Tag: WILMAPCO

commuting, events, kudos, news, transportation

2026 Bike to Work Day

group photo of attendees
Nearly 50 attended the 2026 Bike to Work Day event on the University of Delaware campus in Newark.
photo of Laura Carlson
UD President Laura Carlson talks about her love of biking as she welcomes attendees.

On May 15, BikeNewark partnered with the City of Newark, the University of Delaware (UD), DelDOT, WILMAPCO, and Delaware Commute Solutions to celebrate National Bike to Work Day in Newark. The weather was ideal.

More than 50 people registered for and attended the hour-long, early-morning event, which has been held for more than 10 years now on the UD’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.

photo of Mayor McDermott
Newark Mayor Travis McDermott talks about some of the reasons why Newark is so bicycle friendly.

BikeNewark’s Vice-Chair Michael Smith acted as the event’s emcee. Introduced first was UD’s new President, Dr. Laura Carlson. She is a serious athlete who trains for triathlons, and BikeNewark was delighted to have had her share some encouraging words about biking at this event. Dr. Carlson welcomed everyone on behalf of the host institution.

BikeNewark Chair Bob McBride spoke briefly about its shared vision for the Newark community, in terms of advancing a bicycling culture.

photo of State Rep. Mara Gorman
One of Newark’s state representatives, Keynote Speaker Mara Gorman talks about the importance of citizen advocacy and coordination with state government.

Having taken office just a year ago, Newark Mayor Travis McDermott spoke about the many ways the City of Newark has improved conditions for bicyclists over the past few years.

Next at the podium was the event’s keynote speaker, State Rep. Mara Gorman, who represents a sizable portion of the Newark area. She talked about her experience of bicycling and, in particular, bicycling in Newark. She also emphasized the important role the state legislature has played and can play in improving conditions for bicycling.

Newark Parks & Recreation director Paula Ennis then announced and presented the annual Bicycle Friendly Community Leader Award. This year’s recipient was BikeNewark Treasurer Karl Hassler. Hassler was selected because of the hours of personal volunteer work he has put in to improve and maintain the city’s four bicycle-information kiosks.

photo of Paula Ennis presenting award to Karl Hassler
Newark Parks & Rec director Paula Ennis presents the 2026 Bicycle Friendly Community Leader Award to BikeNewark’s Karl Hassler.

BikeNewark Chair Bob McBride was joined by Bike Delaware’s Executive Director James Wilson to present a special Bicycle Friendly LIfetime Leader Award to a surprised State Sen. Dave Sokola. Bike Delaware had also arranged for a personalized bike shirt, which Wilson presented to Sen. Sokola.

photo of Bob McBride and James Wilson presenting awards to Dave Sokola
State Senator Dave Sokola (center) receives a special Lifetime Leader award from BikeNewark’s Bob McBride and a personalized bike shirt from Bike Delaware’s James Wilson for his efforts to promote bicycling through his many years of work in the Delaware General Assembly.
photo of Bike Newark’s Mark Deshon and Michael Smith
Event emcee Michael Smith (right) and Mark Deshon, both BikeNewark members, conduct the drawings for the valuable giveaways.
photo of Mara Gorman and Matt Kinservik
Spouses Mara Gorman and Matt Kinservik are the only couple to have each been Keynote Speaker at a Bike to Work Day in Newark.

Following the awards presentations were the random giveaways to lucky event registrants, totaling approximately $400 in value.

To close out the event, attendees gathered at the footsteps of Hullihen Hall for a group photo.

Special thanks to UD photographer Evan Krape, who captured these images.

encouragement, engineering, infrastructure, news, projects, safety

Safe Routes to School project takes shape

aerial photo of Casho Mill Road in front of Downes School
photo submitted to and published by Newark Post

photo of beginning of bike lane buffer on Casho Mill Road
Beginning of actual buffered lane

Nearly four years after initial meetings about submitting a Safe Routes to School grant application for a project on Casho Mill Road, things are finally taking (physical) shape. Striping has been added recently, and more will be added until this initial phase of the project is complete.

The project area is between Church Road and Pickett Lane.

photo of pop-up demonstration protected bike lane
Buffered lane demonstration, 2017

For a Bike to School event at John R. Downes Elementary School back in 2017, BikeNewark worked with volunteers from the University of Delaware’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders, who created pop-up buffered bike lanes to demonstrate how a finished project might look along this busy suburban road on which the school is located.

photo of a Bike to School Week bike train
School children arriving by bike, 2017

City of Newark staff have repeatedly noted that motorized traffic continues to dash along Casho Mill Road above the posted 30mph speed limit. Public Works & Water Resources Director Tim Filasky, who is one of BikeNewark’s partner liaisons, says, “It just feels like a freeway. This will tighten it up and slow traffic.” Ultimately, the City would like to have the speed limit reduced to 25mph, as it is on sections of Casho Mill Road on either end (north and south) of the project area.

photo of motorist's view of buffered lanes on Casho Mill Road
Motorist’s view of buffered bike lanes along Casho Mill Road, showing only a slight reduction in vehicle lane width while providing ample buffer for cyclists

BikeNewark has been involved from the inception of the effort, in coordination with the City, the school, Downes parents, WILMAPCO, and DelDOT. The idea is to make bicycling safer (especially for school children and their parents) and encourage more students in this vast residential area to ride a bike to school, rather than be transported there by car.

When the project is completed near the end of 2020 [now expected fall of 2021], it will include a new crosswalk, a pedestrian-refuge island, curb ramps, traffic-calming islands, and radar-detected-speed signs.

BikeNewark’s planned West Bikeway (a segment of its Newark Bikeways low-stress network project) will intersect Casho Mill Road (and these SRTS amenities) at Lafayette Road and provide signed low-stress access to the school through the Oaklands and Nottingham Green residential neighborhoods.

> read related Newark Post article