opinion

26

Herald A Lantern 11 November 81

The State We're In —

Bikeways—Cycling Safely

J / by David F. Moore With the rlrchon-saMy nut ot the way. we can all come back down to Earfh and begin concentrating again on the many little pieces of our environment, and related issues, which remain important no matter who won. Take bicycles Jor instance In this day of disappearing petroleum reserves, I can see more and more people having to lake bicycles, for health, fun and transportation, because they can no longer afford to operate a car the way '^That's why I'm always glad when something happens to reinforce the use of the bicycle in this, state were in. The latest thing, according to a recent press releasd from the

I THE ABANDONED railbed between the mainland and I the Wildwoods. seen here in a file photo, could be made InI to a bikeway.

New Jersey Dept, of Transportation, is a new study on whether or not to let folks ride4heir bikes along the edges of con trolled-access facilities, which when translated from the bureaucrateae means freeways and interstate highways. • - Maybe you, like I. have wondered why bikes haven t been allowed in those areas all along. Safety is the obvious reason, but paved shouldert are quite wide and such “breakdown lanes” really don’t present hazards to biker or motorist. Actually, it turns out the ban even now is not really complete, because it is possibly to obtain a permit to bicycle along most interstate highways. But insofar as informational signs go, that is a well kept secret. Nowadays one is increasingly aware of markings along many busy urban streets which signs declare to be bikeways This is a growing trend in this and most other states. And well it should be, for the reasons for bicycling (economy, healthy excercise, avoiding the grief of traffic jamar* cutting pollution and saving energy resources - just to name the mPst obvious ones) are getting more obvious all the time. Here at the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, we’ve been plugging for urban and rural bikeways for a long time. By now park and recreation experts are totally turned in on the concept of bicycling as a valid form of recreation for which bikeways are essential. One of our favorite kinds of parkland is the so-called green strip along a stream. Biking and hiking between town centers are greatly facilitated by sdeh parks. Fostering bikeways hasn’t been without a few problems, such as occasional cituen objections that a bikeway will open up their neighborhoods to some feared but imaginary criminals. I’ve seen no evidence that any problem exists at all, with the exception of a few innercity areas. DOT expects to have completed its studies about biking" along freeways and interstates by the end of this year. Those existing individual permits, by the way, are unique

ON ANY GIVEN day daring the summer, scores of bicyclists ride dangerously along Sunset Blvd. because the roadway shoulders are unfit to ride on. to New Jersey thus far. The permit system grew out of a public hearing requested by biking organizations affer New Jersey banned bikes, pedestrians and horses from beside freeways In 1977. The permits were an interim system which have remained in effect. The Federal Highway Adminihstration has no policy on allowing bikers along the shoulders of freeways, and the states of Texas, North Dakota, Idaho, Oklahoma and Oregon generally allow ready access. California has over a thousand miles of shoulders open to bikers, and thd idea, is being tested in Colorado.’ The Rails to Trails system of using old railroad alignments for bikes is catching on in New Jersey, so it’s nice that DOT is perhaps about to bare its shoulders to bikes. It should be a useful demonstration that alternate energy systems and alternate transportation can work! David Moore is executive director of the N.J. Conservation Foundation.

reader's forum The Real Issue—Another View

by A Faithful Reader ' Wow, that was a close one, but the election is over, the bar closing hours remain the same, and now my husband and 1 can fee) a little, more secure in our jobs, we among many, many,-others. We are musicians. It is our only profession Between us, our years of study and training equate to a university education, our combined years of experience totals half a century. We work in the bars, lounges, and restaurants. Earlier closing hours could have cost us our jobs, all those years—. I read, and re-read the opinion headlined The Real /siue In Bar H6ur Vote. I Nov. 4 reader's forum 1, and the only conclusion I comd reach, was that to Margaret Spencer, the real issue was — We. who are interested (n lour cdhtmunity, made ripples, and got noticed. A real \ tribute to our efforts, and a success in spite of the final fallv at the polls. ^WELL. WE TOO ARE CITIZENS interested in our community, we are proud of our work, and the firte establishments we work in, the (by and large) fine people who patronize the clubs we work in. and the consciencious bar owners .who hire us and who want to bring a quality to their patrons and their community. The bar question was brought to notice, because of a few establishmenls who lacked noise control. But since whewis it community-minded'to punish the majority because of a few’’ Or, if the issue is a difference of opinion from those who do not patronize tl\e bars—can it be termed civic minded' to attempt to inflict a hardship on those to whom the bars mean earning a living? ' Ms. Spencer and her community-minded citizens are misguided, frightening, and dangerous. Their solution to this situation was to try to enforce a law that meant a hardship for many And yet. who cqipmented in her opinion piece that “In a sense, it did not matter how the question turned out at thejjollS.” That is a very dangerous viewpoint * ‘ IT IS OBVIOl'S. THAT M& Spfincer antf her civicminded citizens, were not fully aware of—or totally ig-

'v" care may county

John II. Andrus li William J. Adams

Bonnie Relna Darrell Kopp

Editor Advertising Director General Manager ' • Publiaher

t«*l Cotp All AM p>op«ftr '>«M< 'o* contoni, o* (All pvfclk**0A »Aolt b« th« prop*'*? e* lAa Wowov Corp No port £•«•«* may b# r«prodv<ptf -vtlAoul pTHK wrf lllpn tonMnt

DEADLINES

News A Photos Thursday Advertising Friday - 3 p.m. Classified Advertising Friday - 3 p.m. 1 W7-33I2 For New* Or Advertising Information ] NfAStr ■artklpalli'K »dvrrtl«rr» nor Iky ppMhikpni o4 tkr IIFRAI.ll AND LANTF.ltN *111 by rnpontlhlr or ilably lor mtilnlormaUe*. * mlaprtpbi. IjrMfraphkal mao. F" rmrvn U* n*bl '• •«> «

LANTERN

PaMtaM Krrry WrtamUy By* H* 9*a»*t' «art#raU®a

P O Box m ColdSpring. N J

nored-the fact that ifdid matter; mpst definitely did matter to those who have everything invested ih the bar business...to those who avoid the unemployment lines because of the bars. . .to those whose tax burdens are lessened, because of the bars, to those who seek a bit of relaxation and release in the bars. Ms. Spencer may placate her defeat with the comforting thought that their organization was being imitated by we who .opposed their efforts, but I can assure her that in no way whatsoever were these efforts worthy of emulating. I spoke of the danger in this kind of campaign May i remind the readers, that it was a mere handful of people—with a different opinion—who took prayer out of our schools. ’God’ was defeated there, because of the apathy of those who thought it didn't matter. Our school systems are paying the price today. Some prayers might help Ihere^ h. THANK GOD. THOUGH, that our taxpayers were not 1 apathetic on this issue. As Mangaret Spencer commented. "after the votes are counted, ihe people always get what they ask for. for better or for'worse." In this case, the people got the better. Theyjlid not let a handful of uninformed citizens dictate to tmm. I'd like to state in closing, the extravagant campaign ms. Spencer realized was going to defeat h?r organization si* days before election was a cartlpaign by the people. not merely the bar owners—the people. The people who earn Iheir living, the people who appreciate the benefits their community derives from 'The Bars’. Carrie Nation lost her political axe. A Faithful Reader is a Lower Township resident who wishes to remain anonymous. Waterways Need Dredging by Mrs. W.F. Chapman Three years ao, 1 wrote the councilmen in Avalon petitioning the much needed attention to Longreach and Associated waterways. To date, nothing has been done; the situation has only worsened. Not only'is it a hazard to navigation but a booby trap to the unsuspecting summer vacajioner whether Jie be in a small craft, on water skis or a jet

ski.

More than once I have witnessed first hand a body go sprawling backward in a tow craft as it hit a shoal. The Lord only knows how we have escaped a law suit over a serious injury from an unsuspecting vacationer Ask any boatman or fisherman on Whale Harbor and he’ll tell you how he has to creep out on the tide and then follow 3rd Ave. waterway South to Stone Harbor to safely reach the Inland Waterway, because Longreach most of the time is not navigable. Now isn’t this ridiculous! ..£♦ v Our economy is supported by our summer visitors and owners. We need them, so it seems onfiprudent to provide them with the facilities needed to gtntinue to make Avalon an attractive vacation spot. “ It’s a disgraceful situation that needs immediate attention. It’s difficult to understand how an area in Avalon with the highest tax ratables is getting the least amount of attention. It's time to dredge our clogged waterways. Mrs. W F. Chapman lives on Pelican Dr., Avalon.

British Seagull 387 Animal Dropoff i»y IMA BYRD We birds are a little sick of humans who abandon their pets. We’re tired of watching people dump dogs, cats and other creatures dn to the highways. Just last week I was flying around the Garden State Pkwy. looking'for the cause of some mysterious smells over near milepost 8 when I saw a fancy car pull over to the side of the road. Naturally, I figured what any smart bird would figure that the driver was stopping to look at his map or get relief. Well, I am a curious bird so I flew over to a tall hickpry tree and watched. A young man got out of his car, opened thejwick door to let a nice black dog out. “Ah," I thought, “it’s the dog who needs relief.” ' ' WELL, BEFORE 1 COULD flip my feathers, the man ^jumped in his car and drove off at top^speed, leaving the dog on the side of the road. Well, 1 that dog was suraly confused. Not only that, but as I looked closer, 4 saw the dog was pregnant —very pregnant. • . t . I’d say it was about 40 degrees outside, late afternoon, and that pregnant dog didn’t know which way to turn. I felt a little sorry for her but I didn’t know what to do about it. Birds are no positiotrto take oaa problem like that. I gave a gchtle whistle to may friend Art, who lives further down on thepnrkway, and it wasn't long before he appeared. I motioned to him to look at the deg, who by this time was runping back and forth across the parkway dodging cars and trucks, “IS THERE ANYTHING w* cart do. Art?" I asked. “That’s the third one this week,” I said. “I don’t know wHkt to do.” Art said sadly. "Last week someone dumped a box of kittens right neaf my nest. I managed to peck at the box so the kittens could get out, but they almost got killed by a car Then a nice lady stopped from Animal Welfare and took the kittens home. Once in awhile the animals got lucky. But it seems no one wants these dropoffs," Art said. “What I can’t understand is why the government doesn’t provide free neutering services. It would seem to me that such a move would be pure common Sense and would cut down on the population," I said. ART LbOKED AT ME STRANGELY. "You sure are a trusting bird," he said. "Common sense in government? The next thing you’ll be asking is for lower taxes for people," he said with a chuckle. “Look 387, there’s a lot of experimentation going on with animals, some 63 million 0 year are used in laboratories. The suffering in these labs, all for government grant money, is unbelievable. It's my opinion that the government won't ever provide free neutering services because they want to keep these animals coning for the experimenters. There's a lot of money involm!/’ Art said. We flew over the woods watching the pregnant dog as she travelled across the land, smelling the ground, searching for a way home. “We just can’t leave her there," Art said as he flew to a Iree above the dog’s head. JUST THEN SOME SHOTS rang out and the pregnant dog raced into the thicket. Two hunters appeared shooting their guns into the brush. Art and I sat in the tree for a long time after the hunters left. The sun disappeared from view ahd only the wind and silence remained. For some creaturtp of the earth, life

was hard.

NEXT WEEK: School boards