Newark Gets ‘Complete Streets’ Award For Bike Ironbound

NEWARK, NJ — Newark was named among six entities that “demonstrated commitment to advancing complete streets” in their communities as part of the 2017 Complete Streets Excellence Awards.

The awards, which will be hosted on Oct. 24 by the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Transportation, recognize communities that are working for “complete streets” designed and operated to enable safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities.

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Here’s what the awards committee said about Newark's efforts:

“Over the last two years the City of Newark, with support from NJDOT, completed Bike Ironbound, a bicycle master plan for the City’s Ironbound neighborhood. The forward-thinking plan identified opportunities to create a low-stress bicycle network throughout the neighborhood and better link the neighborhood to Newark Penn Station and the riverfront, including a concept to transform Raymond Boulevard into a Complete Street. Throughout the Ironbound, evidence of the plan is clear with dedicated facilities for bicyclists and traffic calming and safety benefits for all street users

• See related article: Newark on Cutting Edge of Bike Use in NJ, Report Says

The other 2017 awards went to The Township of Millburn, The Borough of Somerville, Cape May County, The Ironbound Neighborhood in the City of Newark, Kings Highway Trail, and the City of Morristown.

The award winners were decided by the 2017 Complete Streets Summit Planning Committee, chaired by Charles Brown, senior research manager at the Voorhees Transportation Center. The committee also included representatives from The Office of Bicycle and Pedestrian Programs at the New Jersey Department of Transportation, The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Authority, The South Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, The New Jersey Bike&Walk Coalition, Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Sustainable Jersey and NJ Transit.

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