An existing bike lane runs next to four lanes of traffic on West Avenue south of 34th Street in Ocean City. A restriping project this fall will eliminate two lanes of traffic and create buffer zones between two wider bicycle lanes.
It's been seven years since the first improvements turned a stretch of Haven Avenue into a bike-friendly route covering a little less than three miles between Ninth and 34th streets.
Since then, there has been much additional work to make the crowded summer streets of Ocean City more bicycle friendly, but perhaps none more significant than the addition this summer of a user-activated traffic signal to help bicyclists and pedestrians cross Ninth Street — the heavily trafficked gateway to the island.
"That was the major divide, like the Grand Canyon," Tom Heist told a small audience Tuesday evening at a public forum on bicycling in Ocean City.
A safe crossing of Ninth Street removes a big obstacle to a long-sought bike route that would extend from the Ocean City-Longport Bridge at the north end of Ocean City to the Corson's Inlet Bridge at the south end.
A bicyclist crosses Ninth Street in Ocean City using the new HAWK signal and crosswalk near the Haven Avenue intersection.
And two major projects planned for this fall will extend each end of the existing north-south route:
- 35th to 55th Streets: A Cape May County road project to reconfigure the four-lane stretch of West Avenue south of 34th Street to include two lanes of traffic and two buffered bicycle lanes is scheduled for the fall. The project will change the road from four lanes of traffic (two in each direction) to two lanes with a center lane for left turns. That will leave room for five-foot bike lanes on each side of the road separated by three-foot buffer zones (see diagram above). Read more about the project.
- Ocean-City Longport Bridge to Battersea Road: Representatives from the City of Ocean City are expected to meet with neighbors in the fall to talk about concepts to make a bike-friendly route that includes the carriage roads along the Gardens Parkway, Bridge Boulevard and West Atlantic Boulevard, according to Heist.
The two new projects were one focus of the annual community forum on Tuesday, which was held for the seventh time to solicit suggestions and feedback on issues related to safe cycling in Ocean City.
The presentation included a review of some of the successes:
- The Haven Avenue Corridor: Four-way stop signs at every block and 15 mph speed limits help make Haven Avenue unattractive to motor vehicle through-traffic between Ninth and 35th streets. New Jersey's first painted "sharrows" warn drivers of the presence of bicycles.
- Boardwalk Ordinance Changed: An amended ordinance allows Ocean City schoolchildren to use the Boardwalk to ride home during the seasonal stretch when bicycle traffic is otherwise prohibited after noon.
- Bike Racks: Ocean City is encouraging citizens to contribute by purchasing bike racks with memorial plaques at popular locations or businesses. (A $600 donation includes 4 lines, 20 characters per line. Call Wendy Moyle at 609-525-9301 for more information.)
- Bike Corrals: On-street bicycle racks that occupy spaces normally occupied by parked cars have been tried outside Varsity Inn (Eighth Street). A similar one is expected to be installed at Ready's Coffee Shop and Restaurant (Eighth Street) next week. Starbucks (11th Street) also has applied to install one.
- Shared Use Path on Route 52: The separated lane for pedestrian and bicycle traffic on the Route 52 causeway has been extremely popular and provides a safe route into Ocean City.
- Bicycle Brochures: Hotels and motels have distributed more the 25,000 copies of an informational piece on bicycling in Ocean City to visitors over the past two years.
- The HAWK signal: Ocean City Police Sgt. Brian Hopely said the department is still working to educate motorists on the signal. He said motorists are permitted to proceed on a flashing red light after looking to make sure all bicycles and pedestrians are clear of the crossing. The cycle of the signal includes a flashing red light after a solid red light.
- Simpson Avenue: Paving and the installation of traffic-calming of bump-outs are improving the route between Battersea Road and Fifth Street).
Safe cycling in Ocean City is seen as both a recreational pursuit and a viable transportation alternative on an 11-square-mile island where the population swells to more than 150,000 on any given summer weekend.
Proposed new configuration for West Avenue in Ocean City between 35th and 55th streets includes two buffered bicycle lanes.
A bicyclist crosses Ninth Street in Ocean City using the new HAWK signal and crosswalk near the Haven Avenue intersection.
And two major projects planned for this fall will extend each end of the existing north-south route:
