It’s important for all members of the family to stay physically active. With the freedom to exercise in our neighborhoods, we can still enjoy the outdoors by walking, running, and riding bicycles. With fewer cars on the road, this could be the safest time to ride. In New York and other cities, people are choosing bicycles over buses and subway cars to maintain safe physical distance from other commuters. New Jersey recognizes bicycles as a healthy transportation option and has declared bicycle shops are an essential resource during this public health crisis.

Keep Middlesex Moving has reached out to the bike shops in, and around, Middlesex County to learn how they are continuing to serve their communities. Like the restaurants, supermarkets, and other establishments, local bike shops have tailored their operations to safely provide services while maintaining the precautions of 6 feet between their staff and their customers.

Bicycle repair and maintenance services are offered at each of our local shops. You can expect a shop to have curbside dropoff and pickup. Most stores are operating on an adjusted schedule, and business continues to ramp up as the weather continues to improve. Each store’s volume varies. Depending on the type of service you need on your bike, the wait can range from 1 to 14 days.

All of the shops offer retail sales online and over the phone. Customers can still purchase a bicycle, components, and accessories and arrange curbside pickup, however, many have closed their showrooms and are not offering test rides. It’s a good idea to see what’s offered at the shop via their website and to contact the shop directly with any questions.

To assist you and all of our local bike shops, KMM has compiled a Database of the shops in and around  Middlesex County. This resource provides each store’s modified hours, contact information, and retail operations.

Click here for the shops mapped.

 

The invention of the railroad in 1804 brought forth innovation, human expansion, and a new method of travel. Train travel helped change the course of human history in ways we couldn’t have imagined. From the B&O Railroad which was the first American company to be granted a charter to transport both freight and passengers, to the NYC subway system which has the most stations in the world, our nation is deeply dependent on this method of travel.

When we think of taking a bucket list vacation, train travel doesn’t usually come to mind. However, a rail company in Vancouver, BC has been offering bucket list-worthy trips of a lifetime across the Canadian Rockies since 1990. The Rocky Mountaineer Rail Company offers trips with breathtaking views of the Canadian Rockies, a mountain range between British Columbia and Alberta, that is home to five National Parks that were declared a UNSECO World Heritage Site-  Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, and Yoho.

With full glass dome windows and gourmet meals worthy of world-class restaurants, this train trip will take your breath away. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this amazing trip from the comfort of your armchair!

From mid-March to mid-May, it’s Tulip Time in The Netherlands.  And the best place to see tulips is at Keukenhof Gardens.  The Keukenhof estate dates back to the 11th century.   The idea for using the English style gardens as a palette for spring-flowering bulbs was proposed flower merchants in 1949.  Keukenhof opened as a spring park the following year and attracted over 200,000 visitors. Now, each year millions of visitors from around the world tour Keukenhof.

In 2020, the 71^st anniversary year, the Gardens are closed but the staff has prepared a series of videos so that all can still enjoy Keukenhof – A World of Colours.

 

Other links to sights in The Netherlands

Geithorne – The Venice of the North

 

Delft

 

Windmills of Zaanse Schans

 

Closer to Home   Holland Ridge Farms, Cream Ridge, NJ

With the click of a button, you can experience travel, all from the comfort of your home.

KMM’s Armchair Travel is a weekly blog series that takes readers to all corners of the world with virtual tours and videos. For this week’s blog, we present Botanical Gardens – Orchid Show.

One of the oldest botanical gardens in North America, the United States Botanic Garden was established by Congress in 1820. We share with you a snip-it of their 2020 Orchid Show.

The New York Botanical Garden is a 250-acre oasis in the middle of the Big Apple. The historic, Victorian-style glasshouse provides a world tour of 11 distinct plant habitats, including tropical rain forest and desert environments of the Americas and Africa. We share with you a 25-minute video of the 2020 spring orchid exhibit.

Both gardens are expected to open to on May 1, 2020.

 

 

 

UPDATE: The deadline for submission is May 1, 2020.  You may also scan and email the bookmark to programs@kmm.org. We ask that you mail the original copy at a later date.

Open to all third graders in Middlesex County, KMM is tasking children to create a bookmark showing themselves walking or biking at a place that makes their town such an amazing place to grow up.

Bookmark Entry Rules:

• The design must include original artwork in color.
• The design must be submitted using this entry form.
• One entry per student.
• The winner will receive a $100 gift card from Provident Bank. The winning bookmark will be printed and distributed to schools in Middlesex County.
• Entries become the property of Keep Middlesex Moving.
• Entries must be submitted by April 15, 2020

3rd grade Bookmark Entry 2020

With the click of a button, you can experience travel, all from the comfort of your home.

KMM’s Armchair Travel is a weekly blog series that takes readers to all corners of the world with virtual tours and videos.  This week, we bring you three tours of the most popular museums in the world.  So sit back and enjoy tours of  Versailles, The Louvre, and The Smithsonian.

 

 

 

Have you visited these museums in person?  Please share your photos and memories with us at programs@kmm.org.

In an effort to facilitate increased demand for energy-efficient vehicles in New Jersey as the market expands, legislation to establish new goals and incentives that support the use of plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) was signed into law by the Governor on Friday. The measure is sponsored by Assembly Democrats Daniel Benson, Nancy Pinkin and James Kennedy.

The legislation (A-4819), now law, establishes new goals for the use of plug-in electric EVs, and establishes incentive programs regarding the use of light-duty plug-in EVs and in-home charging equipment. It pertains to a “light-duty vehicle” which under the law includes, but is not limited to, any vehicle commonly referred to as a car, minivan, sport utility vehicle, cross-over, or pick-up truck.

“Our goal is to get more electric vehicles on the road, which in turn will result in less greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, more local jobs to put the charging infrastructure in place, and cleaner air for our communities,” said Benson (D-Mercer, Middlesex), chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee. “For a cleaner, healthier State, this law puts forth strong attainable goals to increase the number of electric vehicles and charging stations in New Jersey.”
Among the new State goals established by the law:

• At least 330,000 of registered light-duty vehicles in the State are to be plug-in electric vehicles by December 31, 2025, and at least 2 million by December 31, 2035;
• At least 85% of all new light-duty vehicles sold in the State are to be plug-in electric vehicles by December 31, 2040;
• At least 400 DC Fast Chargers to be available for public use at no fewer than 200 charging locations in the State by December 31, 2025;
• At least 15% of all multi-family residential properties in the State are to be equipped with Electric Vehicle service equipment (EVSE) for the routine charging of plug-in electric vehicles by residents by December 31, 2025; and
• At least 10% of new bus purchases made by NJ Transit are to be zero-emission buses by December 31, 2024, 50% by December 31, 2026, and 100% by December 31, 2032.

“It is estimated that 75 billion miles are traveled on New Jersey roads every year in vehicles fueled by gasoline and diesel,” said Pinkin (D-Middlesex), chair of the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee. “By promoting the use of electric vehicles under these goals, we can help make New Jersey air cleaner which would be a huge win for the environment and public health. With the climate crises we are seeing across the world, it is imperative that we move to reduce our carbon footprint as quickly as possible.”

Under the provisions of the law, the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) is tasked with establishing and implementing incentive programs for the purchase or lease of light-duty plug-in electric vehicles; and purchase and installation of in-home electric vehicle charging equipment.

In the first year of the incentive program for electric vehicles, the amount of the incentive is to equal $25 per mile of EPA-rated electric-only range up to a maximum of $5,000 per eligible vehicle. For in-home charging equipment, individuals will be eligible to receive one-time payments of no more than $500 per person.

“Incentivizing the switch to electric vehicles will not only help save money and reduce emissions but will be critical in laying the foundation for a self-sustaining market in the long term,” said Kennedy (D-Middlesex, Somerset, Union). “This law equips us to build on year-to-year successes.”

The law also provides for the creation of the Plug-in Electric Vehicle Incentive Fund administered by the BPU to be used solely for disbursements under the light-duty plug-in electric vehicle and in-home electric vehicle charging equipment incentive programs. It further requires that no less than $30 million in annual disbursements from the fund be made available under the programs.

Additionally, the Department of Environmental Protection will develop and implement a public education program to provide consumers information regarding the availability and benefits of plug-in electric vehicles, the new State goals and availability of incentives.

The law was given final legislative approval 65-9 in the full Assembly and 27-12 in the Senate in January 2020. It will take effect immediately.

This article is shared from NJ Democrats 

As the air turns cooler and leaves fall from the trees, it’s important to keep a few important fall safety tips in mind. This is why we have created our Fall Season Safety Tip Series! Our five blogs will cover the most important things to focus on during this year’s Fall season. We will cover the topics:

1. Pedestrian Safety
2. Driving Safety
3. Weather
4. Fire Use
5. Lawn Maintenance

Make sure you stay connected with our KMM Website as well as our social media platforms to stay connected and informed! We will be posting a blog each week for the rest of the Fall.