A safe, convenient and continuous bike network within the state’s largest city would feature dozens of new miles of bicycle facilities, according to recommendations in a new study funded in part by the NJTPA.
Delores Martinez Wooden, Director of Engineering for the City of Newark, presented an overview of
BIKENewark to a Joint Meeting of the NJTPA’s Project Prioritization and Planning and Economic Development Committees on August 19.
BIKENewark was among five reports completed in June as part of the latest round of the agency’s
Subregional Studies Program. The two-year competitive grant program is designed to provide fiscal and technical assistance for transportation and transportation-related planning studies that advance the NJTPA’s Long-Range Transportation Plan.
The existing bicycle network in Newark extends about 13 miles, including some 10 miles of bike lanes and sharrows (painted markings that remind drivers to share the road with cyclists) and another 3 miles of shared use paths.
BIKENewark proposes 74 miles of bicycle facilities, including:
- 36 miles of protected 1-way bike lanes
- 17 miles of bicycle boulevards
- 15 miles of protected 2-way bike lanes
- 6 miles of standard bike lanes
- 1 mile of sharrows
Another 15 miles were identified as future potential facilities that "provide some measurable benefit to biking in Newark," according to the study, but require more study to determine feasibility.
The study incorporated the city’s master plan, Newark360, and previous studies, such as BIKEIronbound. “We wanted to build on what we already had,” Martinez Wooden said. “We know connectivity was lacking, that’s what this plan resolves.”
Along with bike paths, there are supportive aspects that will be required to sustain the infrastructure in the long run, such as bike parking that lets the public enjoy traveling by bike to work, parks, or shopping. The plan reviewed existing infrastructure, assessed demand, and what will be necessary to sustain it in the long term.
There were almost 900 responses to the online survey and interactive map. Consistent feedback across the board was that there are not sufficient facilities and there is a lack of supporting infrastructure. Among the most popular destinations were transportation hubs like Newark Penn and Broad Street stations, parks, and the Arts and Education District in University Heights. This feedback was incorporated into the plan’s recommendations.
Some strategies are aimed at increasing awareness and the promotion and education of safe ridership. At the same time, infrastructure could be implemented to create zones where speed limits are minimized, she said, along with signage and overall messaging to advance Vision Zero priorities.
The city is linking road surfacing projects and pedestrian projects with the bike plan. “We’re trying to make it cohesive,” Martinez Wooden said, keeping road users of all kinds in their appropriate areas, and ultimately keeping pedestrians alive.
She said one of the goals of the plan is to address connectivity issues, by creating a network that not only connects different communities within the city, but also ties into surrounding municipalities.
The complete 100-page BIKENewark study can be downloaded
here.