NJDOT sponsoring bike collection for
shipment overseas in conjunction with Bike Month
The New Jersey Department of Transportation is sponsoring a used bike collection in partnership with Pedals for Progress, a charity organization that recycles bicycles for use in developing countries across the globe.
The NJDOT intends to donate the bikes to the African nation of Namibia, with which the department has a federally sanctioned transportation “twinning” relationship. The department’s effort also highlights Governor James E. McGreevey’s proclamation of May as “Bike Month” in New Jersey.
“Bicycles are a reliable mode of transportation for commuting to work, especially in developing countries. Programs like this can help people get to work and stay employed, all of which are vital to a successful economy,” said Transportation Commissioner Jamie Fox.
“We are also celebrating Bike Month in the Garden State. In addition to encouraging people to use their bicycles for exercise and recreation, donating bikes has a positive effect here at home too. Used bikes take up space in people’s homes, they have little resale value and fill our shrinking landfills,” Fox added.
The bike collection will be held on Tuesday, May 7, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Anyone with a used bicycle in repairable condition is encouraged to drop it off at the NJDOT’s headquarters located at 1035 Parkway Avenue in Ewing Township. Bicycles that are disassembled or are not repairable should not be donated. A $10 donation towards shipping costs is also requested.
The NJDOT is working on this initiative with Pedal for Progress, which collects more than 9,000 bicycles annually for distribution in Latin America, Africa and the Pacific Islands. The organization will be taking custody of the collected bikes and coordinating their shipment to Namibia with the Federal Highway Administration. The NJDOT’s “twinning” relationship with Namibia is sponsored by the FHWA’s Office of International Programs.
| 
