Letter: Upper Township needs a bike path

To the Editor:

Upper Township, we need a bike path. As both time and attention spans these days are short, I will attempt to keep this call to action short and sweet.

As a collegiate basketball player and lifetime athlete, the benefits of physical movement are beyond denial. Yes, walking and running and moving in general can add years to your life, but the mental peace and levity it brings to the table should not be taken for granted. Some of the most peaceful people I have met have a daily walking or running habit. 

Because I received a top-notch education through both the Upper Township and Ocean City school system, I know the value of including citations and backing up statements with fact. Therefore, I have included my lists of references below. Many have heard of the scientific study undergone by National Geographer Dan Buetner, dubbed the Blue Zones. In these five sections of the world, people are living to 100 – and actually living. Walking, dancing, gardening — with little to no rates of obesity and heart disease (compared to the US with 40% obesity and deaths every 33 seconds from heart disease) (1). Buetner has gone on to promote Blue Zone cities in the U.S. as a way to start saving lives. And what is one of the first things he and his team do when helping a city get healthy? You guessed it, add a bike path! The benefits of bike paths include community-wide weight loss, mental health stimulation, a place for gathering, and also safety. (2)

As a mother of four children and an avid athlete, I cannot believe the need for a bike path hasn’t been discussed daily. Yes, I attended the 2023 Bike Path meeting and know the awesome plans — of which have been stalled. And yes, I’m aware we received grants to add paths along the school and part of Route 9 in Beesleys Point. But why stop there? The number of kids and young adults who pile on e-bikes (mostly without helmets) and zoom down Route 9 and Stagecoach Road is actually quite terrifying. We are blessed, as a community, to not have had more accidents in this area, and I desperately hope it doesn’t take a serious one to wake people up.

I would now like to address those who argue that bike paths reduce home value and bring in a criminal element to the area. I would ask for some references here, as every scientific study and piece of literature points in the opposite direction. (3) Facts are verifiable with research — blogs and social media posts do not constitute data, but rather someone’s personal thoughts and often uninformed opinions.

And finally, I must address the community aspect involved in having a bike path. As someone who grew up in Upper Township, I took part in the building of Fort Nuwi (which has since sadly been replaced). The memories I have of scooping and spreading mulch and watching others erect the structure before my eyes are magical; I was proud to be a part of it. 

Furthermore, adding a bike path adds revenue to the town. With the numerous fundraiser walks, 5Ks and bike races, that fact is undeniable. Imagine if we all worked together to clean up the old railroad tracks and paved a path there? That alone would add a huge, safe portion and could connect to both already-funded future school paths (4). If each of the roughly 5,195households (5) in Upper only gave $10, we’d have over $50,000 to start financing this project. And while times may be tough for many, I propose that for one month, forgo any grocery store snack or junk food —  or even that drink at dinner — that costs $10 (and honestly, these days that’s most likely one drink or one bag of Doritos anyway, so it’s not a huge ask). 

I’ll end with this food for thought — taxes. Many are uninformed where federal and local taxes go, and often will answer “the government.” Rudimentarily, that is correct. However, most are unaware that a chunk of the taxes you pay go to health care costs to pay for surgeries, doctors’ visits and missed productivity days at work. As our country’s waistlines have gotten larger, so have our tax bills (6). One way to combat this is by getting healthy. Walking promotes weight loss, which in turn fights preventable diseases such as diabetes, various forms of cancer and many more life-threatening illnesses.

For anyone who doesn’t realize, we are the only piece of South Jersey missing from the connecting bike paths. Take a stroll and check out the beautiful job Dennis Township has done, as well as our other neighbors in Somers Point. I know I said I’d keep this short, and I truly did cut out a bunch, so please let’s rally together and get this bike path built. 

Kelly Channick (nee Kelly Brady)

Marmora

References:

1. https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/data-research/facts-stats/index.html#:~:text=Heart%20disease%20in%20the%20United%20States&text=One%20person%20dies%20every%2033,1%20in%20every%205%20deaths.
2. https://www.bluezones.com/2021/02/road-diets-bicycle-trains-and-walking-audits-can-transform-your-neighborhood/#:~:text=A%20proponent%20of%20%E2%80%9Cstreet%20diets,and%20more%20%E2%80%9Cpeople%20scaled.%E2%80%9D
3. https://headwaterseconomics.org/wp-content/uploads/Trail_Study_51-property-value-bike-paths-residential-areas.pdf
4. https://ocnjsentinel.com/grant-to-make-it-safer-for-upper-township-students/
5. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/uppertownshipcapemaycountynewjersey/PST045224
6. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10394178/#:~:text=Studies%20have%20found%20that%20health,to%20be%20nearly%20%24114%20billion.