Letter: Petition to turn rails into a pedestrian trail

After a year of research, I started an online petition, Northern Valley Rails to Trail Petition. In less than three weeks’ time we have over 1,000 signatures from Bergen County residents.  This petition is to gain support for conducting a study to examine the feasibility of replacing a portion of CSX’s unused Northern Branch train line (the section from Tenafly to Closter) with a cycling and pedestrian path.  Based on comparisons with other Rails to Trails conversion projects, the Northern Valley Cycle and Pedestrian path should generate a wide range of benefits for the greater Northern Valley community, including increased physical activity, fewer pedestrian and cyclist crashes with motor vehicles, increased business activity and improved working environment, and less air pollution.  

If you have any doubt about the need for such a path, simply get on the road between 6am and 9am any day of the week.  The interaction between automobiles, buses and trucks with cyclists, joggers, and children walking to school is absolutely frightening.  

Sign the petition and let’s get moving!

Alexander P. Philliou

Haworth, Nov. 21