General Cycling Discussion - North New Jersey Highway Cycling ...

Hey all,

I have found a route to work which would cut about 3-4 miles off my route, but I would have to ride along the shoulder of the highway for about 1000 feet. Its literally from one exit to another, helping me avoid a bunch of mountains.

I have googled for the laws in NJ about whether this would be legal or not, and came up with the following website: Highway Restrictions (http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter/bike/highways.shtm) I do not need any of the highways listed and from what I have gathered from the text, I should have no problem riding this short stretch.

Do you guys (and girls) read this differently, or have any personal experience with this problem?

Highway riding is very noisy, but the draft from the vehicles passing you is great.

Highway riding is very noisy, but the draft from the vehicles passing you is great.


I'm sorry if maybe I didn't ask this correctly ... but I'm wondering if you read the website as saying whether it IS OR IS NOT OKAY to ride on this highway?

You need to ask local riders about the exact highway section.
Or call the local police department.

I took your advice, and called the non-emergency number ... turns out I'm not allowed to. I had to find a different route. Thanks anyway!

Sorry you can't ride on it.

I have found a route to work which would cut about 3-4 miles off my route, but I would have to ride along the shoulder of the highway for about 1000 feet. Its literally from one exit to another, helping me avoid a bunch of mountains.

What road are you talking about (and where)?

The site to which you link is very specific, excepting "Interstates Various locations". Unless this section is on an Interstate, print your website and carry it with you, in case somebody questions your right to use it.

What road are you talking about (and where)?

Route 46, in Little Falls. It would just be a for a small stretch of the highway past Great Notch Inn... Are you familiar with the area?

That's what I was planning on doing, but when I called the police department, they told me it was not allowed and to walk that length on the grass ... I am <b>not</b> walking a road bike through a wooden area along the side of a highway. (Especially one directly next to a bar, where there are probably broken bottles everywhere).

My guess is, you got a pure BS answer from the cops. If there is no signage on the highway, then consider it legal to ride on until someone shows you a state law that prohibits it. Don't trust cops to give you a correct answer on this issue.

From the link you posted, they are all limited access freeways where cycling is restricted (except route 52 which they want to keep cyclist off the bridges). Of note, you can get a permit that would allow riding on some of the NJ freeways.

I live in NJ and have ridden Rt 1 (near Trenton) on my commute back when. (90's) It was also in the range of 1000 ft as you are suggesting. In the AM I would cross Rt 1 at a traffic light, in the evening, I would use the shoulder to use a less "trafficked" route to get home. Rt 1 was a divided highway along that stretch (two lanes each way with a shoulder) hence the different routes. On occasion, I did ride the wrong side shoulder to get to the traffic light to cross the road (due to the divider arrangement I couldn't cross Rt 1 at the road I used to get there). I'm sure I was seen by police, never hassled. I've only seen, no bikes, horses or pedestrians signs on limited access roads - like interstates and sections of state/federal highways.

I would have to agree with all the points you guys have made. My only problem is that I really won't want a ticket as a result of this.

I made a map showing the two routes. The highway one is in blue, and the longer route is in red ...

here check it out (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=40.882242,-74.186296&spn=0.014504,0.03695&z=15&lci=bike&msid=111489414746421978292.00048ca4d59de7bf7bf59)

I just added a third possible route in green. Either way, its out of the way. If you look at the map, there is a road called, "boulder drive" ... I was about to cycle up that the other day as another alternative, but I realized it was a private housing entrance, so there are gates preventing me up there ..

Looks like 46 is limited access so probably no bikes allowed. The green route looks like about a mile - it sucks that it is so much longer than the highway. Is there any chance you can find a bike "rideable" path through the university grounds - sidewalks and footpaths kind of thing? Sometimes you can find a way for a bike that doesn't showup on a map meant for car drivers.

It is not a limited access freeway. Look at the driveways directly into businesses. Yes there are some sections with grade separation and on/off ramps, but that is negated with the driveways.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=111489414746421978292.00048ca4d59de7bf7bf59&ll=40.884932,-74.214205&spn=0.000898,0.002052&t=k&z=20

All I can tell from the map/satellite vies is it *seems* to be a limited access highway - there are no left turn lanes and all the entrances and exits are short acceleration/deceleration lanes. Pretty sucky as freeways go. Is there a posted minimum speed?

Route 46, in Little Falls. It would just be a for a small stretch of the highway past Great Notch Inn... Are you familiar with the area?

Yes, as a matter of fact! I worked for a few years exactly in that area!

Your options are a bit constrained by the funky geology of the area and because a major highway was run through the "notch"!

In my opinion, you'd be OK legally riding on Rt 46. I've seen bicyclists (rarely) on the west-bound stretch. I wouldn't call Route 46 a great place to bicycle (especially, if you plan to do it regularly or at night). Note that the shoulder is fairly wide in either direction.

I don't have no idea what they'd ticket you for (other that some catch-all "careless driving" kind of thing. Note that the fact that something is legal doesn't mean you won't get ticketed (for something).

I'd suggest riding through Montclair University using Clove Road. Get to Clove Road using the entrance to the big green-roofed building's parking lot from Valley Road.

(Be careful making a left turn from the driveway onto Clove Road.)

The shortest distance is about 1 mile (on the highway). Your "Normal Ave" route is 3 miles. The route through the college is about 2.5 miles (maybe, slightly less).

There is a dirt path from the upper parking lot (northwest) of the College. I have no idea what the conditions are and whether it connects to the parking lot to the west.

Your northern route through Garret Mountain is 4.2 miles if you take Weaseldrift Road.

It looks like the new "Active Adult" condos (on the north side of 46) are gated (this would be the second shortest reasonable route if it wasn't gated).

All I can tell from the map/satellite vies is it *seems* to be a limited access highway - there are no left turn lanes and all the entrances and exits are short acceleration/deceleration lanes. Pretty sucky as freeways go. Is there a posted minimum speed?

In NJ, busy streets and highways generally don't have many left-turn lanes. They are often replaced by "jug handles", which are at-grade ramp-like loops right before or after the cross-street. You "turn right to turn left", and have to go through the light twice. Route 46 has loads of jug handles. So lack of left turns doesn't mean it's necessarily an expressway.

http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter/bike/highways.shtm

Rt. 46 isn't an interstate, and isn't on the forbidden list at the above link, so it should be legal to ride on, unless there are signs to the contrary. Then again, signage in NJ (especially northern NJ) is horrible--stolen or damaged signs never replaced; necessary new signs not mounted, or mounted in the wrong place... so I dunno. But I wouldn't ride on that part of Rt 46 unless I had a death wish, or a really important reason to risk death.