A city in motion: Newark’s rhythm of travel

This is the fourth installment from the 2025 Citizen Journalism class: a photo essay by Jennah Cherry Romain titled “A city in motion: Newark’s rhythms of travel”. In this series, Romain documented people as they navigated the South and West wards of Newark.

A cyclist pedals through downtown Newark, the bright orange Newark sign towering in the background on Sept. 30, 2025.

The way Newarkers travel across the city is layered and every movement tells a story of patience, perseverance, and adaptation.

Some wait at bus shelters, leaning against glass panels or resting on benches, watching cars stream past. 

Others weave through intersections on scooters or bikes, slipping between traffic and construction as if it’s second nature.

On the streets, the rhythm is different.

A scooter rider crosses an intersection, weaving in and between traffic and orange “Sidewalk Closed” signs.

A delivery driver on an e-bike leans forward, a red box strapped down behind him, focused and determined to reach his stop. A cyclist pedals across a wide street, framed by Newark’s bright signs, honking cars, and occasional construction. 

These movements show the creativity and determination it takes just to get from one place to another — transforming ordinary streets into a stage of human ingenuity.

Inside the bus, the narrow rows, the metal poles, the empty seats waiting for their riders, though quiet, carries the same uncertainty as the streets outside. Every passenger enters with their own story, their own reason for pushing through delays, weather, and crowded sidewalks.

This story isn’t just about buses or bikes. It’s about resilience. When the bus is late, people wait. When the sidewalk is blocked, they find another way.

It’s a city of life, forever in motion.

A crowd of commuters gather under a bus shelter on Broad Street in Newark on Sept. 30, 2025.

A man waits in his orange work clothes after a long shift on Broad Street in Newark, July 19, 2025. He said the hardest part of commuting is when the bus doesn’t show up.

A delivery driver weaves through traffic on Broad Street with a red box strapped to his bike, balancing speed and focus, as another driver carrying a green bag crosses his path on Sept. 29, 2025.

A man rides on a motorized bike with a red basket for delivery items weaving through traffic in Newark on Sept. 30, 2025.

A woman in business clothes rides her scooter, weaving through the city streets on Sept. 30, 2025.

A man on a bike and and a little boy on his scooter ride together sharing the journey down on Broad Street in Newark on Sept. 30, 2025.

A man on a scooter weaves through construction and traffic, finding his own lane across Hasley Street on Sept. 30, 2025.

Inside the 24T bus, near the last stop, rows of narrow seats wait for riders, capturing the quieter side of the commute in Newark on  Sept. 30, 2025.

A commuter waits for the bus, bookbag on his shoulder and headphones on, taking a moment as the city moves around him on Raymond Blvd. in Newark on July 19, 2025.