East Coast Greenway Alliance

 

Recent Events

 

 

 

Sunday, September 14th, Hudson Loop Ride

 

On Sunday, September 14, 2008, the NJ Committee of the East Coast Greenway Alliance held a bike ride to showcase the progress made on the New Jersey and New York Greenway routes on both sides of the Hudson River.

 

A group of 35 cyclists, primarily from New York, New Jersey and surrounding areas, but including a couple from Belgium who happened to be visiting, rode from the George Washington Bridge to Hoboken, discovering the beautiful path that hugs the western shore of the Hudson River.  Eight of the riders rode on four tandem bicycles.

 

More than 80% of the route on the New Jersey side is on an off-road paved path.  The ride leaders controlled car traffic when the group needed to travel on local streets.

 

The group crossed the Hudson on a ferry from Hoboken and immediately joined the bicycle path adjacent to the ferry terminal that extends along the west side of Manhattan from the Battery to the George Washington Bridge.  The ride continued north to the Little Red Lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge where everyone stopped for some scenic photos. 

 

The 20-mile ride was completed by riding across the beautiful George Washington Bridge, with magnificent views in all directions.  Following the ride, the riders repaired to T.J.'s Steak Pit in Fort Lee for a well deserved lunch.

 

Because of the success of this event, we’re planning another Hudson Loop Ride, but longer and faster, along both sides of the Hudson via the Bayonne Bridge, Staten Island Ferry and George Washington Bridge. Start/End: Fort Lee Historic Park  See our calendar for October 11th for more details.

 

 

 

 

 

In the news….

 

mycentraljersey.com


July 23, 2008

A way to alleviate the sting of high gas prices? Bike it

Mike Kruimer drives a Ford F-250 pickup and since March has filled the gas tank exactly twice. His most recent fill-up was for $89.

How does he get by? He pedals his bicycle. The round-trip daily commute from his home in Edison to his job in Franklin Township is about 16 miles.

The 54-year-old Kruimer is past president of the Central Jersey Bicycle Club, a member of a Middlesex County task force that promotes bicycle access and member of the East Coast Greenway Alliance, a group that is helping develop a bike route from Maine to Key West, Florida.

"We've been promoting bike access for years. Today people are really paying attention," Kruimer said.

Two dollars for a gallon of gas was one thing. Three dollars another. Four dollars? Now we're talking. Now, said Middlesex County Freeholder Camille Fernicola, "We all have the green bug."

Fernicola, a planner with the state Department of Transportation, has been an advocate of bike use and bike safety since she joined the freeholder board in 1997. As the price of gas has increased, she has found it easier to gain the attention of county and municipal officials.

Two years ago the freeholders set aside $500,000 for marching grants, allowing municipalities to create bike paths. Last year the line was increased to $1 million.

"What will come out of this (rise in gasoline prices) is something of a blessing," said George Ververides, head of the Middlesex County Planning Board. "We've been pushing bicycle use as part of our planning. Now that we have this gas crisis it's become something of greater importance."

Among those who have taken the lead in development of bicycle routes, said Ververides, are Plainsboro Township, the combination of Rutgers, New Brunswick and Piscataway and Metuchen. The rebuilding of Route 18 through New Brunswick will include bike paths.

Travelers to Europe know that bikes have long been an important component of commuting. Last week the equivalent of a gallon gasoline in Paris was $9.43, Rome $9.03 and London $8.96. We're getting our gas on the cheap.

Ververides credited Kruimer and his wife Anne as being "terrific advocates" for promoting bicycle use.

The two make quite a pair, when riding in their specially designed tandem. In 1992 Anne was paralyzed from the waist down when the bike she was riding was struck by a car. Today they ride together on a bike that allows Anne to pedal with her arms.

In 2004 the two spent 53 days on the East Coast Greenway on the Maine to Key West trip, averaging about 50 miles a day. Most of the participants were in their 50s and 60s. One man was 74.

This is inspiring. In recent weeks I allowed a health club membership to lapse, and began biking, in a wide open part of my town where there is little traffic after 6 p.m. In the morning everyone seems to be late for work, and in a rush in their car, which discourages bike use during commuter hours.

Biking is not without risk. According to the New Jersey Division of Highway Safety, 12 bicyclists were killed in the state in 2007. Through July 15, a little more than half the year, there were already 11.

As we turn to biking — to commute to work or go down the corner to pick up a newspaper — it is also a means of exercise, without the violence to the joints of jogging.

"We have plenty of ex-runners in the bike club," said Kruimer.

He also corrected me, when I called him a biker. He's not a biker, but a bicyclist. "Bicyclists wear Spandex," he explained. "Bikers wear leather."

Rick Malwitz's column appears Sundays and Thursdays. His Game On blog appears at www.mycentral jersey. Rmalwitz@thnt.com, (732) 565-7291.

 

 

 

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