Our rained-out Ride of Silence will now take place on Wednesday, June 1. It’s one of three events planned for the first days of June.
A Ride of Silence is a one-hour, 10-mile ride (in silence) to honor those killed or injured while cycling on the road. We are thrilled that we will have both a West Windsor police officer and a hearse from Mather-Hodge Funeral Home in our procession. Thanks!
The ride leaves at 7 p.m. from the Municipal Center parking lot, so please arrive by 6:45 p.m. so we can start pedaling on time. Bring lights, reflective vest if you have one — anything to help make us even more visible!? We of course will be obeying all traffic rules. This ride is about promoting safe riding practices, courtesy and sharing the road.
In addition, we are holding a “yoga for cyclists” class with instructor Nancy Sheehan at the Cranbury Library off Main Street on Thursday, June 2. The session starts at 7 p.m. We’ll talk first about fun places to ride in the area (what’s your tip?) and then get into our deep stretch. The May session was great; join us this time!
On Sunday, June 5, we’ll be visiting the Metz Bicycle Museum in Freehold. The museum houses one of the world’s finest collections of antique bicycles,? dating from the 1850’s to the 1950’s.? Hundreds of bicycles are artfully displayed. Boneshakers, highwheelers, quadricycles, tricycles, ordinaries, safeties, children’s bikes, trick bikes, and many more unusual and one-of-a kind cycles make up this fascinating collection. See a lamplighter bicycle that is over eight feet high as well as miniatures made by a prisoner of war in Belgium in the early 1940s.
We will be riding there from Marlboro High School on Route 79 (NOTE CHANGE from the Bicycle Hub in Marlboro, NJ), starting at 11 a.m., and using the off-road Henry Hudson Trail for most of the 6-mile route. This leisurely ride is free, but museum admission is $10. You must RSVP for this ride because of the museum’s capacity; email [email protected].
We’ll also be at the West Windsors Farmers Market on June 4; see you there?
Comments Off on Ride of Silence Rescheduled for June 1
It’s official: 14 West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance members are participating in the annual Anchor House Ride for Runaways, which benefits the Anchor House teen shelter in Trenton, among their other programs. This year, the week-long 500 mile ride starts in Jamestown, NY, not too far from Lake Erie, and finishes as always at Quaker Bridge Mall.
Newell Benedict
Ken Carlson
Jerry Foster
Bill Garrett
Jack Hayon
Allison Leathem
Jessica Leathem
Les Leathem
Daryl McMillan
Eileen Murphy
Henry Murphy
Paul Shapiro
DJ Varner
Ron Weinstein
After clicking to the Anchor House site, just choose among our members by clicking the dropdown list and scrolling down to find your favorite member rider, then click Donate in This Participant’s Name and follow the instructions. Thank you!
Comments Off on 14 WWBPA Members Riding for Anchor House
Join us for a bike ride along part of the Henry Hudson Trail, beginning and ending in Marlboro,?with a stop in Freehold for lunch and a tour of the unique Metz Bike Museum, housing more than 2,000 items, including 125 of the rarest bicycles, childrens’ antique toys, gadgets, and mousetraps! If there’s time, we may check out some Springsteen sites in town.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
11 a.m. to about 3 p.m.
Cost: $10 adult (children under 12, $5) for admission to the museum. We’ll collect cash on the day.
RSVP: [email protected]. We must know how many people will join us, as the Metz Bicycle Museum tour requires at least six people and can only handle a maximum of 30 people at a time.
Meet at 11 a.m. at the Bicycle Hub bike shop in Marlboro, where you can park you car. We estimate the route is about 8 miles each way.
The Bicycle Hub of Marlboro is located on State Highway 79, one mile north of County Road 520 (toward Matawan)?in Marlboro township. When using a GPS type navigation system use “239 State Highway 79, Morganville, NJ 07751.
We just have to share this heart-warming story of a small town that built a camp for cyclists pedaling through (often on the TransAmerica or Lewis and Clark trails). It all came about because one resident realized the business they could bring to this Montana town.
“All the bike riders passing through were like gold going by in a river,” that man, Bill White, said. “I started thinking about how to make Twin Bridges more than a place to get a cup of coffee.”
The result: residents raised funds to build a shelter in the park that would draw in riders, provide a free shower and a place to set up tents on the grass. Most riders in turn leave donations that cover the cost of utilities and cleaning supplies. And they spent money in town, which gave the local economy a boost.
Other communities haven’t gone as far as building a shelter, but they, too, are learning that bicyclists bring tourism dollars. Long-distance routes, mapped and (hopefully) signposted, are a magnet that everyone can profit from.
Comments Off on A Gamble on Bicycle Friendliness Pays Off
The big melt was on, temperatures were rising into the 60s, school was out for teachers’ professional development, and student bicyclists flocked to Plainsboro’s Village Center.
During a short stop on a bike for coffee and a muffin on that day just over a week ago, a very interesting phenomenon was observed: the numerous bike racks in the back parking lots were completely deserted. Not to worry, the benches in front had bikes locked to them, and the bike rack next to the entrance of the new library was packed!
Nice job, Plainsboro! We in West Windsor look forward to our revitalized Main Street Route 571 being able to attract our fair share of bicyclists out for a nice ride.
In the meantime, there’s a lesson for all: if bike racks are visible (so generally, near entrances), they’ll be used much more than if they are hidden away.
Comments Off on Plainsboro Attracts Student Bicyclists
The NJDOT just published (only online) the New Jersey Bicycle Manual. It’s not just for kids, either. Here’s a list of the covered topics, from the table of contents:
Selecting, Fitting & Equipping Your Bike
Quick Maintenance Checks
Off to a Good Start
Traffic Basics
Sharing the Road
Parking Your Bike
Difficult Situations
Riding at Night & in Rain and Snow
Riding with Others
Riding on Shared-Use Paths
NJ Bicycling Law & Roadway Restrictions
Traffic Signals, Signs and Road Markings
The manual includes lots of clear diagrams and photos to help cyclists navigate in a variety of situations (even how to share the road with pedestrians and horseback riders).
This is an excellent resource for both novice and experienced cyclists.
Mark your calendars! Bike New York’s TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour is Sunday, May 1, 2011. Registration begins at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, February 1. If history is any guide, it will sell out within days.
Last year 32,000 people participated in this 42-mile tour of Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and?Staten Island that lets you cross the Verrazano Bridge on a bike. There will be riders of all ages and abilities — and bike traffic jams. So if you sign up, be prepared to be extra attentive to what those around you are doing.
“I set out one summer morning to seek adventure. I don’t know how I summoned up the nerve to begin, but begin I did. I climbed onto my bicycle, pedaled away from my front door, and didn’t stop riding for four years until I arrived back home.”
Alastair Humphreys talks about how he rode 46,000 miles around the world and discovered that the world isn’t as scary as he thought. “I wasn’t rich (the whole trip cost approximately $10,000), I wasn’t brave. I wasn’t very fit. I just did it.”
Brr! Alastair Humphreys takes a bike across a snowy mountain pass
While this sort of trip may be more adventure than most of us can imagine (and are quite happy to just read about it), we can find adventure closer to home. Go for a hike in the Sourlands, wander through the Plainsboro Preserve or ride part of the High Point to Cape May bike route … there’s no shortage of possibilities if we, like Alastair Humphreys, just open our mind to it.
The WWBPA would like to hear about your adventures. Help encourage others to walk and bike!
Separate bike lanes and paths, or share the road? This is a lively debate in the bicycle advocacy community,? almost as controversial as whether bike helmets are good for cycling because they save lives or bad because they discourage too many potential cyclists (also known as the “dork factor”).
Some say paths separated from the roadway are safer and encourage more cyclists. But such paths are costly, have their own conflicts (different speeds among cyclists and between cyclists and pedestrians). Plus, the law says bicyclists have a right to the road (and must follow all the rules of the road). By taking their place in the road, share-the-road proponents say, drivers must acknowledge the presence of cyclists and either pass them safely or go at a slower speed. Poorly designed bike lanes, such as those too close to parked cars and/or traffic, might mean less safety, as one study found. The WWBPA has recommended a two-foot buffer between a lane of parked cars and a bike lane to prevent cyclists riding into a door that is being opened (“dooring”).
One idea in between is “bicycle boulevards,” which optimize low-volume and low-speed streets for bicycle travel and discourage cut-through vehicle traffic (a plus for residents!). In Denmark, Copenhagen is extending its bicycling network outward into the suburbs, creating what the blog Copenhagenize calls “bicycle superhighways,” for commutes of six miles or more. Other interesting ideas are “green wave” traffic lights, which coordinate the signal timing to hit green lights along your route, “branded” signage for specific routes, even bicycle service stations along the way.
We have a state highway map; now we’re going to get a state bike map!
The New Jersey Bicycle Map, funded through the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and managed by The RBA Group, is in the works. This will provide a map of the preferred bicycling routes for the entire state.?Their target is to have the map ready for the public in the summer of 2011.
Share your routes!? To make sure they hear the needs of cyclists from around the state, NJDOT is hosting three meetings (all during regular working hours, unfortunately for most of us).
North Jersey
Wednesday, December 1
10 a.m. to noon
Frelinghuysen Arboretum
55 East Hanover Ave
Morristown
Central Jersey
Tuesday, December 7
9:30am to 11:30am
NJDOT Headquarters
1035 Parkway Ave
Trenton
South Jersey
Wednesday, December 8
10 a.m. to noon
The George Luciano Family Center
Cumberland County College
Vineland
Prior to the meeting, all are encouraged to review the draft map on the interactive website, (http://bikemap.com/njbike/). You must register first and answer a few questions but then you can download PDFs of the latest drafts. If your town, county or other organization has data that might help in the correct or complete the map, you are also encouraged to upload it to that sight. Once you register on the site, you will receive e-mail notices each time a new map is posted.
Please RSVP to Elizabeth Cox, The RBA Group at 973-946-5736 or [email protected] a week before the meeting. Attendees will be sent an agenda and directions. If you are unable to attend, participation is encouraged through the website.
Once all the work is done, a PDF of the final map will be posted on a website. Printing of the maps will be sponsored by organizations interested in supporting cyclists. If your organization would like to help sponsor printing, please contact the NJDOT project manager.
A bridge (really two two-lane spans) being built to connect Ocean City with Somers Point (near Atlantic City) includes space for both bicyclists and pedestrians as it connects Atlantic and Cape May counties and eliminates some traffic bottlenecks. As an article in the Atlantic City Press notes, bicyclists and pedestrians were forbidden to cross the old causeway, which has virtually no shoulder and no sidewalks. The new bridge will have a 10-foot-wide bike path.
Construction has begun, and the new causeway, which replaces four low bridges on Route 52, should be open in December 2012.
Comments Off on A Bridge With Room For Bikes and Pedestrians
Calling all cyclists–and anyone interested in watching a great adventure film as well as helping to benefit a good cause!
Ride the Divide is an award-winning feature film about the world’s toughest mountain bike race, which traverses over 2,700 miles along the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. The film weaves the story of three characters’ experiences with immense mountain beauty and small-town culture as they attempt to pedal from Banff, Canada to a small, dusty crossing on the Mexican border.
The film will be screened on
Friday, December ?3, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Saturday, December 4, at 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
at the ACME Screening Room in Lambertville.
Extra attraction: Meet-the-Executive-Producer/Cyclist, Mike Dion: at post-film Q & A on Friday at 7 p.m. or at the Saturday Night Cyclist?s Reception at Chimney Hill Inn, Lambertville after the 7:30 p.m. screening.
Mike Dion is one of the cyclists in the film who participated in the race.? The Ride the Divide film project is helping to raise funds for Livestrong, a foundation that fights to improve the lives of people affected by cancer.
Audience members can also do holiday shopping at the event and benefit a good cause. ?Cycling-related merchandise will be sold: 25% of proceeds after cost will benefit the?Young Survival Coalition, young women facing breast cancer together, and 75% will benefit the?ACME Screening Room film program.
For more information:
ACME Screening Room
25 S. Union Street
Lambertville, NJ
On Saturday, November 13 at 9:00 am, a charity ride will be held in honor of Joe McBride, a member of the Princeton Free Wheelers bicycle club, who was killed in a motor vehicle collision last week while riding his bike near Washington Crossing, PA.
Join the Hill Slugs on Saturday, November 13, as we ride one of Joe McBride’s favorite routes along the Delaware River and the ridge above Frenchtown.? The ride will be C+/B difficulty, 13 – 16mph average speed, for about 50 miles. Joe didn’t like big hills, so we’ll stay away from the nasty ones. ?There will be one rest stop in Upper Black Eddy, PA, and an additional, optional, stop in Sergeantsville.
Meet in the CVS parking lot off of Route 29 in Lambertville, and please arrive about 20 minutes early, to be ready to leave at 9am. ?Wet roads cancel the ride.
Your helmet can save your life in a crash; see these pictures for a few close-ups of how it works. This helmet happily gave its life to save its wearer, who was involved in a bike/car collision on local roads this week.
Bike helmets are nearly always designed to be single-hit, after which you must buy a new helmet. This is because single-hit helmets are lighter and therefore more comfortable to wear.
When a hit occurs, the helmet absorbs the shock by compressing the foam, which doesn’t resume its original shape and therefore won’t be available for another hit.
According to New Jersey state law, bicyclists 16 and under must wear helmets, but all bicyclists should wear them. If you’d like to purchase a low-cost helmet, please visit the WWBPA booth at the West Windsor Farmers’ Market. Check our calendar to see which dates we’re there, or drop us a quick email at [email protected].
Preventing a crash is even better, Bicyclists, please ride on the right side of the roadway in the same direction as the cars, and follow traffic signs and signals.? Motorists, please give bicyclists plenty of room when passing – half a lane is a good practice.
Commuters, take note! Electric bikes (e-bikes, sometimes called hybrid electric bikes) are increasing in popularity. Pedal-assist bikes turn on an electric motor to give the rider an extra boost when the riding gets tough. There are also some called “throttle-assist,” but these are closer to mopeds and might not give riders the thrill of pumping their own bikes or the added health benefit from pedaling. Both types are great for pulling loads, climbing hills, or simply not getting so sweaty when riding to work.
Matthew Zoll, Bicycle and Pedestrian Manager for the Pima County, Arizona Department of Transportation, converted to a hybrid electric bike (he calls it a hybrid, because he uses his own energy as well as electricity) a couple of years ago, using the electric bike from May through October each year, when the temperatures in the Tucson area soar. The rest of the year he uses traditional bikes (pedaled with only his own power), and he says that ?during the past two years he’s only used a car four times. He says he can travel 1,200 miles on just $4 of electricity, with a lot less sweat.
Saving The Planet… And Ourselves Is As Easy As Riding A Bike
Two thirds of America’s energy needs are tied up in transportation. How we get around shapes our communities, our health, and our future.
Americans dream big, but those dreams have gotten out of hand. The results: expanding waistlines, sprawling communities, vehicles so large and thirsty that wars are fought to keep them running, oil disasters, and an energy plan that heats everything up to maintain a way of life. Beyond the blame, America needs real solutions: lean, clean, game-changing answers that put people on the road to health and energy independence.
Joyride: Pedaling Toward A Healthier Planet follows pioneering transportation leader Birk’s 20-year crusade to integrate bicycling into daily life. With just a table scrap of funding, Birk led a revolution that grew Portland, Oregon into a city where bicycling is a significant part of their transportation system. Birk then hit the road, helping make communities across the nation healthier, safer and more livable. While many books bemoan the pain of the world’s problems, Joyride offers hope and a blueprint for changing our world for the better.
Mia Birk is the award-winning CEO and co-owner of Alta Planning + Design, a 72-person international firm dedicated to creating active communities where bicycling and walking are safe, healthy, fun, and normal daily activities. She has been involved across North America in hundreds of bicycle, pedestrian, trail, and Safe Routes to School plans, projects, and programs. Birk is also Adjunct Professor at Portland State University, where she co-founded the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation. She is a co-founder of the Cities for Cycling project of the National Association for City Transportation Officials and the Association for Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. She was the Portland Bicycle Program Manager from 1993-1999, Transportation Program Manager at the International Institute for Energy Conservation from 1990-1993, and has a Master?s Degree in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
Birk lives in Portland, OR, with her two children, ages 11 and 8. Bicycling is her main means of transportation, and a winning strategy for maintaining her family?s health, safety, budget, and community connection.
Book sales will support non-profit organizations working to creating a healthier, more sustainable world.
Joyride: Pedaling Toward A Healthier Planet
By Mia Birk
With Joe “Metal Cowboy” Kurmaskie
Cadence Press www.miabirk.com
Comments Off on Joyride: Pedaling Toward A Healthier Planet
A West Windsor teen offered this report after her first bike trip on New York City streets on a warm and sunny October afternoon:
“Biking in New York City is a unique experience. That’s not to say it’s bad, it’s just interesting. There are many bike lanes all over the city, and they are extremely nice–that is, except when people park their cars in them!
“The main downside to New York City bike lanes is that they’re erratically placed. Bike lanes will stretch on for blocks and be extremely easy to see and follow, and then they’re gone without warning, and bicyclists are forced to either bike in the left lane and oftentimes ignore ‘Left Turn Only’ lanes or bike on the sidewalks, neither of which is especially fantastic. However, more often than not, there are bike lanes. And on many smaller streets, if there is no bike lane, there are ‘Share the Road’ little painting things on the street itself (a bicyclist with two chevrons over top). My dad tells me they’re called ‘sharrows.’
“Anyway, biking through New York is extremely nice, especially on the waterfront. There are waterfront paths on the Hudson and on the East River that are both bicycle and pedestrian friendly.”
Comments Off on Teen Reports on New York City Biking
Our nation’s capital joins Paris, London and Montreal, among others, with bike-sharing programs. Dubbed Capital Bikeshare, the program has more than 1,100 bikes available at more than 110 stations in DC and Arlington. A 24-hour membership costs $5 (you can also buy 30-day and one-year memberships) and you can get a bike as often as you’d like. Like elsewhere, the first 30 minutes of each ride is free. It’s a great way to see the sights or explore a new neighborhood, use the city’s extensive trails or get to the ballpark. Just don’t forget to bring your helmet!
We hope to see government officials using the distinctive red bikes to get around and learn the joys of cycling!
D&R CANAL WATCH BIKE RIDE HISTORY TOUR
Saturday, September 4 ? 10:00 a.m. ? Griggstown
History bike rides on the D&R
Join canal enthusiast Bob Barth for a leisurely bike ride on the historic Delaware &?Raritan Canal towpath. We will stop at historic villages and canal structures, such as locks and swing?bridges, and talk about why the D&R was one of the most successful canals in the United States.
Helmets required. Bring water and snack. The ride will last approximately three hours.
Meet at the Griggstown Causeway parking lot.
Questions? Call Bob at 201-401-3121.
Monthly meetings are held on the second Thursday of the month, at 6:15 pm at the WW library and via Zoom. Email us at [email protected] for details, including the Zoom code.
Find us at the West Windsor Farmers Market (Vaughn Drive parking lot) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every other Saturday from May through Halloween.
Our rained-out Ride of Silence will now take place on Wednesday, June 1. It’s one of three events planned for the first days of June.
It’s official: 14 West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance members are participating in the annual Anchor House Ride for Runaways, which benefits the Anchor House teen shelter in Trenton, among their other programs. This year, the week-long 500 mile ride starts in Jamestown, NY, not too far from Lake Erie, and finishes as always at Quaker Bridge Mall.
The big melt was on, temperatures were rising into the 60s, school was out for teachers’ professional development, and student bicyclists flocked to Plainsboro’s Village Center.
Nice job, Plainsboro! We in West Windsor look forward to our revitalized Main Street Route 571 being able to attract our fair share of bicyclists out for a nice ride.
Mark your calendars! Bike New York’s TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour is Sunday, May 1, 2011. Registration begins at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, February 1. If history is any guide, it will sell out within days.
Calling all cyclists–and anyone interested in watching a great adventure film as well as helping to benefit a good cause!
On Saturday, November 13 at 9:00 am, a charity ride will be held in honor of 
Our nation’s capital joins Paris, London and Montreal, among others, with bike-sharing programs. Dubbed 
