Shorepoints
Well-Known Member
Hi Everyone,
Crunch time in the fight for legalizing Watchung Reservation. Stilluf, Iggy, Ken and I have put together a FACT SHEET that we would like ALL OF YOU to copy and paste into your town (Union County) Facebook pages. We'd like locals in each town to paste these in your local pages, and also please answer any comments with facts and grace. Thank you in advance and hope to see many of you Thursday Night in Elizabeth. Here's the text:
Facts about the Proposed Bike Trail for Watchung Reservation
THE FACTS show that adding a bicycle trail to the Watchung Reservation will provide a safe, healthy family activity for Union County residents, and will benefit the ecosystem of the Reservation. THE FACTS on the proposal are as follows:
Please show your support for safe, healthy bike trails at the Watchung Reservation by contacting the Union County Freeholders here: http://ucnj.org/parks-recreation/paths-trails-greenways/watchung-reservation-trails-master-plan/
The Union County Freeholders will be voting on the bike trails issue on Thursday, May 18 at 7pm. Location: 10 Elizabethtown Plaza, 6th Floor, Elizabeth, NJ. If you care about shared access to Watchung Reservation, please attend this meeting to express your support.
Crunch time in the fight for legalizing Watchung Reservation. Stilluf, Iggy, Ken and I have put together a FACT SHEET that we would like ALL OF YOU to copy and paste into your town (Union County) Facebook pages. We'd like locals in each town to paste these in your local pages, and also please answer any comments with facts and grace. Thank you in advance and hope to see many of you Thursday Night in Elizabeth. Here's the text:
Facts about the Proposed Bike Trail for Watchung Reservation
THE FACTS show that adding a bicycle trail to the Watchung Reservation will provide a safe, healthy family activity for Union County residents, and will benefit the ecosystem of the Reservation. THE FACTS on the proposal are as follows:
- The Trail: The proposed bike trail is a narrow, “singletrack” style built according to the proven standards of the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA). These are the same standards used by the US Forest Service for bike and hike trails around the country. They are designed for easy maintenance, minimal erosion, and safe speeds. This trail will be designated “bicycles only” to eliminate any possible conflict between user groups on the trail.
- Safety: There are dozens of shared bike/hike/horse trails operating around the state in NJ, including 21 trail systems that are maintained by IMBA-trained volunteers from Jersey Off Road Bicycling Association (JORBA). These trail systems have been operating safely for several decades. Injuries are no more severe than those of hikers, trail runners, or equestrians. There are no past or current lawsuits for biking injuries against any land managers in NJ, nor is there any legal precedent for such lawsuits.
- Environmental Impacts: Multiple peer-reviewed studies have concluded that the environmental impact of bikes on trails is comparable to that of hikers, and substantially less than that of horses. To minimize environmental impact, the exact layout of the trail will be approved by qualified Environmental Engineers and Naturalists. The Master Plan for Watchung reservation also calls for the closure of multiple-miles of existing eroded, unsustainable trails. As a result, when the bike trail is completed and the existing poor trails returned to nature, there will be no net gain of trail miles in the Watchung Reservation.
- Traffic and Parking: The proposed bike trail will have trailhead access at 9 different parking lots at Watchung Reservation. Bike trail usage studies prove that bikers use the trails at all different times of day and days of week, with typical usage time of 1-2 hours. Average peak biker cars at existing parks is 20-30 cars, thus anticipated additional parking lot demand at Watchung would amount to 2-4 cars per lot. Traffic impact of this car volume is obviously zero.
- Cost and Maintenance: The bike trail will be maintained by existing County Parks staff with the support of the Union County JORBA trained/insured volunteer trail crew. This crew includes over 100 dedicated Union County residents who are passionate about safe, sustainable trails. There is no additional cost to Union County to build or maintain the bike trails.
- Community Opportunities: A bike trail at Watchung Reservation offers numerous opportunities to engage Union County residents in a healthy, safe outdoor activity. The NJ NICA (National Interscholastic Cycling Association) now runs a mountain bike race series for middle-school and high-school students throughout the state. Many Union County children are participating in this race series but currently have no legal place to train close to home. Additionally, programs such as Trips for Kids (tripsforkids.org) offer the opportunity for underserved kids to ride trails, learn to work on bikes, and earn credit to receive their own bikes.
Please show your support for safe, healthy bike trails at the Watchung Reservation by contacting the Union County Freeholders here: http://ucnj.org/parks-recreation/paths-trails-greenways/watchung-reservation-trails-master-plan/
The Union County Freeholders will be voting on the bike trails issue on Thursday, May 18 at 7pm. Location: 10 Elizabethtown Plaza, 6th Floor, Elizabeth, NJ. If you care about shared access to Watchung Reservation, please attend this meeting to express your support.