Jersey City Cyclists Bike To Work With Mayor Fulop

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Friday marked National Bike to Work Day and Jersey City cyclists, including Mayor Steven Fulop, started the day with a ride to City Hall.

The group of cyclists rode from Riverview Fisk Park to City Hall to honor the holiday and promote an ongoing conversation about cycling safety and education for drivers and cyclists. The city has been working alongside nonprofit group Bike JC to plan and implement safer bike lanes across Jersey City.

In 2020, Jersey City started a rollout of protected bike lanes throughout the city using planters, curbs, parked cars, or bollards to physically separate and protect bicyclists from passing traffic in the right-of-way. The city completed 6.7 miles of protected bike lanes and has 2.7 miles planned.

Advocates say bike lanes not only make roads safer for cyclists but pedestrians as well and the reminder forces cars to slow down and share the road.

Luca Gentile, a cycling advocate and owner of Jersey Cycles bike shop in the Heights, said a good friend of his was hit by a car and critically injured on Summit Avenue — the same road the group biked down to get to City Hall. Summit Avenue, among other Jersey City roads, is a notoriously dangerous road among cyclists.

"The parking issue has superseded the conversation," Gentile said, "At some point it's distressing enough that the human factor has to be talked about as opposed to where you're going to put your car because you insist on driving in a city."

Gentile and other cyclists stressed that half the battle in educating residents is highlighting that cyclists belong on the roads, not on the sidewalks.

"This is the worst I've ever seen it," Gentile said about speeding cars and cyclists being hit, "I'm tired of seeing friends nailed, going to another hospital, going to another ghost bike – I'm frustrated at this point."

Gentile said the Heights should be a focus for the city as many cyclists want to access the parks in the neighborhood, but can't due to unsafe corners and roads. Education and Infrastructure must take a front seat in the conversation around cycling in Jersey City, Gentile said.

"We're on an education campaign, letting the public know and see more about bike safety and bike infrastructure," Fulop said, "We're committed to finding more opportunities for North-South connectivity — the goal is over the next six months to have a plan that we can implement."

The city has bee prioritizing cycling and alternative means of transportation including a new unification of the Citi Bike program with Hoboken. Jersey City will add two new Citi Bike stations in Greenville in the first 60 days of the new partnership with Hoboken, after hearing a need from local riders.

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