While doing a little research for my main post about (thinking about) riding to work in New Jersey, I stumbled across this bicycle map website put together by New Jersey bicyclist Dustin J. Farnum Jr.
Dustin, who describes himself on the website as the "NJ Map Guy," has explored a good portion of the state by bike and has kept mileage records of his routes since 1976. He describes his favorite places to ride as "scenic farmland" around areas in New Jersey's Hunterdon, Salem, and Cumberland counties. His site includes some photos he's taken on his rides.
Thinking Dustin might be able to provide some insight for people thinking about commuting on two wheels instead of four, I asked him for his thoughts on biking New Jersey's roads:
Q: If there are people out there who are thinking about commuting to work by bike, what do they need to watch for on their route? How do they know whether this is safe?
A: Common sense should be enough. Just look to the side of the road and ask this question. Would you ride there, now? If not, is there another route you could take? For most people, the morning commute with the traffic is intimidating.
Q: What can policymakers do to make our roads safer for multiple modes of transportation?
A: We must share the road. Driver education is the single most important thing that will make the roads safer. The best thing our government can do for cyclists is to make our presence known.
Enforce the speed laws and cell phone laws. Distracted drivers traveling 30 mph faster than you, two feet from you on a road with no shoulder while you're on a bicycle wearing shorts (no protection) is scary.
Road design is an important factor in the ride ability. Roads must be wide enough to accommodate multiple forms of transportation.
I've always said that spending money on bike trails for the purpose of taking commuters off the roads is a waste of money. I think we would get more bang-for-the-buck if we put up signs that alert motorists that they must share the rode with cyclists. But don't stop there. Put some teeth in it with stiff fines for law breakers. The answer is not to take the cyclist off the road, but accommodate the cyclist by making a safer road. Bike paths should be for kids so they can become cycling adults.
Q: You mentioned that you don't ride your bike to work in NJ. Why not?
A: I do, occasionally, but I don't do it on a regular schedule. Time is a big factor. Working 45-50 hours a week leaves little time for all else.
Q: You also mentioned that you have begun using an 80 mpg motorcycle to get to work. How's that working out?
A: It works great. I think it's a good alternative to my 29-mpg car. It would make a better alternative to a 10-mpg SUV. How many times do you see a commuter using a large SUV, but not carrying anything but lunch? Think of your car's mpg as a bus ticket. What ever the price per mile it gets, that is the price of your ticket. I just got tired of paying that much for the ticket and did something about it. I don't use the motorcycle every day. If it's going to rain, I use the car. The motorcycle is a great alternative on nice days. When it does rain, I do errands that require the car. I've had it for two months, and I have noticed a big drop in taking the car to the gas station for fill ups.
Q: What inspired you to create the New Jersey Bike Map? Where'd you get your information?
A: The base data is from the United States Geological Survey's DLG files. The files contain lines that are the roads and rivers. All the roads and all the rivers. No names are included. You can't imagine the hours it took to get it to where it is today.
I used to use county maps like everyone else. I found them hard to use due to the size. Unfolding the map in the wind then trying to fold back up is difficult. On some rides, I needed 2 or 3 county maps. I originally made the map so I could remember where interesting things are and where all the good roads are. Taking notes of road names and town names. First using just one color, then using more colors for different road types. Locating points of interests, then parks, schools shopping centers and town centers. Later I thought that including bike paths would bring more people to the website, which it did. The map grew and developed into what it is today. I don't know where it's going to go next.
Q: Any idea how many visits your site gets?
A: Just over 7000 people visit njbikemap.com every month, downloading over 12,000 maps during the summer months. Since 2002, there are over 800,000 maps downloaded.
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