Teaching Safe Cycling in Passaic, New Jersey

EZ Ride’s new program teaches residents how to use Passaic’s new bike share system safely.

In Passaic, NJ, a community just 10 miles from NYC, a free bike share system launched this April with the introduction of Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) Bike Share. When EZ Ride, a transportation management association that provides pedestrian, bicycle, micromobility, and driving safety education, learned that bike share was arriving in Passaic, they applied for a Better Bike Share Partnership mini-grant to support bike share education through its Pedaling in Passaic: Bridging the Gaps in Bike Safety, Transportation Access, and Equity project.

“More than 30% of Passaic residents don’t have cars, so it’s also a great opportunity for people to have more transportation options,” says Lisa Lee, director of sustainability programs at EZ Ride. UEZ Bike Share is currently free of charge for unlimited 2-hour rides with 25 classic bikes, dispersed between five stations.

“Whenever something is new in any community, safety is really important, because we don’t want to see people get hurt and then decide to disband the program,” says Lee.

As of early August, EZ Ride is halfway through its free Safe Bike Skills class series, with sessions rotating among the Dundee Park, Columbus Park, and Third Ward Park neighborhoods in Passaic. Classes are open to those 18 and older and taught by League Cycling Instructors with a cap of seven riders per class. 

The program includes two main parts: education and safety, along with a guided group ride. Participants are provided helmets and safety vests, and instructors assist them with enrolling in the bike share app. Since 73% of Passaic’s population is Latino, there is a high number of Spanish-speaking individuals. Therefore, recruitment efforts have been bilingual, involving a joint effort with the Department of Recreation and Cultural Affairs and EZ Ride’s Bike and Pedestrian team members like Lee, who have some Spanish fluency.

EZ Ride is seasoned in this type of shared micromobility work. Last year, EZ Ride received a BBSP grant to conduct a series of bike share education classes in Newark, NJ. Safety during shared micromobility use is a key focus of EZ Ride’s efforts. 

“One of the participants was an e-bike delivery person,” says Lee. “We encouraged him to take the class because we wanted him to learn about safety, and it’s another way for him to get around when he’s not working.”

In September, EZ Ride plans to host a National Family Fitness event and is also working to set up two bike safety classes with the local community college. They hope to deepen community engagement by organizing events like Taste of Passaic, which will combine bike safety classes with visits to local restaurants, and by partnering with organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club and local religious communities to offer classes at times that accommodate religious observances.