Bike Lanes would be great but people who live here and others who travel our streets in cars barely obey the existing traffic laws. I am a little shocked at the lack of outrage by parents of young children when it comes to this problem. Only bloody death will open the eyes of our city administrartors. Even then we get that stupid blinking 25MPH sign for a couple of weeks. This is not a pedestrian friendly city nor will it ever be safe for bikes.

It would be nice if the path had a Bike only car (use an old car) at the end of the train for commuters. I would love to ride my bike to work and save the $5 a day i spend on the subway once i get into the city. Charge me an extra 5bucks per month to use this bicycle/passenger only car if you want but please give me the option of getting my bike in during rush hour.

Sorry folks but until Healy and the like are out and some forward thinking, bike friendly council members are elected this bike lane talk will fall on deaf ears. Columbus is a perfect example of a wide road that could have easily accomodated bike lanes.

To give you an idea of what JC cycists are up against - I was at a fund raising event a couple of years ago and was talking to Healy about commuting on bike to and from work and I asked him about this very topic and he thought I was crazy biking in JC and that he wanted people on public transportation. Look, I am in favor of public transportation as well but to dismiss my concern for bike lanes had me stunned. He then went off to sing Sinatra's, "New York, New York." Pretty decent voice actually....but seriously, the closest Healy has got to any sort of bike related cause in this town is the ribbon cutting at Grove Street Bikes.

I know Dan Levin and I know he and his family are avid cyclists. He is one of the voices who actually want to see a vibrant and safe biking community like other cities enjoy. Why is Jersey City still in the stone ages when it comes to biking? Just ask Healy.

Vote for Dan on November 8th for Jersey City Council At-Large Seat.

Yes. I think Jersey City should start somewhere and implement a few lanes. See what the response is.

Dan,
Do you know the history on the "bike route" signs and how that concept evolved within the city plan? My understanding was that those routes were, at one time, intended to have dedicated lanes, but something fell apart in the implementation of the actual plan.

My feeling on the existing bike route signs is that they are misleading, as these routes are not particularly safe. In fact I often take slightly less direct safer routes. Another concern I have is that these routes appear on Google Bike route searches. Could these meaningless distinctions be leading someone into an unsafe situation? After all, the bike routes of JC are no more than regular streets (with giant potholes and metered parking) with signs on them bearing pictures of bicycles. Baldwin, for instance, is the "bike route" I take often. I would not take this street during busy times if I had a child on my bike or if I was a less experienced rider or didn't have reliable equipment, including a helmet.

Compare how many cyclists you see on sidewalks in Jersey City versus Manhattan. There are far more cyclists in Manhattan, but they find safety in the streets. I believe bike lanes would make for safer sidewalks.

Another point to remember is that bike lanes can be successfully shared with bus lanes, as they sometimes are in Manhattan. Not ideal, I suppose, but could work some places including . . .
part or all of Montgomery (a conduit between uptown and downtown), JFK Blvd. (I know this would be a battle over the meters, but there seem to be more and more riders on the sidewalk and the street), and Palisade in the Heights.

Save oil! Ride your bikes! Jersey City is still a great place to ride, even if we don't have lanes yet. Hopefully Hoboken's progress will provide an inspiration.

Quote:

Agreed

Quote:

Right...because the PATH isn't already crammed like a sardine can WITHOUT your bike on it during those peak hours?

Quote:

Sounds like the most logical idea yet.

Dan, it's interesting, every time there's a discussion of bike lanes the lament of the difficulty getting a bike into the city pops up. It may be a higher priority than lanes. Or perhaps a more abstract and doable one to the people like me that look at the streets and think "that'll never happen".

It seems to me the only place for bike lanes would be to delete a lane of traffic on 2 ways streets. You'd never get a them to eliminate the sacred street parking along a whole route!! We simply don't have the number of redundant avenues with multiple lanes of which 1 can be sacrificed, with the possible exception of Greenville.

However, if the obvious dysfunction of Newark between Jersey & Grove being 2 way can't be resolved by making it 1 way because the merchants think that would harm them, how in the world do you think a functional (as opposed to symbolic) bike lane might be imposed?

On the other hand biking into the city could be made easier, other than the recurring lament for a fairy bridge to Manhattan. I've said before it would be more economical to helicopter cyclists than build such a bridge. But how about buses with external bike racks as have been done in the Northwest? It's sad that there's no slack in the PATH system to push for a relaxation of the blackout times, but at least when the elevator it built at Grove it's make the off-peak trip easier. Finally, how about this: a subsidy rather than surcharge for cyclists to take a ferry. If we're willing to spend any money to create bike accesses, I wonder if that might not be the best spent bucks.

Yes! It is time for JC (and Hoboken) to follow the experiment that has been going on in NYC for the past few years, and make a region wide bike lane system as part of a "complete streets" makeover that improves safety for all users of our streets.

I would also like to see the bike share program that will start next summer in NYC expand to this side of the Hudson eventually.

Quote:

I also wish there were a way to bike into New York (besides over the GWB). It's a shame there isn't a a small pedestrian/bike bridge connecting downtown JC to Manhattan, but then again it's imperative that the Port Authority squeeze us for every dollar we've earned! TAXES, TAXES, TAXES! After all, we as New Jersey residents have the highest property taxes in the country! What's an extra few dollars a week to commute to work matter to us anyway? We know that we also need to have the responsibility to foot the bill for New York sky scrapers while we're at it! Bike lanes.....a resounding yes. However, do I think Jersey City will ever do it? No. Surprise me Jersey City.

In a word YES ! As an avid cyclist and commuter bike rider having at least four lanes north/south and east /west in both directions possibly in each ward going fully to each end of the city borders would be a start. And it doesn't even have to be a dedicated bike lane the use of sharow lanes (shared lanes) would suffice without taking away or causing liability towards anyone. Using an excuse that the city is not ready because the drivers cannot handle the idea of bike lanes is a poor way of ignoring the needs of these citizens. Has anyone posed this necessary issue to the city council members and the at large candidates ? I know some of those running for this office have an on going forum on JCLIST. It would be interesting to hear if the council is either pro or con on this matter.

In conjunction with bike lanes, I'd like to see more places for locking up your bike - racks that are actually cemented into the sidewalk. Downtown, I often have to look for a street sign to lock my bike to, but those are often already occupied by other bikes! It's a pipe dream in NJ, I know. I'll settle for people not driving like assholes.

Even Newark has bike lanes now, how do we not have a single one?

in hoboken they have them on madison and they turned into double parked car spots :(

Overall I am big fan of the idea... I think anything to encourage reduced use of cars around town is smart and lends to attracting people from across the river. I think it would be ideal to have a biking 'beltway' around jersey that could provide access to downtown, the heights, etc.

On a side note... I think this should be done in conjunction with an overall transportation plan. I cant tell you how many times I see pass through drivers significantly exceeding the speed limit, making it unsafe for everyone. In conjunction with bike lanes, key roads should get speed bumps.

YES! Jersey City needs bike lanes, those of us with bikes certainly deserve bike lanes! For health and recreation, I often take mine down to Hoboken and ride around, and having a dedicated bike lane makes all the difference in the world.

The mapped bike routes in JC are a waste of money, as they provide no real benefit for bicyclists. A bike lane provides that extra space for the bicyclist and a visual cue for the automobile driver, that enables a safer sharing of the road. Jersey City drivers - like NYC drivers and Hoboken drivers - are not now NOR WILL THEY EVER BE respectful or concientious of pedestrians, bicycles, other drivers, or pets, the safeguards and laws have to be put into place.

This is something the city government must take initiative on, much like DOT Commissioner Sadik-Kahn in NYC, to provide this much needed amenity, or JC will continue to lag behind as a 3rd rate urban living experience.

Absolutely - I'd also like to see a bike lane in the Holland tunnel somehow.
Most major cities in the world have bike lanes - NY and NJ are way behind

Jersey City isn't ready for bike lanes. We certainly have plenty of space for them, and I consider them to be a good thing, and an indicator of a healthy society. Nevertheless, until the average driver in Jersey City becomes more respectful and conscientious of pedestrians and bicyclists, bike lanes are going to lead to more accidents because they tacitly encourage bicyclists to let their guard down.

I ride my bike around town a lot, i think on certain streets we could use bicycle lanes but its not necessarily needed. I think when it comes down to the cost involved we can do without. Maybe one along Columbus but is it worth it to sacrifice parking?

should Jersey City create and implement on-street bicycle lanes?