Department of Public Utilities worker Matt Brown paints a new bike lane on Harrison Avenue. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
Workers painted a new bike lane on Harrison Avenue and designated one side of the street off limits to parking Wednesday, part of a promised effort by Red Bank Borough officials to make the town safer for cyclists.
(Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
Single white lines were painted on the east side of the street to mark out a bike lane, while a path on the west side of the street got the lines as well as a coat of green paint and stenciled bike lane symbols. The west side of the street has been newly designated as no parking.
At last week’s meeting of the Mayor and Borough Council, borough Manager Jim Gant said officials met last week in East Side Park with Harrison Avenue residents to discuss plans to mill and pave the road as part of a project paid for by a NJ Department of Transportation Grant. Officials wanted to see how residents felt about adding a bike lane in the road as part of the work.
“We took that holistic look to see if we would be able to incorporate a bike lane there, which would actually remove parking on one side of the street,” Gant said.
Gant said officials wondered how the idea of eliminating parking on one side of the street to accommodate the bike lane would fly.
“I was kind of surprised to hear that that wasn’t their main concern,’’ he said. “It was the speed. It was what can we do to address that. “
Because there can be a tendency for drivers to speed up on a wider road like Harrison Avenue, Gant said the bike lane might hopefully spur some drivers to slow down. “Hopefully it has that cause and effect of increasing safety on that road.”
The fresh green paint and new stencils might prove to be a rough draft.
Harrison Avenue is slated to be milled and repaved, with underlying infrastructure work performed, under the state grant in the near future. In an email response to questions from redbankgreen Borough Direcotor of Community Engagement Adriana Medina-Gomez called the new lanes “a preliminary step driven by two key factors.”
“First, we are implementing our Complete Streets ordinance alongside recommendations from the 2010 Biking/Pedestrian Planning Project, which you can review here. Second, we are utilizing a $356,570 NJDOT grant for roadway improvements that will include upgrades to pavement, handicap-accessible ramps, curbing, and utility work.”
Harrison Avenue was chosen for a bike lane because of its width and its connection to other key bike routes outlined in the 2010 planning project, officials said.
“We aim to continue a line of communication with the community to assess the effectiveness of this initiative and its process,” Medina added.
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.
