Newark Residents Enroll In Free Shared Micromobility Safety Classes

Community organization EZ Ride used grant funding to bring its SMM education classes to the people of Newark.

Founded in 1983, EZ Ride in New Jersey works to help people overcome various transportation challenges through its programs and services. One of those programs is its bike/pedestrian program, which promotes active transportation with a focus on safety and health. 

When the city of Newark made its shared micromobility (SMM) program permanent last year, EZ Ride saw an opportunity to bring its own SMM education classes to the community. This past June, EZ Ride was one of nine organizations awarded a Better Bike Share Partnership mini-grant for its Newark E-Scooter Equity and Education project.

“It’s a good opportunity for people who aren’t comfortable riding in regular traffic circumstances since there’s much more of a safety component to the ride,” says Adam Iaccheo, transportation coordinator at EZ Ride. “Riders of all backgrounds and experiences can join and ride through the streets of Newark.”

The classes are held in partnership with the City of Newark and its two SMM vendors, Veo and Bird. Classes are focused in what EZ Ride calls its “Scooter Equity Zones,” where 30% or more of residents in the area earn less than $30,000/year and experience a commute longer than an hour. 10 Equity Zones were identified across Newark where the e-scooters can be accessed.  

EZ Ride also partners with local groups, including hospital coalitions, bike clubs, affordable housing organizations, and the police department, to reach different communities through these classes.

“We are setting up our classes in the parts of the five wards in Newark that are identified as neighborhoods of need,” says Lisa Lee, director of sustainability programs at EZ Ride. “We’re trying to get our classes in the places where it will benefit people most.”

For this specific project, EZ Ride is holding 10 free one-hour classes with a goal of 10 participants per class. Class participants first engage in a safety presentation on how to ride and the rules of the road, then go out for a ride. Instructors set up a course with tennis balls and cones and have participants practice riding the scooters followed by a group ride around the local neighborhood. 

“I use the narrative that when you’re on other micromobility devices, like on a bicycle, you have to earn your speed. With skill, you become faster. With something like this, somebody that’s never ridden before will immediately go 15 miles per hour,” says Jensy Jimenez, assistant coordinator at EZ Ride. “So, it’s very important that people use caution, and I make sure to make that clear to them.” 

According to Lee, EZ conducts routine audits and assessments to promote Newark’s Complete Streets Policy, which requires the design of all public street projects to accommodate all road users — pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit users, and other vehicles.  

“We’re hoping to get more SMM devices out there and advocate for better infrastructure that will give people a way to get around that’s safer,” says Lee.