Thank you to coalition partners and the administration for supporting, and special gratitude to City Council for unanimously approving a Complete Streets policy for the City of Trenton! We are elated by this great development, yet cognizant of the hard work yet to be done. We look forward to working with the city to make Trenton streets safer for all users.
Complete Streets for Trenton
Trenton Cycling Revolution was proud to sign on to this community letter of support, urging the Mayor and City Council to enact a Complete Streets policy here in our city.
More than 30% of our city’s households do not own a car at all. Trenton has an active bicycling and pedestrian culture, with many residents biking or walking to work, to school or simply for leisure. Unfortunately, the road conditions in Trenton are not always ideal for walking and bicycling: crosswalks are poorly marked, the bike lane system is fragmented, and maintenance is spotty, but the city is well-positioned to capitalize on its traditional grid network.
Particularly as a group of residents dedicated to creating a safe and healthy environment for bicyclists in Trenton, we urge swift action!
Bicycle and pedestrian improvements can improve the economy of Trenton by making the city safer and more accommodating for residents, as well as tourists. These improvements will help make it easier for Trenton’s kids to get active. Nearly 1 in 2 Trenton children is overweight or obese!
Please help enact a Complete Streets now! Make our streets safer for everyone and let’s get more residents using bicycles for transportation.
D&R Greenway through Trenton
Trenton Cycling Revolution was proud to support the City of Trenton’s recent application for bikeway funding from NJDOT. We submitted a letter of support for the NJDOT Bikeway funding application.
One piece of our letter:
“According to the American Community Survey of 2005-09, more than 6% of Trentonians commute to work each day by bike or foot, which is notable. More than 30% of the city’s households do not own a car at all. The road conditions in Trenton are not ideal for bicycling and walking: the bike lane system is fragmented; and parks in our community need serious upgrades.”
Over 200 Cyclists Help Promote Bike Safety and Celebrate Trenton at 2011 Annual Bike Tour
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 21, 2011
CONTACT: Dan Fatton, Trenton Cycling Revolution, 908-303-4546, trentoncyclingrevolution@gmail.com
photo courtesy of: Ideal Image Consulting
TRENTON, N.J. — More than 200 people came to Trenton on Saturday morning to take to the streets and participate in the 15th Annual Trenton Bike Tour, organized by the local cycling advocacy group Trenton Cycling Revolution (TCR) and in partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Trenton and Mercer County.
Bicycle enthusiasts, families, kids, local residents and out-of-towners started the 15-mile leisurely ride in Trenton’s Olmsted-designed Cadwalader Park, and continued on to tour the city’s historic streets and sights, diverse neighborhoods and community gardens.
Participants were escorted through the city intersections by the Trenton Police Department and toured notable sights such as the New Jersey State House, Trenton Battle Monument, and picturesque views from the D&R Canal tow path and newly completed East Coast Greenway “missing link” —which makes Canal Park a continuous 60-mile recreational path.
photo courtesy of: Ideal Image Consulting
Saturday’s ride also included a pit stop at Artworks, Trenton’s downtown visual arts center, which not only included snacks, refreshments and an opportunity to rest, but also entertainment provided by musician Billy Reiter. This year’s event was sponsored by a number of Trenton supporters including Shop Rite, AAA, Isles, East Coast Greenway and Knapp’s Cyclery.
As a part of National Bike Month and marking the culmination of National Bike to Work Week, the tour aims to not only highlight the city’s many tourist attractions, but also promote healthy lifestyles and raise awareness of bicycle safety throughout the region for avid, commuting and recreational bicyclists.
“We hope that great events like the Trenton Bike Tour will bring attention to just how important safe and complete streets are for everyone, especially residents riding their bikes through our great city,” said Dan Fatton, chair of TCR. “Trenton streets need to accommodate all users — bikers, pedestrians and drivers — because it is the right and fair thing to do for access, safety and economic development. Our city should follow the lead of Portland, Washington D.C. and New York City and be a model when it comes to being bike friendly.”
photo courtesy of: Ideal Image Consulting
The annual bike tour is just one of many efforts by TCR to promote safe streets for cyclists in Trenton. TCR most recently co-hosted a Breakfast for Bikers at the Trenton Transit Center on May 16 with the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association, with more than 40 people coming out to support more cycling and public transportation — and fewer cars on the road.
The Trenton Bike Tour was also part of “Let’s Move in May” an anti-obesity initiative in Trenton to get residents active. “Riding a bicycle or walking represents an affordable and convenient way to get around, particularly for short distances, and travel by bike or foot can help get your heart rate up. Despite an active bicycling community of those who commute via bike and recreational riders, Trenton has alarming rates of obesity. Events like the Trenton Bike Tour can encourage people to make healthy choices,” said Fatton.
US Bikeways Project
Adventure Cycling Association is working with a number of states on planning, routing and overall implementation of the National Corridor Plan into on-the-ground routes. Here’s a few that they are working with right now: Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, California, Oregon, and Washington. Other states are just getting started: North Dakota, Tennessee, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Utah. And still more are reported to be ready to go: Maine, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. All these states are in different stages of development and have varied techniques for implementation based upon resources, volunteers, and governmental structure. For more information, click here.
Trenton Cycling Revolution thinks this is a great idea; we just wish New Jersey were listed. Let’s make this happen in the Garden State!
Hubsmith to Testify on Bike/Ped Safety Before Senate Committee
On Wednesday, April 14, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will be holding a hearing on transportation safety. This hearing is part of a series meant to gather input and recommendations for the next surface transportation authorization bill.
Deb Hubsmith, Director of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, is one of seven witnesses that will be testifying at the hearing. She will be addressing bicycle and pedestrian safety in her testimony, particularly as it pertains to children and Safe Routes to School.
In her remarks, Hubsmith calls attention to the grave disparities between the number of bicyclists and pedestrians killed each year in traffic crashes and the small proportion of funding that is used by states to address bicycle and pedestrian safety. Nationwide, more than 5,000 pedestrians and cyclists were killed on U.S. roads in 2008, representing 13 percent of all traffic fatalities. Yet, states have dedicated just 1.2 percent of their SAFETEA-LU funds and 0.6 percent of federal safety funds to bicycling and walking, which are common and increasingly popular modes of transportation; 12 percent of trips in America are already made on foot or by bike.
Hubsmith highlights a number of programs, including Safe Routes to School, and studies that are improving safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. She also urges the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works to take several steps to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety in the next transportation bill, including:
- Increasing funding for Safe Routes to School and other bicycle and pedestrian transportation programs;
- Supporting Complete Streets;
- Creating benchmarks for transportation safety that include goals to reduce fatalities and crashes for all modes, including bicyclists and pedestrians;
- Collecting more bicycle and pedestrian data; and
- Supporting innovative designs that have been shown to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety.
The hearing will be broadcast live on April 14, 2010 starting at approximately 10:00 a.m. from the website of the EPW Committee. An archived copy will also be available for future viewing after the hearing is over.
Trenton Cycling Revolution supports this effort and hopes to create more safe routes to school here in our own city!
Scudder Falls Bridge Expansion Needs a Bike Lane
Our friends at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia have done a great job galvanizing support for a bike and pedestrian lane on the proposed Scudder Falls Bridge expansion. Trenton Cycling Revolution submitted public comments to support the inclusion of such a lane and we hope to see it built soon!
DOT Issues Complete Streets Policy
TCR applauds Department of Transportation Commissioner Dilts for signing a Complete Streets policy. Read more about it from our colleagues at WalkBikeJersey and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.
Let’s hope that future road decisions in every municipality and every state will consider the needs of ALL users!