Battle Monument, Trenton
On a perfect day for a bike ride, 75 people came out on Saturday, August 14 to celebrate the completion of the missing segment of the D&R Canal towpath between Trenton and New Brunswick ? representing New Jersey?s longest segment of the East Coast Greenway. ??Many members of the WWBPA rode, as did West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh and Council President Diane Ciccione as well as New Jersey Assemblywoman Grace Spencer. Lawrence Mayor Pam Mount was there for the start, and Congressman Rush Holt spoke (but didn?t ride), noting that he began championing this project when he first went to Washington 12 years ago. The 1.5 mile stretch of macadam belies the obstacles. Not only were there negotiations with Conrail but a number of other surprising obstacles came into play ? such as issues with billboards. But all of that is now dust under the wheels.
Riders took it slow, taking nearly an hour to ride the seven miles ?to reach the Battle Monument in Trenton. After a ?40-minute rest break hosted by the Trenton Cycling Revolution, the group returned along the same seven-mile route. The ride was capped off with sandwiches, salads and sodas at the Brearley House in Lawrence Township, provided by the East Coast Greenway and New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition.
The WWBPA thanks Don Pillsbury from the Lawrence Sustainable Transportation Committee for this report.
There’s a terrific article about the ride, complete with photos and a video, on the WalkBikeJersey Blog.