I’m reaching out to inform you of some of the Advocacy efforts we’ve been working on recently and share some updates on the regional bike network.
We’ve been receiving a lot of concerns lately about the 311 system, and the lack of response on some service requests. We continue to bring this up as an issue to our contacts in the city and are hopeful that the ordinance presented by City Council, and passed on August 10th, will make 311 services more accessible to everyone. This ordinance requests that the Department of Public Works create and maintain a public-facing dashboard that will allow residents to track their requests for service and monitor progress of things like potholes, catch basin cleanings, lateral drainage lines, catch basin repairs, streetlights, traffic signals, alleyway maintenance, bike lanes, striping, traffic studies, traffic signs, street signs, school zone signs/lights, abandoned cars, and parking tickets. While we recognize that creating this type of dashboard is an ambitious undertaking, we agree that such a tool would be really useful to hold the city accountable in maintaining safe streets for all.
Our petition is still up, and currently has 992 signatures. If you haven’t had an opportunity to sign it, I encourage you to do so. We will send an update of our petition to elected officials at the end of September. A lot of the comments folks have made, have given us great insight on common concerns, and the areas in which we need to focus the most in the upcoming months.
St Claude Ave
Back in August we had a meeting with Council Member King’s office to discuss ways to make St Claude Ave safer for people biking. In attendance, there were representatives of the Louisiana Department of Transportation, Department of Public Works, Office of Resilience and Sustainability, Bike Easy and a few others. It was a productive meeting where we all brainstormed what are realistic short-term and long-term goals for this corridor, and left with of actionable items.
We’re planning on having a follow-up meeting on St Claude in October, and are planning on inviting more elected officials to join us and ride a portion of St Claude.
I will also be presenting at Faubourg St Roch Neighborhood Association tonight to gather feedback and share some of our work with them. I’d be happy to join your neighborhood association too, just drop me a line and we can schedule something!
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
The work on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd has been mostly completed: flexposts and signs to direct people driving and people biking have been installed. We were also told that it has been added to the regular maintenance schedule.
It will be good to hear your feedback on this new corridor, so please feel free to reach out with your comments.
Jefferson Parish
A few months ago, we began meeting with Jefferson Parish to learn more about the expansion of their bike network, and brainstorm ways to engage the bike community in their area. They have been receptive to our ideas, and we hope this continued partnership will benefit everyone in the road. Part of our team took a short tour of some of the new infrastructure. Read more about it here.
I’m sure I”m leaving things out, so please reach out of you have any questions! In the meantime, check our upcoming events below:
Upcoming Events
- Thursday, September 28th – VIRTUAL People Friendly Driving – Learn about common crashes and how to avoid them, safety tips and techniques, and discover how to navigate bicycle infrastructure on the roadways. Click here to RSVP
- Friday, September 29th – Nola to Angola Bike Safety Session #1 – Bike Easy Office (2100 Oretha Castle Haley) – 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
- Friday, September 29th – Deadline to purchase the 2023 Bicycle Second Line Commemorative T-shirt – Click here to purchase!
- Sunday, October 1st – Safety Sunday Bike Lane Cleanup – Wall Blvd – 9:00 am to 11:00 am – Click here for more details
- Friday, October 13th until Sunday, October 15th – LCI Seminar – Bike Easy Office (2100 Oretha Castle Haley) – Click here for more details
- Saturday, October 14th – Nola to Angola Bike Safety Session #2 – Greenway Plaza – 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
- Sunday, October 22nd – Bicycle Second Line – Click here for the latest details and to RSVP
In Service,
Allene La Spina
Executive Director
