New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition Kicks Off the 12ᵗʰ Annual New Jersey Bike & Walk Summit with
Keynote Speakers Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver and U.S. Representative of New Jersey 11ᵗʰ Congressional District Mikie Sherrill

(Montclair, NJ) – June 1, 2021 – The New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition (NJBWC) hosted the opening
session of the 12ᵗʰ Annual New Jersey Bike & Walk Summit on June 1, 2021. This kicked off the
week-long event held yearly to bring together bicycle and pedestrian advocates, elected officials,
urban planners, transportation authorities, and fitness and health enthusiasts in the public and
private sector.

Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill, a longtime advocate of environmental responsibility and
traffic safety initiatives and NJBWC Board member introduced this year’s keynote speakers: New
Jersey Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver and United States Representative of New Jersey’s 11ᵗʰ
Congressional District Mikie Sherrill.

In her keynote speech, the Lieutenant Governor addressed the importance of shifting our focus to
designing “Complete Streets” that are safe for all bikers and walkers of all ages, abilities, and
income levels. She shared the many Department of Community Affairs (DCA) services and programs
available to municipalities to build safer, stronger, and more bike/ped-friendly
communities.

“We cannot limit our conversations to sidewalks, crosswalks, and stop lights. We need
to shift the focus beyond these conversations to designing complete streets that are safe for
all bikers and walkers. We need to improve and design them so that they are safe and inclusive for
all ages, abilities, and income levels,” the Lieutenant Governor stated. “When we create safe
spaces for pedestrians and bicyclists to exist, we attract new families and individuals to our
towns and cities. These infrastructure improvements can have a valuable and lasting impact on our
local economies.”

Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill spoke to the importance of prioritizing road safety measures and
improving accessibility for vulnerable road users through funding from the proposed American Jobs
Plan.

“More accessible and safer options for cyclists and pedestrians is going to be a critical part of
our effort to confront the climate crisis,” she stated in her speech. “Last fall I began working on
legislation to provide grant funding to Vision Zero and other road safety programs so that they can
implement their critical initiatives. These types of programs have long lacked the resources that
they need due to funding constraints within the Highway Trust Fund. The $20 billion set aside for
road safety within the [American Jobs Plan] proposal can specifically be used for Vision Zero
programs and I am working hard now to ensure that the final legislation that is signed into law
includes this critical provision.”

Each year at the New Jersey Bike & Walk Summit, NJBWC announces the recipients of the Marty Epstein
Advocate of the Year Award. The award honors Marty’s 41 years of advocacy to make New Jersey a more
livable place through bicyclin
is given to individuals and organizations, in recognition of excellence in the bicycle and
pedestrian advocacy movement.

This year’s recipients of the Marty Epstein Advocate of the Year Award include,
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop – Mayor Fulop is an avid cyclist and he has committed Jersey City to
being a leader in NJ with regards to bike infrastructure and mobility overall. Under Mayor Fulop,
Jersey City established the first bike share program in NJ and integrated it into NYC’s CitiBike.
He was also the first mayor in NJ to commit to “Vision Zero” which is a goal of eliminating
traffic-related fatalities by 2026.

New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition Advisory Board Member Cyndi Steiner – Cyndi is a Lifetime member
of NJBWC and served as the executive director from July 2012 through June 2019. Advocacy wins under
her leadership include achieving, alongside the Open Space Institute, a preliminary purchase and
sale agreement with Norfolk Southern Railroad for the Essex-Hudson Greenway, rescuing $12 million
of the state’s Transportation Alternatives (TAP) funds that were set to lapse back to the federal
government in September 2018, and launching and providing guidance to numerous local advocacy
organizations across New Jersey.

Princeton Pedestrian & Bicycle Advisory Committee (PBAC) – PBAC has been involved in many
successful efforts to improve cycling and walking throughout Princeton including advocating for the
establishment of a Vision Zero Task Force with the objective of drafting a Vision Zero Action Plan
and a timeframe to reach these goals.

Trenton Cycling Revolution (TCR) – TCR’s advocacy has played an integral role in creating Trenton’s
first-ever Ciclovia, an open streets celebration that features skateboarding, BMX riding, and local
arts and culture. The group has also been instrumental in passing the City’s Complete Streets
Policy and advancing multiple bike/ped projects within the City.

In the sessions following throughout the week of June 2-June 5, attendees will have
the opportunity to learn lessons from communities that took action to open their
streets to people, learn more about current Vision Zero, Complete Streets, and equitable
mobility initiatives impacting their community, gain insights into different stages of trail
development, and learn about ongoing efforts to ensure equal access to sustainable transportation
and the benefits of nature and a healthy environment. Sessions will also offer information about
available public funding and other resources for bike/ped projects and identify strategies to
advocate for a more bike and pedestrian friendly and therefore, more livable New Jersey. The Summit
will feature a series of sessions from the Safe Routes Academy of the Voorhees Transportation
Center at Rutgers University sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Olivia Glenn, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Commissioner for
Environmental Justice and Equity will also join the Summit on Thursday, June 3ʳᵈ for a session on
trails, equity and environmental justice.

Due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions, this event is being held virtually on Zoom. Registration
for each Summit session can be found at the web addresses detailed below. The Summit is being
offered free of cost to all attendees.

Date: Tuesday, June 1 – Saturday, June 5, 2021

Time: Sessions will be held at various times throughout each day. See the Summit
schedule at the web address detailed below.

Location: https://njbwc.org/bwsummit21/
###