Town accepts grant for first phase of bike path
By vincent todaro
Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK — Bicyclists, walkers and runners will soon have their own clear path all the way from Brunswick Square Mall to the municipal complex.

The Township Council has accepted a $135,000 grant from the N.J. Department of Transportation to build a bicycle path beginning at the intersection of Ryders Lane and Summerhill Road and ending up at the complex. The path will provide about 3 miles of area for bicyclists, pedestrians and joggers, according to Mayor William Neary.

The path, which has been discussed by the township for several years, will begin at the intersection, then take a very circuitous route to end up at the municipal complex, he said.

It will go along Ryders Lane until it reaches Winton Road, where it will begin to go along Great Oak Park. It will then follow along the new Butterfly Park before cutting back onto Rues Lane.

It will stay on that road until it gets to the firehouse, at which point it will resume on Ryders Lane. It will go along Ryders through the road’s intersection with Cranbury Road, and then right up to the municipal complex.

Neary said the path will be a curbed area 8 feet wide.

He said it will effectively connect the East Brunswick Public Library with the Brunswick Square Mall — a popular stretch in town.

"People already bike and walk along this," he said.

Because of its layout, the path will offer access to and from a multitude of township roads, making it easier for people to get onto it.

"This is a good artery to put this on," Neary said.

He said he was especially pleased with the path because it was accessible from Hammarskjold School, the two parks, as well as Middlesex County Vocational and Technical High School, East Brunswick campus, near the intersection of Summerhill Road and Ryders Lane.

The path is needed to make the areas safer for bicyclists and pedestrians to navigate.

"Those roads are quite heavily traveled by cars," Neary said.

Neary said joggers use the areas already, as do pedestrians and bicyclists.

"We’re not a real big pedestrian town, though," he said.

The township is hoping this is not the only bicycle path it will be able to create. Neary said the town is hoping to get grant money to complete two other phases, both of which would provide paths in residential areas.

"We’re working to get grants for the other phases," he said. "We have the applications in."

The grant will pay the entire cost of this phase, he said.

"This is all part of a comprehensive plan that was submitted to the state for work to be done in three phases," he said. "The $135,000 is only for phase one. We have no plans to do the other phases until we get any more grants."

He said the grant money, part of which actually comes from the federal government, was given as part of the government’s desire to encourage people to exercise more and use their vehicles less.

He said during his administration he has worked with the township’s Traffic Advisory Board to find the funding and suitable locations for the paths.

Various groups have lobbied the board for paths, and residents have told him the town needs another way for children to travel.

"People tell me we need a way for kids to not get driven all the time," he said.

The resolution, which the council passed to accept the grant, stated the paths are needed "to reduce air pollution and improve air quality, promote the use of intermodal transportation systems, reduce the use of cars for short trips, and provide safe routes for bicycles and pedestrians."