BikeNewark chair Bob McBride helps fit a UD student with a new DelDOT-donated helmet.
As has been done for nearly 10 years, BikeNewark worked with partner groups this fall to hold two bicycle-safety checkpoint events on the University of Delaware (UD) campus, adjacent to the two-way protected bicycle lane that comprises the northern east-west portion of the Central Loop of the Newark Bikeways low-stress network. This fall, two-hour events were held on September 23 and October 1, in partnership with the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), the University of Delaware Police Department (UDPD), and Delaware Commute Solutions.
BikeNewark’s Mark Deshon discusses some safety-info handouts with a UD student.
DelDOT’s Chip Kneavel inflates a UD student’s tire on the brick patio area adjacent to Delaware Avenue.
The purpose of these twice-a-semester events is to help inform students about bicycle safety and local safe-bicycling routes, provide minor bike repairs or adjustments, and install free front and rear bike lights and offer a free helmet*, both courtesy of DelDOT.
Amy Reardon gives a student information about Delaware Commute Solutions benefits.
This fall was a record-breaking season for the free bike lights and helmets given by DelDOT. The October event smashed any previous event’s numbers, as 26 sets of bike lights were installed and 15 helmets were given to UD students. Combined with the initial event in September, this fall we distributed 45 sets of lights and 24 helmets, far beyond what we had ever done before.
BikeNewark’s Dave Schultz and Mark Deshon install front and rear lights on a student’s bike.
It’s clear that there is always a real need and interest among UD students for the services we offer as a means of fulfilling a commitment to improve bicycle safety in Newark. BikeNewark thanks its volunteers as well as staff from DelDOT, UDPD, and Delaware Commute Solutions for helping make these events such a success.
Our BikeNewark tent was prominent on The Green at our September 23 bicycle-safety checkpoint.
A group of more than 50 registered their attendance at this year’s Bike to Work Day event.
BikeNewark member Kristen Cribb acts as our event emcee this year.
Despite threatening weather on May 16, BikeNewark partnered with the City of Newark, the University of Delaware (UD), DelDOT, Delaware Commute Solutions, and Newark Bike Project to celebrate national Bike to Work Day in Newark.
More than 50 people registered for and attended the hour-long, early-morning event, which has traditionally been held on the University of Delaware’s main campus. At Mentors’ Circle attendees enjoyed light breakfast items, free Bike Month t-shirts (courtesy of DelDOT and the Delaware Bicycle Council), commuting and local biking info, great networking, and brief speeches by local and state officials.
Newly-elected Newark Mayor Travis McDermott shares about city progress at his first Bike to Work Day event.
BikeNewark member, Kristen Cribb, acted as the event’s emcee. Introduced first was UD’s Dean of the Graduate College and BikeNewark member Lou Rossi. Rossi is a fanatical bicycle commuter, thus well suited to have spoken at this event. Rossi welcomed everyone on behalf of the host institution.
Having been elected as Newark’s new city mayor less than six weeks earlier, Mayor Travis McDermott, spoke about the many ways the City of Newark has improved conditions for bicyclists over the past few years.
Delaware State Rep. Cyndie Romer gives a nice analysis of why we should promote bicycling.
Next at the podium was State Rep. Cyndie Romer, who represents a good chunk of the Newark area. She gave a wonderful advertisement for bicycling and, in particular, bicycling in Newark.
Keynote speaker New Castle County Executive Marcus Henry address the event attendees.
The event’s keynote speaker was New Castle County Executive Marcus Henry, a UD alumnus who was elected in November to fill the vacancy left by now–Delaware Governor Matt Meyer. Henry talked about the importance of local and county cooperation, particularly with regard to projects that enhance multimodal transportation.
BikeNewark chair Bob McBride then announced and presented the annual Bicycle Friendly Community Leader Award. This year’s recipient was longtime Delaware State Senator Dave Sokola, who represents part of Newark and areas to the city’s northeast. Standing with Rep. Romer, Sokola was surprised to hear his name called to receive this award. No one else was, though, as he has been such an integral player in the advancement of all things related to bicycling within the Delaware legislature and locally here in Newark.
A surprised Sen. Dave Sokola happily receives this year’s Bicycle Friendly Community Leader Award from BikeNewark chair Bob McBride for his many years of local support for bicycling.
BikeNewark’s Mark Deshon and Kristen Cribb then drew names of lucky attendees at random to win one of ten giveaways, with a combined value of $450. Gift sponsors included BikeNewark, Bike Delaware, University of Delaware, and Wooden Wheels.
Additional Event Photos
UD-administration representative and BikeNewark member Lou Rossi and BikeNewark Treasurer Karl Hassler enjoy some refreshment in front of the DelDOT tent, manned by John Fiori and Paul Moser.Bike Delaware’s James Wilson (right) engages Sen. Dave Sokola in a transportation chat.
BikeNewark secretary Jacquee Lukawski and DelDOT’s John Fiori await student customers at the bike-safety checkpoint adjacent to the Delaware Avenue two-way protected bikeway.
In cooperation with the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), the University of Delaware (UD) Department of Public Safety (UDPD), and Delaware Commute Solutions, BikeNewark held spring bicycle-safety checkpoint events on the UD campus on April 1st and April 9th.
BikeNewark chair Bob McBride talks with a student about the importance of wearing a helmet.
During these events, BikeNewark members and DelDOT and Delaware Commute Solutions staff members interacted with approximately 40 UD students. Free bike lights and helmets were offered. Bicycle-safety information, most of which is available on our Other Resources webpage, was handed out, depending on the particular student’s interest, needs, and/or safety violation.
A student looks on as DelDOT’s John Fiori installs a free bike light on her electric bicycle.
A total of 18 sets of bicycle lights (white front light, red rear light) were installed onto student bicycles, and five helmets were fitted and given away. The weather on each day was cold and somewhat windy, so these numbers were much lower than normally experienced during typical checkpoint events.
Students who were serviced left overwhelmingly happy that we had provided them with useful information and safety gear. Two such events will again be offered on campus in September.
BikeNewark Secretary Michael Smith ably emcees the event.
On May 17, BikeNewark partnered with the City of Newark, the University of Delaware (UD), DelDOT, and Delaware Commute Solutions to celebrate national Bike to Work Day in Newark.
About 75 people attended the hour-long, early-morning event, which has traditionally been held on the University of Delaware’s main campus. At Mentors’ Circle attendees enjoyed light breakfast items, free Bike Month t-shirts (courtesy of DelDOT and the Delaware Bicycle Council), free UD Police t-shirts, commuting and local biking info, great networking, and brief speeches by local and state officials.
UD’s Director of Community Engagement Matt Robinson welcomes attendees to campus.
BikeNewark’s Secretary, Michael Smith, acted as the event’s emcee. Introduced first was Matt Robinson, UD’s Director of Community Engagement. Robinson welcomed everyone on behalf of the host institution and spoke of how important University–community partnerships are to the overall success of the city.
City Councilwoman Corinth Ford talks about her biking experience in Newark.
Newark City Councilwoman and bicycle advocate Corinth Ford spoke about her long history of bicycling in Newark and how much conditions have improved overall for bicyclists.
State Rep. Paul Baumbach begins his remarks with a story of his growing up in a bicycle-centric family.
State Sen. Dave Sokola, who is a serious cyclist in his own right, follows Baumbach as a co-keynote speaker.
The event’s co-keynote speakers were local state legislators Rep. Paul Baumbach and Sen. Dave Sokola. Baumbach shared a story of how bicycling has been a key influence in his life. Sokola spoke about how important it has been for the city, county, BikeNewark, Bike Delaware, WILMAPCO, and DelDOT to work together to help plan and fund the improvements we’ve witnessed recently in Newark as well as in projects going forward.
City of Newark Mayor Jerry Clifton then joined City Manager Tom Coleman and BikeNewark chair Bob McBride to announce and present the annual Bicycle Friendly Community Leader Award. This year’s recipient was City staff member Joe Spadafino, the retiring city Director of Parks & Recreation.
2024 Bicycle Friendly Community Leader Award recipient Joe Spadafino shows off the framed award certificate, flanked by BikeNewark’s Bob McBride, City Manager Tom Coleman, and Mayor Jerry Clifton.
Spadafino was chosen because, as head of the city’s Parks & Recreation department, he has been very influential in working with BikeNewark to develop and promote bicycling routes and trails throughout the city’s many parks and greenspaces, including guiding the Emerson Bridge project and the in-progress project that will connect the bridge to the Pomeroy Trail (Newark’s North Bikeway) with two separate trails. He continued the wonderful legacy of our city’s Parks & Rec directors, following James F. Hall and Charlie Emerson.
Bloom Energy and W. L. Gore & Associates were each represented by several employees who biked in for the event.
BikeNewark’s Mark Deshon and Michael Smith then drew names of attendees at random to win one of nine giveaways, with a combined value of $400. Gift sponsors included BikeNewark, Bike Delaware, University of Delaware, Trek, Wooden Wheels, Deer Park Tavern, and Klondike Kate’s.
To conclude the proceedings, attendees gathered at the south steps of Hullihen Hall to pose for a group photo.
A group of nearly 70 attendees gather for an event-concluding photo. See you next year!
Special thanks go to UD’s Kathy Atkinson for photographically covering the event (including all the photos shown here).
Additional Event Photos
Attendees sign in at the BikeNewark registration table, assisted by Karen Rosenberg and Christine Schultz.Attendees stop by the food and vendor tables as they arrive.BikeNewark’s Christine Schultz listens to Newark Mayor Jerry Clifton.BikeNewark Vice Chair Kevin Monahan and his youngest daughter show off their custom ride.During the event, BikeNewark Chair Bob McBride shares some of what BikeNewark is working on in the community this year.
Newark celebrated National Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 17. This beautiful sunny day brought more than 80 riders to Mentors’ Circle on the University of Delaware campus for the early morning event.
Christine Schultz and Matt Kinservik arrive at Mentors’ Circle.
Thought ridership was perhaps not what it should have been on such a nice day, the event enjoyed great support in terms of sponsorships, led by Bloom Energy, which allowed us to this year to include a “grand prize” of a new Trek FX-1 bicycle.
Speakers and attendees alike rode in, each in one of six area “bike trains.” Attendees enjoyed light breakfast fare and coffee and garnered free “Bike Month Delaware 2019” T-shirts, courtesy of DelDOT in cooperation with the Delaware Bicycle Council.
Lou Rossi talks about why he commutes to work.
Having ridden in early because of his busy schedule, last year’s keynote speaker New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer kicked off the list of speakers at this year’s event.
University of Delaware Vice Provost Matt Kinservik followed up with an official welcome on behalf of the host institution, giving some personal testimony to the positive changes that are occurring in Newark while confessing that he may not have been worthy of his image being used on the event publicity this year.
Kinservik introduced UD mathematics professor and stalwart bike commuter Lou Rossi, who spoke about why he commutes to work, logging in some 13 miles roundtrip every weekday.
Newark Mayor Jerry Clifton addresses the morning’s attendees.
Newark-area State Representative Paul Baumbach then spoke to the gathered attendees. He was followed by new Newark City Manager Tom Coleman, who spoke about the current construction challenges facing the city but the many bicycle-infrastructure improvements on the horizon. New Mayor Jerry Clifton, who showed up early and helped set up, talked about his family’s experience bicycling.
On behalf of the City of Newark and BikeNewark, BikeNewark Chair and event emcee, Bob McBride, helped event coordinator Mike Fortner present this year’s Bicycle Friendly Community Leader Award to Susan Grasso. She was chosen because she had spent a good portion of the past three years working behind the scenes, both as a concerned citizen and as a member of BikeNewark, to advocate for bicycling as a normal and viable mode of transportation.
Flanked by BikeNewark Chair Bob McBride and event coordinator Mike Fortner, Caitlin Grasso accepts the Bicycle Friendly Community Leader Award for her mother, Susan Grasso.
McBride ran down a list of projects and efforts which Grasso either initiated and/or she was directly involved in and concluded, “[Susan] always has been helping encourage people to bicycle more and advocate for better conditions for bicycling. Most recently, she has been serving on a city Sustainability Committee, which completely fits her desire to see more and more bicyclists—i.e., cleaner transportation—on the road here in Newark.”
Though Grasso could not be present to accept the award, her daughter, Caitlin, accepted on her behalf and read words of gratitude that her mom had composed and sent her via cellphone.
Fortner, one of BikeNewark’s liaisons from the City of Newark, joined McBride to make the morning fun by giving away several gift certificates to local businesses. Then, to cap off the event, the Trek bicycle winner’s name—Rayanne Luke—was drawn by Trek Bicycle Newark manager Dave Schindler, and the bicycle was presented to her.
A large group photo was organized to close the event, and afterward lead sponsor Bloom Energy shot its own group photo before everyone headed off to work for the day.
Lead event sponsor Bloom Energy sent a strong contingent of riders.
2020’s Bike to Work Day event in Newark will take place on Friday, May 15. BikeNewark looks forward to seeing you there.
BikeNewark 