In support of the Bike Easy April Challenge, I’d like to share some great routes and tips for getting around New Orleans by bike. Whether you’re grabbing a bite to eat, heading to the park with friends and family, or just exploring our wonderful city, these routes will take you there by bike using the City’s low-stress protected and connected bikeway network (the network is growing every day so check back for more route updates).
Leaving from Mid-City?
If you’re heading towards the French Quarter, hop on to the Lafitte Greenway for a low-stress ride on an off street shared path. The greenway connects Mid-City from Carrollton Ave. all the way to Basin street on the edge of the French Quarter.
Leaving from Uptown?
If you’re headed towards Bywater, I love to take a low-stress residential street like Camp street (it’s beautiful, low-traffic, and you can stay on it all the way until it becomes Chartres Street which takes you all the way to the end of Bywater!)
If you’re headed towards Mid-City, try another low-stress residential street like Audubon or Nashville to get to the bike lane on Fontaine Bleau Drive. From there, take Octavia Street to the Norman C. Francis bridge, which offers a central path to get you safely over the Pontchartrain Expressway. From there, you can continue on the path to Bayou St, John and connect to the Lafitte Greenway.
Leaving from Gentilly?
If you’re headed towards the CBD, take the Gentilly Blvd. bike lane to New Orleans St. to cross under the 610 highway. From there, continue on to the Broad Street bike lane. At St. Bernard, I like to switch over to a quieter residential street (Dorgenois St. is lined with beautiful live oaks) to take me to Esplanade Avenue, which has a great bike lane to bring you towards the French Quarter. From there, turn on the wide buffered bike lane of N. Rampart Street to take you past Canal. Continue by turning on to the bike lane of Gravier Street and hop on to the buffered bike lane of Baronne Street to take you deeper into the CBD and beyond.
Leaving from the 9th Ward or Bywater?
If you’re headed to Algiers, I like to take Burgundy (one of the smoother streets) through Bywater in the direction of the quarter. You can cut over to the new bicycle boulevard on Franklin Ave. and take a left down to N. Peters, then take that into the French Quarter to meet up with Decatur Street. Follow N. Peters again to Iberville to bring you to the Algiers Point – Canal Street ferry!
Leaving from Algiers Regional Library to Algiers Point?
Take advantage of the new protected bikeway infrastructure! Use the protected bikeway on Holiday Drive to the bike path on Wall Blvd. From there, take Odeon north and continue along the Mississippi River levee path to the point and beyond.
Leaving from New Orleans East?
If you’re heading into the city from the East, try taking the bike lane on Read Blvd. down to Old Gentilly Road. From there, cut down on Elaine St. to Almonaster Ave. While the Almonaster train bridge is closed to car traffic, you’re able to get across as a pedestrian or on bike (less stressful than crossing on 90!) From there, you can continue on Almonaster Avenue to Franklin and destinations in the city beyond.
These are just a few examples of how to connect your destinations by bike across New Orleans.
Have a favorite route around New Orleans you’d like to share? Send it to us at info@bikeeasy.org
