Editorial: Don't drink it and drive

New Jerseyans have a charming habit of embracing the state's least lovable features and turning them into proud symbols. The Flying Fish Brewing Co.'s series of limited-edition beers named after New Jersey Turnpike exits would seem to be a welcome example.

Now Exit 11 in Woodbridge, where the turnpike meets the Garden State Parkway, isn't just a hellish meeting of superhighways; it's a reportedly tasty wheat ale whose confluence of ingredients and styles commemorates Jersey's great crossroads. Our own Exit 4 got the first beer in the series, reflecting the brewery's home base in Cherry Hill.

Flying Fish's slogan embodies the state's slightly insecure and belligerent sense of dignity: "Proudly brewed in New Jersey. You got a problem with that?"

Incredibly enough, someone did have a problem with it. Turnpike officials and Mothers Against Drunk Driving complained that the Exit Series inappropriately associates drinking with driving. They eventually backed off, after Flying Fish stressed that it does not believe its product and the toll road should be used in conjunction.

That hardly seemed necessary, though. The inadvisablility of drunken driving is hard to overstate. But naming a New Jersey beer after the turnpike is as natural as naming a California beer after the Sierra Nevada. And it doesn't suggest driving under the influence any more than Flying Fish's Farmhouse Summer Ale is an inducement to drinking while operating farm machinery.

Fortunately, this jam seems to have cleared up, and the Exit Series is expected to continue. Exit 8A, already a famous bottleneck, seems full of possibility. Perhaps Exit 15X will get Lautenberg Lager, an old-fashioned, naturally fermented ale named for the senator who helped bring about the ill-used offramp.

In short, there could be a lot of good local beer down the, ah, road. And we don't have a problem with that.

Not just Fat Tuesday anymore

Americans are getting fatter at an alarming rate, and their children are following in their unhealthy footsteps, according to a new obesity study.

"F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America" uncovered a staggering statistic: Two-thirds of adults are either obese or overweight. In 1980, the national average for adult obesity was 15 percent.

Over the last year, the obesity rate increased in 23 states, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Mississippi led the list as the heaviest state for a fifth straight year.

Even more troubling, childhood obesity is also on the rise, tripling nationwide since 1980. In 30 states, at least 30 percent of the children are in the same predicament as their parents.

Experts blame junk food, fast food, and sedentary lifestyles.

What a fat state of affairs. And experts say it could get worse if current economic conditions continue and Americans are less likely to eat healthy meals.

The report, released by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, makes the case that the country needs health-care reform now more than ever. It suggests a national strategy to combat obesity and address it as a growing epidemic.

With the growing waist lines come soaring health-care costs to treat conditions frequently related to obesity, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Add to that equation the millions of Americans who are uninsured or underinsured.

Providing every adult and child with basic health coverage would make available preventive care that includes screening for obesity and chronic conditions.

But as the report suggests, health-care reform alone is not the answer. The report calls for better policies and programs to change unhealthy lifestyles at work and school. That includes making nutritious food affordable in every community.

For adults - especially baby boomers, who are more likely than their peers to suffer from obesity - that means getting more physical activity. Employers should be encouraged to provide wellness programs.

Many states have already adopted stricter nutritional guidelines for school meals and replaced vending-machine junk food with healthier choices.

That's a positive step, but children also need less time in front of the TV or computer and more physical exercise at school and home.

Vital east-west links for bicyclists

Philadelphia motorists have their pick of east-west arteries to cross Center City, but travelers relying on pedal power have had no such quick and safe route. Fortunately, that's about to change.

Mayor Nutter's transportation czar, Rina Cutler, this week announced a groundbreaking pilot program that will create west- and eastbound bicycle-only lanes, respectively, along Spruce and Pine Streets. Each street will have one lane reserved for cars and trucks.

By Labor Day, city workers will have painted new lines along the streets from river to river, creating a leafy corridor for cyclists to cross the city with greater safety and unparalleled convenience. The Streets Department also will adjust traffic-signal timing to ease the flow for all traffic along Pine and Spruce.

With the new bike lanes in place, Nutter's vision of a more bicycle-friendly city will take its first tangible leap forward.

The mayor already set an important policy directive with his recent executive order directing that city officials consider the needs of cyclists, pedestrians, and transit users when planning road projects. The new east-west routes for bikes will deliver on that promise in a big way and could well encourage more people to commute on bikes.

While the development of bike and walking trails along the Schuylkill and soon along the Delaware has been a boon to recreational cycling, the dedicated cross-town bike lanes could enable more people to reach jobs and nightlife destinations on two wheels.

The city has been lauded by a national cycling group for its 205 miles of bicycle lanes and 32 miles of recreational trails. The efforts to boost cycling appear to be working. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia reports that cycling has doubled in the city over the last three years.

The addition of safe and convenient bike lanes through Center City make it more likely that the most ambitious cycling initiative yet - a bike-sharing program - could well succeed here.