Serenity...

Escaping Raritan by bike can be a great way to relax and enjoy the day. I took advantage of a quiet Friday morning and went for a rip on the county roads leaving the borough. Picking up a riding buddy along the way, we rode together for 2 hours before getting the day started. There is nothing like watching the sunrise while commanding a bicycle down a quiet road ribboning its way past horse farms, rivers and old bridges.

Great areas to ride after leaving Raritan include River Road and Opie Road south of S Branch Road, riding to Neshanic on South Branch Road, or out to Round Valley on Somerset/Old York/Readington/Dreahook Rd (they're all the same road, you just stay straight.)

On top of the accessibility that Raritan residents have to the train, major highways, and nearby towns, there is also a wealth of quiet, serene parks and roadways to go and just enjoy the outdoors. Whether that is riding with your family in Duke Farms, the river path to Somerville, or Duke Island Park, or a ride on the county roads through Flagtown, all of it can be done while leaving the car at home thanks to the central location the borough enjoys.

Get out and ride.

National Bike To School Day Comes to Raritan!

Some days truly are better than others. May 8th was National Bike to School Day and JFK Primary in Raritan celebrated it well.

For those unaware, there is a regular Bike Train that was started in September 2016 where some adults help students ride their bikes to school on every Tuesday that the weather allows. This typically means above freezing and not raining. That ride sees up to 15 regular riders. The concept behind a bike train is both safety in numbers, but also a form of educating students on what safe riding looks like. We start at the furthest riders' house and ride through town picking up other riders along the way. We follow the law, ride in the road, signal, and wear helmets. It is a great way for them to enjoy the morning, get some energy out before school, and improve on their bicycles. Coordinating the ride has been one of the bright spots of my time as a parent at JFK. I hope to grow it and encourage other parents or students to coordinate their own bike trains to make biking something common for JFK. When we started I never saw a bicycle in the bike rack. Now there is at least one daily (a bike train graduate, and all around amazing kid) and more on the days that the weather is perfect.

So what does that all mean for NBTSD? Well, we built from the base we had and encouraged more and more riders to join. I spoke with the local Police and they offered to ride with us both on bicycle and in their cruisers. What a lot of fun it was. We had 26 students, 4 past students who are now at the older school, and then a bunch of parents all coming out and learning that it is both safe and fun to ride bikes to school!

Alex is a regular on the route, but even he was smiling at the sheer number of kids out on their bicycles.

The total route was 1.7 miles part of which was up Johnson Drive which, due to the construction, has cars street parked. What seems like an obstacle is a great teaching moment. We took the lane, as we should and rode up the hill. The students learn they are traffic and need to behave predictably and control the scenario when needed to enhance their safety. A great lesson.

After arriving, in plenty of time for school, they strap their helmets to their backpack loops and head to the door to start the day. The looped helmets are a good reminder for them when they leave school to not get on the bus, haha.

Heading home on the beautiful afternoon, Principal Walsh came to send the students off, and Officer Jonesy led the way!

A great celebration of bikes in Raritan!

Purpose and Progress

Welcome to the site.

This will be a pinned post for future updates about what has happened and what is happening for biking in the Raritan and Somerset County, NJ. 

First, some background about your author. I am a father of three who has lived in Raritan since 2008. I helped to start a weekly Bike Train for the local primary school and have slowly transitioned that fun project into a bigger role for advocating for safer infrastructure for cycling in my community.

Somerset County is looking to improve pedestrian and cycling infrastructure over the next few years. At a recent meeting for the Walk, Bike, Hike plan they referred to Somerset County neighborhoods as a series of "transportation islands" meaning that inside of those pods, walking and cycling was easy and a good alternative to driving, but neighborhoods were not connected to each other, or blocked from each other by major roads that were formidable to all but the most experienced cyclists. This was identified by using the Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) Methodology. 

Efforts on the part of Raritan Borough include the creations of a new subcommittee under the planning committee specifically focused on pedestrian and cycling safety. This committee recently hosted a meeting at the Raritan train station highlighting the needs for lighting, wayfinding and overall improvements needed between the station and the river/canal area, including a significant portion of Somerset St. Planner, Angela Knowles, delivered a presentation with many county and borough stakeholders in attendance, and then led a walk through town with bus stops planned to discuss specific needs presented to the group. This is only one piece of a masterplan for the entire borough. Future projects may include protected bike lanes and safe pedestrian crossings over 202, all with the intent of connecting the town in a way that wouldn't require you to jump in a car.

Adding to all of this potential, Somerset County is also working to connect Somerville, Raritan, Duke Farms and Duke Island park by improving trails along the riverfront.

Stay tuned for updates on these projects and just general cycling posts from around Raritan.

Be sure to join the public group on Facebook.