Today we joined the tail end of a bike ride from Newark to Trenton to tell Gov. Murphy that we want an old railway line turned into a 9-mile trail connecting Jersey City and Newark — the two largest cities in the state’s most densely populated counties — and on to Montclair.
Not only would the Essex-Hudson Greenway provide badly needed greenspace as well as recreational and commuting opportunities — so much safer than the sidewalk along Truck Route 1&9 that’s the current option — but it would be a key link in both the East Coast Greenway and the Sept. 11 Memorial Trail. The price tag — $65 million for the land and then millions more for the improvements, perhaps $90 million in all — may seen like a lot, but it’s nothing compared to a highway project. Read more about it here.
And as beautiful as Little Island — Manhattan’s latest draw — is, this project would benefit so many people on a practical level. Philanthropists, what about stepping up?
About 100 people biked the entire distance — about 60 miles on a gloriously sunny day with just-right temperatures — while some of us jumped on in Princeton for the final 10 miles. Sorry, but a 5:10 am train to make wheels down at 7 a.m. was just too early. Parts of the D&R Canal towpath took a beating in the recent flooding, so most of this last stretch was on the road. But we did get a couple of miles on the trail heading into Trenton. I hope all those North Jersey riders appreciated the break from traffic … hopefully what they will one day have between Montclair and Jersey City. They deserve a break from congestion.
We gathered at the William Trent House before biking the final mile to the Statehouse, all dressed identically in our new T-shirts.
“Greenway now!” we chanted. Gov. Murphy, you know how to respond.
Exploring by bicycle 
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