New Brunswick Leaders Announce Three Ciclovias For 2014

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—New Brunswick officials have decided on three dates for the next incarnation of a popular event where many streets are closed down to encourage cycling and other healthy activities.

Last fall, New Brunswick’s first-ever Ciclovia took place over a five-hour period on a cloudy but pleasant Sunday.

The next three “Ciclovias,” are scheduled for Sunday May 4, Saturday July 12, and Sunday October 12.

The anouncement was made on February 20 on the New Brunswick Ciclovia Facebook page. 

“Ciclovia will become a new tradition to New Brunswick for years to come,” said the Facebook page, adding that the October 6 Ciclovia was “one of the first and largest” ever done in New Jersey.

Ciclovia, which is Spanish for “bike path,” originated in the Colombian capital of Bogota.  In that city, Ciclovias occur every Sunday.

“Ciclovia… means you can use the designated streets to walk, bike, skate, dance stroll and play without vehicles”, says a mission statement on the website.

Attendees could walk all the way from Buccleuch Park, down College Avenue, through downtown via George Street, and all the way down to the Hub Teen Center on Joyce Kilmer Avenue. The route was adorned with local businesses and organizations tabling, games and competitions, and lessons in yoga and karate. 

The adoption of Ciclovia by the city is a move to promote a healthier, more environmental lifestyle residents of New Brunswick and Central Jersey.

As we reported last year, private sponsors including Johnson & Johnson and New Brunswick Tomorrow raised more than $83,000 to make the first Ciclovia possible.

Earlier this month, the Middlesex County government announced construction will soon begin on a long-awaited crosstown bike lane. 

The $6.5 million bike path that provide easier access to the Albany Street bridge and connect Rutgers campuses at opposite ends of the city.