Bike through the Hurricane

Even though it's not a borough, I want to talk briefly about Hoboken.  I wheel around Hoboken to run errands, and commute to work.  Since Hoboken is only a mile square, most trips are less than ten minutes, and I can almost ride entirely on designated bike lanes.  The city has a fairly robust system of Class 1 (along the Hudson), Class II (N/S streets) and Class III (E/W Streets). Bike parking is plentiful, with the only congested areas located around the PATH station.   

Class I - N/S separated bike lane @ Hudson waterfront

Class II - N/S separated bike lane on Clinton St.

Class III - E/W in lane shared @ 3rd St.

Hoboken's bike lanes + designated parking. Accessible via google earth

I  bike to make connections to the PATH, the ferries and the bus. My normal commute to school is a 5 minute bike ride to Hoboken Terminal, a 20 minute PATH ride to Herald square, a 20 minute Subway ride on the D to 145^th, and a 5 minute walk to the CCNY campus. 

I include the bus and ferries in this equation because after Sandy, the commute to New York has been complicated and inconsistent.  The 126 bus that NJ Transit operates does not accommodate bicycles or provide designated parking at shelters.  The PATH at Newport has restrictions on bicycles during peak commuting times. NY waterways allows bicycles, but costs $14 for a one way trip. (Who could afford this daily?!)

As I write this there are still no connections to New York by bike. PATH services from Hoboken terminal are suspended indefinitely. I’m a fairly experienced city rider, but really only use my bike for short commuting trips. I did however ride to Newport in Jersey City to catch the PATH train last week, where I had to lock my bike to a meter post because the “temporary” bike parking was just a bunch of police gates.

My chariot - U lock + cable @ Newport PATH

At this point I’d like to make some interesting and timely observations. 

The value of non-motorized transport has never been more tangible.  In the aftermath of the hurricane the only means of reliable transit were available via bicycle, as most gas stations were closed, cars damaged and public transit shut down.  Bicycles became the number one transit choice for this short period because they required no fuel, had no mechanical or electrical components to be destroyed by flooding and could be used by individuals from 5 years old to 95 years old.  

I think the investment in bike lanes, parking and education is critical, considering the vulnerability of our existing transit systems. Bikes have low annual costs, can transport more goods, and increase travel distances. More people will use their bikes if there is a perception that biking is safe and convenient. I’d like to have greater access to the city with my bike, without all the hassles by Port Authority, NJ transit or NY waterways.  How hard would it be to put bike racks on the front of busses or allow 24/7 ridership on PATH trains? Hoboken is still reeling from the effects of the hurricane, but those of us with bikes are getting around fairly well - and with small tweaks, it could get better. 

For this reason shouldn’t there be greater bicycle access from western points to Manhattan? The amount of daily commuters from northern New Jersey is in the hundreds of thousands.  The planned NJ to NYC tunnel would have supported the culture of options available to metropolitan residents, and also provide access to a larger demographic of individuals. With this extra tunnel could bikes make easier connections? We’ll never know. Governor Christie shut the ARC project down.  For someone who has been a champion for New Jersey why shut down access to the economic engine of the entire region?  

If our transit systems are fragile, don’t more options equal greater stability?  Shouldn't more attention be made to critical connections, and the infrastructure that supports intermodal transit?