Do these two look dangerous? Should they be forced off the Ocean Grove boardwalk? Paul Goldfinger photo © 9/5/22.
Labor Day morning at 9:30 am. Click once for details. The sign on the flip side is for those BBB’s (Bradley Beach Bikers) heading north. The sign itself is hazardous. And some walkers, wide in girth, are also impediments. Blogfinger photo. 9/5/22.
Paul Goldfinger. Editor. Blogfinger.net
If you read that sign carefully it says “Neptune Township Ordinance #1120 –strictly enforced by Neptune Township Police.”
Really? “Strictly?”
Since the regulations governing the boardwalk are mostly controlled by the OGCMA, they should enforce them, but they don’t. Are the badge checkers supposed to run after boardwalk violators? Who will check the badges during a safety pursuit?
The issue of boardwalk safety has been raised, but I was there this Labor Day morning before 10, and there were frequent bikes. Most were driven slowly, and the riders did have to sometimes navigate around walkers, but I have never seen an accident of that sort and neither did Deidre, a Grover who often bikes on our boards. The risk seems minimal.
Walking along the OG boards this morning I could hear the jingle- jangle of bike bells. That’s a musical safety measure that is constantly preventing accidents.
That’s not to say that there might not be physical misunderstandings over there, but where are the stats that show how often accidents occur on the boards, who is at fault, and what prevention methods are in place now?
Sometimes the walkers might be responsible. Did you ever see runners, dodgers, nutty kids or groups walking 6 abreast and not paying attention, or some might be getting in the way while texting or phoning.
The best safety measure is common sense. After all, the boardwalk is narrower and riskier than many (eg Asbury Park.) And there are so many potential pitfalls, there is no way to prevent accidents totally.
It seems to be mildly risky business all around unless the CMA bans all people on the boards. Or they can totally ban all bikes–which is what the “fitness path” is actually about.
Personally I would not like to bike on the boards unless it is after Oct. 1 or within the 3 am-10 am framework.. It’s not relaxing if you are constantly worried about mishaps. And who wants to get up at 2:30 am to bike on the boards?
And then, if 2 way bikers were to be forced onto a relatively narrow “fitness path,” then accidents will certainly occur. Will there be a middle of the road white line? And how about those crossing across the path?
And finally there is the sheer ugliness of such a structure.
But thank goodness we have an HOA committee looking into this.
Our Better Blogfinger Biking Boardwalk Alliance (BBBBA) solution is to cancel the fitness path, make sure that all bikes have bells, and remind everyone to be careful. Oh..and please ban electric bikes. They were there this morning.
FROM HAIRSPRAY: