BICYCLE FACILITIES INVENTORY: SUMMARY REPORT Southern New Jersey September 2008 2002 D Lincoln Drive West Marlton, NJ 08053 (856) 596-8228 www.driveless.com
BICYCLE FACILITIES INVENTORY SUMMARY REPORT Southern New Jersey September 2008 Prepared by: Cross County Connection Transportation Management Association 2002 D Lincoln Drive West Marlton, NJ 08053 Phone: 856-596-8228 Fax: 856-983-0388 ccctma@driveless.com www.driveless.com
Bicycle Facilities Inventory: Summary Report TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page Introduction 1 Methodology 2 Inventory Findings 3 Burlington and Camden Counties 3 Atlantic County 8 Gloucester County 9 Salem County 10 Cumberland County 11 Cape May County 12 Summary 13 LIST OF MAPS Map Title Page Burlington and Camden Counties: Bicycle Facilities Inventory, 2003 4 Burlington County Bicycle Facilities Inventory, 2008 5 Camden County Bicycle Facilities Inventory, 2008 6 Atlantic County: Bicycle Facilities Inventory, 2005 8 Gloucester County: Bicycle Facilities Inventory, 2005 9 Salem County: Bicycle Facilities Inventory, 2006 10 Cumberland County: Bicycle Facilities Inventory, 2006 11 Cape May County: Bicycle Facilities Inventory, 2007 12 Southern New Jersey Bicycle Facilities Inventory 14 List of Tables Bicycle Facilities Inventory, Burlington and Camden Counties, 2003-2008 7 Bicycle Facilities Inventory by County, Southern New Jersey 13 i
INTRODUCTION In recent years, much attention has been given to improving bicycle facilities throughout New Jersey. An increasing number of municipalities in southern New Jersey are adding bicycle facilities to their road network. NJ TRANSIT permits bicycles on-board most of its public transit services. In southern New Jersey, bicycles are permitted on NJ TRANSIT buses, the River LINE, the Atlantic City rail line, the BurLink system and the Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) Speedline. As traffic congestion continues to worsen and gas prices continue to increase, government leaders and the private sector throughout New Jersey are realizing the worth of bicycling as a commute alternative. The cost to stripe a bicycle lane or install a bike rack at a worksite is small when compared to improving roadways and building more parking. The Cross County Connection bicycle facilities project examines the county and municipal bicycle facilities network specifically for commuting purposes. Given the increased awareness of, and interest in, bicycling as a commute alternative, Cross County Connection decided to inventory bicycle facilities throughout southern New Jersey. Given the size of Cross County Connection s seven county service area, the work has been conducted over several years and through two phases. The term bicycle facility, as used in Cross County Connection s reports, denotes improvements and provisions made by public agencies to accommodate or encourage bicycling and shared roadways not specifically designated for bicycle use. Existing facilities are those facilities that have already been built and are officially designated as a bike route through signage and/or pavement striping. Proposed facilities are those facilities that are proposed, but not necessarily funded, or pending construction. The primary goal of the Bicycle Facilities Inventory and Analysis reports is to inventory the existing and proposed bicycle facilities in the seven southern counties. These reports also indentified gaps in the existing bicycle network and ranked and prioritized those proposed facilities that should be given priority for construction. Finally, Cross County Connection has indentified potential sources of funding to construct the highest ranked proposed facilities in order to assist the municipalities and counties to close the gaps in the regional bicycle facilities network. Cross County Connection 1 September 2008
METHODOLOGY To inventory commuter oriented bicycle facilities in each county, Cross County Connection surveyed each municipality and county, the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO) and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC). Data was collected on the location of the bicycle facility, its name, status (existing or proposed), type (on-road or off road) and its length. Cross County Connection input the collected data into its Geographical Information System (GIS) software and created municipal and county maps showing all facilities for which data was collected. Municipal data was cross-referenced with the NJ Department of Transportation s (NJDOT) New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, 2004, as well as county and Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) plans. Priority was given to municipal-reported facilities. If a facility was reported by a municipality, it superseded DVRPC, SJTPO or NJDOT data. The facilities were grouped into four categories, as follows: Existing facilities o On-road o Off-road Proposed facilities o On-road o Off-road Cross County Connection created attribute tables as well as county and municipal maps of facilities. Once the inventory was finalized and mapped, Cross County Connection was able to identify gaps in each county s bicycle network as well as gaps between counties. Cross County Connection undertook Phase II of this project; the gap and prioritization analysis. To identify those bicycle facilities that should be built in the near future, Cross County Connection developed a set of ranking criteria and applied each criterion to the bicycle facility inventory. The purpose of ranking criteria is to determine which facilities are most suitable for commuter usage. The ranking criteria are as follows: 1. Proximity to commuter roadways 2. Number of New Jersey TRANSIT bus routes within two miles 3. Proximity to business parks 4. Number of schools within two miles During each phase of the project, the municipalities, counties and MPOs were sent preliminary findings (maps and tables) and asked to comment. All comments received were incorporated into the final reports. The inventories and analysis took place between 2004 and 2008. Cross County Connection 2 September 2008
INVENTORY FINDINGS The following is a brief summary of inventory findings for each county. For detailed inventory findings, as well as the analysis, including the gap analysis and facilities recommended for construction, please see the full report for each county. The complete inventory and analysis reports, including maps, for each county can be viewed on the Cross County Connection website at www.driveless.com. Burlington and Camden Counties In June 2004, Cross County Connection completed the Burlington and Camden Counties Bicycle Facilities report. During the winter of 2003, all 77 municipalities in the two counties were surveyed to obtain the needed information. Cross County Connection found 37 municipalities had existing and proposed facilities suitable for commuting. These facilities represented 390 segments totaling approximately 429 miles, as follows: Burlington County: o 313 segments over 362.7 miles. Existing facilities: 196 segments over 126.1 miles Proposed facilities: 117 segments over 236.6 miles Camden County: 77 segments over 66.4 miles. o Existing facilities: 46 segments over 32.6 miles o Proposed facilities: 31 segments over 33.8 miles Cross County Connection 3 September 2008
Burlington and Camden Counties: Bicycle Facilities Inventory, 2003 Source: Cross County Connection, Bicycle Facilities Inventory and Analysis: Burlington and Camden Counties, June 2004. In February 2008, Cross County Connection updated the 2003 inventory by surveying the 77 municipalities in Burlington and Camden Counties. The two counties have experienced a significant increase in the existing and proposed bicycle facilities in the five years since the original inventory was undertaken. The updated survey found an 84% increase in the number of municipalities (68) reporting existing and/or proposed facilities suitable for commuting. These facilities represent 622 segments totaling approximately 726 miles. The updated inventory shows the number of segments has increased by 59.5% to 622 between 2003 and 2008. Additionally, the number of miles of existing and proposed segments has increased by 69% from 429 miles to 726 miles, during the five year period. Cross County Connection 4 September 2008
Burlington County: Bicycle Facilities Inventory, 2008 Source: Cross County Connection, Bicycle Facilities Inventory: Burlington County, August 2008. Cross County Connection 5 September 2008
Camden County: Bicycle Facilities Inventory, 2008 Source: Cross County Connection, Bicycle Facilities Inventory: Camden County, August 2008. Cross County Connection 6 September 2008
Burlington County experienced a large increase in bicycle facilities segments and miles by adding 153 facilities to its current inventory, totaling approximately 196 miles. These new segments represent an increase in bicycle facility miles of approximately 54% since 2003. Camden County has added 79 new facilities to its inventory, totaling approximately 102 miles. These new miles represent an increase in bicycle facility miles of approximately 153% from 2003. Burlington County: Existing facilities: 267 segments over 227.2 miles Proposed facilities: 199 segments over 331.1 miles Camden County: Existing facilities: 69 segments over 50.5 miles Proposed facilities: 87 segments over 117.6 miles Bicycle Facilities Inventory Burlington and Camden Counties, 2003-2008 Percent Increase 2003 Inventory 2008 Inventory County 2003-2008 Segments Miles Segments Miles Segments Miles Burlington County 313 362.7 466 558.3 48.9% 53.9% Camden County 77 66.4 156 168.1 102.6% 153.2% Cross County Connection 7 September 2008
Atlantic County In December 2005, Cross County Connection completed the Atlantic County Bicycle Facilities Inventory and Analysis report. During the winter of 2004, the 23 municipalities in Atlantic County were surveyed to obtain the needed information. Cross County Connection found all 23 municipalities had existing and proposed facilities suitable for commuting. These facilities represent 68 segments totaling approximately 250 miles as follows: Existing facilities o 22 segments over 37 miles Proposed facilities o 46 segments over 213 miles Atlantic County: Bicycle Facilities Inventory, 2005 Source: Cross County Connection, Bicycle Facilities Inventory and Analysis: Atlantic County, December 2005. Cross County Connection 8 September 2008
Gloucester County In June 2005, Cross County Connection completed the Gloucester County Bicycle Facilities Inventory and Analysis report. During the fall of 2004, all 24 municipalities were surveyed to obtain the needed information. Cross County Connection found 14 municipalities had existing and proposed facilities suitable for commuting. These facilities represent 40 segments totaling approximately 82 miles: Existing facilities o 12 over 12.2 miles Proposed facilities o 28 over 69.6 miles Gloucester County: Bicycle Facilities Inventory, 2005 Source: Cross County Connection, Bicycle Facilities Inventory and Analysis: Gloucester County, June 2005. Cross County Connection 9 September 2008
Salem County In June 2007, Cross County Connection completed the Salem County Bicycle Facilities Inventory and Analysis report. During the fall of 2005 and winter of 2006, all 15 municipalities were surveyed to obtain the needed information. Cross County Connection found 14 municipalities had existing and proposed facilities suitable for commuting. These facilities represent 35 segments totaling approximately 122 miles: Existing facilities o 13 segments over 6.8 miles Proposed facilities o 22 segments over 114.7 miles Salem County: Bicycle Facilities Inventory, 2006 Source: Cross County Connection, Bicycle Facilities Inventory and Analysis: Salem County, June 2007. Cross County Connection 10 September 2008
Cumberland County In December 2007, Cross County Connection completed the Cumberland County Bicycle Facilities Inventory and Analysis report. During the fall of 2005 and winter of 2006, Cumberland County s 14 municipalities were surveyed to obtain the needed information. Cross County Connection found all 14 municipalities had existing and proposed facilities suitable for commuting. These facilities represent 73 segments totaling approximately 191 miles: Existing facilities o 42 segments over 75.4 miles Proposed facilities o 31 segments over 115.8 miles Cumberland County: Bicycle Facilities Inventory, 2006 Source: Cross County Connection, Bicycle Facilities Inventory and Analysis: Cumberland County, December 2007. Cross County Connection 11 September 2008
Cape May County In May 2008, Cross County Connection completed the Cape May County Bicycle Facilities Inventory and Analysis report. During the spring of 2007, all 16 municipalities were surveyed to obtain the needed information. Cross County Connection found 15 municipalities had existing and proposed facilities suitable for commuting. These facilities represent 52 segments totaling approximately 119 miles: Existing facilities o 28 segments over 39.5 miles Proposed facilities o 24 segments over 79.3 miles Cape May County: Bicycle Facilities Inventory, 2007 Source: Cross County Connection, Bicycle Facilities Inventory and Analysis: Cape May County, May 2008. Cross County Connection 12 September 2008
SUMMARY The emphasis of Cross County Connection s bicycle facilities inventory and analysis project is to encourage the use of bicycle commuting by building a bicycle network in southern New Jersey. As the table below and the maps in this report demonstrate, southern New Jersey has an extensive bicycle network system planned. Once completed, the seven counties bicycle network will include approximately 1,500 miles of bicycle facilities which will be available to commuters (recreational and closed-looped facilities were not included in this analysis). However, at the present time only 30% of this network has been completed. Bicycle Facilities Inventory by County Southern New Jersey Existing Facilities Proposed Facilities Total Facilities Date of Data County Segments Miles Segments Miles Segments Miles Collection Atlantic 22 37.0 46 213.0 68 250.0 2005 Burlington 267 227.2 199 331.1 466 558.3 2003; updated 2008 Camden 69 50.5 87 117.6 156 168.1 2003; updated 2008 Cape May 28 39.5 24 79.3 52 118.8 2007 Cumberland 42 75.4 31 115.8 73 191.2 2006 Gloucester 12 12.2 28 69.6 40 81.8 2005 Salem 13 6.8 22 114.7 35 121.5 2006 Total 453 448.6 437 1041.1 890 1489.7 Source: Cross County Connection inventory of bicycle facilities by county. For a copy of each county report contact Cross County Connection or visit www.driveless.com Cross County Connection s work identifies, through the ranking and prioritization analyses, those facilities that have the highest potential to fill in the gaps in the region s bicycle network. Given the limited amount of financial resources available to build bicycle facilities, the ranking and prioritization analyses should be useful in determining which facilities should be given priority for construction funding. The bicycle facilities inventory will be updated periodically to reflect changes made at the local and county levels. The updated inventories will be available on Cross County Connection s website. Cross County Connection is available to provide technical assistance to the counties and municipalities that have proposed bicycle facilities recommended for construction in the county reports. Given the limited financial resources available for construction projects, it is hoped that the Cross County Connection Bicycle Facilities Inventory and Analysis reports will enable the region to implement those projects that will have Cross County Connection 13 September 2008
the most benefit to the region-wide bicycle network. Bicycle commuting represents a viable alternative to the single occupant vehicle. Its potential to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality, especially when linked with public transit is significant. Cross County Connection 14 September 2008