Hope y’all are staying warm!
I meant to send this call for volunteers last week, but I got side tracked with a few other tasks, including taking care of my husband while he recovers from ankle surgery. We went on a leisurely ride a few weeks ago, and he fell off his bike in the worse way possible. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster since, but I’m happy to report he is on the mend, and I’m slowly crossing things off my to-do list (hence the late-in-the-day email).
So, please pull out your calendars out and let me know if you can support in any way with the following opportunities:
Bike Mechanic Support – Wednesday, February 5 – 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
We need a few extra hands to get our bike fleet ready for our Spring Bike Clubs. Volunteers will help pump tires, clean chains, and make minor adjustments at the Extra Space Storage Unit located down the block from our office at 540 N Cortez, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm this Wednesday, February 5.
If you are able to help, please contact Lauren Nagel at lauren@bikeeasy.org for more details
Yard Sign Distribution for the Purple Way – Central City, Uptown and Marigny Area – This week and next
Our 2026 Purple Way Campaign launched last week! Thanks to the New Orleans Health Department, yard signs have already been deployed to Moss Street, Norman C Francis Parkway, and the Lafitte Greenway.
We are looking for folks who live along the route in Central City, Uptown and the Marigny to place additional. Please note that this year we made a few edits to the suggested route based on feedback from last year.
Yard signs will need to be picked up from our office at 3530 Toulouse Street, deployed along the route, and then brought back to the office after Ash Wednesday. If you live along Moss Street, Norman C Francis, or the Lafitte Greenway and would like to volunteer to pick up signs already deployed after Ash Wednesday, that is also an option.
If you are able to help, please contact Allene La Spina – allene@bikeeasy.org for more details
Ride Ambassadors – Bike Streets Project – Ongoing
We’re looking for 20 dedicated volunteers to help us populate our Bike Streets Map usage – this effort is focused on promoting biking in New Orleans by identifying low-stress bike routes to provide directions for people looking to navigate the city by bike. This work will help us identify where vital connectors are missing – and focus our effort accordingly.
What makes a low-stress bike route and why is this important?
Low-stress bike routes are routes that may not have any formal infrastructure, but are well suited for people to ride their bike along – regardless of comfort level. To give an example: St. Claude has a traditional bike lane painted on the street but there are often cars in the bike lane, dangerous intersections, and motor vehicles traveling at a high speed. Alternatively, when going down river, Rampart Street sees a relatively low amount of traffic and lower speed limits. When searching for directions, Google Maps and similar Apps will simply highlight bike lanes, this App will allow us to use community input to provide better directions and update conditions in real time to make our city easier to navigate by bike!
How can I help?
Right now, we are looking for a small group to build our user input before launching this app formally. All we are asking is for people to log rides regularly on your rides. So if you’re considering helping all you need to do is keep riding and logging your rides on the app!
We’re especially looking for people that ride in and around Gentilly, New Orleans East, the West Bank, and downriver of the Industrial Canal.
If you are able to help, contact David Meza – david@bikeeasy.org for more details
Again, sorry for the late notice on some of these asks! Later this week we’ll be sending a couple more emails: One specifically for Bike Easy Members marking the beginning of our monthly newsletter, and another one with more information about this year’s Purple Way Campaign!
In the meantime, stay warm!