By Greg Scharen and Chris Rotolo
Good news for bike riders.
With the installment of new repair stations at popular parks and trails in the Two River area and beyond, the Monmouth County Park System is trying to keep cyclists riding despite an inconvenient flat tire or other mechanical problems.
The park system recently set up the 5-foot-tall Dero Fixit repair centers at Dorbrook Recreation Area in Colts Neck, Thompson Park in Lincroft, the Manasquan Reservoir and most recently at Rocky Point in Hartshorne Woods in Highlands.
The bike repair stations feature half a dozen tools inside to make various simple fixes, with an air pump and a shelf on top to rest the bike while making the repairs.
The stations feature a QR code that, when scanned with a smartphone, directs users to a website with instructional videos about how to make certain repairs. Instructional tutorials include how to change a flat tire, inflate tires, adjust gears and brakes and much more.
“These stations are relatively new. We’ve seen them in other places around the country, but not so much in New Jersey,” said Tom Fobes, the Monmouth County Park System operations manager.
In fact, the only other bike stations like these in New Jersey are located in public parks in the Essex County municipalities of Maplewood and Bridgewater.
The station located at Rocky Point in Hartshorne Woods is the newest of the four stations and was part of the recent remodel of the Historic Battery Lewis grounds and parking lot.
“The other three were the result of our investigation. We put them in just to see how they would be used by bikers and if it made sense to pursue more of them. And they’ve become quite popular,” said Fobes.
The station at Thompson Park is next to the children’s playground. At Dorbrook the station is near the basketball courts, while the station at the Manasquan Reservoir is situated by the main trailhead kiosk near the visitor center.
If bikers aren’t near a bike repair station, Fobes said, park rangers are always available at their station houses to lend a hand. Park rangers also lead general biking classes as well as bike repair classes, which feature tips about how to use these new repair stations.
Fobes said the success of these early installations has inspired the park system to pursue additional repair stations, including potential placement along Monmouth County’s most popular trail.
“The Henry Hudson Trail is one of the areas a donor has already expressed interest in and the potential exists for us to place multiple stations at various points along the trail,” said Fobes.
The Henry Hudson Trail is currently split into two sections. The northern portion stretches from Popamora Point in Highlands and travels along the Sandy Hook Bay to Matawan. The southern corridor is fractured, with splits between Matawan and Marlboro and another break between Marlboro and Freehold.
Earlier this month the county received a $1.2 million federal grant to make safety improvements in the sections of Keansburg, Hazlet, Union Beach and Keyport, as well as to bridge the gaps in the southern section and extend the trail to Center Street in downtown Freehold.
Creating a seamless 24-mile stretch from Highlands to Freehold has been discussed for years, but according to acquisition and design department chief Gail L. Hunton, this grant will provide the funding to finally complete the project.
Hunton said trail construction could begin as early as next year.
Will the plans include several new repair stations? At a cost of approximately $1,200 each, the park system may need to rely on donations.
Fobes said the acquisition of future repair stations is certainly in the works through budgeting, grants and other sources.
