South Orange, NJ

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Bikeability

Description: The Conservancy addressed safety concerns on a street that many older adults use to reach the park and community center. Mead Street also cuts through a natural corridor where turtles cross between water sources, a reminder that poor visibility and fast traffic created risks for people on foot and on bikes alike. The project installed brightly colored, artistic crosswalks featuring turtles, applied durable green paint to bike lanes and added flexible delineators that shorten crossing distances and protect cyclists. Corrider users already report easier, more confident access to park amenities and programming. The demonstration features are now being evaluated for permanent use and are informing broader street safety planning, giving the village a tested model for improving walkability and bike safety in future projects.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.

Annapolis, MD

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Bikeability

Description: Organizers with Annapolis Arts District wanted to create a safer, more bikeable community. To improve the bikeability of the neighborhood, they added artistic bike racks. Additionally, they installed share the Road signs and painted sharrows on the pavement to warn drivers about cyclists sharing the roadway. Project organizers say the efforts helped restart stalled efforts to complete a bike master plan for Annapolis.

Tampa, FL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Bikeability

Description: Transportation barriers kept food-insecure residents, including older adults, from accessing meals and resources. Many rely on bikes but lacked secure parking, discouraging visits. The organization installed six free-standing bike racks at its new facility and Trinity Cafe sites and began distributing more than 100 bike locks to neighbors who could not afford them. These changes make biking safer for essential trips, reduce isolation and support healthier lifestyles while promoting sustainability. One volunteer said, "It is nice to know that my bike is secured outside and that other people who come in for a hot meal or to shop can use it as well."

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.