To the Editor:
I opt to live car free in Monmouth County. My reasons are varied – salutary, economic, environmental, recreational, etc. – but one is constant: riding my bike to and from the Two River area for work, errands, and entertainment is the highlight of my day. As I pedal alongside the ocean and over the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers in all four seasons, I can take in and appreciate the full beauty of our area in a holistic way that’s not possible when driving.
It’s not all smiles in the saddle, however: Our roads haven’t been designed to be shared with cyclists, and every one of my rides is a dangerous one. When I arrive safely at my destination I say a word of thanks that my bike and I didn’t become another statistic.
You can imagine how heartened I was to read in the The Two River Times about efforts by the paper itself, local mayors, and state officials to make roads safer and more accessible for cyclists and pedestrians. At last, I thought, the county is moving forward, as it should, to encourage and support alternative modes of transportation. Cars shouldn’t be paramount; roads are meant to be shared.
This optimism quickly turned to dismay when I learned in the paper and from Fair Haven Mayor Lucarelli himself that the Board of Freeholders is putting up strong resistance to the mayor’s proposal to establish designated bike lanes to connect Fair Haven, Rumson, and Sea Bright.
The mayor’s idea, which is supported by just about all the members of the Two River Council of Mayors, is a brilliant one. What makes more sense than granting beach cruisers safe passage from the peninsula to the shore in the summer and alleviating crushing traffic by the Sea Bright Bridge? By the way, let me tell you how satisfying it is to whiz by this long line of traffic on my bicycle. What is more right and just than ensuring the safety of laborers, young students, and athletes pedaling on River Road? Let us not forget that many bike riders have no other choice as they are too poor to own a car. What is more prudent than encouraging residents to leave their cars at home and get out and about by foot and bicycle? Doing so is good for the health of the residents of our county, their respective communities, and our shared planet. Furthermore, designated bike lanes benefit pedestrians, too, as they are shown to slow car traffic which these days zooms by above the speed limit.
The freeholders think otherwise. Money and parking are their reasons, and these excuses are weak. They claim that it would be too expensive, but the cost to add bike lanes is fractions of the cost to repave the road. Furthermore, people’s lives are worth more than anything else the county can spend its money on. The freeholders also claim that bike lanes will eliminate already scarce parking. This is not true either, as most of the roads in question (River and Rumson Roads and Route 36 in Sea Bright) don’t accommodate parking for most of their respective lengths. In addition, if more folks choose to travel to their destinations by foot or bicycle, there will be less demand for parking.
It’s time for the county to put people’s lives ahead of car speed and parking and to approve and build this much-needed network of bike lanes.
Sincerely,
Diana Pittet
Asbury Park
