Happy Friday! The last few weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster…
- Attended Bike Bike! in Mexico City for the first time ever and learned so much about a place that prioritizes bike facilities and bike safety education, I literally cried. Also got to learn about the amazing work so many folks are doing through Community Bike Shops (Bike Kitchens) all throughout the Americas. If you would like to get more involved with our local Community Bike Shop, check out Rubarb – volunteer, donate, or just promote them! I will do a more detailed blog post about my travels, so stay tuned for that!
- Had meetings with a new team from the New Orleans Health Department around a new education effort to promote multimodality in local campuses and work together to extend our reach to universities.
- Attended sessions for the City’s Civic Leadership Academy to better understand how the city works. Highly encourage folks to check this and the Committee for Better New Orleans’ Leadership Forum if you would like to be more civically engaged with your community.
- Gave 45 bike light sets in a week in partnership with the New Orleans Police Department. This is a relationship we’ve been cultivating for a while, and it was great to expand our reach together while giving safety information, and learning new ways to work together and help educate safer behavior in our streets.
- Partnered with the St Roch Neighborhood Association who sponsored a bike light giveaway – over 60 bike light sets given the same night I attended Critical Mass to help reinstall Dustin Strom’s ghost bike on St Claude and Marigny Streets.
There is so much work to do all the time, and I’m grateful when our biking community comes together. So today, I’m writing to you to ask you for a few things:
Make your vote count!
While I will not tell you who to vote for, or not; PLEASE VOTE :). Primary Elections happen tomorrow, Saturday, October 11 from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm. make sure to review your polling location before leaving your house since the new District Maps apply to this election – to find your polling place, click here
I recommend the following guides to guide your decision:
- Committee for better New Orleans’ Guide to the 2025 Municipal Election
- Big Easy Budget Coalition Voter Guide
However you get there – bike, walk, roll, or take transit (free tomorrow!) – be sure to VOTE and help move our region forward!
Participate in this year’s Bicycle Second Line!
For over a decade, we have celebrated the biking community through our Bicycle Second Line!
And if you would like to buy one of our commemorative tshirts, we have extended our deadline to Monday, October 13th at midnight! Currently at 25.00 plus taxes, these shirts will be available in a limited quantity at the Bicycle Second Line on Sunday, November 2nd for 40.00! So you do the math.
We are able to offer this event for FREE thanks through grants and sponsorships, and small things like buying a shirt help us out to continue to fund out work!
Keep an eye on our social media next week for the unveiling of all the bands we’re having come and celebrate with us! This year, we’re even having a band during registration, plus a couple options for bike rentals – so RSVP for more details.
Also, we have a few sponsorship and silent auction spots left, so reply this email if you are interested in supporting our efforts, and I will send you all the info you need!
Volunteer with Bike Easy!
We have plenty of events this Summer! So if you attend, or are free to volunteer, check these opportunities out
- Crescent City Blues and BBQ Festival at Lafayette Square beings this Friday, October 10th and runs through the 11th. Be sure to look for our valet on Camp Street, the opposite side of the park where we set up for Wednesday at the square. We could use help for any shift – but especially need volunteers on Sunday. This is always a great event and I’d love to see people come out in support – especially as Lil’ Freddie King had to cancel his headlining spot as he just recently suffered a bike crash and is still recovering.
- The Broadside is hosting us for another Bike Night with a showing of ET the Extra-Terrestrial on Wednesday, October 15th. We’ll be setting up our Valet in their parking lot – and tickets for anyone that bikes will be just $1 so we hope there’s a great turn out! Otherwise, you’ll pay 6.00 plus taxes and fees!
- Our Bicycle Second Line will be taking place on Sunday, November 2nd this year. Like last year, we will be posting up with a bike corral outside of the Broadside for the before and after-party. I could use a couple of dedicated and experienced volunteers like you to help me run this – we’ll still be able to ride with the group.
- Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival returns to Armstrong Park on November 8th and 9th with two days of local flavor and talent.
- We’ll be wrapping up the year (for now) with the Uptown celebration of our favorite overstuffed sandwich as The Oak Street Po Boy Festival takes place all up and down Oak Street starting at Carrollton. Find our valet at Zimple and Carrollton in the old Capitol One parking lot
If you’d like to lend a hand to help promote biking in the area, please fill out the volunteer form.
If you can’t volunteer your time for the valet, don’t let that stop you from coming to the events and taking advantage of the valet!
And if you want to volunteer with yours truly, I’ll be hosting a Bike Valet for Home Fest (Get up n Ride’s 10 year anniversary party) on Saturday, October 18th from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm – Reply to this email if you are free!
Let the rollercoaster continue!
In Service,
Allene La Spina
Executive Director