Annual Report
Fiscal Year 21
ADAPTABLE. FLEXIBLE. NIMBLE . These words describe RideWise’s response to the program delivery challenges brought by COVID-19.
Through a mix of in-person and virtual events, team members ensured the agency could remain Somerset County’s “go-to” agency for information on smart, safe, and sustainable travel options.
MISSION
We launched BikeConnect and provided repaired bicycles to adults who needed transportation to work.
RideWise connects people and businesses to safe and sustainable travel options that enhance quality of life and create a vibrant economy.
We started developing RideConnect, a “one-click, one-call” website that will provide residents with a single point of contact for all transportation information. We developed bilingual pedestrian and bicycle safety videos to keep residents safe when walking or cycling. We provided eighteen workplace partners with programming and information related to health & wellness, sustainability, and mobility.
VISION
Somerset County will have a seamless network of efficient transportation choices that are available to everyone.
We provided group and one-on-one travel training to 67 individuals. We partnered with the New Jersey Department of Labor and the Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board on “virtual job fairs” to share information with job seekers on available transportation options for getting to work. We partnered with North Plainfield to conduct a safety campaign to keep pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers safe through education and enforcement.
CORE PRICIPLES
We educate the community on safe and efficient ways to travel. We advocate for transportation options and enhancements that improve mobility and help the environment. We collaborate with the business community to help employee mobility and to connect people to jobs.
We convened the Let’s Go Electric EV Coalition by bringing together local and regional stakeholders to exchange ideas and best practices to further Somerset County’s EV goals. We created a series of webinars focusing on transportation, health and wellness, and energy to help our municipal partners achieve actions toward Sustainable Jersey certification. No matter what happens, RideWise remains here to connect you to the information you need to navigate Somerset County.
Let’s go!
We engage with local government and communities to increase opportunities for biking and walking. Donna Allison Executive Director
Educate
TransitConnect Comprehensive instruction to teach individuals how to travel safely on public transportation.
BY THE NUMBERS Travel training offers a lifeline to residents who can’t drive or who don’t have the means to afford a vehicle. By learning to ride the bus or train safely and independently, residents can connect to educational opportunities, jobs, shopping, recreation, and more. Even with mandated social distancing and capacity limits, residents still needed to travel, so travel training shifted from in-person to Zoom.
EMAIL/PHONE INQUIRIES
WEBSITE DOWNLOADS
BY THE NUMBERS
6
GROUP TRAINING SESSIONS
REGISTERED VANPOOLS
VANPOOL RIDERS
16
229
ONE-ON-ONE TRAININGS
VEHICLE TRIPS REDUCED PER WEEK SOCIAL NETWORK
54 LINKED IN FOLLOWERS 1,211 TWITTER FOLLOWERS
1,681
VEHICLE MILES REDUCED PER WEEK
RideWise taught Nicholas how to ride the bus on his own to the RVCC Achievement Center. Now that Nicholas knows how to safely ride the bus, he can go anywhere.
67
PARTICIPANTS
532 FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS 203 INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS 9 YOUTUBE SUBSCRIBERS 27,157 WEBSITE VISITORS 365 SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS 40,508 PEOPLE REACHED
374,977
ANNUAL EMISSIONS SAVED BY VANPOOLS
One-Click, One Call This year, RideWise embarked on developing RideConnect, a “one-click, one-call” website to provide residents with a single point of contact for all transportation information. When the site is complete, visitors can search transportation providers by town, provider, or service, or they can enter travel information into a Google trip planner.
4
PARTICIPATING SITES RVCC Achievement Center Bridgewater Raritan High School Visions & Pathways WorkFirst NJ Job Readiness
Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety
Let’s Ride Somerset!
Making it safer to walk and bicycle through educational programming and events.
Keeping residents active, healthy, and connected through cycling.
In the summer and fall of 2020, the RideWise team provided in-person bicycle and pedestrian safety education before shifting to digital and virtual content. 528 individuals participated in the agency’s in-person or virtual bicycle/pedestrian programming. Another 408 watched our programming on YouTube.
RideWise celebrated National Bike Month in May with Let’s Ride Somerset, a virtual biking group for all ages and abilities. The Let’s Ride group took part in solo or family group rides to bike 16,235 miles.
Bicycle Safety in Bound Brook
Walking & Biking Safety During COVID
Walk to School
RideWise partnered with the Bound Brook Police, Bound Brook Recreation, Middle Earth, and Healthier Somerset/Building Bridges to Better Health on bicycle safety for children in July 2020. The idea originated with Police Chief Vito Bet, who was concerned after noticing many children biking without helmets in town. Twelve children participated in the event and were correctly fitted with helmets and instructed on safe riding techniques.
In recognition of National Walk to School Day (October 2020) and National Bike Month (May 2021), communities, schools, and families throughout Somerset County celebrated walking and biking in any way, on any day. Activity included a walking school bus, a bike train, and virtual walks and rides around neighborhoods. 28 students from 10 Somerset County schools logged 150 biking or walking trips to demonstrate how the “walk to school” can still happen even when school is virtual.
Early in the pandemic, when so many residents were getting outside for fresh air, exercise, and stress relief, RideWise created a one-minute video for YouTube of tips to stay safe when walking or biking.
28
students
10
schools
150
miles logged on National Walk to School Day
BIke Safety in Bound Brook
Walk and Bike to School Challenge Winner, Hunter from JFK Elementary School in Raritan.
Walk & Bike to School Challenge winners Ava and Grace from Amsterdam Elementary in Hillsborough.
528
individuals participated in in-person or virtual bicycle/pedestrian programming
The Let’s Ride group took part in solo or family group rides to bike
16,235 MILES
Bicycle Safety 101 In September 2020, the RideWise team hosted a Bicycle Safety 101 webinar for the Somerset County Library System to meet the increasing demand for digital content. The webinar presented information on bicycle safety, bicycle ABC’s and basic maintenance.
Raritan Borough Bike Train Raritan Borough’s JFK School celebrated Bike Month by marking the 5th anniversary of the only bike train in Somerset County started by Raritan residents Joe and Colleen Kempe. The bike train kept going strong even at the height of the pandemic by giving participating children an outlet for physical activity and camaraderie.
RideWise and Pop’s Bike Shop partnered on a new bicycle rehabilitation program, BikeConnect, that repairs donated bicycles and gives them to adults who need reliable transportation for employment. RideWise presented its first repaired bicycle to Kevin Gray, a referral from Work First New Jersey, who need trasportation for work.
Safety Videos
The RideWise team developed four bilingual pedestrian and bicycle safety videos to keep Somerset County residents and employees safe when walking or cycling. The team distributed the videos by handing out business cards with a QR code for each video, so individuals could quickly and easily scan and watch using their phones.
Collaborate
with the business community to help employee mobility and connect people to jobs. RideWise provided 18 workplace partners with virtual and in-person programming and information related to health & wellness, sustainability, and mobility.
18
workplace partners
Verizon
MetLife
Ingredion
Somerset County Library System
Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board
Warren Township
PIM Brands
Whole Foods
Johnson & Johnson Supply Chain
Lyons VA Healthcare System
Somerset County Vo-Tech
Raritan Valley Community College
Atlantic Health System
AT&T
Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club
QuickChek
Roche Diagnostics Eli Lilly
Virtual Job Fairs
Workplace Events
RideWise partnered with the New Jersey Department of Labor and the Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board on several “virtual job fairs” to share information with job seekers on available transportation options for getting to work.
“The Future of Sustainability” Johnson & Johnson Somerset County
Employer Focus Groups At the request of NJ TRANSIT, RideWise coordinated and hosted two employer focus groups to measure the impact of the pandemic on employee use of transit.
“The Future of Sustainability” Met Life Bridgewater Virtual wellness fair Affinity Federal Credit Union
Advocate
for transportation options and enhancements that improve mobility and help the environment.
Let’s Go Electric! In the fall of 2020, RideWise convened the Let’s Go Electric EV Coalition by bringing together local and regional stakeholders to exchange ideas and best practices. What started as one webinar turned into popular monthly meetings and events to help further Somerset County’s EV goals. Electric Vehicles in Somerset County What’s Next in EVs Charging Ahead in 2021 Electric Vehicle Charging Creating EV-Ready Communities Rise of the Gen Z Electric Driver
Somerset County Safety Study At the invitation of Somerset County Planning, RideWise participated in road safety audits conducted in Millstone Borough, Franklin Township, Raritan Borough, Bridgewater Township, and North Plainfield Borough as part of a more extensive safety study funded by NJTPA. RideWise used the safety study as an opportunity to collaborate with Franklin Township and North Plainfield Borough on Street Smart pedestrian safety campaigns.
Removing Barriers & Zero Cost Solutions
EV Training and Technical Assistance WEBINARS PRESENTED
ATTENDEES
Healthier Somerset/Building Bridges for Better Health RideWise partnered with Somerset County Planning, Somerset County Engineering, Bound Brook, and Healthier Somerset on plans to install a pedestrian push-button signal at the intersection of East Main Street and Billian Legion Park to address pedestrian safety and speeding concerns.
Engage
New Jersey Planning & Redevelopment Conference Are we planning our streets for cars or people? RideWise joined NJDOT, Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers, Somerset County Planning and VanCleef Engineering and presented a panel on creating safe streets that put people first and create a more active and healthy community.
with local government and the community to increase safe biking and walking opportunities. STREET SMART Public education that raises awareness of pedestrian and motorist laws.
North Plainfield
RideWise partnered with North Plainfield on a month-long campaign to make streets safer for pedestrians. The campaign stressed that everyone has a role in making streets safer. Drivers need to obey speed limits and stop for people crossing. Pedestrians must use crosswalks and cross the road with the signal, and everyone—whether walking or driving—must avoid distractions. Alongside the Street Smart campaign, a speed study was conducted along Greenbrook Road, in front of West End Elementary School, using RideWise’s speed sentry.
Intersections observed • Somerset Street and Race Street • Somerset Street and Chatham Street
4
9
summonses issued by police
RideWise built a parklet using inexpensive items purchased from local hardware stores and created a corresponding “how-to” video to demonstrate that creating parklets is not costly or time-consuming. The parklet was set up in the parking lot on Earth Day for community members to stop by and view.
Green Team Webinars
Campaign results
warnings issued by police
How to Build a Parklet
The number of pedestrians not using the crosswalk decreased
The number of pedestrians using the crosswalk increased
at Somerset & Race St.
at Somerset & Chatham St.
26%
8%
RideWise partnered with Somerset County Planning to create and host webinars focusing on transportation, health and wellness, and energy to help municipal green teams, municipal employees, and elected officials achieve actions towards Sustainable Jersey certification. Topics included electric vehicles and walkability/bikeability audits, presented by Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers, ChargEVC, Somerset County Planning, and Van Cleef Engineering Associates.
Bernardsville Borough RideWise conducted a field study to inventory implementation activities the Borough has undertaken since adopting a Complete Streets resolution in 2020.
TOTAL REVENUE
$624,157 Income North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority
$468,746
$468,746 NJ TRANSIT
$65,116 New Jersey Department of Transportation
$90,223 Contributions/ Miscellaneous Income
$72
Mary Ameen, Executive Director NJTPA Chris Edwards Somerset County Business Partnership
Donna Allison Executive Director
Aubrey Flanagan Raritan Valley Community College
Sara Catherine Lichon Communications and Community Outreach Coordinator
Frederick W. Fenner III VA New Jersey Healthcare System David Kois Hillsborough Township Walter Lane Somerset County Planning
$65,116
Susan O’Donnell NJ TRANSIT
$90,223
Nancy Petrillo Matheny Medical & Education Center
$72
Patrick Tendick Ingredion Anthony Tufaro Johnson & Johnson Josh Weiner MetLife
$210,246
$355,327
E XPENSES
$565,573 Program Services
$355,327 Administrative Services
$210,246
Staff
Board of Directors
Financials
Patrick Delaney, Chairman Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset
Ann Whalen DirectTV
Leanne McGowan Director of Business Development Linda Rapacki Director of Mobility Management Caty Whalen Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Manager
@RideWiseTMA @RideWise www.ridewise.org