Community Corner

Take to the Streets: Ciclovia Arrives in New Brunswick

Ciclovia will open city roadways to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6.

The streets belong to everyone.

That's one of the tenants of Ciclovia, a community event scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 6 in New Brunswick that will close 3.4 miles of roadway to cars for city residents to walk, ride and play in a space that's usually inaccessible to pedestrians.

Between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday the following roadways will be closed to vehicular traffic:

  • College Avenue from Buccleuch Park to Hamilton Street
  • Hamilton Street to George Street
  • George Street to Bayard Street
  • Bayard Street to Joyce Kilmer Avenue
  • Joyce Kilmer Avenue to the New Brunswick Teen Center at Juliet Street
Residents are encouraged to come out and make use of the open streets however they like: ride a bike, push a baby stroller, walk the route at their leisure, dance, jog, or be active any way they please. 

Ciclovia is a collaborative effort between the city, New Brunswick Tomorrow, Rutgers University and Johnson & Johnson. 

It was started in Bogota, Columbia by Gil Penalosa, and has grown to be held in over 200 cities worldwide. Bogota has chosen to continue Ciclovia, and closes city streets every Sunday.

At 10 a.m., Penalosa and Mayor James Cahill will mark the opening of Ciclovia in a ceremony at the corner of Bayard Street and George Street.

A bike raffle for city kids will follow at 10:15 a.m., in which New Brunswick Tomorrow will give away 10 new bikes for kids present at the raffle. 

Activity stations will also be set up along the route at the College Avenue Gymnasium on College Avenue; at George Street between Bayard Street and Livingston Avenue; and at the Hub Teen Center on Joyce Kilmer Avenue. 

Free fitness and dance classes and demonstrations will be held at these locations, as well as two bicycle check and repair stations. 

Penalosa said in order for Ciclovia to be truly successful, it can't be treated as a one-off event. The idea behind Ciclovia is to "change mindsets" he said, whether that change convinces people to see a different use for a city street, or motivates them to get out and be active for more often.

Cahill said Ciclovia fits into a wider public health plan for the city which also includes healthy eating initiatives, community fitness outreach through the Robert Wood Johnson Fitness and Wellness Center, community gardens, the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids, and the Eric B. Chandler Health Care Center, a community care facility on George Street.

"A healthy citizenry is essential to a healthy city," Cahill said.

Penalosa had a similar sentiment in that fitness and activity is important - we can't depend on only curative medicine, he said. It also has to be preventative.

Plus, Ciclovia is also an exercise in public integration by mixing all walks of life, he said.

Bonnie Petrauskas, Director of Corporate Contributions for Johnson & Johnson said Rutgers University has already begun a comprehensive study and evaluation of Ciclovia's effect on New Brunswick, to measure its success and viability for the future. 

Despite the amount of work and input that goes into launching such a large event, Penalosa said the idea behind participation is simple: You don't need to be an athlete or otherwise expected to perform. Just get out and have fun.

"Anybody can participate," he said.

For more information on Ciclovia, visit http://newbrunswickciclovia.com


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