In 2013, the city of New Brunswick held its first Ciclovia, one of the first events of its kind in New Jersey. Close to four miles of roadway were closed to motorists for six hours on a Sunday so that people could use the space to run, bike, walk, and play. The goals of the program were to support the health of the community and to bring people together.
The first event was considered a success. An estimated 4,000 people hit the streets, the overwhelming majority of who reported enjoying the event. Thanks to the positive feedback, the city of New Brunswick decided to expand the program for 2014. Three additional Ciclovias were scheduled for the year: May 4, July 12, and October 12. The May event was held earlier this month, and pictures from it can be found in the slider below.
Together North Jersey played a part in that inaugural event by providing funding that was used to ensure community engagement in event development, and create an event evaluation report. That report will be used to better future events in New Brunswick and around the state. Recommendations in the report include more Spanish language outreach, improved signage, and changes to the end of the event. Some of the recommendations, such as adding activity stations and holding the event multiple times a year have already been implemented. The rock climbing wall, which made an appearance for the time this month, was very popular.
We will provide an update when the report is finalized and is made available online.
If you are interested in joining New Brunswick during their next Ciclovia events, make sure to visit their website and Facebook page for the details. We also have articles about their October event: this one features a description of the event, while this one has dozens of pictures from it.
Click through our newest Ciclovia slideshow to see some of our favorite moments of the event.
[soliloquy id=”9460″]