NJ Bike & Walk Coalition – Protect Access to E-bikes in NJ

 
 

ACTION ALERT:

Protect Access to E-bikes in NJ

Dear Jim,

Right now, the New Jersey Legislature is considering a bill (S2292) that will require everyone who owns an electric bicycle (e-bike) to obtain registration and insurance. This bill would limit access to e-bikes across the state by creating barriers to ride. Your voice matters! Help protect access to e-bikes.

To view the pre-written letter addressed to your elected official visit the action alert page here. You can review before it is sent and feel free to add any personal comments in the letter that explain why this legislation would negatively affect your access to riding an e-bike.

Use the link below to send a letter to your representative!

SEND YOUR LETTER
Help us spread the word!

Encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to join the movement by sharing this email and the link to the digital letter on your social media channels. The more voices we gather, the stronger our message becomes.

Stay informed!

To stay updated on the progress of Senate Bill S2292 and similar initiatives, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter and visit our website NJBWC.org regularly. Knowledge is power, and by staying informed, you empower yourself to be a catalyst for positive change.

Visit NJBWC Official Website

Charlie Kinsley

All

We lost another longtime member on Jan. 28.  Charlie Kinsley, age 89.   Let’s kindly remember one of the Morris Area Free Wheelers OGs.

Some insights from one of his riding partners – Lili.   Charlie joined the club in 1983 and immediately became one of the small group of riders who never missed a weekend ride. In those days, there was only one, alternating Saturdays and Sundays and alternating long and short. We went to work during the week and hoped fervently for good weather on the weekends. Once we met at the start at a coffee shop in Hackettstown and waited two hours for the rain to stop. It didn’t. When we did ride, Charlie was usually at the rear welcoming and encouraging new slower riders. He could have gone faster, but he enjoyed conversation and seeing the sights. We stopped to watch the goats play king of the hill and to admire the woolly lambs up in Warren County. Charlie would often do over a hundred miles on ride days, because he rode from his house to the ride start and then back home again after. Home to a typical start was 25 miles each way. He volunteered for years at the Multiple Sclerosis fundraising rides, coming in late on both weekend days, shepherding the riders at the end. He was a long-time treasurer of the club, retiring only when the club began doing its business on the internet. When he and I both stopped going even on slow rides, we still sometimes joined the bikers at lunch or after the ride, and last year he was still riding around his Parsippany Lake neighborhood.

There will be a celebration of life service on February 17, 2024, at 11:00am at the Parsippany United Methodist Church, 903 South Beverwyck Road, Parsippany, NJ 07054. Arrangements are under the direction of the Par-Troy Funeral Home.

In Lieu of flowers, donations in Charles’s memory can be made to the United Methodist Church of Parsippany. 903 S Beverwyck Rd, Parsippany, NJ 07054 (https://parsippanyumc.org/) or Parsippany Animal Control and Shelter. 1069 Parsippany Blvd., Parsippany, NJ07054 https://www.parsippany.net/Departments/animal-control-shelter

Obituary information for Charles W Kinsley

partroyfuneralhome.com

Regards,

Joseph Reo – President

MAFW February 2024 March 2024 Newsletter Available

Hi Freewheelers,

Watch the website to see information on upcoming events, communication from our club president and ride coordinator, and ride guidelines.

Our Social Coordinator, John Storey, is always in need of your help for a number of our activities. Please email if you are interested: social@mafw.org

MAFW has 2 main guidelines or mottos that riders and ride leaders should follow:

  1. Nobody rides alone including the ride leader
  2. Ride leader sweeps for all rides except B and faster

Just a reminder that the February 2024 March 2024 edition of our NL is online. To read: click https://mafw.org/newsletter/

What’s in this issue:

  1. 15th Annual Revolutionary Ramble June 8, 2024
  2. CPR Course Status Update – Rob Greenberg
  3. Connect with the MAF Bike Club on Social Media – Tracy Brown
  4. Ride Coordinator Update
  5. What causes road rage between cyclists and drivers – Rob Greenberg
  6. Never Blame Others for the Road You’re On – Jay Marowitz
  7. Riding in NYC – Jay Marowitz
  8. Bike Fit: Fine Tune Your Position to Increase Comfort! – Tony Marchand
  9. Photo Gallery
  10. Poet’s Corner by John J. Burns
  11. One Of The Best Campgrounds In New Jersey Is Open For Adventure Year-Round – Round Valley
  12. 2024 Calendar
  13. MAF Bike Adventures 2024 See website for more detail
  14. Cycling Guides by Mark Jay
  15. People Cycling
  16. Safety by Paul Malinowski
  17. Club Sponsors
  18. Club Officers

Enjoying your E-bike, trike, gravel bike? Let’s hear about your experience.

Folks, many of you have taken some interesting trips this year or in the past. So why not share your stories & photos with fellow club members?

We welcome any articles that you feel would be of interest. WHEN YOU HAVE A SPARE MOMENT, PLEASE SEND ME A STORY AND PICTURES OF YOUR BICYCLING ADVENTURES. Submit any information by the 24th of the preceding month at the following email address: newsletter@mafw.org

If you have any issues with your login credentials, please contact Membership Coordinator Betsy Eastwood at the following email address: membership@mafw.org

Periodically Rob Greenberg will be instructing a no-cost CPR course sponsored by the Morris Area Freewheelers Foundation. For those interested, you can contact Rob by phone at 973-334-0125 or by email at robdg01@aol.com for the next available session and more information.

Good Reading. Thanks,

Patricia Kipp
Editor

Woodfern Bridge Closed

During this recent storm a tree fell on the Woodfern Bridge as you can see in the attached picture.  The bridge will be out of action for several months and don’t plan on crossing the bridge while being repaired.  One easy detour is make a right turn onto Woodfern Rd from Three Bridges Rd, left on Amwell, left onto Blackpoint after very short distance, and then right onto Woodfern.  Woodfern from bridge to Amwell is a little bumpy but you are on Woodfern only ~1/2 mile and it is level and paved.  If coming from Wawa take Summer Rd to Briar Way to Lehigh.  I will leave it up to you to determine best detour for your ride.  Today the Blackpoint bridge was OK but road from the bridge to Woodfern was a little flooded but should be OK tomorrow.  Duke Island Park is closed due to flooding but should be open soon.  Time for John Storey to schedule a kayak trip but just duck when going under the bridges.

https://patch.com/new-jersey/bridgewater/branchburg-bridge-closed-several-months-after-storm-damage

SPECIAL RIDES CALENDAR

In addition to the rides on our schedule we have special rides listed on our calendar and there will be more posted.  Recommend you check out these rides.  Several of us have registered again for the Bon Ton Roulet, a multiday ride in the Finger Lakes of New York.  About 8 MAFW riders did it last year and had a great time.  If you have any questions about Bon Ton feel free to contact me.

Manny

RIDE LEADER STATUS

Just to be clear I sent the email about ride leader status to all ride leaders, even if you led a ride since 10/2022.  In the email I did say if you did not lead a ride this past year and still want to maintain ride leader status to contact me.

Manny

RIDE COORDINATOR UPDATE

Today MAFW kicked off 2024 with three rides and 27 riders.  Could not ask for better weather for New Years Day.  Weather permitting, we will continue winter rides.  Thanks to Chris Hartman who will be once again kicking off indoor Zwift riding tomorrow.  I do have one resolution for ride leaders and that is to lead more rides this year and earn the ride leader award.  If you are not a ride leader another resolution is to become a ride leader.  If you want to become a ride leader, just contact me.

Happy New Year, Manny

RIDE LEADER STATUS

To maintain your ride leader status, you need to lead at least one ride from Oct 1 to Sept 30.  If you did not lead a ride since 10/1/2022 and still want to maintain your status as a ride leader, just contact me by email.  We need you.  Thanks, Manny

TOMORROW’S TREK RIDES

Just a reminder Trek will supply bagels, coffee and juice and we will also have bananas and clementines.  Trek will also have door prizes. Trek is offering free safety bike inspections but you can skip the inspections.  However, you need the inspection for the special service package.  There will be a delay in the start of the rides so please be patient and don’t start your ride until all inspections are completed for your group.

See you tomorrow, Manny

TREK STIRLING EVENT

Trek Stirling was contacted, and they are looking forward to this club event and will be fully engaged with their top three mechanics.   They will have an outdoor fire pit and are providing bagels, cream cheese, juices and coffee. We will provide bananas and oranges.  Back in June when we did this event with Trek I was told they took 2 bikes offline due to serious safety issues that the riders were not aware of.  Not to worry since Trek offered the riders bikes that they could use for the ride.  Manny