Biking from Bloomfield to Newark? ( trip , moving to, traffic)

[paleopoet]

Moving to Bloomfield, going to Rutgers Newark, is it at all possible to bike to and from? And how dangerous?

[MaverickDD]

Yes, very possible. Yes, very dangerous. I see two obvious threats:

The first is the threat of accidents from heavy vehicular traffic. The main roads are narrow and busy with both cars and trucks. The side roads are safer, except for the nuts driving at high speeds while trying to avoid the congestion on the main roads. I don't know where you're from, but in urban New Jersey, bicyclist get no respect from motorists. Be aware.

The second is the threat of assault. There are some rough neighborhoods en route from Bloomfield to Rutgers Newark.

If I was to map a route, I'd take the side roads in Bloomfield to the northern end of Branch Brook Park. Then ride the park road to the southern end. From there, it's about fifteen blocks +/- to Rutgers Newark.

Also consider the weather and your schedule.
* When it snows, those overly narrow roads become even narrower.
* Winter sunrise can be as late as 7:30 and sundown as early as 4:30. You definitely don't want to ride this trip in the dark ... period.

That said, public transportation (including the city subway) can be very helpful. Look into it.

[paleopoet]

I have looked into public transportation quite a bit, I'm just trying to explore other options, especially considering that I cannot afford to drive, thank you for your help though.

[dhanu86]

consider a unicycle, people will yield and admire ur skills, i dont know about how people lock their bikes up at rutgers, i think a unicycle is less likely to be stolen. It sounds far u better try it beforehand.

[Truth NJ]

You will be fine I never heard or seen any police reports of bike jacking. The entire police force is downtown Newark area at all times; it is the other areas in Newark they take alot longer to get too..