Freehold Bike Rack Placement To Be Discussed On Tuesday

its aboot time
Originally uploaded by lyle_driver

Freehold Borough, the community which banned bicycle parking in the public right of way unless there is a bike rack will be discussing the placement of 9 new bike racks in the downtown area at their council work session on Tuesday January 19th. Freehold Borough Hall is located at 51 W Main St.

A word of caution: Don't arrive by bike. There are no bike racks located at Borough Hall nor are there any racks planned for that location.

Photo is taken at the Metz Bicycle Museum which is located across the Street from Borough Hall in Downtown Freehold.http://www.metzbicyclemuseum.com/

Is this legal? UPDATED!!

This photo is by Donna Gialanella of The Star-Ledger and part of this series.

According to one of our commenters, Kim Darst's ATV has had the motor removed so it's no longer a motorized vehicle. Still curious if she needs a permit.

The scene is the Paulinskill Trail and pictured is Kim Darst training her sled dogs for the Iditarod by having the dogs tow her on her ATV.

I'm just curious but is that legal? I'm not trying to give Mrs. Darst a hard time. I think it is cool that she is using the trail to train her dogs (just another example of the recreation opportunities trails provide) and I'm quite sure she wouldn't turn on the motor but is it still legal for her bring an ATV onto the trail even if the motor is never turned on?

I could see how an ATV would make an ideal sled substitute. However, I would still think that it's illegal to bring motorized vehicles on trails open only to non-motorized users at anytime or under any condition. What would be next? A team of draft horses pulling an old pick-up truck down the trail?

I don't know the answer but I'm asking. I would be cool if she had a special permit.

Check out the other pictures of Kim Darst training her dogs on the Paulinskill Trail.

Opinion: Allentown NJ - Hotbed of dangerous traffic, bullying, sexual harassment and criminal activities?!?!

Believable it or not, we are talking about courtesy busing to school.

Last week there was a good article in a locally distributed weekly paper called the Examiner, which covers the bucolic rural towns in far western Monmouth County. The article discussed what Upper Freehold Township is trying to do to eliminate unnecessary courtesy busing in and around the village of Allentown. In the past ten years or so a number of sprawling developments have popped up around the idyllic farm town but within very close proximity to the local schools that are with easy walking distance of Main St. Accordingly the town is looking to install sidewalks and paths to better connect these developments and the town so that local children can walk and ride bikes to school.

While these sidewalks and paths should have been built when the developments went in, it is highly commendable that the local township with the board of ed is now trying to do the right thing. By spending money upfront on sidewalk infrastructure they can avoid continuously dumping it into endless payments for unnecessary busing particularly when the kids live so close to their schools.

In 2010, Upper Freehold predicts it will spend close to $100,000 on courtesy busing. That amount could build quite a bit of sidewalk.

View Larger Map
Allentown, NJ. Rockwellian, small-town America or hotbed of crime, dangerous traffic and sexual lewdness?

However, if you read further down towards the last two paragraphs of the article you will see that some parents have already objected to the possibility of eliminating of courtesy busing. In their objection they cite that their children will be forced "to walk through dangerous intersections in downtown Allentown" and "that sidewalks would be dangerous because they are potential places for bullying, sexual harassment and criminal activities."

When I read that statement my jaw hit the floor. I'm very familiar with Allentown. It is one of the most peaceful and quaint small towns in all of New Jersey. One couldn't hope to live in a more perfect rural setting. The historic Main St is still the hub of local commerce and there isn't a strip mall within miles. Sidewalks are plentiful within the old town and local police make sure that NO ONE exceeds the posted 25mph downtown. I couldn't imagine a more perfect and safe place in New Jersey to raise a child and let them roam around and live an active childhood like that I enjoyed when I was a kid.

View Larger Map
Shaded, historic Main St, Allentown, NJ.

I know that the parents out there will say that since I'm not a parent I can't begin to understand and that things are "different" since when I was a kid (yeah, back in the 1970's every parent exposed their kids to second hand smoke, people drove drunk without penalty and lead was in the gasoline, so life has got to be more dangerous today - hint, sarcasm). However, I beg to differ. I believe that the fear that parents have for their childrens' safety is far beyond rational and has become all-out, unhealthy paranoia and it takes a childless person to point that out.

Last Chance For Pedestrian and Bike Access on the I-95 Scudder Falls Bridge

View Philadelphia Regional Trails in a larger map

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission is re-building the Scudder Falls (I-95) Bridge that links Ewing (pop. 35,707) and Lower Makefield Twp, PA (pop. 32,681) as well as the Delaware River canal towpaths on both sides of the river.

Currently, the Bridge is not accessible to pedestrians or bicyclists. The Bridge Commission is taking public comment on the bridge's new design. Although it is considering the inclusion of a new bicycle/pedestrian pathway, it is not convinced that the $18 million cost of the pathway justifies building it. This cost would only adds 6% more to the total project cost of $300 million project. Current state and federal complete streets guidelines define reasonable cost of bicycle and pedestrian facilities at 20% of the total project cost.

Take three minutes to send a letter to the Commission by scrolling down and right in the frame below

For more information on the project go the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia's Scudder Falls Bridge page.

WWBPA does public comments right

Just a few days ago this week the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance released their public comments regarding the redesign of the Main St. section of County Rt 571, Princeton Hightstown Rd. I suggest that any and all New Jersey advocacy groups take a look at their comments since they are very well done and could be used as a model for other groups to emulate. Also, notice who they copied on their correspondence. Their comments can be found here.

Also, for some background information, here is a presentation given on December 15th 2009 that reviews some of the planned "improvements" for the roadway.

View Larger Map
The section of County Rt 571 in West Windsor Township in question.

WANTED! - LCI Candidates

This message comes from Jim Nicholson, President of the NJ Bicycle Coalition and one of the finest League Cycling Instructors in America. - Andy B.

Dear fellow New Jersey bicyclists,

We are putting together a New Jersey LCI seminar, tentatively planned for April of this year. Our time-line is tight and complicated by an ongoing search for an appropriate venue, although we think that should be resolved shortly. At the same time we are doing this, we need to identify potential LCI candidates. I'm sure you can understand the difficulty in asking someone if they would like to attend a 2.5 day seminar when we can't give them an exact date and location!

Would you or do you know of anyone who would like the opportunity to train and become a League Cycling Instructor? If so, please contact me at jimnichlci@njbike.org. You can also forward names and contact details to me and I will do the calling.

Remember that all potential candidates have to be LAB members, pay a fee for the training, and need to have completed the Traffic Skills 101 prerequisite at least 30 days before the actual seminar. For those who may not have the TS101 course under their belts, we will do all that we can to schedule a class so this can take place. You see, we really do want to fill this seminar...

While I am an LCI, and will, in most probability, be teaching much of this seminar, I am also the president of the New Jersey Bicycle Coalition, a cycling advocacy organization. One of our goals for 2010 is for New Jersey to have at least one LCI in each of its 21 counties, each teaching at least 3 courses per year. While there are many LCIs already teaching and exceeding this number, could you imagine the effect, statewide, if this were to become reality? Whether these new LCIs teach on their own, or perhaps for some of your own organizations, the outcome is the same. Many cyclists in New Jersey will get the benefit of the same training that you got, and become safer, more efficient, and happier cyclists.

So, in closing, thanks for reading this and if you do know of a suitable candidate, let's see if we can get her or him enrolled in this seminar.

Best regards for the new year,

Jim Nicholson
LCI 1625

President, NJ Bicycle Coalition

Interesting Statute of the Month - No Charge for Bikes

I was doing a little research for work today and came across this most interesting New Jersey Statute:

48:12-108. Transportation of bicycles as baggage; penalty for refusal
The holder of a ticket issued by any railroad company entitling him to transportation on its railroad or ferries as a passenger shall have the right in lieu of other baggage, to the transportation as baggage without further charge of one bicycle to and from the place designated in such ticket. Such transportation shall be on the same train or boat with the passenger where facilities for the transportation of baggage then exist on such train or boat.

The passenger shall remove any lantern from such bicycle but not any usual bicycle bell or cyclometer nor need he crate, cover or otherwise protect the bicycle. No railroad company transporting bicycles pursuant to this section shall be liable for damage done to any bell, cyclometer or like attachments.

Any railroad company refusing to accept for transportation or to transport bicycles as baggage as required by this section shall pay to such passenger ten dollars for each offense, to be recovered in an action at law in any court of competent jurisdiction.

The archaic language in the statute makes me believe that it dates back a hundred years or so; back when the League of American Wheelmen (former name of the League of American Bicyclists) and its local chapters were a political force to be reckoned with.

Still, I'm curious. Does this mean that NJ TRANSIT has a statutory responsibility to transport one's bicycle, free of charge at ALL TIMES? Also, does the statute require ferry companies to do the same? Are ferry companies exempt since all that I'm aware of operate services that cross state lines or are they require so long as the service connects to a New Jersey port?

This law, as old as it may be, is still on the books, so it would seem to still have some teeth. I'm sure there is something in the statutes that organized NJ TRANSIT that exempts it from this statute, however other passenger trains services (tourist) and ferry services are probably still on the hook for this. Maybe we all have 10 bucks coming our way!

Are there any legal scholars out there who might know the answer?