New bike path connects Jersey City and Newark

The two largest cities in New Jersey are now connected, with no driving required.

That was the message that Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy championed at the ribbon-cutting ceramony today for a new path that provides a safe route over the Hackensack and Passaic Rivers, joining Jersey City and Newark.

The new path extends from Lincoln Park in Jersey City, along Routes 1 & 9, before ending at Raymond Boulevard in Newark.

The path is part of the East Coast Greenway, a 2,500 system of trails that are mostly non-traffic, going from Florida to Maine."This is a celebration of community, cooperativeness and volunteerism," said Bob Schiers, public relations manager for Cabot Creamery Cooperative, which is sponsoring a three-month trek along the entire East Coast Greenway.

Andy Hamilton, coordinator of the East Coast Greenway, said this is a great step towards a more sustainable future.

He expressed that this connecting path allowed those without cars, or the ability to take public transportation, the option of commuting between the cities whether it be by foot or bicycle.

Myron Skott, 63, is one of the cyclists doing the east coast trek and was excited for the path and looking forward to continue onward to Central Park, where a larger festival will be held on Saturday.

Skott is riding the full length of the East Coast Greenway with his wife Cathy and Bob Spiegelman, and expect to arrive in Portland, Maine July 7.

Some riders, who aren't willing to make the east coast trek, have joined up with the group at various stops throughout the tour.

Joan Lindermann, who lives in New York City and from Washington D.C. to Philadelphia, has only been riding for three years, but sees the construction of the new path as only beneficial.

"If you make it easy for people, they'll do it," she said, adding that none of this would have been possible if it wasn't for Hamilton.

"His passion is contagious."

Ronald Clemente, of Jersey City, met up with the group at Newark Penn Station at 10 a.m. and rode with them to Lincoln Park for the ribbon cutting.

While optimistic about the progress being made and the addition of this connecting path, he expressed concern about maintenance.

"I felt timid," he said. Citing that due to some overgrown vegetation, the path felt too narrow.

Still, the path bodes well for the East Coast Greenway which, with the addition of the connecting path, now goes to Pennsylvania, Washington and Florida, according to Hamilton.

As for the ride back from Maine, Myron Skott isn't sure how he and his wife will be getting back to their native Georgia.

Cycling is an option, but Skott is more tempted to fly back instead of making the three-month journey back.

"My first grandbaby is due in September," he said, laughing. "I don't want to miss it."