Bike Activist

This year my role as cyclist has transformed into activist. It all started innocently enough when I attended the NJ Bike Coalition annual summit in February. Since then I've gotten involved with the township’s bike/pedestrian task force, attended similar committee meetings in neighboring towns to both learn about their actions and to meet compatriots. I also participated in several "touring" rides to witness firsthand the progress being made. In NYC, I rode along the city’s Greenbelt circling Manhattan Island and rode through the Big Apple’s streets on their spiffy new bike lanes. I participated in two different East Coast Greenway rides. The first showcasing the newly completed trail from Lawrence Twp to Trenton (a trail link I now regularly use for commuting home from the train station) and the second discussing the challenges and planned improvements for the route from Trenton to Philadelphia. In September, Kevin Gruenfeld and I participated in Philadelphia’s Naked Bike Ride. In case you are curious, yes, I did wear my helmet.

Amidst all this activism, the number of bike commutes has suffered this year. Late last year I set a personal goal of cycling more of the route and relying less on NJ Transit’s RiverLine rail service. Interestingly enough, between the longer distance and fewer trips, I ended up commuting the same number of miles. The past two years I commuted 3,000 miles with my bicycle. I need to figure out if my primary objective is to ride longer or drive less.