John Boyle
Thu, 18 Nov 2004 06:08:10 -0800
OK NJ Bicyclists – Get organized and show up at meetings. This seems to be a very small but vocal group of opponents to the trail. I have no doubt that some of these opponents also tried to stop the Riverline. What will the intruders want from Riverton next?
Actually I would be hard pressed to call it a trail, 60% of the route will be on-road and in fact the planners moved 90% of the Riverton segment onto River Road bypassing the scenic riverfront (which is clearly marked on the Regional Bike Map). ------------------- Riverfront trail route meets with opposition By JOHN REITMEYER Burlington County Times DELRAN - The proposed path of the Delaware River Heritage Trail hit a few bumps last night. A scheduled two-hour public-information session at the Delran Municipal Building on Chester Avenue drew about 30 residents and ran longer than expected because most wanted to air concerns about the planned route of the path. The trail would be a 41-mile recreational path for hikers and bikers linking Palmyra with Trenton. A similar route has been proposed in Pennsylvania with the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge in Palmyra and the Calhoun Street Bridge in Trenton envisioned as connectors. The planners are in the process of finishing the design of the New Jersey portion. It would use 23 miles of existing roadway and 18 miles of new paths as it traverses 15 communities in Burlington County. Riverton residents raised the strongest objections last night. The current alignment passes along residential streets in the northeast section of the borough. They questioned the intrusion of signs and road labels that would mark the path along streets they categorized as "historic." "The attitude in Riverton is not a NIMBY attitude," said Riverton resident Michael Heine, referring to an acronym for the expression "not in my back yard." "What it does is really unrealistic," Heine said. Will Montgomery of Palmyra said the trail would pass near his home. He cited existing problems resulting from pedestrian traffic and said he feared the trail may make things worse. "I'm sorry. I just don't buy it," Montgomery said. "I don't see the respect that the people who live on the street deserve." Other concerns included hours of use, location of restrooms and the burden of maintaining and patrolling the trail. Planners attempted to answer most of the questions and pledged to work with the residents to find solutions. Not all comments, however, were negative. Several residents praised the trail, the brainchild of the National Park Service and pursued in Burlington County by the county's Department of Resource Conservation. "We invite the residents of Riverton to pedal on up and check out our historic buildings," said Mike Hunning-hake, a Bordentown City resident who favors the trail. Email:[EMAIL PROTECTED] November 18, 2004 6:07 AM ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "bike." To subscribe or unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. See also http://bcgp.blogspot.com/ and http://www.bicyclecoalition.org/