The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
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Upper Saddle River NJ, New Jersey’s new Safe Passing Law went into effect on March 1st, 2022. With one of the strongest and most comprehensive safe passing laws in the county, New Jersey can now better protect vulnerable road users. The new law aims to prevent the near misses, injuries, and deaths that often occur on our streets.
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Ridgewood NJ, Several months ago this blogger caught some grief after getting my e-bike repaired at Westwood Cycle , instead of Ridgewood Cycle . Some posters took it to mean that this blogger had some bone to pick with Ridgewood Cycle . That is simply not true . I just picked up on a slow leak flat after shopping at Trader Joes in Westwood and walked the bike over to Westwood cycle, no conspiracy.
Continue reading Ridgewood Cycle spandex or not you are always made to feel welcome
file photos courtesy of Boyd Loving
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Trenton NJ, Governor Phil Murphy today announced critical funding to expand access to safe transportation and enhance areas around public transit facilities across the state. The awards total more than $24 million across three programs as part of Governor Murphy’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget. Funding for the Local Aid and Economic Development Grants line-item increased by nearly 50% over the last fiscal year, representing the Murphy Administration’s commitment to a wide range of transportation options and smart, transit-oriented development.
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Westwood NJ, we have been customers here for a very long time, for over 70 years, cyclists, friends, and family have trusted Westwood Cycle for all of their cycling needs. With more than 500 bicycles in stock for children and adults, and more than 300 on display, we have a bicycle for everyone!
Continue reading Westwood Cycle Offers Over 70 Years of Cycling Experience
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Ridgewood NJ, while many have bemoaned Ridgewood’s long time demise ,who says Ridgewood is not a trendsetting town? Look at all these other towns trying to catch up with the Village and our bike lane to nowhere!
Continue reading More Towns Follow Ridgewood’s “Bike lanes to Nowhere” Strategy
photo courtesy of the Ridgewood Police Department
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Ridgewood NJ, a reminder from the Ridgewood Police Department , as of March 1st New Jersey has implemented a new “Move Over” law:
When approaching a pedestrian or a person on a bike, skateboard or scooter on the roadway, drivers must: Move over one lane when passing, if it safe to do so, or allow four feet of space between the car and the person being passed. If it is not safe or possible to move over one lane, drivers must slow to 25 MPH.
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Ridgewood NJ, Peloton is temporarily halting production of its connected fitness products due to a lack of customer demand. It has halted production of Bike+ and will pause Bike, Tread, and Tread+ production later this year. The company overestimated demand and now has excess inventory sitting in warehouses and cargo ships. It will start charging customers up to $350 in delivery and setup fees for its Bike and Tread machines at the end of this month. Peloton has lost $40 billion in market cap over the past year.
file photo by Boyd Loving
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Ridgewood NJ, word is that a group of 10-15 young teenage boys on bikes were riding on the Saddle River County Park bike path near Ridgewood around 4:20 pm Friday weaving around and shouting at other people on the path. One boy in the group grabbed and almost knocked over a woman jogger and called her the b word as they rode by. The county police came and took a report.
Continue reading Teenage Riders Terrorize Saddle River County Park Bike Path Users in Ridgewood
“Be prepared you’re going to see a lot of bicycle accidents this summer. There’s a lot of bicycles being sold. And with summer camps and swimming pools have been delayed opening, and especially most of our kids have very little experience riding a bicycle. That’s because we kept him locked up inside on the computer.”
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Ridgewood NJ, The Division of Highway Traffic Safety is calling on drivers, pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists in New Jersey to join in a one-day national safety campaign next week to raise awareness of the more than 35,000 lives lost each year in motor vehicle-related crashes nationwide.
“Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day,” commemorated each year on October 10, calls attention to reducing fatalities on one specific day in order to heighten consciousness about what people can do to reduce transportation fatalities and accidents on American highways, roads, and streets.
Continue reading New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety Invites Drivers, Pedestrians, and Bikers Across the State to Join National “Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day” on October 10
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Ridgewood NJ, in a letter Ridgewood Police Chief Jacquline Luthcke spelled out issues she had with Saturdays so called “Ride Out” .
The “Ride Out” scheduled for Saturday September 7th is being promoted as a youth lead disruption of traffic and businesses in the Central Business District of Ridgewood.
Luthcke asked parents to discourage this behavior and voiced concerns for the kids as well as residents safety.
The Ridgewood blog is far more curious which parents are behind this and who is encouraging the kids ?
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Ridgewood NJ, Wednesday nights presentation by the village engineer and resident Jeanne Johnson on the availability of a grant for the purpose of pedestrian safety and alternate transit opportunities ( bikes) for municipalities. Better stop lights, bike lanes, refuge islands etc. Mayor Knudsen felt that she would need more information as there had been many complaints regarding the Garber Square do to the so called improvements ie “traffic easing” and “suicide bike lane”. The council will read the plans and come to a decision. The grant application is due November 10th.
Jeanne Johnson actually had the audacity to say that she regularly sees bikers using the “bike lane to and from nowhere,” and to blame all of the complaints about it on the fact that “there was a new Village Council and new Village Manager at the same time?” Hello Jeanne: What have you been smoking lately. The Garber Square bike lane is useless.
Jeanne Johnson claimed she has many photos of people using the bike lane under the railroad tracks??? You take your life in your hands if you use it. I would like to see her MANY photos.
Rutishauser was unwilling to show the plan to the council for the new bike lanes, even when the mayor asked for the plan. Too large to print. Too large to burn onto a disc. Too large to email. What the heck? He wanted them to approve a plan without seeing the plan? For real? And then when the Mayor asked him what happened to the suggestions for the grant that she and other council members had submitted to him he just said that the suggestions were no good and he dismissed them.
But then a reader asked the obvious ,In what capacity was Jeanne Johnsohn sitting with the village engineer? What’s her qualification and has village hired her to be a consultant?
Most cyclists aren’t jerks. But drivers tend to single out the few who are—perpetuating the forever war between road users.
CHARLIE SORREL 09.02.16 12:15 PM
Why do drivers hate cyclists? Ask one, and the top answers are most likely to do with our behavior. Cyclists run red lights. We weave through traffic without looking and ride the wrong way down one-way streets.
First, let’s consider the drivers making these accusations. These drivers never use their cellphones while driving, they stick to all speed limits, they stop at all stop signs, and they never park in bike lanes, or turn right across a bike lane without looking, so they’re clearly well placed in the whole glass-house/stone-throwing scenario.
Back to these terrible cyclist. Are we really so bad? The data says that no, we are not only overwhelmingly decent folks, but we’re getting better. Slate’s Jim Saksa, “asshole cyclist,” and “stereotypical Jersey driver,” took a look at some figures from a 2011 report by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and found that average cyclist behavior is improving pretty fast.
Ridgewood NJ, If politicians have their way changes in the state’s helmet laws for teens could be coming soon to New Jersey.
Ice skaters and scooter riders 17 or younger would join cyclist and be required for the first time to wear helmets under legislation being considered in the state Senate. The bill also increases the helmet requirement age for riding a bike, roller skates and skateboards from 16 to 17.
The Senate Law and Public Safety Committee is considering the legislation Thursday. Under current law parents or guardians of a minor who fails to wear a helmet when biking, roller skating or skateboarding face a $25 fine for the first offense. This legislation expands that provision to parents of ice skaters or scooter riders.
file photo Boyd Loving
Cycle helmets are useless, says brain surgeon
Leading neurosurgeon tells the Hay Festival cycling helmets are ‘too flimsy’ to be beneficial
By Sarah Knapton, Science Correspondent
9:22PM BST 30 May 2014
A leading neurosurgeon has controversially claimed that cyclists who wear helmets are wasting their time.
Henry Marsh, who works at St George’s Hospital in Tooting, London, said that many of his patients who have been involved in bike accidents have been wearing helmets that were ‘too flimsy’ to be beneficial.
He made the comments while speaking at the Hay Festival during a discussion with Ian McEwan, whose 2005 novel Saturday featured a neurosurgeon.
He cited evidence from the University of Bath that suggests that wearing a helmet may even put cyclists at greater risk. The research showed that drivers get around 3 inches closer to cyclists who wear helmets because they perceive them as safer.
He said: “I ride a bike and I never wear a helmet. In the countries where bike helmets are compulsory there has been no reduction in bike injuries whatsoever.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10866273/Cycle-helmets-are-useless-says-brain-surgeon.html
