Union County, NJ Mobility & Curb Rules: Bike Lane Rules (2026)

Laws of Union County § 115-14 sets bicycle operating rules for property the county owns, leases, or controls. Subsection F bars leaving a bicycle lying or standing on a sidewalk, footpath, footbridge, roadway, bridle path, or other county land used for pedestrian or vehicular traffic in a way that hinders or impedes that traffic; this is the county's obstruction rule and it applies to any public land under county control, not just designated bike paths. Subsection G confines bicycles to a roadway used only as a thoroughfare, or to a sidewalk, footpath, footbridge, or bridle path that has been specifically set aside and marked for bicycle use, and separately bars riding in a manner that impedes vehicular traffic.

Subsection H builds on that: a cyclist on a roadway must ride in the direction of traffic flow, as near to the side as practicable, and no more than two abreast; once the county has provided a usable bicycle path, cyclists must use that path and may not use the roadway instead. The County Manager, acting through the Director of the Department of Public Safety, can adopt further rules for safe bicycle operation under subsection I, provided they do not conflict with any ordinance or state law, and those rules must be posted conspicuously.

Bicycles operated on county property must also be registered with the rider's home municipality under subsection A, and an unregistered or improperly marked bicycle is subject to inspection and possible impoundment by Union County Police under subsections C and D.