We Need Bike Lanes in New Jersey

Posted on December 19, 2009 by itees

I’ve written before about my bicycle rides along the Hudson River in both New Jersey and New York.

I first moved to Hoboken in the mid 80s and at that time I had a car. I’d drive my car along River Road to go shopping and many times on my way to New England, I’d go by way of River Road to avoid the traffic to the George Washington Bridge. Many others have this same idea, and due to the overdevelopment, the traffic has been growing larger. Over the years, as they built more and more condominiums, and the Light Rail was extended, the road was widened. Considering all the effort given to making room for the Light Rail and widening the road, I’ll never understand why they didn’t think of the thousands of cyclists and paint in a simple bike lane.

With all the people now living and shopping in that area, a bike lane would be a wonderful and much needed addition, and would have helped with the traffic and congestion.

In the December 10th issue of “The Midweek” Reporter, Tricia Tirella wrote about the problems with getting a bike lane built on River Road in NJ.

“The problem is that right now River Road is not wide enough for a bike lane plan”, said Hudson County Spokesperson, James Kennelly. He explained that a long-term capital project is planned for the next three to five years that will include a dedicated lane. He said that the road will be widened and resurfaced when it is funded by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

I ride my bicycle during the Spring, Summer and Fall seasons and just to get from Jersey City to River Road is a challenge since there are no bike lanes in Jersey City either. They have “share the road” and “bike route” signs posted around but no lanes. They have put some bike lanes on a few streets in Hoboken so that does help. The worst of all, is riding in Weehawken where it meets River Road, to get to the walkway on the other side. This intersection has never been altered and is dangerous to bicycle riders. We sneak along a short dirt path where the cars are merging from two roads and for about 50-100 ft they are too close to us. Something has to be done with this intersection to make it safer for riders. There is no other way to get from this area of Weehawken to the waterfront walkway along the Hudson.

Why does it take so long for something that we need so badly, to get built? Maybe something will change before Spring 2010 comes and I’m ready to ride out there.

After publishing this post, I read about the first meeting of an advocacy group which took place in December in Jersey City to discuss safer streets/better biking. You can be sure I will be attending the next meeting in January and have written to one of the group members, Daniel Levin for more information and whether I can help build them a website, which they don’t seem to have. It’s time the city realized how many cyclists there are. Read the full article here.

Vélib Bicycle System in Paris France

Posted on November 1, 2009 by itees

What could better than a bicycle system that works and makes our lives easier to manage? The Vélib Bicycle Rental System put into place in Paris, France is helping tourists and everyday travelers get from one part of the city to another. However, these expensive to produce bicycles made in Hungary are being stolen, showing up in Eastern Europe and northern Africa, as well as being vandalized. Reading about this in the NY Times, the bicycles are expensive to produce because of the locking system and sturdy construction. They have opened repair shops around the city and must repair 1,500 bicycles a day. In addition, 80% of the initial 20, 600 bicycles installed, have already been stolen.

Still, they are planning to produce more bicycles, and will invest in advertising, so they can reach adolescents and vandals and perhaps change what’s happening.

From the NY Times article:

…”We miscalculated the damage and theft,” said Albert Asserat, director of strategy, research and marketing at JCDecaux…“We made the bike stronger, ran ad campaigns against vandalism and tried to better inform people on the Web,” Mr. Asséraf said. But “the real solution is just individual respect…”

Hoboken, Jersey City, New York City and other metropolitan areas, should install this type of system, which would be an improvement and eco-friendly. When I bike down to Hoboken I have trouble finding a place to park my bicycle and I think having a system like this installed would reduce overcrowded bicycle parking. Imagine if this system was installed in New York City? Less taxis, buses, cars, and train rides.

If we had this, more people would ride from uptown to downtown, crosstown, getting much needed exercise and it would help “green” our cities. Why wait for a taxi, bus or train to get to the other side of town, when you can just take a bike and lock it back up at your destination.

Designer Bicycle Racks

Posted on October 14, 2009 by itees

When I ride my bicycle down to Hoboken and want to lock it up at one the bicycle racks around town, there aren’t enough and sometimes I have to lock it to a bench or pole. So this started me thinking about how many people are now riding around by bicycle (at least in this area) and the fact that we need more bike racks in Hoboken and definitely some in Jersey City. There aren’t any in my neighborhood (The Heights of Jersey City) at all.

In looking on the web about bicycle racks, I discovered there are artists creating original bicycle racks.

The Coffee Cup, bicycle rack, designed by David Burne

David Burne, who rides the greenway of NYC, has collaborated with the New York City Department of Transportation and designed some original concepts which were installed around Manhattan and Brooklyn and will remain there for a year. As a coffee lover, this one struck me, because so many of us park our bikes for that afternoon coffee or tea, after a ride. Maybe we can get some of these cool designs in NJ?

From his site:
“David Byrne and the New York City Department of Transportation, in conjunction with New York art gallery PaceWildenstein, have unveiled nine unique bicycle racks designed by DB and installed in various locations throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. An avid bicyclist for almost 30 years, Byrne was invited to join the panel of jurors selected by the DOT to judge a design competition for outdoor and indoor bicycle racks. Inspired by the city’s initiative, he submitted some original design ideas of his own named after specific locations and neighborhoods, which the DOT enthusiastically agreed to install for a period of 364 days.”

http://www.davidbyrne.com/art/bike_racks/index.php

Also, online at the New York Times today was this video of David Byrne riding his bicycle on the greenway.

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In addition, I found that the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition had a bicycle rack contest and has announced the three winning designs. they are by Kirk Scott, Todd Gilens and Daly Genik. Have a look!

http://www.sfbike.org/?treasureisland

Do you know of any other cool bicycle rack designs and can you share them with me? Feel free to send me a link or photograph. I’d also like to know whether your area has enough bicycle racks installed.