If you live or work in either Mercer or Ocean County, Greater Mercer TMA is your Transportation Management Association (TMA). Greater Mercer TMA (gmtma.org) delivers programs and services that promote and provide transportation choices designed to reduce congestion, improve mobility, increase safety and further sustainability. GMTMA partners with schools and communities throughout Mercer and Ocean Counties to implement a variety of safe walking and bicycling programs including Walk/Bike to School Day events, Bike and Pedestrian Safety Presentations, Bicycle Rodeos/Skills Clinics, Walking School Bus, Frequent Walker Programs, and a variety of other classroom, summer camp, and community activities designed to teach walking and bicycling safety. GMTMA also conducts pedestrian road safety audits and prepares school travel plans to help municipalities identify infrastructure improvements to make their communities more walkable and bikeable.
Greater Mercer TMA welcomes Kathleen Ebert as the most recent addition to their team as Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety/Safe Routes to School Coordinator. In her beginning months, she has delivered pedestrian and bike safety classes in the East Windsor School District, assisted with two bike rodeos for 3rd graders in Point Pleasant Borough elementary schools-which are becoming institutionalized programs, and she is looking forward to upcoming bike and pedestrian safety events scheduled now that the spring is underway and summer is upon us.
There are contest winners in Mercer and Ocean counties! Greater Mercer TMA will be awarding four winners in its 10th annual Safe Routes to School Bookmark Contest, two winners from each county. Each participating student was to draw an original design reflecting the theme: “Walking is fun for all…winter, spring, summer, or fall.” The Mercer County winners are Adam D., grade 5, Lawrence Intermediate School; and Aniyah S., grade 5, The Village Charter School, and the winners from Ocean County are Keira S., grade 5, Ocean Road Elementary School; and Zoe D., grade 5, Nellie F. Bennett Elementary School. Each winner will be presented with a $50 gift card alongside bookmark printing! As a follow-up to the bookmark contest, GMTMA will be encouraging everyone to Step into Spring! Through a social media campaign, GMTMA is asking students and parents to share what they enjoy most about walking (or biking) to school.
In more exciting news, GMTMA, in conjunction with NJDOT and Sam Schwartz Engineering firm, will celebrate the launch of a district-wide Walking School Bus Program this May in the Trenton School District. It has been many months in the works, and now the WSB program is ready to get moving! Official maps have been created for each of Trenton’s elementary, middle, and intermediate schools, along with suggested walking routes for each catchment area throughout the Trenton school district – approximately 43 routes in all, wow! This initial launch will give the partners valuable feedback for implementing the Walking School Bus program in the fall for the 2023-2024 school year.
To learn more about the New Jersey Walking School Bus app and the many other programs offered by Greater Mercer TMA, be sure to visit their website https://www.gmtma.org.
If you don’t live or work in Mercer or Ocean Counties don’t worry, there is a TMA in your area ready and willing to help you make your community safer for walking and bicycling. To find your TMA, visit https://www.saferoutesnj.org/find-your-srts-regional-coordinator/
