Demonstration Ride & Community Dialogue on the Future of Bloomfield Avenue

Bloomfield Ave. is a Commons. Demonstration Ride & Community Dialogue on the Future of Bloomfield Ave. More connections & more access. Bloomfield Is a Commons: Community Bike Ride and Three Practices Conversation to Explore the Future of Bloomfield AvenueBLOOMFIELD, N.J. - Residents, advocates, planners, cyclists, pedestrians, transit riders, and community members are invited to join Bloomfield Is a Commons, a community bike ride and public conversation on Saturday, November 21 at 10:00 a.m. Hosted by SUB/URBAN REVIEW, VELO Bloomfield, Transit Newark, the Bloomfield Urbanist Society, and community partners, the event will combine a demonstration group ride with a 3 Practices-style community conversation about how Bloomfield Avenue and neighborhoods throughout Essex County can better connect and be more welcoming.Meet us with your bicycles at Halcyon Park Pond before setting off on a relaxed 15-20 minute demonstration ride along neighborhood streets with relatively few cars and a 15 mph speed limit. The route was chosen because of the design of the street and owing to it being accessible and welcoming to riders of varying experience levels and abilities.The ride will conclude with a facilitated Three Practices conversation about Bloomfield Avenue, public space, mobility, housing, and the future of our communities.With another person recently killed on Bloomfield Avenue, organizers say this is an urgent moment for residents, advocates, and local leaders to rethink one of Essex County's most important corridors. Stretching from Newark through Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Montclair, Verona, and West Caldwell, Bloomfield Avenue is more than a road. It is a shared civic spine that connects communities, businesses, schools, parks, and neighborhoods across the county."Bloomfield Avenue should be a street that connects us, not harms us. We continue to have to grieve a growing list of community members, and enough is enough. We hope this ride and conversation can help spark a broader discussion about safety, mobility, housing, and the kind of communities we want to build throughout Essex County."Halcyon Park shows what is possible. HP is a dense community next to two different public transportation options. We can add more housing while also creating places where people can safely walk, bike, use transit, and participate in community life. We have an example right here in Essex County. Surrounded by homes, local destinations, parks, and quiet streets, the area offers a model for how communities throughout the county can grow while remaining human-scaled, connected, and welcoming."Bloomfield Avenue is more than a transportation corridor," organizers said. "It is a commons. It is a shared civic space that should work for children, seniors, transit riders, pedestrians, cyclists, local businesses, and residents alike. This event is an opportunity to experience our community at a human pace and imagine what a more bikeable, walkable, and connected Essex County could look like."Event DetailsWhat: Bloomfield Is a Commons Demonstration Bike Ride & Three Practices Conversation When: Saturday, November 21, 10:00 a.m. Where: Meet at Halcyon Park Pond with your bicycle (or your walking shoes)Hosted by: SUB/URBAN REVIEW, VELO Bloomfield, Transit Newark, Bloomfield Urbanist Society, and community partners Who Should Attend: Pedestrians and walking advocates * Bicycle and micromobility advocates * Public transit riders * Urbanists and planners * Community organizers * Students and researchers * Transportation theorists and scholars * Anyone interested in creating a more connected streets and better connected neighborhoods Get Involved If you are a pedestrian advocate, bicycle advocate, urbanist, transportation theorist, community organizer, or interested resident and would like to be included on the list of attendees and supporting organizations, please contact:[email protected] OR [email protected] About Bloomfield Is a Commons--Bloomfield Is a Commons is a community initiative that explores how streets, public spaces, and transportation systems can better serve residents through dialogue, active transportation, civic engagement, and community-building. Through shared experiences and public conversations, participants work together to envision Bloomfield Avenue not merely as a route for moving vehicles, but as a shared public space connecting the people and communities of Essex County from Newark to West Caldwell.