POLICY UPDATES
Federal Funding
New Orleans has received $49.97 million from the Environmental Protection Agency to support greenhouse gas reduction measures, including building new bike lanes and an e-bike rebate program.
Blue Bikes Program Expansion
The city of New Orleans will receive a $1.7 million grant from the United States Department of Energy to expand the city’s Blue Bikes e-bike sharing system and provide worker training to new mechanics.
New Orleans East Grant
New Orleans East received $65.5 million for bike lanes and pedestrian bridges. Federal money from the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program will make improvements by constructing shared-use trails along the north and south I-10 service roads, trail connections at existing interchanges and three non-motorized bridges crossing the interstate.
Tree Canopy Improvements
New Orleans has received funding for tree canopy projects from a variety of sources, including the city, the federal government, and nonprofits. This includes funding for maintenance of existing tree canopy, tree planting in neighborhoods currently lack in tree canopy, and workforce development in the field of urban forestry.
CALLS TO ACTION
Support the Poydras Street Bike Lanes
As part of the current scope of work on Poydras St, which includes: Patching, milling, and resurfacing the street, re-striping, sidewalk repairs, installation of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant ramps where needed, and driveway apron repairs; a bike lane will be added in both directions on Poydras Street between Loyola Avenue and Convention Center Blvd. Preparations for striping work are now underway. This project honors our Complete Streets Policy which is meant to drive all new construction and factor in the needs of all road users when possible. It is important to clarify that this project does not include any lane reductions.
Show your support for the Poydras Street safety improvements by contacting these councilmembers:
- District B Councilmember Harris – Lesli.Harris@nola.gov
- Transportation Committee Chair Councilmember Green – Eugene.Green@nola.gov
- Councilmember At-Large Moreno – helena.moreno@nola.gov
- Councilmeber At-Large Morell – JP.Morrell@nola.gov
Safer St. Claude
For over a year, Bike Easy and the New Orleans Complete Streets Coalition have been holding stakeholders meetings to discuss improving safety for people biking and walking through and across state roads, in particular, St. Claude Avenue. Discussions are ongoing with the City, LADOTD, the the Mayor’s Office of Nighttime Economy, the Office of Sustainability and Resiliency, Councilmember King’s Office, and other stakeholders to discuss short and long-term solutions for improving transportation safety on the corridor, including an ask for protected bike lanes.
Show your support for proposed safety improvements on St. Claude by contacting:
- Scott Boyle, District 02 Engineer Administrator – Scott.Boyle@la.gov
- Nicole Rizzo, Asst. District Traffic Engineer – Nicole.Rizzo@la.gov
- District C Councilmember Freddie King III – Freddie.King@nola.gov
- State Reprsentative Candace Newell – hse099@legis.la.gov
Get Registered to Vote
Early voting begins today! Make sure you are registered to vote in Louisiana. Show up to vote and make your voice heard. Local amendments are where your vote can count the most!
Updates from Last Advocacy Roundup
River District Design Progress – Since our last roundup, representatives from the River District have presented at the Bike Easy Policy & Design Committee and New Orleans Complete Streets Coalition meetings, and have established an open line of communication.
Planned Road Construction on US90 – We have not yet received any confirmation about the inclusion of a bike lane on new roadwork on Broad Street from Tulane Ave to Bienville . This project will include repaving, and does not include any clear design for a bike lane (a missed opportunity to improve a much needed connection in that corridor). Continue to request clarity on this project’s inclusion of bikeway infrastructure, and inquire about their community outreach and feasibility studies directing these decisions by reaching out to:
- Scott Boyle, District 02 Engineer Administrator – Scott.Boyle@la.gov
Nicole Rizzo, Asst. District Traffic Engineer – Nicole.Rizzo@la.gov - District B Council Member Lesli Harris – Lesli.Harris@nola.gov
- State Representative Alonzo Knox – aknox@legis.la.gov
- Senator Jimmy Harris – harrisj@legis.la.gov
- Senator Royce Duplessis – sen05@legis.la.gov
Want to get more involved in any of these initiatives? Reach out to laura@bikeeasy.org