(Zoe Baldwin contributed to this story.)

Founded in June, the Brick City Bike Collective (BCBC) recently hit Newark’s streets, with Mayor Cory Booker joining the group for its first ride on August 7th.

Since the middle of the last century, Newark has been an autocentric place that is hostile to cyclists. Wide roads like McCarter Highway bisect communities and encourage speeding, while broken glass and potholes increase the chances of a crash.  The Collective is working get more Newarkers out on bikes, make drivers more aware of bikers and encourage city planners to implement bike-friendly policies and infrastructure. So far, the group has 60 members.

At its inaugural ride, the Collective traveled up Beaver Street through Branch Brook Park, ending at Independence Park in the Ironbound.  Members got the unique opportunity to chat with their Mayor in an informal setting.

“Enjoying Newark on two wheels is a vision I share with many others, and Newark has the potential to be a truly green, bike-able city,” BCBC member Elizabeth Reynoso told TSTC staffer Zoe Baldwin during the ride. “The Brick City Bike Collective taps into that, giving riders a voice and building a community that will encourage more and more people to get around the city by bike.”

In late July, the group tabled at the Lincoln Park Music Festival, handing out spoke cards, bike safety coloring books and collecting information on where people commonly ride in Newark.  Free bike maintenance and a “bike waterfall,” built by members Ryan Reedell and Marie Pasquariello, were popular with the crowd.

The group’s monthly event schedule include a group ride every first Friday, meeting at Beaver St. (between Market and Clinton) at 7pm and bike repair days in Lincoln Park every third Sunday from 2p to 4p. More rides will be added to a calendar on their site soon.  Look for more info at brickcitybikecollective.org (still under construction) or reach them at brickcitybikecollective@gmail.com.