500 participants on September 28th. Then on September 29th a 19 year old miraculously survived his suicide attempt with a broken leg. That chain of events along, with pressure from the Mayor of Perth Amboy finally spurred NJDOT to do something about the issue. Their solution - set up barricades and close the bridge to bicyclists and pedestrians. Along with a vague promise to put up a fence for the walkway at some point in the future.

The bridge closure severs the only pedestrian and bicycle access between Perth Amboy and Sayreville. A 2 mile bike ride over the bridge is now a 23 mile detour via New Brunswick and a pedestrian's only option is to use the infrequent bus service that crosses the bridge.

We've seen this before.

One month after the September 11th attacks KYW TV Philadelphia news reporter Paul Moriarty (Yes the same Paul Moriarty that tried to ban quick release hubs) filed a report on the potential of terrorists to damage the Ben Franklin Bridge simply by accessing the walkway. Immediately after the report the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) closed the walkway to bicyclists and pedestrians. It was only after a concerted effort by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia that the authority reluctantly reopened the walkway two months later. The DRPA repeated this action in 2005 after the London Subway bombings with a 30 day closing.

It should be pointed out that simply closing this walkway and bike lanes will not diminish the opportunity for people to take their own life on this structure. The bike lane is really little more than a very wide shoulder allowing someone to park without disrupting traffic. There is no such accommodation on the adjacent Driscoll Bridge which carries the Garden State Parkway.  The press has only mentioned in passing that the the body of Anthony Sharpe Jr. who jumped to his death off the Driscoll Bridge was found on the same day that Tavaras was discovered.

Walk Bike Jersey agrees with MyCentralJersey.com's editorial that NJ DOT should make the construction of a fence an immediate priority.  For NJDOT the closure is a good choice from their perspective, as it it relieves the immediacy of fixing the problem. Imagine if the Turnpike Authority closed the Garden State Parkway while it considered options to fix the low barrier on the Driscoll Bridge.

Complete streets is more than simply implementing the routine accommodation policy that NJDOT has adopted. It is about the equitable treatment of all road users as a core value of the Department. Otherwise we can continue to expect knee jerk solutions which will result in more collective punishment for people who depend on sidewalks, trails and bike lanes on bridges to get to where they are going.



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No Bikes on Trains Today (Til Sundown?) 24 Sep 2014 4:46 AM (10 years ago)

In case you haven't memorized the rules:

Bicycles are not permitted on trains (with the exception of the Atlantic City Line) on New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, day after Thanksgiving, Sunday after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Bicycles are not permitted on the day before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but are permitted on the holidays themselves.

So if you didn't read this in time and you wind up stranded somewhere remember that you can take your bike on the Atlantic City Line, most buses, ferries, PATH and NJT light rail. Bolt Bus will accept bicycles if space is available.

NJ TRANSIT along with Metro North/Long Island RR and Chicago's METRA are the only commuter rail lines with black out dates. But just yesterday we heard that METRA is narrowing its rush hour restrictions and eliminating black out dates.

With bicycling more popular then ever the time is now to modernize NJT's bike on rail policies.

Mapping the Bicycle Level of Traffic Stress in Your Community 1 Sep 2014 10:05 AM (10 years ago)

In 2011 the Mineta Transportation Institute released the report "Low-Stress Bicycling and
Network Connectivity". It examined the practicality of a bicycling network being defined as "a set of streets and paths that people consider acceptably safe for bicycling". These streets already exist and in urbanized areas actually comprise the majority of streets. The problems lies in the lack of connectivity of these mostly local streets.

The resulting model is called Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) and it categorizes all streets, and intersections into 4 levels of bicyclists comfort :
LTS 1 suitable for children
LTS 2 acceptable to traffic intolerant adult (interested but concerned)
LTS 3 OK for experienced bicyclists (enthused and confident).
LTS 4 Highest Stress (strong and fearless)

After the jump find out how you can create a simplified LTS assessment for your own community on Google Maps
As you can see in the presentation, there are some variables that need to be looked to create a good LTS map. But you can quickly rate the most of the roads in your area by referencing this chart.



Create a Stress Map:

• Open up Google Maps Engine Lite 
• Zoom in to your municipality or neighborhood.
• Click on "Untitled Layer" in Engine Lite and rename it "High Stress Roads". Trace over the major roads, these are the generally county and state roads.  Trace one street at a time and name each one.
• Mouse over your streets and change the color of the lines based on the criteria above 
• LTS-4 = Red LTS 3= Orange
  LTS 2 = Blue LTS 1 = Green
• You can thicken to lines by using the "Line Width" slider
• Use Street View in Google Maps if you need to check the speed limit or lane configuration. Speed limit signs are often located just past major intersections.
• With the high stress streets mapped entered create a new layer - Low Stress Streets
• Trace over local streets, you do not have to trace over every street, but you should highlight streets that provide linear routes.
• Trace any trails or pedestrian bridges.
• Optionally you could add a third layer that highlights destinations (Schools, train station, shopping centers etc.)
• Send a us a link to your map in the comments section or tag them #njbikelts on twitter. We plan on consolidating all the maps we receive at a later date.

Your map could help start a discussion on prioritizing improvements. The map of Edgewater Park Township shows that many of the residential streets are low stress, but most of the services require access to higher stress roadways, especially on the west side. Making a few key improvements such as extending and improving the bike path through Weinman Sports Field (green area near the middle school and the police station) to Lakeside Lane can connect more people to destinations and encourage more bicycle trips.

WalkBikeJersey releases super-accurate, interactive New Jersey campground map for your summer bike tour 24 Jun 2014 1:25 PM (10 years ago)

Looking to do some bike touring this summer around New Jersey?  Want a cheap place to stay?  Like to go camping?  Take a look at the VERY detailed interactive NJ Campground Map that we put together for the NJ Bike Map a few years ago.  Both publicly (National, State & County Parks) and privately operated campgrounds have been included here. Click on the campground icons for detailed info about that campground including contact info, number of sites and amenities.  Only campgrounds that one could use for cycling touring have been included.  Members and RV only campgrounds have not been included (ones that appeared to be defacto trailer parks have also been avoided).  Each icon is VERY accurately placed on the map, usually placed either on the campground office or in the center of campground.  Have fun exploring New Jersey on your bike this summer! 

Really cool is the NEW campground on Sandy Hook! Opened by the National Park Service two years ago, this is the only place you can camp on the Jersey Shore AND it's right off the really nice Sandy Hook Bike Path.

Also note, unlike most State and National Parks in the American West, New Jersey Park Campgrounds do not have special "Hiker / Biker" sites for the "passing through" bike tourist (Hint, hint, NJ Parks and Forests!) and rangers will turn you away at nightfall even after a long day on the bike (yes, this actually happened to me).  Advanced reservations for State Park sites require a two day minimum stay which is not useful for the passing cycle tourist and VERY expensive at $50 for two nights ($60 for non-residents)!  NJ State Parks used to hold open a number of campsites for day-of arrivals.  One used to be able to call that morning and make a reservation for a campsite the same night.  We are not sure if that is still the case so do your own research and call ahead. 

Overall, weekends will likely be booked out, weekdays less likely. Some campgrounds might be worth two nights stay like those near rivers, lakes and beaches where one can take a break from the road.

While I've made some updates, please note that this map dates back a few years. Last we checked, the very popular campground at Bulls Island on the Delaware River, north of Labertville has been permanently close (updated on map). Some other campgrounds may have also closed since this map was put together. Call ahead!

Memorial Day Weekend Car-nage in South Jersey Kills 6 27 May 2014 5:53 PM (10 years ago)

Its been a brutal week for traffic violence in South Jersey communities the past few days. 6 people aged 14 to 85 died between Friday and Tuesday. This weekend we took the time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice and mourned the victims of the of the 2nd Isla Vista Massacre (The first one was a vehicular assault in 2001), So please take a moment out of your day to remember these innocent victims as well.

May 24th in Delran 10:30 AM 61 Year Old Emine Osdemir was killed by a 60 Year old driver at Fairview St and Yansick Dr. The driver Maureen Conner Andre was charged with DWI.
Fairview St has no sidewalks. Just 3 months ago Delran approved funds for the construction of sidewalks along this deadly stretch of road.

May 26th at 2PM In Pleasantville  - A car carrying 5 teenagers struck a NJ Transit bus head on killing 3 in the car and injuring 10. The victims were Tevin Campbell, 18, Kira Strider 14 and Amber Fernandez 16. The crash occurred at Franklin Blvd just north of Old Turnpike Rd. Witnesses reported that 18 year old Melissa Rodriguez was traveling northbound at a high rate of speed when her car crossed the centerline and struck the southbound bus. The bus was pushed to the sidewalk where it just missed a pedestrian. Franklin Blvd starts off as a very wide street (42 ft) with very few parked cars but narrows to 32 feet where it struck the bus. With the exception of the centerline the street lacks pavement markings.

May 26th at 7:00 In Camden - 58 year old Lawrence Stark of Clementon was killed by a hit and run driver on the 1500 Block of Pershing St. The driver is described as an Hispanic male with a Goat Tee in his 20's or 30's and was driving a black or dark blue 4 door SUV or Truck with a taped mirror.

May 27th 12:40PM in Winslow Township Rudolph Liberto age 85 was killed by an 18 year old driver from Mount Laurel while crossing Route 73 at East Charter Ave. As of this writing no charges have been filed. Last August 29 an  unidentified 16 year old female was critically injured crossing at the same location.

I can't imagine crossing this - Route 73 at East Charter Ave where Rudolph Liberto was killed. View in Google Street View

There is only one acceptable number for traffic deaths and that number is Zero. We must take a data driven approach to eliminate the factors that cause these unnecessary deaths.