BEYOND WORDS - What's Next

A letter from our ED

Bike Easy is deeply moved by the solidarity of the biking community in New Orleans, uniting for Critical Mass and in remembrance of the latest tragic fatality on St. Claude Avenue.

July 25, 2025 – Die In organized by Critical Mass – Picture by Elyse Bejasa

Laura and I happened to be in the area on Thursday, mere moments from the crash: literally on our way to present our Safer St Claude Campaign at ByMBO’s monthly meeting. We went to the scene, and it was completely surreal and overwhelming – we are still digesting what happened.

This heartbreaking incident highlights the urgent need for significant changes to ensure the safety of all road users.

What can you do?

Show up to the next City Council Meeting on Thursday, August 7th. While we are not scheduled to speak that day, we want them TO SEE US, and feel the pressure.

We encourage everyone to reach out to local and state officials, demanding that the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) take meaningful action to improve safety on this corridor, rather than providing generic responses that shift blame onto user behavior*.

*In case you missed their response to the media last night, click this link

Here is a handy list of elected officials – We highlight in bold the 4 out of 5 members in the Transportation Committee Meeting held on Tuesday, July 22nd who WERE NOT in attendance, who should be reminded of their duty. Especially when this Committee only meets quarterly, it was a slap on the face not to have them there to learn about a campaign that’s been in the works for over 2 years, and was triggered by CM King’s outreach to us asking what would it take to install protected bike lanes on St Claude Ave. Here is a link to the recording that day – Fast forward to 1:15 for Bike Easy’s presentation.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell – mayor@nola.gov – 504.658.4900
Helena N. Moreno – Councilmember At-Large – helena.moreno@nola.gov – 504.658.1060
JP Morrell – Councilmember At-Large – JP.Morrell@nola.gov – 504.658.1070
Joseph I Giarrusso III – Councilmember District A – Joseph.Giarrusso@nola.gov – 504.658.1010
Lesli Harris – Councilmember District B – Lesli.Harris@nola.gov – 504.658.1020
Freddie King III – Councilmember District C – Freddie.King@nola.gov – 504.658.1030
Eugene J. Green – Councilmember District D – eugene.green@nola.gov – 504.658.1040
Oliver Thomas – Councilmember District E – Oliver.Thomas@nola.gov – 504.658.1050
State Representative Candace Newell – hse099@legis.la.gov

While this is occurring in District C, this is an all district issue, so contact your own elected official and at-large Council Members. Demand pressure to be placed in working alongside with LADOTD to solve the unsafe conditions on state corridors in our city.

And for State Reps, here is your handy list:

Scott Boyle, District 02 Engineer Administrator – Scott.Boyle@la.gov
Nicole Rizzo, Asst. District Traffic Engineer – Nicole.Rizzo@la.gov
For full list of contacts – Click here

Last, but not least, stay tuned for a candidate forum around this and more safety issues on the week of the 18th.

We believe together – as a community – we will bring on change, and prevent deaths. Let’s use our pain, frustration and powerlessness into action.

Sincerely at your service,

Allene La Spina
Executive Director