BikeNewark was busy again in 2023 in a number of areas. Below is a list of our accomplishments during 2023, categorized by type.
Bicycle-friendly status
Helped the City of Newark complete its renewal application to the League of American Bicyclists for “Bicycle Friendly Community” (BFC) status. As a result, Newark became the first city in Delaware to achieve “Silver” status as a BFC. There are only 41 communities nationwide that boast a higher BFC status than Newark.
Projects
Completed signage production and installation for the South Bikeway and the Delaware Avenue portion of the Central Loop Bikeway as part of the Newark Bikeways low-stress bicycle network wayfinding project.
Purchased and ordered four information/wayfinding kiosks for the City of Newark staff to install on segments of the Newark Bikeways.
Safety
Produced a new safety handout—“No Distracted Biking”—to address the problem of local cyclists wearing earphones, earbuds, and texting while biking, adding to our growing cadre of bike-safety materials. It also mentions no biking under the influence of alcohol or other mind-altering substances (i.e., no “BUI”).
Partnered with University of Delaware Police, DelDOT, and Newark Bike Project to hold four successful bike-safety checkpoint events on campus, during which about 75 sets of bike lights were installed, about 25 bike helmets were fitted and given out, and bicycle-safety information was distributed.
Events
Organized the inaugural Newark Family Bike Fest, a family-oriented event in June on the University of Delaware campus that included bicycle and civic-organization vendors, games for the kids, a bike rodeo administered by DelDOT, and distribution of local route and bike-safety information.
Highlighted National Bike Month in May with our annual Bike to Work Day event on the campus of the University of Delaware, in coordination with the City of Newark, UD, DelDOT, Newark Bike Project, and Delaware Commute Solutions.
Organized and held five First Friday Rides community events—slow group rides that are meant to encourage those of all ages to enjoy bicycling and practice good group-riding etiquette—involving more than 50 bicyclists.
Participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of DelDOT’s Elkton Road improvements project, which included the off-road paved bike/ped path from the Maryland state line to Gravenor Lane, which is part of the city’s Southwest Bikeway.
Distributed information and talked with attendees at the annual Newark Community Day in September.
Distributed information and talked with attendees at a Newark evening Beer Garden event in October and raffled off a new bike helmet among the registered donees.
Funding and membership
Received grant funding of $6,000 from The Newark Partnership and an additional $5,000 from state Rep. Cyndie Romer to be used for the purchase of information kiosks to be placed along segments of the Newark Bikeways.
Received $2,000 in generous funding from the White Clay Bicycle Club, much of which was applied to the Newark Bikeways wayfinding project.
A few members contributed other amounts in addition to their membership fee.
Increased membership by ten during the calendar year, bringing total membership for 2023 to 42.
Support of other efforts
Supported and co-sponsored our partner Bike Delaware’s “Everyone Gets Home” Summit in Dover in May.
Supported John R. Downes Elementary School for its annual Bike to School Day celebration in May.
Supported the Newark Center for Creative Learning’s Greenfest event.
Supported and participated with Delaware State Parks in five trail-etiquette events.
Members participated in (and continue on) The Newark Partnership.
A member participated (and continues) on the City of Newark’s Transportation Improvement District (TID) Committee.
Congratulations to Delaware Greenways for its successful application, which resulted in the award of a National Scenic Byways Program grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) in the amount of $913,420 for the Delaware Bayshore Byway. Delaware Greenways and DelDOT are two of BikeNewark’s seven partner organizations.
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