Morris Township committee endorses plan to develop "bike‑walk‑roll" network; TAC seeks staff support and funding

The Transportation Advisory Committee on April 16 presented a draft "bike‑walk‑roll" plan aimed at improving biking, walking and micromobility safety and connectivity across Morris Township, and the Township Committee endorsed moving the plan into a formal development phase.

"We have been talking about the possibility of a bike, walk and now roll plan for a number of months," said Betty Simmons of the Transportation Advisory Committee, who presented the draft and the list of potential stakeholders. She said the plan expands beyond traditional bike-and-walk planning to include scooters and electric bikes.

The plan is framed to align with the township's existing Complete and Green Streets initiative, the master plan and the trails and pathways plan, and to reduce vehicle traffic and greenhouse‑gas emissions while improving safety and access. Simmons told the committee the effort is currently in an early planning stage and would likely take 18 to 24 months to develop a full, actionable plan.

Committee members and the mayor praised the proposal and discussed next steps. Committeeman Jorphy said he supported the plan and its educational component. "It's a well thought out plan," he said. Mayor Donna J. Gruglia and other members noted the effort will likely require participation from township departments and staff and could rely on grants to fund technical work.

Simmons told the committee the TAC has already begun outreach to Morristown, county parks officials and other nearby municipalities to coordinate cross‑jurisdictional routes and to use existing plans as benchmarks. The presentation listed potential stakeholders including police, recreation, and county and municipal planners; Simmons said the committee wants broad community input before drafting firm recommendations.

Township staff signaled support for coordination. Simmons said the TAC does not plan to move forward with major technical work without formal endorsement and access to township staff and resources.

The committee directed staff to work with TAC to refine a statement of intent, identify funding opportunities and return with a plan to begin stakeholder engagement. No formal appropriation was made at the meeting; councilors said they expect to pursue grants and to use existing township planning resources where appropriate.

The committee emphasized education and safety measures as central to implementation, and discussed routing recommendations that would steer riders away from high‑speed corridors and toward alternative local streets and off‑street paths where feasible.

TAC and the committee said they will return with more detailed timelines, a stakeholder roster and a proposed budget for any outside consulting or engineering work the plan would require.