A message from the City of Asbury Park Transportation Department: Asbury Avenue between Main Street and Heck Street has been repaved and striped to implement roadway narrowing and protected bicycle lanes. Roadway narrowing is a form of traffic calming. Studies have shown that wider travel lanes encourage faster vehicular speeds. Conversely, drivers naturally travel more slowly when navigating what feels—or is perceived—as a narrower lane. This effect was achieved by adding protected bicycle lanes, which are the safest option for cyclists when sharing the roadway with motor vehicles.
These lanes are defined by three key characteristics: physical separation from moving vehicles by a raised structure such as parked cars, exclusivity for bicycles and micromobility use, and proximity to the roadway. The physical barrier of parked cars offers greater separation from motor vehicle traffic on mid-block sections and significantly reduces the risk of “dooring” (a motor-vehicle occupant opening their door into the path of an oncoming cyclist)—a risk that cannot be mitigated through paint alone. It also reduces or eliminates motor vehicles blocking the bike lane and prevents cyclists from swerving into mixed traffic.
Creating a separate space for bicycles and micromobility users, with limited interactions with motor vehicles and pedestrians, encourages novice and less confident cyclists to choose alternative modes of transportation. Investing in traffic calming and networks of protected bicycle lanes has significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower transportation costs, prevent road fatalities, reduce parking demand, and improve the quality of life for residents and visitors.
