By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
The mere mention of the phrase “bike racks” in the Downbeach area is likely to elicit eye rolls and snarky remarks from residents and visitors.
That’s because it’s been several years since two Downbeach municipalities were jointly awarded a $275,000 federal Bicycle Infrastructure grant – four years to be exact. And still, the community is left waiting for an amenity they say they desperately need, mostly due to the lack of parking spaces available with the onslaught of summertime crowds.
The cities of Ventnor and Margate partnered on the grant, which was funded through the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration’s $1.9 million allocation to the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization for fiscal year 2017. The cities were awarded the grant, but Atlantic County government was responsible for grant management.
After years of being bogged down with design, bids, rebids, input from local, county and federal government regulations and the COVID-19 pandemic, the county was expected to authorized the project to proceed last week following several on-site meetings with the R. Maxwell Construction Co., Inc. of Pleasantville and the construction management team to finalize bike rack locations.
The grant promised the installation of 208 bicycle racks in business districts and residential neighborhoods based on the needs of each community. Margate was supposed to get 131 customized bike racks, while Ventnor would get 77, although those numbers have been pared down.
According to Ventnor Public Works Supervisor Ed Stinson, adjustments were made to the locations and number of bike racks.
Ventnor will install bike racks at five business locations, six in the City Hall area, and eight at the city’s recreational complex at Titus Field. A bike rack location was also added on N. Weymouth Avenue.
Margate’s bike racks will be located at 54 beachfront locations, including at Lucy the Elephant, and 17 other locations along Ventnor and Amherst avenues, the Martin Bloom Pavilion and the Sigmund S. Rimm recreation complex on Jerome Avenue.
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