As an ardent supporter of bike and pedestrian enjoyment and safety and a Cape May taxpayer, I became a member of Cape May’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BAPAC) in 2018.
You may have seen my recent article related to progress toward thecompletion of a continuous, safe bike trail connecting the northern part of Cape May County to the southern part. Today, I write on behalf of BAPAC to those who are interested in seeing increased cyclist and pedestrian safety in the City of Cape May.
This is a topic that couldn’t be more relevant: The height of summer.
BAPAC has been busy, even in the few years I have been a member, with plans of incrementally increased magnitude. Starting small, the committee produced a map of Cape Island that clearly designates roads in terms of their ease and safety for cyclists. This useful map can be found throughout Cape Island and the Oceanview Service Plaza at mile marker18 of the Garden State Parkway.
As evidence of the map’s ease of use, my 9-year-old grandson has nearly committed it to memory and can now guide our family along the safestroutes to and from downtown.
Easy wins and eager grandchildren aside, the road ahead (if you’ll excuse the pun) presents several obstacles. BAPAC’s overriding goal is to decrease downtown car congestion by encouraging alternative forms of transportation through increasing safety for cyclists and pedestrians.
Some of the initiatives recommended by BAPAC and supported by federal and state guidelines have included continental crosswalks (a high-visibility style with thick, longitudinal white stripes designating where to cross the road) at as many intersections as possible, bike lanes wherever space allows, placement of sharrows (road surface bike decalsencouraging awareness of bikes and sharing the road), and bike and pedestrian awareness signage.
For a variety of reasons – including the labor shortage in the Department of Public Works – the city, despite good intentions, has not yet implemented BAPAC’s recommendations. However, at their last meeting, City Council helpfully included a presentation sponsored by BAPAC on the new Safe Passing Law by Paul Mickiewicz, of the NJ Bike and Walk Coalition (NJBWC).
The program was well-received; plans have begun to disseminate information to the public about the new Safe Passing Law at weekly, on-the-beach movie nights, and NJBWC has offered the city, police department, and BAPAC unlimited access to its resources.
Other bike and pedestrian safety projects are in various states of completion. Sunset Boulevard is a popular bike route from the City of Cape May to Cape May Point and west to the Concrete Ship, but the route is unsafe at best.
The plans to improve Sunset Boulevard include creating protected bike lanes with a natural barrier (plantings) from the road. This will be achieved by narrowing the car lanes in order to simultaneously provide designated space for cyclists and achieve “traffic calming” – the natural slowing of speed that occurs on a narrow road. This will dramatically increase safety in a congested and dangerous area.
However, despite the project’s quick start with impressive design, it still needs to progress through the feasibility and planning phase, having been delayed by typical permitting and environmental factors.
Also, as suggested by BAPAC, with coordinated efforts by City Council members, a new bike and pedestrian path will be included at Kiwanis Park’s newly planned ADA-compliant park (funded by a grant). This will be a connection between Corgie Street and Columbia Avenue as a safe route for tennis players and participants to events at the Physick Estate.
Last, but certainly not least, the Safe Routes to School Initiative (SRTS), which is federally funded and administered by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization, seeks to improve the safety of routes that students inCape May use to travel to school. BAPAC is anxiously awaiting the completion of SRTS from the Coast Guard Base to Cape May City Elementary School on Lafayette Street.
Critical to the success of a safe route to the school – besides bike lanes, sharrows, and signage – is a well-marked crossing zone for young cyclists at the Lafayette and Madison avenues traffic light.
If you’ve read this far, you clearly care about the safety of cyclists and pedestrians in the City of Cape May, and you may be wondering how you can help. Please consider joining BAPAC by contacting City Clerk Erin Burke (stating your intention to join BAPAC), at cityclerk@capemaycity.com.
You can also contact town council members directly and urge them to prioritize these projects. In the meantime, keep enjoying the city we all hold dear – ideally on foot or two wheels!
