This Sunday - Branchbrook Park Cherry Blossom Bike Tour!

Sorry that WalkBikeJersey has been quite for a while.  I was living the dream that is walking and bicycling in Germany for the past two weeks while visiting my great family over there.  I thought I would blog a little.  I even brought my laptop.  But it was a futile effort.  The bike riding I did in Southern Germany was otherworldly (glass smooth streets with no motor traffic, beautiful small farm villages dotted between picturesque forests and fields of green, all with the snow covered Alps as a backdrop and all with perfect weather to boot!).  I swear there were several times that I literally smacked myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming.  And when I wasn't walking or biking through the German countryside, I was either partying or staying up late talking with my family which is, hands down, much better than tapping at a keyboard particularly when it will be at least another 2 years before I get to break bread with them once again.

So anyway, The Brick City Bike Collective is having their Cherry Blossom Bike Tour once again.  It looks like the timing for the Cherry Blossoms will be right on schedule as the weather has been cool and the event is a little earlier this year.  Last years event was one of the best fun bike rides I attended in all of 2010.

I was hoping that this years event could also be turned into New Jersey's "Tweed Ride" for those that voluntarily wish to play dress-up but my suggestioned was turned down for this year.  Well too bad!  I'm going to turn this into my own personal Tweed Ride.  To find me on Sunday, just look for the the sharply dressed lad on the 3-speed. 

Check out BCBC post for more details about the event and directions on how to get there.  And for a taste of the event, check out this video short from the good folks at StreetFilms that attended last years event.

FHWA clarifies status of on-road bicycle treatments

This just came in from the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals listserve from Bill Schultheiss at the Toole Design Group. I've just copied most of his message here since it does as good a job as any in summarizing the FHWA fact sheet:

Federal Highway has just developed a very helpful resource page that summarizes which bicycle facility traffic control devices (Bike Signals, bike boxes, etc) are permitted in the MUTCD. For those devices which are not in the MUTCD, they have listed which devices are currently being researched and are considered experimental devices requiring approval for use.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bikeped/mutcd_bike.htm

The Bicycle Technical Committee (BTC) of the National Committee for Uniform Traffic Control Devices is presently developing proposals for the use of color, bicycle boxes, bicycle signals, priority shared lane markings, door zone markings. For further information on the BTC please see the following link:

http://members.cox.net/ncutcdbtc/

Op-Ed: Shouldn’t bicycle planning and facility design experts at least ride bikes?

When I go around New Jersey talking about the importance of advocating for better bicycle amenities I’m often told by other bicyclists that they are frustrated, fed up and don’t bother even trying anymore. These bicyclists often complain that when they have petitioned for facilities in the past, if something was built, it was entirely unsuited to their needs. The typical complaint I hear is, “Why bother?!?! If something actually does get built, it will just get designed by someone who has obviously never even ridden a bike!” (I’ve honestly heard close to this exact complaint from several cyclists.)

While I can say with confidence that things are indeed changing for the better here in New Jersey, the unfortunate reality is that these bicyclists’ frustrations are well founded and their misgivings are all too often manifested in the concrete, asphalt, paint and steel of many of the facilities designed for bicycle use around the State. And while the professionals that plan and design these facilities may be very well intentioned and completely sold on the idea and wisdom of accommodating bicyclists, the reality remains that if the expert is not an experienced bicyclist themselves, they may continue to be blind to the potential hazards unintentionally incorporated into their designs and plans.

So I propose a theoretical test for anyone in charge of planning and/or designing bicycle facilities. This test would even be helpful for those in charge of awarding grant funds for bicycle facilities, as they would be more capable of critically evaluating the merits of a project and its usefulness for cyclists. I admittedly set the bar pretty high but that’s the point. If a candidate could pass this test then I would have unquestioning confidence with their professional opinions relative to proposed bicycle facilities. So beyond the candidate’s relative professional and academic achievements (degrees / experience in engineering, planning, etc.) the candidate would need to pass the following requirements to be a qualified bicycle planning and facility design expert. Those are:

Mandatory competences –

1. Theoretical and practical mastery of Smart Cycling as taught by the League of American Cyclists

National Park Service to Launch Del. Water Gap Bus Service

From the Pocono Record:

Free bus service from East Stroudsburg to Milford will enhance the way the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is used by local residents and visitors.

Monroe County Transit Authority will operate two new routes, Saturdays and Sundays, from April 30 to Oct. 3.

Full Article

Buses will accommodate bicycles, the Riverview Route (South) will connect East Stroudsburg with Bushkill falls and will have a bike rack. The Mcdade Mover (north) will connect Bushkill Falls and Dingman Boat Launch with Milford and will have a trailer to carry bikes and canoes. The routes will connect with commuter bus services to NYC in Stroudsburg and Milford (unfortunately neither connection is bike friendly). The 32 mile long McDade Recreational Trail is nearly complete - with only about 4 miles of gaps (the gaps can be bridged by the bus or riding on narrow but truck-free US 209). The path is mostly stone dust or packed gravel.




View Delaware River Bridge Bike Ped Crossings and the new bus routes on a larger map

The toll collector stands in the center lane for the Dingmans Ferry Bridge connecting Pike County PA with Sussex County in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.



The MacDade Trail in Delaware Water Gap, PA - Image Friends of DEWA

National Bike Summit News Rundown

Unfortunately once again, I was unable to make it down to the National Bicycle Summit in Washington, D.C. this week.  However, New Jersey was able to send a large contingent this year as usual.  Anyway, I figured the next best thing to being there would be a comprehensive news rundown, so here it goes.

National Bike Summit 2011 Program / Adgenda
League of American Bicyclist

LaHood Kicks Off National Bike Summit
Streetsblog Capitol Hill • Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Obama’s Transpo Secretary Is a Big Fan of Janette Sadik-Khan
Streetsblog Capitol Hill • Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Cyclists Gathered at Bike Summit Are Told Not to “Wait for Washington”
Streetsblog Capitol Hill • Wednesday, March 9, 2011

New York Transportation Chief Defends Bike Lanes
The New York Times • Wednesday, March 9, 2011

East Coast Greenway challenges residents to walk across New Jersey

The below comes to WalkBikeJersey from the East Coast Greenway Alliance and the FreeWalkers.  In an effort to maintain full disclosure to our readers, I (Andy B.) am now working for the East Coast Greenway Alliance as their New Jersey Outreach and Events Coordinator.

The East Coast Greenway Alliance along with the FreeWalkers (a long distance walking group) invite the public to strive for a new personal goal in a program called the Cross-Jersey Walking Challenge. The program is free and challenges individuals to walk 100 miles across the entire state – from Trenton to New York City within the next 12 months – along the East Coast Greenway.

The Cross-Jersey Walking Challenge will follow the East Coast Greenway’s entire New Jersey trail which represents about 100 miles out of its 3,000 miles length along the Eastern U.S. from Maine to Key West. Walkers who wish to participate enter and track their progress at the website (crossjerseywalk.org) throughout the year.

While walkers may choose to walk the distance at any time on their own, the FreeWalkers have scheduled three free organized walks that in total cover the entire 100 mile stretch of the ECG:

• April 9, 2011 – “Great Canal Walk” Trenton to New Brunswick - www.TR2NB40.org
• April 16, 2011 - New Brunswick to Metropark - www.nb2mp10.drupalgardens.com
• May 21, 2011 – “The Big Walk” - Metropark to Penn Sta. NYC - www.NJ2NY50.org

Mass transportation and carpooling are encouraged for the walks which happen to be mostly in proximity of the North East Corridor and other rail lines for easy connections. Busses and light rail can also be used for participants from various areas.  See NJ Transit for more details.

For more information on the program or related events contact Paul Kiczek, FreeWalkers, pkiczek@freewalkers.org.

Bike Fest in Morristown on Memorial Day Friday

This comes to WalkBikeJersey from New Jersey Bike Summit sensation, Kendra Arnold of Morristown Pedal Pushers.  If I can make it WalkBikeJersey will be there.  - Andy B.

Hello!

Bike Morristown is planning a big party for the end of Bike to Work Month after Morristown's monthly ride in May (Friday, May 27), and it is going to be inside the old BMW dealership at 55 Bank Street. We are planning on having the Cinnamon Snail veggie food truck return and several bands and fun stuff going on, but it is gigantic space with 2 showrooms. In the smaller showroom (which is still pretty big), we are going to have room for lots of other bicycling groups to come and push their own agenda. Also any sort of bike-related art or whatnot is welcome to some space to sell their stuff or just show it off.