Vineland hopes to bolster health, economy with bike lanes, fitness events

March 9, 2013 | Media Coverage, Vineland

Originally published in Press of Atlantic City

Local officials are planning a few projects aimed at getting city residents living in New Jersey’s least healthy county up and moving to improve their physical conditions.

One part of the plan involves creating two miles of downtown bike lanes that will run on Wood and Elmer streets between East and West avenues. The other is a monthly fun and fitness event held in the downtown Landis Avenue business district on the first Friday of most spring and summer months.

A goal of both projects is to improve local and Cumberland County health indicators that Emma Lopez, health educator for the city’s health department, called “horrible.” One of the biggest problems is obesity, she said.

While improving personal health is the main goal, another objective of the bike paths and the monthly street fair is also improve the economic health of the Landis Avenue business district.

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