New Jersey/Cycle Route Relations
Introduction
New Jersey has significant bicycle infrastructure elements of many different types, however they are not easily referenced, nor are they cataloged in one central location. This wiki attempts to remedy that. Below are numerous known cycle routes within the state, at various levels of jurisdiction and history (for example, railtrails, today abandoned railways, have a particular history and legal status). Note that OpenCycleMap (OCM, the "Cycle Map" layer) renders route shields only with a maximum of three alphanumeric characters in the ref=* (reference) tag of the route=bicycle relation. The shields and route lines are color-coded by network=*: red=national, purple=state/regional and dark blue=local. Note that mountain bike trails (orange), for example, in the Wharton State Forest, have their own set of route=mtb tagging conventions, different from route=bicycle relations.
Quasi-national Bicycle Routes
Name | Relation | Reference | Status | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
East Coast Greenway Multi-use Trail (part of a quasi-national bicycle route) | 1774795![]() ![]() | ECG | Professionally updated in OSM in 2016, continuing ongoing review | ECG traverses 15 states and DC over several thousand miles/kilometers. Hence, this quasi-private bicycle route (neither government-sanctioned nor approved by AASHTO, but public data) is determined to be so "national in scope" that OSM's US national cycleway network includes it as a named (not numbered) route, tagged network=ncn, making it one of two national-level routes in New Jersey, displaying as red in OCM. |
September 11th National Memorial Trail (part of a quasi-national bicycle route) | 13527538![]() ![]() ![]() | 9-11 | Nearing final review in early 2022 | 9-11 traverses seven states and DC over thousands of miles/kilometers. Hence, this quasi-private bicycle route is determined to be so "national in scope" that OSM's US national cycleway network includes it as a named (not numbered) route, tagged network=ncn, making it one of two national-level routes in New Jersey, displaying as red in OCM. |
State Bicycle Tours
The NJ Department of Transportation publishes several guides for bike tours throughout the state. These routes are sometimes grade-separated, but often run along rural roadways with either dedicated lanes for bicycles (cycleway=lane) or wide shoulders signed or otherwise legal/specified for bicycles (cycleway=shoulder).
Each of these should be added to OSM using a cycle route relation. Relations should use the network=rcn tag when they are state-level designated. If the route has been added by NJDOT, please provide a link to this table of relations. Don't forget to tag cycle_network=US:NJ on the relation of state-designated routes.
Name | Relation | Reference | Status | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Allamuchy Allegory Ride - Warren and Sussex Counties | might be AAR or AWS | Not entered yet into OSM | ||
Battle of Monmouth Ride - Monmouth County | might be BMR or BMM (if spans more than Monmouth county and another initial is needed for the acronym) | Not entered yet into OSM | Another possibility is that Monmouth creates its own sub-network within the cycle_network=US:NJ namespace, e.g. cycle_network=US:NJ:MO or cycle_network=US:NJ:Monmouth. | |
Burlington County Bikeways - Burlington County | might be BCB, though might also become BC1, BC2, etc, as bikeways "become plural" | Not entered yet into OSM | ||
Cape May Shoreline Ride | 175442![]() | CMS | Appears completed; please "double-check review" | |
Columbia Trail | 6663385![]() | CT | Appears completed; please "double-check review" | |
Cumberland Salem Revolution | 172728![]() | CSR | Appears completed; please "double-check review" | |
Delaware & Raritan Canal Towpath | 196611![]() | DRC | Appears completed; please "double-check review" | Partly in Mercer County, both shares and diverges from ECG along much of its alignment: watch signs carefully! |
Great Swamp Ride - Morris and Somerset Counties | might be GSR | Not entered yet into OSM | ||
High Point to Cape May Bike Route | 1794360![]() | HPC | Appears completed; please "double-check review" | |
Last Covered Bridge Ride - Mercer and Hunterdon Counties | might be LCB | Not entered yet into OSM | ||
Old Mine Road Ride - Warren and Sussex Counties | might be OMR | Not entered yet into OSM | ||
Pine Barrens River Ramble - Burlington and Atlantic Counties | might be PBR | Not entered yet into OSM | ||
Round Valley Roundabout - Hunterdon County | might be RVR | Not entered yet into OSM | ||
Shore Tour |
|
STN STC STM STS | Completed | |
Three Easy Scenic Rides - Somerset and Burlington Counties |
|
LRV CRR BBR | Completed | |
Remember to verify that your work is correct by using the Relation Analyzer.
Local Rides
Tagged network=lcn (for "local cycleway network"). Don't forget to tag cycle_network=US:NJ:XY(:Z) on the relation of these usually county- or perhaps city-level designated routes, where XY is either the name of the county or a two-letter standardized abbreviation for it and Z is the name of the borough, city, town, township or village. If the jurisdiction is county-only and there is no city sponsorship, simply leave Z empty.
Atlantic County
Name | Relation | Reference | Status | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Atlantic County Bikeway | 175313![]() | ACB | Completed | Rail to trail path. |
Cardiff | 8829942![]() | Cardiff | Completed | |
Pleasantville-Somers Point Bikeway | 175312![]() | PSP | Completed | Rail to trail path. |
Burlington County
Name | Relation | Reference | Status | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Batsto to Bass River | 175373![]() | BBR | Completed |
Cape May County
Name | Relation | Reference | Status | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Boardwalk | 6433590![]() | Bwk | Completed | |
Middle Township Bike Path | 8785846![]() | MTB | Completed |
Essex County
Name | Relation | Reference | Status | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
West Essex Trail | 3728766![]() | WET | Completed |
Gloucester County
Name | Relation | Reference | Status | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Glassboro to Williamstown Bikeway | 173971![]() | GWB | Completed | Rail to trail path. |
Hudson County
Name | Relation | Reference | Status | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hudson River Waterfront Walkway | 3007093![]() | HRW | Completed | Bikeway that rides along the Hudson River. |
Mercer County
Name | Relation | Reference | Status | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lawrence Hopewell Trail | 4831682![]() | LHT | 89% Complete | https://lhtrail.org/ |
Monmouth County
Name | Relation | Reference | Status | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Edgar Felix Bikeway | 8776353![]() | EFB | Completed | Bikeway that connects Allaire State Park to Manasquan. |
Route 18 Bikeway | 8776368![]() | 18B | Completed | Connects with Edgar Felix Bikeway, then connects to a park in Wall, NJ. |
Morris County
Name | Relation | Reference | Status | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Traction Line Recreation Trail | 7375635![]() | TLT | Completed | |
West Morris Greenway / Patriot's Path | 8829941![]() | WMG | Completed |
Ocean County
Name | Relation | Reference | Status | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Island Beach State Park | 8780418![]() | IBR | Completed | Bikeway that rides the length of Island Beach State Park, NJ. |
Somerset County
Name | Relation | Reference | Status | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lamington River Valley Route | 175385![]() | LRV | Completed | Pottersville to Raritan Valley Community College. |
Not tagged in a relation
For road bikes:
- Mill Pond Trails W of Port Republic
- Tabor Road / Route 53 in Morris County. A note tag says "Wide shoulder makes it bicycle suitable. Sidewalk in front of office buildings."
For mountain bikes:
- N of Batsto in the Wharton State Forest
- Trails in Galloway Township, W of Oceanville
- NW of Stone Mountain, Burlington County
- Allair State Park. These may need to be better tagged as mountain bike trails rather than highway=footway bicycle=yes.
- West Milford, E of Greenwood Lake Airport. These may need to be better tagged as mountain bike trails rather than highway=path bicycle=designated.
- E of Erskine Lakes. These may need to be better tagged as mountain bike trails rather than highway=path bicycle=designated.
- W of Sugar Loaf mountain, Saint Mary's Monastery (Morris County). These may need to be better tagged as mountain bike trails rather than highway=path bicycle=designated.
Rails-to-Trails
There are several abandoned railroads that have been converted to some combination of either cycling or hiking paths (or both, or sometimes including equestrians). These are called "railtrails" or "rails-to-trails," abandoned railroads legally "railbanked" so they may be used again for rail in the future if demand warrants it. These are all tagged network=lcn. Those that have sealed surfaces and/or cycling facilities should be added to the map using cycle route relations. Rails-to-Trails cycleways should be added here when discovered and when added to OSM. Again, for unpaved/unsealed/dirt/gravel bike trails, see the route=mtb wiki and please tag according to those slightly different tagging conventions.
Name | Relation | Reference | Status | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Atlantic County Bikeway | 175313![]() | ACB | Completed | Former rail line from Mays Landing to Atlantic City. |
Delaware & Raritan Canal Towpath | 196611![]() | DRC | New Brunswick to Princeton | Towpath for the former D&R Canal. |
Glassboro to Williamstown Bikeway | 173971![]() | GWB | Completed | Former rail spur from Glassboro to Williamstown. |
Henry Hudson Bike Trail | 175463![]() | HHB | Northern section complete | Northern section was a former rail line running along the Monmouth County bayshore. |
Pleasantville to Somers Point Bikeway | 175312![]() | PSP | Completed | Former interurban line from Atlantic City to Somers Point. |