Steve Herman, 610 Sewall Ave, AP
____________________________________
From: donotre...@wordpress.com
To: asburyst...@aol.com
Sent: 10/9/2012 9:57:58 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: [New post] A Bicycle Activist Is Born in Asbury Park
New post on Asbury Pulp
(http://asburypulp.com/?author=1)
_A Bicycle Activist Is Born in Asbury Park_
(http://asburypulp.com/2012/10/a-bicycle-activist-is-born-in-asbury-park/)
by _PULP PRESS_ (http://asburypulp.com/?author=1)
(http://asburypulp.com/2012/10/a-bicycle-activist-is-born-in-asbury-park/no_bikes-1/)
Even the signage is confused:
The ordinance actually states midnight to noon.
By Jeffrey Seeds
Asbury Pulp contributor
ASBURY PARK, NJ - Remember that crazy flap about the ancient bathing suit
ordinance on the books in Asbury Park? It drew national press last summer
and was a bit of an embarrassment until the city council wisely put an end
to that tempest in a teapot by promptly repealing it. Thing is, that
ordinance hadn't been enforced for decades, if ever. The whole episode was
just
some media-driven hoopla with not much substance behind it.
Now it seems there's another ordinance causing a stir, and not because
it's some hilarious over-looked remnant of days gone by, but rather because
since Labor Day, this ordinance has been getting enforced. Here's how the
law in question reads:
"No person shall ride and/or use a bicycle, skate board, rollerskates,
sled, toboggan, and/or similar items, on the boardwalk or any of the
arcades, public walks, ramps and public sidewalks adjacent thereto or any
portion
of the beachfront, except that bicycle riding shall be permitted between
the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon. No bicycle riding shall, however,
be permitted at any time on any portion of the boardwalk located north of
Sixth Avenue."
Just in case you're not a lawyer, here's a translation: what you used to
think were "summer hours" for bike riding -- no bikes on the boards after
noon -- are now the hours 365 days a year.
The first time I was stopped by one of the seasonal police officers a few
weeks after Labor Day and told that I'd have to "walk my bike," there were
lots of people walking dogs in plain sight, so I was all like... "Huh?
Aren't the dates for bikes and dogs the same?"
"No," he explained, "city council passed a new ordinance a few weeks ago.
No bikes noon to midnight, year round."
Turns out that was incorrect information, though many people seem to have
been told the same thing. It's not a new ordinance at all. It's been on
the books for years, at least since 2009, when it was amended to add the
final sentence about no bikes on the north end.
What has changed is that it's now going to be enforced, year round.
Shortly after Labor Day, flashy new "Items Not Permitted" signs went up
on the boardwalk railings and the police started invoking it. Since then,
surprised and disgruntled bicyclers can be seen waving their hands around at
the emptiness of the boardwalk as they dismount or exit the boardwalk
altogether.
I chatted with one such couple on a chilly day after they were stopped by
police officers upon coming out of the Casino from the Ocean Grove
direction. Turns out they had ridden all the way from Manasquan, boardwalk
after
boardwalk, and encountered no hassle along the way.
"I was pretty bummed," said the woman. "Asbury has longer hours than most
towns in the summer, noon instead of 10. That's why we like to come here,
so this came as a shock. And look, there's hardly anybody around."
This is not just bad for me, I thought to myself, this is bad for Asbury
Park.
But the personal dimension, that's devastating to me. I'm out there
several times a day all winter, weather permitting, once for exercise and
once
for pleasure, at least. Every morning I open up weather.com and study its
hourly forecast like some people study the stock market. When will it be
warmest? When will the wind be gentlest? I don't have a 9 to 5 type of job,
so I am able to plan my whole day around it. To me it's as if they're
trying to shut down the gym to which I thought I had bought a lifetime
membership.
So I did my homework. Went down to City Hall and got a copy of the
ordinance. Asked anybody and everybody their opinion on the matter. Asked
Asbury
Pulp editor Steven Froias if I could write this article. Went off to the
City Council meeting last Wednesday to speak at the mic for three minutes.
I didn't ask the council members to respond right then and there, but the
next day I sent them all an email asking them their positions on the
matter. I got two thoughtful responses, which made me realize that, as with
most
matters of public policy, it's not altogether as simple as I thought at
first.
One concern, which I do not take lightly, is that senior citizens are
very nervous about the bicycles, and some even delay their daily walks until
after noon in order to avoid them. There were complaints that the ordinance
exists and yet was not being enforced (who knew?). Apparently somebody
was even hit by somebody on a bicycle. I take all that seriously, but would
also point out that thousands die in car accidents every year, and we do
not therefore ban automobiles (although as a cyclist, I might be open to
exploring that possibility... just kidding... sort of). When there's a traffic
accident, it's the driver who is at fault, not ALL drivers.
We have a much wider boardwalk than our neighbors, and their bike
ordinances are only for the summer. How about bikes lanes? That's common
enough
in other places. And while we're at it, how about bike lanes on more of our
wider than average streets? Just as seniors fear injury from bikes, I fear
injury from cars, which is one of the things I love about the boardwalk.
How about speed limits near the senior housing, like we have near schools?
Or ticketing of reckless bikers? I don't have all the answers yet, but I'm
open to dialogue about it. I'm not, however, going to roll over and play
dead, cause I think the policy is wrong.
If anything, Asbury should be at the forefront of bike-friendliness, not
lagging behind. Surely we can find a way to achieve that without it being
at anybody's expense.
What started out as a single article has unearthed enough material for a
whole series, since there are many implications to this policy, and they
are all worth exploring. Such as its impact on business, the environment,
public health (i.e. fitness), community, culture, crime, to begin with.
It seems that one otherwise normal day on the Asbury Park boardwalk I
died and was re-incarnated instantly as a bicycle activist.
Instant Karma's gonna get to you too.
Stay tuned for more.
If you have any comments, suggestions, or ideas for future explorations
in this series, please email: _jeffseeds@yahoo.com_
(mailto:jeffse...@yahoo.com) or start a dialogue in the area provided at the
bottom of this
page.
Asbury Pulp note: See Mark Richert's _Asbury Park Collides with Bicycles
& Reality_
(http://asburypulp.com/2012/09/asbury-park-collides-with-bicycles-reality/)
for further background information.
_PULP PRESS_ (http://asburypulp.com/?author=1) | October 9, 2012 at 9:56
am | Tags: _Asbury Park_ (http://asburypulp.com/?tag=asbury-park) ,
_Bikes_ (http://asburypulp.com/?tag=bikes) , _Cycling Policy_
(http://asburypulp.com/?tag=cycling-policy) , _featured_
(http://asburypulp.com/?tag=featured)
| Categories: _Think_ (http://asburypulp.com/?cat=7413) | URL:
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