‘Bike Without Fear’ attracts hundreds of cyclists and joggers, may be repeated

One of the scenes waiting for participants in Sept. 8’s “Bike Without Fear” ride along Canal Road.

Hundreds of people took advantage of a 6-hour ban on most automobile traffic along a 4-mile stretch of Canal Road Sept. 8 to bicycle and jog without fear of getting run over.

The reason was the inaugural “Bike Without Fear” event, spearheaded by Township Councilman Philip Cramer.

Cramer, himself a Canal Road resident, said he got the council’s support for the initiative because he’s “always wracking my brain to think of things we can do for the community at minimal expense. I know other towns shut down roads for various events, so it just hit me.”

Canal Road was closed to through traffic from Elm Street in East Millstone to Butler Road from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The road in that stretch winds along the Delaware and Raritan Canal and through farmland.

Cramer declared the event “fantastic.”

“I’m lucky enough to live on Canal Road and of course I think it’s beautiful,” he said.

Cramer said he purposely did not market the event too heavily.

“You don’t want throngs of people until you work the kinks out,” he said. “I spoke to about a dozen people and they all thought it was great.”

The councilman said he’s going to wait a while to “see if any negative comments filter in,” but the even may be repeated “a couple of times next year.”

VIDEO: Riders talk about “Bike Without Fear” Day.

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