Ferdinand NYC

The closure of the bike lanes on the bridge that carries Route 35 between Perth Amboy and South Amboy / Sayreville has been discussed in other threads. I was wondering what the enforcement of that is really like. A couple of people have suggested to me that one could simply ride over the bridge anyway; but I am very skeptical of that idea. Does anyone here have any ideas on this? Would this be a good way to get arrested? Or would it be possible to get away with doing this, either by not being noticed, or by playing dumb if stopped?

Assuming that there is enforcement in place, what is the workaround? Steve Dahon suggested in another thread that catching the train between Perth Amboy and South Amboy might be the only way to deal with this. But, considering the North Jersey Coast Line's bike restrictions at some times, and its hour-plus headways at other times, this really is not practical. Are there any other ways around the closure of this bridge, or has the Raritan River effectively become the southern border of the North American continent for bicyclists from New York City and North Jersey?

The decision to close this bridge to bikes is almost too idiotic for words. I regularly cross the Triborough Bridge, on which there is a long section of the bike lane with only a chest-high railing. And such is the case for the entire length of the bike lane on the George Washington Bridge. When I was in Philadelphia, I found that the Ben Franklin Bridge's bike lane has this kind of railing as well. I am sure that people occasionally decide to jump off these bridges. But do the agencies in charge of them respond by closing the bike lanes? They do not. The fact that the authorities in that one part of New Jersey refuse to take note of the actions of their counterparts in New York and Philadelphia is scandalous.

wilfried

Tangential, but technically the walkway over the Triborough is not a bike lane. A sign on the Randall's Island side (and maybe on the Queens side too) tells you that pursuant to section yada yada of the blah blah cyclists are supposed to dismount and walk. This is true on various Port Authority controlled bridges. The rule is roundly, and rightfully to my mind, ignored, but it is the rule.

____

The Raritan can be crossed on the Landing Lane bridge, just west of New Brunswick. It's not ideal, but the Raritan basin borders also on Staten Island, with all of its bikeless bridge connections this is good company. If the crossing needs to be made further east than Landing Lane, then the train is a good option.

flyjimmy

If you cross at landing lane you can pick up the the D and R canal towpath just on the south side of it. So depending on your final destination it might be a good option.

richard4993

Can you still walk over the bridge or is it strictly cars only? Haven't went that way in about three years.

Ferdinand NYC

Ah, yes. Noted.

Still, the point remains that someone could easily jump off this bridge (and a quick search reveals that someone did just that a couple of years ago), yet the path has not been closed.



The closure pertains both to bikes and pedestrians.


Good to know about that bridge. According to the map, there is also a bridge at Raritan Ave. that is a bit closer. But even that is more than 10 miles away from Rt. 35. The train remains an option; but, for the reasons stated above, it is by no means a good option.

How about the enforcement question? Exactly what would happen if a cyclist "innocently" tried to ride over the Rt. 35 bridge? Would he/she be pulled over?

Dahon.Steve

There was a couple last year who were arrested for not getting off the train with their bikes. However, this should not be an issue because you’re only on the train for one stop. I’ve ridden the North Jersey Coastline numerous times and have never been kicked off the train. Never.

Ferdinand NYC

I am referring to the time restrictions on NJ Transit. On weekdays you cannot bring a bike on a train that gets to Hoboken, Newark, or New York between 6am and 10am, or on a train that originates in Hoboken, Newark, or New York between 4pm and 7pm.

On weekends some lines, amongst them the North Jersey Coast Line, have restricted hours: no bikes on trains ending in New York between 9am and noon, or on trains originating in New York between 5pm and 8pm. This, combined with long waits between trains, makes using the train to go that one stop very impractical. It's not much better -- and, in cases of a multi-hour wait, it's worse -- than riding the ten miles to the next nearest bridge.

So let me ask again: has anyone heard of cyclists just riding on the Rt. 35 bridge, despite the closure? My instinct tells me that this would be a bad idea, and that such a cyclist would get stopped and perhaps even arrested. But I wonder if anyone has any actual experience on the ground with that.

Ferdinand NYC

Sorry to be a noodge on this. I am bumping this thread to ask again whether anyone has had any recent experience at this bridge.

Are there barricades in front of the bike lane? Or has the bike-lane paint been removed? Are there signs that say "No Bicycles"?

The first time I crossed that bridge, in 2012, it was before the bike lane went in. So the mere lack of bike lanes would not by itself indicate that bikes cannot use the bridge. The next time I was there, in 2014, I was pleased to see the bike lanes. Little did I know that they would be closed only a few weeks later.

So I am asking again if anyone who lives near there can report on current conditions -- specifically, whether bicylists can still manage to ride over the bridge despite the official closure of the bike lane. As I have already said, I am disinclined to try this, for fear of arrest. But I'd still like to know others' takes on it.

FBinNY 

I've never been on that bridge, but my experience all over the Metro NY area is that you don't get arrested for riding on closed bridge walkways, or even no bicycle lanes. You get a lecture, with a don't ever do that again, or sometimes are sent back the way you came (only once ever).

I don't know if there's a barrier, or how impassible it is, but if you can get access, I'd just take my chances and ride it. If you get stopped, have a sympathetic story ready for why you had to get a cross and that other alternatives are just too far away.

BTW- decades back I rode across the Pulaski Skyway a few times, once a night. On one occasion I drew a police escort who followed me all the way protecting me with his strobes, on another an officer who felt he just couldn't leave me there to get killed (his opinion) and insisted I accept his lift to the other end.

So far, except for a few examples, I've found that cops just want to solve the "problem" and if you're polite will work with you toward that end.

So, if you're willing to risk inconvenience if there's an impassable barrier, you might give it a shot.

Ferdinand NYC

Thanks for the reply.

I might have to go down there and investigate. The weather is supposed to be beatiful all weekend and into next week; so I will be taking some vacation days to enjoy what are probably the last 90-degree days of the year. Perhaps I'll get down there on one of those days to see how it looks. If conditions look right, maybe I will attempt a crossing.

I have one bit of experience (albeit inadvertent) with riding over a bridge that does not allow bikes. In 1985 I rode across the Goethels Bridge. There were no bike maps then to tell us what bridges were accessible and what bridges weren't. I honestly thought that riding on the Goethels was allowed; so I just approached it and went over. And then I came back over the bridge. I am sure that some cops must have seen me; but no one stopped me. I didn't find out until many years later that bikes are not allowed there.

And I just have to ask: why did you elect to ride on the Pulaski Skyway? And at night!? Was the bridge from Communipaw Avenue not available?

Ferdinand NYC

I went there on Saturday just to check it out. There are no signs or barricades that would indicate a closure. And the bike-lane paint is still there. So it appears that the bike/pedestrian lane is open.

I saw someone jogging on the bridge. I considered trying to ask him whether he'd ever been stopped by police; but I thought that a jogger is not going to want to stop running to talk.

I didn't cross the bridge myself. The ride to Perth Amboy and back (via the Jersey City ferry) was 80 miles. So I didn't want to use energy on two bridge crossings.

I now think that, if I were making a trip to somewhere south of Perth Amboy, I would use that bridge.

SBinNYC

Here's a link to NJ's official bicycle suitability for northern NJ. https://www.nj.gov/transportation/com...apnorthern.pdf

You will note that the Rte 35 bridge over the Raritan is not marked as illegal.

Ferdinand NYC

For some reason I cannot open that file. But I thank you for mentioning that it shows no closure at that location.

I am very pleased to know that that route is available.