Neighbors Of Bucolic Woods Say Bike Path Is Road To Ruin

Krystal Knapp
The Trenton Times

July 10, 2003

LAWRENCE - The five trails that wind their way through Carson Road Woods have names like Sassafras, Sweet Gum and Beech Forest.

Handmade markers shaped like leaves guide visitors through the 183-acre park, along with a trail map made by a nearby resident who loves the woods, especially its old peach tree orchard and beech forest.

A lucky hiker traveling through the woods might catch a glimpse of a gray-horned owl, eastern bluebirds or a red fox ready to pounce on its prey. The land has been described by some as a nature sanctuary - a place for walks, bird watching and solitude.

But now another kind of trail is being proposed in the park, a 10-foot-wide asphalt bike path some people fear will disturb the wildlife and ruin the park's character.

The new path through Carson Road Woods would be part of a proposed 20-mile bicycle trail looping through Lawrence and Hopewell, linking three Bristol-Myers Squibb corporate centers and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) headquarters.

"Carson Road Woods is a treasure," said resident Bob Hunsicker. "We should work to preserve the green space we have. A 10-foot-wide bike path would almost take the sanctity away from the place."

Hunsicker spoke last night at ETS in the first of three neighborhood meetings organized by the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Task Force in response to opposition from residents of neighborhoods along the proposed trail. Almost 100 people attended the meeting.

Opponents of the path agree the idea of a bike trail is a good one, just not through Carson Road Woods.

The trail has been in the works about two years, but some people say they only recently learned about it.

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Residents and nature lovers who raised money to preserve Carson Road Woods about two years ago say a bike path was never mentioned during fund-raising efforts.

"Nothing of this sort ever came up when we raised the money," said resident Ben Brickner. "Some people donated $50,000 or $100,000, an entire year's worth of their salaries, to preserve the woods for open space and passive recreation."

Brickner, who lives near the park and served on the fund-raising committee to save the woods, said when he donated money to the preservation efforts he understood passive recreation to be hiking, fishing, swimming and bird watching.

Councilman Rick Miller, whose property borders Carson Road Woods, said no one mentioned a bike path through Carson Road Woods to either the Friends of Carson Road Woods or the township council when efforts were made to preserve it.

The township paid $8.4 million to preserve the Carson Road Woods parcel between Carson Road and Belleview Terrace that also borders homes on Carter and Province Line roads. The land had been threatened by development since the late 1980s.

About $3 million was raised privately by the Delaware & Raritan Greenway, and Bristol-Myers Squibb donated $1 million to save the property from development. State, county and municipal funds also were used.

Councilwoman Pam Mount, a member of the volunteer, nonprofit task force who was unable to attend last night's meeting, said the group tried to involve as many people as possible in the plans. But residents question why they never heard about it or read about it until November if it has been in the planning stages for two years.

Mount said the task force held three public hearings where residents had the opportunity to voice their concerns. Miller criticized how the meetings were run and said the format didn't provide enough information or allow for questions.

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The township council balked last month at a proposal added to the council agenda at the last minute to apply for $200,000 from the state Department of Transportation and provide $45,000 of its own money to build a portion of the bike path.

The council refused to put the application on the agenda to meet the application's July 1 deadline because council members wanted more information and hoped residents' concerns could be answered.

The township submitted the DEP application anyway, with the understanding the council could approve it at its July 15 meeting, officials said.

Some audience members praised the path plans, saying they would benefit bikers, children and the surrounding community and raise property values.

"I don't understand the opposition," said resident Larry Richards. "It's like criticizing motherhood and apple pie."

If the path does eventually go through the park, some residents question why it needs to be an asphalt path, 10 feet wide.

Township Manager Bill Guhl said the 10-foot measurement is a requirement of the DOT grant.

Task force members also said a paved path makes the woods accessible to everyone, including people in wheelchairs.

The president of the Central Jersey Bike Club, Mike Kruimer of Edison Township, said his wife cannot access the park in her wheelchair without a paved path.

"Are you saying she cannot use the park?" he said. "She likes to bird watch. I cannot understand why you don't want people to enjoy the woods. I would like my wife to be able to go to the woods."

To show people what a 10-foot-wide path would look like, some residents presented a slideshow last night, comparing the width of the proposed path with a little more than a lane on Carson Road. Residents said the path would attract too much traffic from people riding bicycles, rollerskates and skateboards.

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Some would like an alternate route outside the park while others think a path around the perimeter would be acceptable.

At a meeting of the Friends of Carson Road Woods last week, Mount told the residents if the council does not approve the application for the DOT funding, individuals have already offered to donate the money.

The final decision about how the land is used is up to the township because the park is public property. Under the council-manager form of government, Guhl can decide how public land is used.

Mount said eventually the path will be built, whether it takes one year or 20. The task force is still working out the path details and is open to ideas, she said.

But with the ETS portion of the path almost complete, some residents feel their comments mean nothing.

Task force member Eleanor Horne, corporate secretary of ETS, tried to reassure people last night and residents praised her for her grace under pressure.

"This is a bike path for the community," she said. "We will reconsider what it looks like, how wide it is and where the path is. We will explore all the alternatives with you. Nothing is cast in concrete yet."