Contend proposed path would compromise safety, quality of life, property values
PETERSBURG — Some residents object to part of the proposed route for a bicycle path through the township that would cut down a street in their neighborhood or close to their properties.
Mike Scanlan, contending he represents a lot of his neighbors who could not make it to the Township Committee meeting at 4:30 p.m. May 22, said the proposed route of the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization project would harm their quality of life, reduce their property values and put their children at risk by “letting outsiders in.”
Seth Pashley, who lives near another part of the proposed project, said it would infringe on residents’ ability to hunt duck — “hunting and bikes are not a good mix,” he told Township Committee.
The proposed path — which would stretch from Camden to Cape May — would enter Thicket Street at the top of a cul-de-sac and then turn only Meghan Lane, pass residential housing and then continue into the woods before ending up on Corson Tavern Road.
“The route I am opposed to goes through residential streets in my neighborhood,” Scanlan said. “Most of the people spent a lot of money to buy back there because of the lack of public access. Construction of a bike path going directly through our neighborhood on one of our streets will definitely have a negative impact on our quality of life and on the property values in the whole neighborhood.”
He said he also has safety and security concerns.
“As it is today, our children are free to go out and play but in creating more public access and letting outsiders in, we need to restrict our children from where they go and that definitely has a negative impact on them,” he said. “I’m asking that the route that comes out — and it’s the only place on the proposed route to go on a residential street through a neighborhood — is taken off the table.”
He noted cars in the neighborhood have been burglarized and building a bike path through there would only make it worse.
“You’re basically giving getaways for smash-and-grabs,” he said.“There’s got to be a better route.”
Committeeman Curtis Corson said the initial plan was to take the route down Peach Orchard Road but wetlands blocked that path.
“The problem is they proposed a boardwalk and the township would bear the responsibility of maintaining that,” Corson said.
Scanlan said he heard the owners of two campgrounds in the area objected to that route “because they don’t want it. We don’t want it.”
Corson said there are “a whole host of issues” and the process is not nearly complete.
The South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization and Cape May County are studying the creation of a trail connecting with the existing county bike route, which ends in Dennis Township. It would connect to Atlantic County via Beesley’s Point Park and become part of a route extending across southern New Jersey.
Deputy Mayor Kim Hayes said the township has an upcoming meeting with the SJTPO and hopes to include anyone whose property abuts the proposed route and is otherwise directly affected.
“I would like to see it be a meeting for those adjacent to the bike path to be able to hammer down what the concerns are and how to address them,” Hayes said. “For that we need everyone at the table together.”
She said anyone who would like to be notified of the meeting should email administrator@uppertownship.com to get their name on the mailing list.
Hayes told the Sentinel that there are benefits that come along with any negatives, such as getting bicyclists and pedestrians off the township roads that have no lighting, sidewalks or other safety improvements.
“We need to come up with a way to make it safer without infringing on the neighbors,” she said.
There also will be other opportunities to speak for or against the project.
“There will be an opportunity to voice concerns directly to them and talk about some alternate routes and things we feel will be more viable,” she said. “Overall there’s are a lot of positives with this project but it is not positive if it’s directly impacting people’s quality of life.”
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff