Group pushes for bike lane along River Road

Monday, November 30, 2009
By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A North Jersey cycling group wants the Hudson County Board of Freeholders to improve cycling conditions along River Road.

Ted Semegran, president of the Bicycle Touring Club of North Jersey, is pushing for the creation of a continuous bike lane stretching the length of River Road, which goes through North Bergen, Guttenberg, West New York and Weehawken.

"It would provide for much safer cycling and likely would be used by bike commuters and recreational cyclists," the Haworth resident said at Tuesday's freeholder meeting.

While some portions of River Road in the county have a shoulder wide enough to accommodate cyclists, several parts do not, Semegran said.

The group first approached the county in 2005, when the Hudson County Division of Planning was conducting a study on River Road, which included ways to accommodate cyclists and make the roadway safer, Semegran said.

There's been no movement since that time so he is revisiting the issue, he said.

County Engineer Borivoj Jasek agreed it was possible to make River Road more bicycle-friendly.

Freeholder Albert Cifelli, of Kearny, asked if bicycles had to abide by the same laws motorists do and said he often sees cyclists riding on congested sidewalks.

Semegran confirmed that cyclists are subject to the same laws as motorists. The issue, he said, is that many roadways don't have space for both cars and cyclists.

Semegran said adding a bicycle path or lane on River Road would also serve the East Coast Greenway Project, a proposed 2,500 mile route along the East Coast from Calais, Maine to Key West, Fla., which has been in the works for more than 10 years.