1st State Bikes endorses Amy Roe for Mayor of Newark

On November 26th there will be a special election for the Mayor of Newark, and we are enthusiastic to support Dr. Amy Roe.  Amy has been a long-time advocate for bicycling in Newark and is one of the founding 9 board members of the Newark Bike Project.

Amy’s platform for Newark supports our efforts:

Amy sees one of the biggest obstacles to higher bicycle modeshare in Newark is the continued lack of bike parking. Main Street has added some inverted “U” racks, but often times, these are occupied, and most of Newark's shopping centers and office parks have no bicycle racks at all. In addition, the S. Main Street revitalization project did not include mandatory bike parking. Amy has testified before the Newark Bicycle Committee about the need for additional bike parking, and will continue to advocate for this if elected Mayor.

Another challenge to encouraging bicycling as an alternative mode of transportation are safety issues. These include "bicycle salmon", those riding contra flow on the wrong side of the road, or those that ignore basic traffic rules all together. This makes bicycling dangerous for those who know and obey the rules of the road, and makes it more difficult for those in automobiles to operate their vehicles safely. Converting bicycle salmon into responsible riders, thus demanding the respect we deserve from motorists requires additional sharrows and correctly designed bike lanes. To that end, she will work with City Council, local advocacy groups, and DelDOT to fund and implement the Newark Bicycle Plan on an annual basis. Amy knows full well that every person that chooses a bicycle over a car is reducing traffic congestion, helping the environment, and improving our quality of life.

Other issues include University police cars parking along Delaware Avenue, directly blocking the highest volume bicycle lane in the City. Combined with bike salmon trying to avoid parked cars from the wrong direction, it has become a nightmare for all road users during peak traffic time. If elected Mayor, look again for Amy to focus on the Newark Bicycle Plan, where it calls for the construction of a segregated, 2-way cycle track instead of the current 1-way bike lane. In the interim, she will ask the Newark Police to enforce Newark's parking rules to protect bicycle lanes, and to prevent parking by the University police in them.

We could easily continue discussing ideas for Newark's active transportation future, but like NYC under Mayor Bloomberg and Janet Sadik-Khan, it will take strong leadership from the top down. That said, I ask for your vote on November 26th to become the next Mayor of Newark.

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Poster's Note: We will keep our readers up to date on Amy's candidacy as we approach the election. You can read an amazing biography on Amy HERE.