NolaCycle Bike Map Project

where we actually went.

2011-04-30T18:56:00.001-05:00

thanks for riding! 50 strong! let's help each other work on building the mass next week! the ride gets more and more awesome with each rider.

Critical Mass Ride! 6pm Jackson Square

2011-04-29T15:03:00.001-05:00

come explore the new bike lanes, and ride the park! 12 miles, 3 hours

picture post: parking and lanes

2011-02-14T10:03:00.003-06:00

No Parking at new Lakeview Grocery (Robert's)

No Parking at Rite Aid

Parking at Bean Gallery

New Bike Lane on Orleans! updating the map...

dirty coast compass rose

2010-11-01T12:28:00.003-05:00

Just a word on navigation, (and i know i'm a million years late on this) dirty coast has a tee shirt for sale with a singular "new orleanian" compass rose overlaid on the map of the wards. Instead of North, South, East, West, the rose displays "Lake, River, Downtown, Uptown."

the only problem i have with it-- how are you supposed to look at the shirt when you need to find your way? maybe i can get it printed upside down, and grow a beer gut. you know, for navigation purposes.

scptt

CRITICAL MASQUE Cemetery Ride To-NITE! 6pm Jackson Square

2010-10-29T11:47:00.001-05:00

CRITICAL MASQUE Cemetery Ride To-NITE! 6pm Jackson Square

the dead drive the streets, burning fossil plants on their blind way.
encased in steel, they no longer feel the sun, no longer do they feel the bump of the earth and the contour of the land,
no longer do they hear the wind or see their fellows teeming in the hundreds beside them
the dead drive and drive to and fro in cattle lines, unsullied by the heat of the sun or damp of the chill air
the dead hand of greed drives us into war for oil and toil for a scorched earth,
the dead drive the state and the nation into the sea, which rises into the heated air to swallow us
for what do the dead fear? The dead cannot drown.

but we the living ride, masked to cheer the dead hands that drive our lives, to call them forth to all hallow’s eve.

Let’s Ride Bikes! Critical Masque Cemetery Ride TONITE! 6pm Jackson Square
A tour of the cities of the dead, in a city not long for this world
http://www.nolacemeteries.com/

15 miles, 3 hours. now dressed!

Bike Ride to Delacroix

2010-09-28T14:01:00.009-05:00

A bike ride to delacroix on a sunday football weekend. People thought they couldn't do it, people thought i was crazy, several people backed out, or only wanted to do half. I'm sorry that nothing was decided beforehand, but planning takes work, work that was largely unnecessary, thankfully. Thanks to Asher, Chad, Tom, and especially Becca for running support, and Victor for his tips. In the end, I think we had more support than riders.

I was warned that the road with no shoulder starts soon after chalmette, and the point was well taken. From phone conversations, i thought the ride was going to end up like this:

and yet, i knew this had been done by the punx, by people with serious attention to fun rather than athletics; i had ridden to Gulfport and back and braved the tossed gatorade bottles of hwy 90 into the pearl river basin, with no shoulder to swerve into; honestly, it seemed much less intimidating than attempting to ride to the northshore and hit the tammany trace from new orleans.

and it proved to be fun. I think, because of the allure of television football, there were fewer people on the road in the morning than in the afternoon. the trip was more like this:

With one jerk zipping us there, and another on the way back, both in the area outlined in red. no bottles, though.

60 miles is about how much I can do without hurting the next day. we rode about 15 miles per hour, and with breaks, rolled into delacroix in 2.5 hours. There are gas stations all the way to Bayou Rd, but we had Becca drive to meet us out there with water. Next time, I'm bringing crab traps and stopping in Reggio. or staging a night ride to Violet Park.

To start, the lower 9 after the st. claude bridge was an elegant ride, with style, in the door lane that goes to the parish line. St Bernard isn't so bad tho, until the 4 lanes become 2 east of Paris Rd. From there, the landscape gets more and more industrial, then rural--and the shoulder disappears in places.

Once we hit the turn onto Bayou Rd, the traffic stopped considerably, probably because, unlike the 4-lane, the rd is blocked in two places before Verret. these roadblocks mean that you basically own the road--only fishermen are there. Even residents seem to use the 4-lane.

and, home again.

Thanks for the StreetCar Ride!

2010-09-07T13:57:00.004-05:00

Hey, all. just giving you the shout-out for riding the old streetcar network with us this past month. check the tour map here:

and the handout here:

We rode 50+ strong through the streets, no fuss, really. After a bit of rain, and a pause to say hey to former mayor Ray Nagin, we cruised to Plessy Park, where Homer Plessy stood up to integrate our trains.

Then we hit the Desire, transferred to the Jackson-Claiborne line, and rode the Bayou St John to the former streetcar barn at the end of Esplanade. After that break, we rode the City Park, transferred to the Canal, to see the station that still stands for the trains there.

We cheated a bit, I mean, we weren't riding on rails after all...and jumped over to the former St Charles line on Tulane Ave; then under the ever-flooded Carrollton underpass to transfer onto the Napoleon line at Washington st. From there, it was only a couple transfers from napoleon ave to the Peters line on Dryades, and then to the Louisiana line on, well, louisiana ave. We ended at the old Magazine shops, where we greased our human bearings with juice from the Breaux Mart.

Then we went to look at Darin's $1500 Sony No-Screen.

This month: Snoballs on Piety 17th September, and then...Delacroix? Westbank?

SnoBall Search Mid-Month Rides!

2010-08-13T14:10:00.003-05:00

New Orleans Critical Mass is organizing fun, casual, mid-month rides to highlight some really awesome things in our city. This summer, it's Snoballs.

Snoballs, if you don't know, are popular summertime treats made with saved ice, favored syrups, and sometimes condensed milk or ice cream if you want to get fancy with it.

If you've never had one before, here's a good description from Mr. Edward Branley:
The sno-ball is truly a New Orleans creation. The main reason for this is a machine called a "Hansen's Sno-Bliz." This is the machine that turns blocks of ice into sno-balls. Most sno-cones are made of crushed ice; a Sno-Bliz machine shaves a block of ice, giving it an extremely fine texture. The classic sno-ball machine (now manufactured by four or five companies in the area) works like a deli meat slicer. I've never seen anything like a sno-ball in any part of the country, although Lani Teshima-Miller's description of "shaved ice" in Hawaii is the closest thing I've heard. A sno-ball isn't an Italian ice, nor is it a crushed ice abomination.

Once the ice is shaved, it's collected into a cup, paper cone, bowl, plate, or even a container akin to the things that you get at a Chinese take-out place. Then syrup is poured over the ice, making one of nature's most perfect foods. Some people continue the process, adding cherries, ice cream, ice milk, condensed milk, or other toppings.

We're hosting 2 rides to bring cyclists to the city's fine Snoball establishments.

On Friday August 20th, we're going Uptown starting at 5pm at the parking lot located at Magazine and Constantinople.

On Friday September 17th, we're headed Downtown starting at 3pm at Piety and the Levee in the Bywater (near Piety Street Snoballs).

Here's the route for next week's ride and a number of snoball stands we've located. If we missed your favorite, leave us a comment so we can add it to the ride.

View Sno Ball search in a larger map

Thanks, new orleans, for an awesome Wetlands Ride.

2010-08-04T11:54:00.003-05:00

Hey! come out 13th August for our first Snoball search ride! I don't know how it's all going to work out, but i know we will be riding and eating snoballs in uptown and metairie for a little bit. It might look something like this:

or not. meet in the parkinglot on magazine and constantinople.

Critical Mass! last week was awesome, despite a few hang ups, and a very long ride. I don't know when it ended, but only after we had taken two breaks, at the Spot in the East, and on the Lake as the sun set over pass Manchac.

I was worried about all the overpasses, but besides for one breakdown, everyone was able to hump it up over the rises. The almonaster bridge worked well as a traffic-free passage into new orleans east, an alternative to the Deathly Danziger bridge. even though the simple passage north from the bridge was blocked by a train, we were able to mount the Jourdan road overpasses and get onto chef / hwy 90. From there, though, I made a hasty turn onto Dale. This would not have been a problem except that I failed to turn left at crowder--which was goofy considering we stopped right there at crowder for 30 minutes on a break--that would have cut a mile or more off the route. as a consequence, we crossed the interstate at Read, which is more stressful.

In the interest of time and disorientation, we ended up going over at a place with no marsh. oh, but there is so much potential planting area there. The marsh at burke st was planted during a couple of days in 2007 and 2008. how much more marsh could we plant in a month of work? Coastal Restoration has to come out of our imaginations and into reality.

We left the levee at twilight, and took the haynes ave bridges in the dark. We couldn't go morrison road, because of construction, so that added a bridge to the route. We had one dude on a clunker throw a chain---his wheel was seriously out of true, but cory was there to help take his brake off.

We also had a detour onto Press instead of franklin, but because they've redone pontchartrain park, it was unexpectedly nice--Press runs into gentilly, and we took that new bike lane to franklin from there. That might be a shortcut, but i doubt it because press is curvy, and curvy the other way, away from our target of getting back downtown. We could have also scooted over to Alvar or Louisa, but these routes are either heavily trafficked or shoddily paved.

Sorry about the confusion about the Franklin overpass. you can access it from underneath the bridge, i think that's what people might have been doing? But it's a great route from the river to the lake.

thanks cory for running the support crew the whole time. If anyone has any photos, please send them to
criticalmassnolainfo@gmail.com

1) If you are interested in passing out flyers, please email me and i will send you the slips.

2) We also have business cards! great for slipping under people's brake cable housings! i laid out $5 for them. So if anyone wants to buy me a snoball...

3) I think we have run out of spoke cards, so if anyone wants to step up and make new ones, they are about $10 to run off.

See you next week!

scott

Mudslide into the Wetlands: Critical Mass Friday July 30th, 6pm Jackson Square

2010-07-26T18:59:00.002-05:00

join us for the ride of your lives!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2263490258&v=app_2344061033&ref=ts#!/event.php?eid=139155372763892&index=1

It's over right? the well is capped (almost), and we can just do back to thinking nothing ever happened, right?

The reality is the oil and the nightmare of coastal land loss is still among us, although more people across the nation and the world have awoken to our nightmare. Even in the city, we erect levees around our homes, levees that we think will keep the water out because they keep us from seeing it. The marshes that protect us have been threatened
ever more by this giant slick, these marshes that will continue to protect and feed us so long as they exist.

The truth is that we should have marshes right in our backyards--and in some places, we still do. Join us as we ride to New Orleans East, over hell and high water, to the closest marsh to town, on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain.

20 miles, 2.5 hours. There will be some bridges, so come get high with us (And bring your bathing suit).

To make this ride more excellent, we need some additional help:
flyering --If you are willing to pass out flyers, please email me your
name and neighborhood, and I will email you the loop strips to print
out.

support --we also need a support car this time, so email me if you are
interested.

photography / video --if you are willing and able to shoot cyclists,
email me and let's talk about where you can set up.

Don't forget: there's another demonstration 31st July in Jackson Square, 2pm
Let's keep the pressure up, let's meet each other and work on our long -term oil problems.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118253664889769
New Orleans Worldwide BP Protest Day - July 31, 2010 2pm

see you friday!

Thanks y'all! Riding Strong through the Suburbs!

2010-07-01T21:26:00.004-05:00

Thanks to everyone for another great ride. join us next month, when we will ride into our urban wetlands and beaches.

We rode 70 strong into metry, lakeview, and through the city park neighborhoods. Although we avoided all the bourgie mansions I wanted to pass en masse, we still fulfilled dreams and broke hearts by cruising down Veterans Blvd. Thanks to our friends who rode the LA Swift Bus from Baton Rouge to ride with us! I didn't know you could throw your bike on the bus--we'll have to return the favor sometime.

A reminder that our friends at RHUBARB need help closing down their current location by July 10th. fear not! Liz is looking for a new space already.

Check out the possible locations for next month (this is long):

Where we were this time out:

If you want to help with flyers, new spoke cards, posters, and route plans, let's meet up this coming wednesday, uptown at Rue at Oak and Carrolton. 6 sound good? I knew it would.

send all photos / photo links to
criticalmassnolainfo@gmail.com, and i promise a reporter next month.
look pretty for the cameras.

props to all corkers.

scott

Our good friends at RUBARB need your help!

2010-06-18T23:50:00.001-05:00

This was sent to me from Liz of RUBARB. If you can help in anyway, please contact them!

*********************************

dear fans and friends of RUBARB--

we are closing down!! st mary of the angels, where we have been for over
4 years and have evolved into something quite wonderful, has asked us to
leave their property. they want us to get some crazy insurance we can't
afford and want us out by JULY 10th. we are respecting their request,
ending operation on that day and are planning to spend the following week
moving everything out. prior to that, on JUNE 26th, we will be having a
"repair-a-thon" and a farewell party. we want to get rid of some bikes
that remain, raise money, reflect on some great years, thank the church
and entire community, and most importantly... have fun!

so we need your help!

now more than ever. we need to find a temporary space to store our stuff
(if you can think of a potential spot, please let me know). we eventually
need a place to relocate to (we want to stay in the 9th w/d). we need
folks who would want to help repair bikes during the "repair-a-thon." we
could use people to perform during the party. we need people to help
break down the shop on JULY 10th and eventually help us move out by JULY
17th. we sound so needy, but it's true!

the most important thing to me, is the kids. i've seen a lot of them grow
up in that place, maturing, learning, playing, having a safe positive
environment to just BE. it's sad to think that they'll have no place to
go, esp on saturdays when we're crawling with kids (i'm hoping we can set
up on a corner somewhere while we're temporarily closed, to let kids fix
flats, make little adjustments, hang out).

we know everything will work out in the end, it always does. it's taken
hundreds of people from around the city and country to get to where we got
to, and no doubt that will happen again. change is challenging, but
change is good.

thanks for listening! holla at me if you want to lend a hand in any way.
spread this email around. send any contributions to:

RUBARB Community Bike Shop
PO BOX 770340
New Orleans LA 70177

check out our website for updates: www.rubarbike.org

with love and pedal power,
liz

Rim and Spoke: Downtown is not Uptown.

2010-06-02T16:49:00.006-05:00

Hey, it's been a while. I've been busy helping promote Critical Mass in the wake of the oil disaster. Hope you've made it out. But you should know that I'm going to step back my involvement with Mass a bit in the coming months.

Anyone want to ride out to Delacroix Island, soon?

This series is and was a longer-term project to re-think cycling in New Orleans, to introduce new cyclists to a cyclist's geography, and provide the basis for some introductory, sneaky routes for tired or intimidated cyclists. So let's begin again.

Downtown is not Uptown

Previously, we discussed how the River is a potential aid to cyclists and how minding it tells us how to shorten a ride. The example was going from Uptown to Downtown, through most of Uptown. For the Downtown example, let's note what the Uptown street network has that Downtown doesn't: Broadmoor and Mid-City, two places where Spoke streets meet. Downtown, N. Peters through the Quarter is the equivalent to Claiborne Ave, in that it provides the tightest contiguous turn, the route with the least vector change. Broad, Miro, and Galvez are the Tchoupitoulii, the longer Rim streets to take when navigating out of Gentilly, the Eighth, and the Ninth. But there is no analog to Broadmoor: the Quarter is on the River.

So when we navigate Downtown to Uptown, we are more limited in our options. If we travel from MLK Jr., on Caffin Ave, to drink at the Deutsches Haus (while it's still there), we want to more toward the River, just as we want to move away from the River if Uptown. But the street logic is much more coherent, and the options are limited by our need to cross the industrial canal (IHNC).

In this way, Downtown New Orleans is more like cities in the rest of Southeast Louisiana: the urban area is very linear, and the waterways dominate the navigable landscape. Downtown also has less canopy cover, given that Downtown is not only poorer, but also more industrial than Uptown, which was conceived from original suburbs and swallowed satellite villages.

St. Claude becomes the choice of cyclists, despite that the bridge can hardly be called a bicycle "facility." There is no shoulder, and a patchy latticework forms the lifting section of the bridge, increasing the damage to tyres and tubes. but we'll return to the subject of bridges one at a time... The other options are Claiborne Ave Bridge, which is scary, and the Florida Ave bridge, which is operated or not operated inscrutably.

The Test: MLK to Deutsches Haus

So I devised a test of my previous theory: will hugging the river downtown produce the shortest route? Remember, the previous shortest route from Oak st to the Marigny was the route furthest from the river.

It seems that Downtown is a different world, because the quickest route from MLK to Deutsches house is the "straight shot": Claiborne. Although I wouldn't bike over the Seeber bridge--I'd take St. Claude over the industrial canal--it is the shortest route by half a mile. Our choices downtown are constrained by how we cross the canal.

So this test of our River Rule is interesting in how it fails.

This case is more like the one I was trying to make for Uptown--the safest, best route is not the shortest. But hugging the river actually makes for the third longest route--partly due to the course correction of 1.12miles, to get back to Galvez, which overrides the gain from following the river. The River route is still shorter than riding to Florida ave and then to Miro and Galvez more directly, but it's not the best option, because of the bridges.

Next time: Wormholes! quick but deadly! I promise.

Critical Mass: victory. Dead Pelicans Ride Monday 5pm Jackson Sq

2010-05-31T13:27:00.004-05:00

Thanks corkers! Thanks everyone! an amazingly fun ride, yeah.

150 in number, we rode down canal to the cheers of onlookers. After one hiccup at City Park Ave, we strolled down Metairie Rd, broke, then took a left on Airline.

Because of a slight miscommunication, we ended up on the original route, Shrewsbury. which unfortunately is only formerly a street. (apologies to the woman who told me we weren't going to Central. you were right.) The sight of all those bikes portaging over the tracks is a memorable one, and unfortunately a practice required too often for cyclists in JP.

we did manage to lose our police escort at this point, only to be rejoined as we turned onto Jeff Hwy and back home via Leonidas. Jeff Parish was slightly more aggressive, but only to clear one lane of three. well, we can give them a lane.

The Dead Pelicans ride 5pm tomorrow. Dress Black, Ride Slow
-anyone have a mobile drum?

Kat is taking route suggestions. meet early, 4:30pm to talk routes.

This is only a beginning. the oil gusher won't end until the relief wells are done, probably around August. bigger and better, onward and upward.

So what are we doing for June? How can we support the demands of our rally? let's get together for planning and to contact media.

June 9th Rue on Oak and Carrollton 6:30pm
June 10th Sound Cafe 6:30pm

think floats.

ride safe!

scott

#######################

OUR DEMANDS

This a list of ten demands we are making of the federal government.

Note we are speaking to the federal government, NOT BP. BP’s chance to have any say or authority in this process should be long past. BP has proven itself a criminal enterprise concerned only with profit, recklessly and indifferently murdering its employees and the entire Gulf coast.

We demand the Federal Government intervene immediately to stop the BP Oil Flood and:

1. Declare the BP Oil Flood a national disaster so that Louisiana can finally begin getting federal assistance.

2. Stop BP’s use of “Corexit” and other chemical dispersants that present significant danger to health and safety.

3. Under a state of emergency, employ all resources (including Navy) of the government at every level – Federal, State, local, and parish — to defend our coast, our livelihoods, and our culture.

4. Suspend all BP contracts by means of the EPA’s discretionary debarment act and seize all of BP’s assets, including BP Atlantis and other operational offshore rigs, to assure that all costs of cleanup and remediation are covered.

5. Strongly enforce all regulations for workplace health and safety:
Cleanup crews must be supplied with and allowed to use full-face respirators, not paper masks.

6. Undertake immediate, full, and ongoing 3rd-party verified air-quality and toxicity testing in all affected areas, including New Orleans, and objective close monitoring of the oil leak to determine the true extent of the catastrophe.

7. End all deepwater offshore oil drilling.

8. Institute a temporary moratorium on non-deepwater offshore drilling (both current and new operations) and require each operation pass a stringent independent safety review before they can resume operation. Those that fail inspection stay shut down and are heavily fined until they comply or are debarred.

9. Keep all lawsuits related to the BP Oil Flood and its aftermath in Louisiana, and instruct the DOJ and States’ Attorney General to hold BP, Halliburton and Transocean accountable to the furthest extent possible under the law.

10. Found a two-decade TVA-Style Gulf Coast Authority that rebuilds sea walls, levees, coastlines, and wetlands, with a dedicated fund for fishermen and related industries to provide economic relief for those put out of work because of the disaster.

Street Bucklin' Heat, Y'all

2010-05-25T18:25:00.002-05:00

From the nola.com feed:
http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2010/05/five_kenner_streets_buckle_in_intense_heat.html

one wonders why we pave the GMO with materials that can't withstand the environment and compact the soil.

By Mary Sparacello, The Times-Picayune

May 25, 2010, 5:13PM

At least five locations on Kenner streets have buckled during the hot temperatures of the past four days, City Hall said Tuesday.

The Public Works Department said streets failed at:

-- 1500 38th St. near Greenlawn Terrace Elementary School
-- 661 Mayfair St. in the Holly Heights subdivision
-- 3600 Loyola Drive in University City
-- 3419 Florida Ave. in Greenlawn Terrace
-- 2400 Tifton St. in Veterans Heights.

Banner Making this Tuesday 7pm @Nowe Miasto

2010-05-23T14:56:00.003-05:00

No need to Drill, no need to Spill or Kill:

let's make Banners, to help set the tone for our ride this Friday, May 28th, 6pm.

We are meeting at Nowe Miasto, at the end of Jane Place, off Broad and Banks in MidCity. The time is 7pm Tuesday, the 25th.

Please bring

Bamboo
craft wire
Old Campaign Signs
White Bedsheets
Paint
Markers

or any materials that will help us construct mobile signage.

see you there!
scott
scott@nolacycle.com

TOMORROW (SATURDAY) - ANNUAL BICYCLE SECOND LINE PARADE!!!!

2010-05-21T14:14:00.004-05:00

Twitter @mbcnola, #Bike2ndLine
---------------------------------------
http://www.mbcnola.org/SecondLine.html

WHAT: 2010 Bicycle Second-Line

WHO: Featuring the Crescent City Stompers

WHEN: Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 formation at 10:00am; departure at 10:30am

WHERE: Commencement at Magazine Street and Zoo Drive; After party at Avenger Field (Tchoupitoulas and Exposition Blvd.)

View Bicycle Second Line in a larger map

WHY: To show cycling enthusiasm for New Orleans, and learn about cycling improvements in the city

WITH: New Orleans EMS and the National Safety Council hosting a Bicycle Rodeo starting at 8am. Rodeo held at Audubon Charter School (428 Broadway). The first 50 families to either join or renew MBC will receive free helmets for their children.

View Larger Map

ALSO:
$25 for membership or membership renewal and 1 free t-shirt *note: free t-shirt is for full paying members only, not discounted student memberships
$15 for just a t-shirt, and
$5 for an existing member who wants a t-shirt

Link to download the latest NolaCycle poster

2010-05-05T08:44:00.001-05:00

Last month, Scott, Rob, and I presented the NolaCycle project at the national American Planning Association Conference, hosted right here in New Orleans. Here is the link to download a copy of our poster.

Rim and Spoke: the River Built Everything

2010-05-04T00:21:00.009-05:00

The River Builds Everything

The first lesson, then, to New Orleans is to forget your compass and follow the River. Uptown is the direction Upriver; Downtown is the direction Downriver. Don't move north and south, but to the River or away from the River. While you are in the city, away from the River always means toward to the Lake, Lake Pontchartrain.

You can blame all of New Orleans on the Mississippi River, because it built the soggy land we ride on. It built the streets crooked to confuse midwesterners. It built it flat so that you won't wear your knees out pedaling that beat up cruiser bike. It built it wet, so that the pavement sinks, settles, and slides at different rates, making potholes, sinkholes, and buckled pavement. It built it low so that you have take bridges to get out of town. And when we stopped it from building New Orleans, we started to lose it to the Gulf of Mexico.

Re-establishing the ecological function of the river is the only way to stave off coastal land loss and the destruction of New Orleans. Those are called Diversions, and apparently, they are also handy during incredibly bad industrial accidents, like Oil Rivers flowing at us from the Gulf bottom. The River is the cyclist's ally in the fight against fossil fuels.

Being mindful of the river and its curve can also get you where you're going faster.

For example, if you work on oak st, and live in the marigny, you might think it's easiest to ride annunciation, since you might drive tchoupitoulas (to avoid traffic at carrollton, 'natch). But if you ride that rim, it's the longest possible route--which matters for a cyclist, especially one carrying a load on her back.

There are several shorter ways than annunciation, which is probably the longest way, since it is the rim farthest from the "hub" of broadmoor. Whether or not these ways are quicker depends somewhat on your riding style, but let's examine the route length to start.

In the red, a route through the park, onto prytania. a cool 8.2 miles, but one on a well-paved, well-shaded street. If you take prytania, you won't have to make too many decisions about where to turn, but you'll take extra time getting to where you're going. And then, you usually have to bike back.

Moving closer to the hub of broadmoor, the blue line is a "Liberty" rim route, with a few more jukes to avoid one ways and bad streets. It measures around 7 miles. This is a route that takes advantage of our nolacycle data, pointing to the decenly paved streets often overlooked.

Note that all of these routes, once they hit the CBD, try to hug the "hub" of the marigny riverbend: the change in the river course means that riding close to the river as it turns away from the city is shorter than riding close to the river as it turns in.

Going nine blocks away from the river shortens the rim route by a mile. Get away from the River Uptown, hug the River Downtown into St Bernard, or when going into Metairie.

[click to expand]

The shortest rim route is a "Claiborne" route in green. Here, I tried to choose a route that would be equal in distance to the "Liberty" route. I thought it would be longer because of the long stretches spent correcting the course on spoke streets to avoid the deathly Claiborne overpass and to return to the river at the CBD. But the route closest to the hub in Broadmoor totals 6.67 miles, shorter than the Liberty route, with fewer jukes and better pavement for increased speed--it's clearly the fastest route. The traffic on Claiborne can be intimidating, but it's by no means a killer for an experienced rider.

This rule of navigation can even help you save time in a car; the highways through New Orleans are also an exception to it, as traffic managers made efforts to subvert the river-based logic that built the original grid.

Next time, we'll touch upon these "Wormholes"; where they are useful and where they can destroy you.

scott

Public meeting on transportation this Thursday at the Regional Planning Commission

2010-04-20T17:17:00.004-05:00

Public input is extremely important in crafting effective planning documents. I strongly encourage everyone who cares about seeing multi-modal transportation improvements implemented to come to this Thursday.

Details from Walter Brooks at RPC:

Public Meeting - Metropolitan Transportation Plan

The Regional Planning Commission is inviting the public to participate
in a transportation planning workshop. Interested citizens are being
invited to discuss their community's transportation needs and to help
shape a better integrated land use and transportation plan for the New
Orleans region.

The RPC is currently updating the region's long-range Metropolitan
Transportation Plan (MTP) and short-range Transportation Improvement
Program (TIP). Citizens will be asked to identify their ideas for
improving the region's transportation systems as well as ways to foster
livable communities and environmental sustainability.

RPC wants to know about transportation problems, needs, or priorities in
your community. All ideas or suggested projects will be reviewed and
evaluated by RPC staff for possible inclusion in the Plan or TIP. RPC
will also provide you with the opportunity to stay informed about
transportation plans and projects that relate to your neighborhood or
community.

The workshop will be held at the Regional Traffic Management Center/RPC
offices located at 10 Veterans Memorial Blvd. in New Orleans on
Thursday, April 22, 2010 from 6:30-8:00 P.M. The building is ADA
accessible and parking is available on site. For special accommodations
for this meeting, please contact our ADA Coordinator by telephone
(504-483-8528) at least one week in advance. Upon request, RPC will
provide appropriate aids for qualified persons with disabilities so they
can participate, including interpreters for persons with limited English
proficiency.

Walter Brooks

Executive Director, New Orleans Regional Planning Commission

New Orleanians are bad at (road) diets

2010-04-19T18:18:00.007-05:00

If you've been up on Gentilly Blvd lately, you might have noticed something different. The street is now on a diet - a road diet! This is a common traffic calming treatment "given to an urban roadway in which the number of lanes is reduced, and the freed space converted to parking, bike lanes, landscaping, walkways, or medians. Road Diets are implemented to provide additional pavement and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians, reduce speeding, and to make room for parking" (via the Streetsblog wiki).

Gentilly Blvd. through Gentilly, is now 2 lanes in each direction (instead of 3) and includes a bike lane with a striped buffer between the furthest right car travel lane and the bike lane. The idea behind the buffer is reduce the number of lanes of car traffic (since 3 was too many for how many car trips the road sees on average daily) which encourages more careful (and hopefully slower) driving behavior and reduces the number of lanes pedestrians must travel through to cross the road.

Here are some pictures I stole from Tim Eskew of Bicycle Michael's. This shows the bike lane and buffer (which changes size based on available space) at a few points along the road. Some diagonal striping has also been added in some sections, though not seen in these pictures.

Portland has started using this type of bike lane (called enhanced bicycle lanes), finding it works better than bike lanes with raised buffers or landscaped barriers (called Cycle Tracks). Here's some Q & A from the Portland Bureau of Transportation via The Oregonian about this kind of design:

What is an enhanced bicycle lane?

An enhanced bicycle lane is designed so that it provides a more protected and comfortable space for cyclists than a conventional bike lane and does not have the same barriers to sight lines as a Cycle Track - where view of cyclists may be obstructed by parked cars.

Why are we constructing enhanced bicycle lanes (i.e., what's wrong with these streets the way they are now)?

These streets currently work fine for people who are comfortable riding bicycles in mixed traffic. However, our designs are intended to make bicycling more comfortable for the majority of Portlanders who are not comfortable riding under such conditions. Our analysis indicates that most Portlanders would use a bicycle much more often than they currently do if they didn't have to mix so much with automobiles. A buffered bicycle lane provides that opportunity.

Why not use a simple bicycle lane?

Because the enhanced bicycle lane, with the added shy zones, offers a more comfortable riding environment that we believe it is more consistent with our efforts to make bicycling a part of daily life in Portland.

How does an enhanced bike lane provide more protection for cyclists than a bike lane?

Enhanced bike lanes provide more protection for cyclists by providing 'shy' or buffered zones on either side of the cyclist.

What will drivers notice that is different about driving on a street with an enhanced bike lane?

There isn't much of a change for drivers. They will still need to watch carefully for cyclists when they are turning right at cross-streets or driveways. They will also need to take care when parking on-street which is accomplished by crossing the enhanced bicycle lane. Cyclists will always be clearly visible to drivers because, unlike a Cycle Track, the buffered bicycle lane does not have the barrier of parked cars between the bicycle lane and the travel lane.

New York City cyclists are also big fans of this design, according to Streetblog New York City. A study was done finding most cyclists felt more comfortable biking on buffered lanes than non-buffered lanes.

So all in all, looks like these new buffered bike lanes should be pretty awesome for New Orleanian cyclists. Hopefully they'll encourage more people to bike instead of drive. I haven't rode them myself yet, but Jennifer Ruley at Department of Public Works has given them the first hand thumbs-up and Tim is pretty happy as well.

I did, however, drive down Gentilly Blvd today on my way back from Lakeview. I wanted to figure out how many miles it was from my house to the Fairground if I traveled St. Claude Ave. to Franklin Ave. (newly resurfaced and looking lovely - but no bike improvements, yet at least), to Gentilly Blvd. It's really not too far, considering it will allow me to avoid the insanity of Mid-City during Jazz Fest. But I saw something pretty disgusting on my way home:

Between Elysian Fields, past Franklin Avenue, I saw at least 3 cars travel in the buffered bike lane! Obviously, New Orleanians aren't really sure how to do a road diet. In all fairness, there are no signs explaining cars must stay out of the buffer zone, though anyone with a drivers license should know diagonal white strips don't equal a car travel lane. Also, I haven't seen anyone bike Gentilly the two times I've driven down it since the lane went in.

If you're biking down Gentilly Blvd., keep an eye out for cars in your bike lane! If you can, write down the plate number and report it to the police. Hopefully as more people start biking on Gentilly, less cars will try to use the bike lane as a short cut around traffic. Also, if enough people report these acts to the police, maybe they'll start monitoring the area.

New Orleans drivers are going to need more help, beyond just striping, if they're going to be successful with this new diet.

But hey, Gentilly Blvd, 4 lanes looks good on you. You we're kinda chubby back when you were a 6. I don't mean to be a jerk, but I really didn't want to go on a bike ride date with you back then. I think you look pretty hot now. Want to be my bike route?

Low-cost, one-day course in bicycle infrastructure design this Wednesday

2010-04-19T17:38:00.004-05:00

The New Orleans Regional Planning Commission is hosting a 3-day course titled "Designing for Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety," which started today and runs until Wednesday. The first two days focus on pedestrian infrastructure, and Wednesday will cover designing for bicycles. Today's session was very informative, so I'd strongly encourage anyone interested in learning design standards and best practices to attend. (Sorry for not posting this sooner - I didn't learn about it until Sunday.)

Registration is officially closed, but if you contact Dan Jatres via e-mail (djatres@norpc.org) or phone (504-483-8505), you may still be able to reserve a spot for Wednesday's bicycle course. The cost is only $20 for public sector employees and members of community groups. If you work for a private sector firm (real estate, construction, planning, architecture, engineering, etc.), the fee is $100.

Topics to be covered at Wednesday's bicycle workshop

Principles of bicycling and designing for bicycling
On-road bikeway designs
Intersection design for bicycles
Signing and marking facilities
Shared use path design

Attends will receive

AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities ($45 value)
Professional development credit: LAPELS, ASLA, APA

The course is designed as a professional development workshop for traffic engineers and urban planners, but students and people involved in advocacy, real estate development, architecture, and public health could really benefit from this as well. As public demand for bicycle considerations continues to build, more and more private developments will need to incorporate biking paths, lanes, and parking. Therefore, developers and architects should be familiar with basic bicycle facility design elements. Community members and public health professionals can better advocate for bicycle considerations when they understand how they are designed and built.

Do you know how to put together and take apart a bike? Are you free this weekend?

2010-04-15T21:19:00.002-05:00

Our friends at Contemplatives in Action need some volunteers this weekend to help put together and take apart some bikes. Jocelyn will feed you awesome homemade food for your time. If you have questions or would like to sign up, e-mail her at info@contemplativesinaction.org or call 504.891.8483.

Thanks!

Rim and Spoke: Navigating New Orleans by Bike

2010-04-15T15:07:00.017-05:00

Welcome to a series of posts on cycling in New Orleans intended to help you navigate on two wheels. It's named after roads in the old part of town, which, when you look at a map, look like parts of your bike wheel.

There are a few types of geographical quirks to New Orleans. Some we have in common with our sister cities in southeast Louisiana--others are unique to our estuarine, industrialized metro area. There are many tricks to navigating by bicycle--especially for those of us who are small, inexperienced, or just don't want to deal with cars. I hope to introduce new cyclists, or new New Orleans cyclists to the city and its tricks so we can all ride a little lighter on our sinking roads.

Rim and Spoke

You can use these parts of your bike, the rim and the spoke, as a schematic to the older parts of the city. The city was originally designed along the French "arpent" system, which assigns lots perpendicular to the River, rather than the "township and range" system used in most cities in the U.S. as well as the newer, lower, more American New Orleans.

The Arpent system is why there are many streets that "disappear" as you ride from the River to the Lake while uptown, and many streets that come from nowhere as you ride River to Lake when downtown. Because the river meanders this way and that, the grid shifts direction. Carrollton meets Esplanade at the park, despite the fact that they both run River to Lake. Tchoupitoulas begins pointing south from Canal St, and ends up uptown pointing west into Audubon Park.

"Rim" streets are St. Charles, Claiborne, and Tchoupitoulas, (as well as Liberty, Prytania, St. Claude, and Laurel) and "Spoke" streets are Carrollton, Jefferson, and Jackson (don't forget Joseph, Leonidas, Franklin, and Washington).

As you decipher the city's curves, you can use this schema to juke around without getting disoriented if you have to avoid a familar street for the cars.

Unless you're in Broadmoor. Then you're lost.

scott eustis

Next Time: The River Built Everything
*You can learn more about this from city geographers like Craig Colton and Richard Campanella.

No afternoon shift for mapping along the Lafitte Corridor today

2010-04-10T08:37:00.002-05:00

Thanks to everyone to showed up yesterday, we don't have much left to map! We will be finished around 1pm today, so if you were planning on coming out from 2-6pm, you can now spend that time at French Quarter Fest or the American Planning Conference.

Additional info about the Lafitte Corridor mapping events

2010-04-08T20:17:00.002-05:00

Reminder: If you want to be a group leader, please meet us 30 minutes before the shift you signed up for starts. That's 9:30 am for tomorrow and 8:30 am for Saturday. The process is pretty easy, but we still need to a short time to train you on what we're doing.

Also, if you want to help update the road condition data NolaCycle collected for area (most of that was mapped between a 1 and 1 1/2 years ago), please bring your bike and a bag/backpack to carry the clipboard. For any shift with a large turn out, we'll send a few people out to do updates.

We will have some snacks, but remember to bring your own water bottle.

Location of this weekend's mapping meet-ups

2010-04-05T21:16:00.002-05:00

Here's a lovely little map of our study area for this weekend's mapping events. We'll be mapping between Canal St. and Orleans Ave. from City Park Ave. to Basin St. The meeting locations are called out by the red placemarkers.

View Lafitte Greenway Mapping Meet-Up in a larger map

Help make the Lafitte Corridor Trail a reality!

2010-04-03T17:29:00.000-05:00

April 8th, 9th, and 10th, NolaCycle will be working with Rails-to-Trails and Friend of Lafitte Corridor to do a comprehensive assessment of walking and bicycling amenities in the neighborhoods surrounding the future trail.
Many planning projects involve community asset/resource assessments, but they are usually completed by urban planning, community development, or engineering professionals. Lauren has been working with folks from Rails-to-Trails on adapting their assessment system to an urban environment and creating a mapping methodology to incorporate volunteers. We're going past the basic data collected with NolaCycle and looking at objective measures of sidewalk quality, crosswalk treatments, signage, bike parking, and striping.

The data we collect will be used to design further bicycle and pedestrian improvements in the Mid-City, City Park, and Treme neighborhoods, and advocate for their implementation. We want to insure that when the Lafitte Greenway is built, it will be well-connected to the surrounding neighborhoods via safe, accessible sidewalks and bike-friendly roads.

We're in need of a large number of volunteers. Each group of volunteers will be lead by a bike/ped expert, so you don't need to be an urban planner or traffic engineer to contribute. You just need to be observant!

If you'd like to help, please sign up for the shifts you can commit to working at http://tinyurl.com/lafitte.

If you have any questions, please send me an e-mail.

Lauren's ramblings concerning the recent wave of Plan B bashing on Craigslist

2010-04-01T01:12:00.007-05:00

So I was looking over the bike ads on Craigslist this evening (the ADHD meds wore off a couple hours ago) and came across a number of posts bashing Plan B.

Plan B is a community bicycle shop in the Marigny. It's a place anyone can go to build or repair a bike for little to no money. If you haven't been there and you would like to do your own bicycle repairs, or you're thinking of building a bike, check it out.

But...like all community bike shops, it's not perfect. And sometimes it can feel exclusive. So here's what some folks on Craigslist said followed by how I feel about Plan B (and community bike shops in general) and my recommendations to people who want to utilize the community bike shop.

Here's a sampling of the CL rant:

1st post (from Plan B): Plan B Community Bike Shop is graciously accepting donations (511 Marigny (Marigny and Decatur))
Ladies and Gentlemen!

Plan B is looking for bicycle donations of all kinds
We don't discriminate; drop off bikes of any age, size, color, or design.
We can use anything you have to offer
whole bikes or spare parts
advanced or obsolete
It's all good...

If you are interested in learning about bike maintenance and repair...
Volunteer orientations are every Wednesday @ 6pm

Show us what ya got
Help out a little around the shop

Sincerely,
Plan B
http://www.bikeproject.org/

2nd post (from some dude): Plan B doesn't appreciate parts (Hipster ville)
I donated a big box of parts there once.All kinds of quality items.I came in and said I have a bunch of parts for you.The guy in charge literally shrugged his shoulders and went back to what he was doing.He didn't say a word! I wasn't looking for praise but I certainly didn't want to be treated like a jerk!So if you wear clean clothes and wash your hair you may not be welcome here.

3rd post: agreed on PlanB bikes (reality)
if i had bike parts to donate, i would give them to Bridgehouse before i gave them to PlanB.

i went in there once and was violently ignored. maybe they sensed i **gasp** drove my car there!! i finally had to inturrupt someone to ask for if they had a certain bike there, and after this girl gave me a once-over and walked away, i asked someone else who said no. they dont have that there. no helpful advice or anything! i felt like i had done something wrong! guess that's what happens when gutter punks start a 'business'.

dont get me wrong - i think bike rinding is great and necessary! but if PlanB hates outsiders so much, they should shut their doors.

Another post (from some dude): Plan B.......
This is straight from their web site. I just copied and pasted.
Although Plan B volunteers can be quite surly, we can be ever so gracious in the face of generosity.
Apparently "gracious" has very loose meaning

And it sorta goes on from there...

Here's how I feel about all of this (This only reflects my opinion and not particularly that of anyone else involved with NolaCycle):

Plan B is a great resource, with a lot of great volunteers, but it's not perfect. As someone who has been a regular visitor to 4 community bike shops in a couple different cities, let me help put things into perspective.

Concerning volunteers:

Volunteers are regular people like you, who have good days and bad days. They have days when they really didn't want to work but someone who was scheduled didn't show up, so they might not be as happy to help as you might want them to be. And when it's 3pm on a Saturday and 25 people are all asking you questions because you're the only "regular" volunteer who knows where things are and how to fix various problems, working at Plan B can be stressful. Cut them some slack if they aren't as helpful and nice as you might want them to be.

Some volunteers are "people persons" and others are not. Some of the folks who might not seem really friendly or helpful still play critical, not-so-visible roles in keeping Plan B going. They are not the person you ask to help you straighten your wheel, though. At Plan B, or any other busy community bike co-op, you will probably need to visit a few times before you figure out who your "volunteer match" is. You will love some volunteers (not all volunteers), and they'll love you (but not all volunteers will love you), and after you find your volunteer match, together you will build solid wheels, replace broken pedals, and maybe, someday, weld together a custom bicycle. Remember what days they normally volunteer and try to only go to Plan B those days. They'll remember what you're working on and what you need help with (maybe you know how to true a wheel, but you're still learning how to adjust brakes and shifters). And you'll remember their name, and where they grew up, and what they do for a living, and their favorite beer because you're probably going out to the bar with them after the shop closes. But remember, your volunteer bicycle repair BFF is probably 20 other people's BFF, so you have to share. If you work on bikes a lot, and need a lot of help, then try to build relationships with multiple volunteers. You will most likely need to initiate this process, though. If you don't ask for help or try to engage people in conversation, they're going to be too busy and seem to be ignoring you. Also, how are they supposed to know what you need help with if you don't ask? And, finally, no one is going to want to help you if you're rude, just like how no one wants to be friends with a jerk. Community bike shops are sustained on relationships. If you want to have a good experience at a community bike shop, you need to build relationships. If you don't like to share the attention of a volunteer, or you don't want to spend time getting to know people, then go visit John Gerken at his shop on St. Claude, call Zac of Nola-Bikes mobile repair, or any of the other bicycle mechanics working at shops around the city (Bicycle Michael's, Bayou Bikes, etc.). You can pay these folks to be your bicycle repair BFF and they will devote their full attention to you (at least for the time you are in their shop spending money). You have to pay for "customer service." Plan B does not exist as an alternative to bicycle shops. Think of it more as a supplement.

Concerning donations:

Plan B gets a lot of donations. A lot. They might not seem too excited about your "good parts" because they have five more boxes of good parts in the back room. If you want to bring a smile to the face of the "guy in charge" then bring him parts that are already sorted. Like one box of side-pull brakes, one box of road bike seats, and another box of front derailleurs. Every box of unsorted parts means another hour of volunteer time that has to go into sorting donations instead of helping people fix bikes.

Some parts are junk. Some bikes are junk. Some parts are awesome. Some bikes are awesome. If you bring in a really awesome bike or some really awesome parts, then the volunteers will be a lot happier. Plan B gets a lot of junk Walmart bikes and lots of parts from junk Walmart bikes. If a person is going to take the time to build/repair a bicycle, he or she is going to want a solid frame and dependable parts. If you bring in your grandpa's 1972 Nishiki road bike that's been sitting in his garage for 15 years, that's a lot more helpful to Plan B and the New Orleans cycling community than if you drop off the Walmart Huffy your kid destroyed when he actually tried to use his "mountain bike" for mountain biking.

Things Plan B could do better (if they had more resources and volunteers):

Bicycle repair classes. Volunteers don't always have time to teach people everything they need to know during regular shop hours. It would be awesome if they did some classes so folks could really learn how to do particular repairs. Mobo in Cincinnati does this from time to time and it's been really successful.

Making a serious effort to be nice to everyone. Yeah, despite everything I just wrote, there are some people who volunteer at Plan B that could really try to be friendlier. But I still think those people add a lot to the organization. It just really sucks that their attitude pushes people away.

FINALLY - Plan B is not a store, and it not a repair service. It's a resource. While you can buy parts there and someone might be able to help you fix your bike, it really exists so the bicycle community has a place with all the resources (stands, tools, an extra set of hands) needed to do their own builds/repairs.

Plan B is what you make it. Last summer, largely due to the friendships I built with a few volunteers, it became one of my favorite places to spend an afternoon. Some of those friends are no longer volunteers, which at first made going their a little more intimidating than it used to be. But one trued wheel, a few borrowed wrenches, and a handful of conversations later, it started to feel like one of my favorite places again. I met some new volunteers I really liked and got to a chance to work with some old regulars that I never really talked to before.

Maybe you'll see me there tomorrow when I bring in my cruiser for a part replacement. Even though I'm not a volunteer, you can still ask me for help. And I might ask you to hold my bike steady while I do a repair. And I can help you flag down one of the volunteers to help you with a problem I don't know how to fix. That is what a community bike shop is like. If that's not what you're looking for, then Plan B is not the place you need to be.

One more Master Plan meeting added - District C East Bank

2010-03-29T17:34:00.003-05:00

Hey East Bank District C residents (aka, my neighbors), we have a Master Plan meeting to attend this week!

When: Wednesday March 31st, 6-8pm
Where: Musicians Union Hall, 2041 Esplanade Ave.
Why: Community input is VITAL to successful planning efforts. Let your voice be heard!

Tonight I'm going over the Lower 9th Ward for their meeting. I've been kicking around the idea of moving to Holy Cross this summer since it's home to nice folks, awesome community projects, and it's about as close to country living as I can get in the city without going way out in East. Here's the 411 on that meeting.

When: TONIGHT 6:30-8:30pm
Where: New Israel Baptist Church, 6322 St. Claude Avenue
Why: Because you love the Lower 9th Ward too. Show your support to projects to help revitalize this unique and historic neighborhood.

Yay, urban planning!

Please sign the online petition Keep New Orleans' Bicycle Registration Fees Reasonableo

2010-03-28T23:22:00.004-05:00

New Orleans City Council is currently considering increasing the city's bicycle registration fees. Before Katrina, residents were required to pay $3 to register their bike with NOPD. Bicycle registration was supposed to help the police return stolen bikes to their rightful (and registered) owners. Since the storm, NOPD has not be registering bicycles, but legally, residents are still required to do so.

The current city ordinance on bicycle registration:

Sec. 154-1403. Registration required.

No person who resides in the city shall ride or propel a bicycle upon any street unless such bicycle has been registered and a registration plate is attached thereto. This section shall be applicable to new residents of the parish at the expiration of 90 days.

(Code 1956, § 38-192)

Sec. 154-1404. Registration application and fee.

(a) Application for a bicycle registration shall be made upon the form provided by and shall be made to the superintendent of police. There shall be a registration fee of $3.00 for all bicycles with a 20-inch wheel size or larger. The dealer shall collect such fee at the time of sale, issue bicycle registration decal, and remit the fee to the superintendent of police along with the application for registration.

(b) This charge becomes effective as of February 1, 1987.

(Code 1956, § 38-193)

Sec. 154-1405. Issuance of registration; record.

(a) The superintendent of police or any police officer assigned such duty by him, or the superintendent of fire or any employee of the department of fire when assigned such duty in writing by the mayor, upon receiving proper application therefor, may issue a bicycle registration plate to the owner thereof. Each new owner shall register such bicycle in accordance with the provisions of this article. They shall not register any bicycle when they know or have reasonable grounds to believe that the applicant is not the owner of or entitled to the possession of such bicycle.

(b) The superintendent of police and the superintendent of fire shall keep a record of the number of each registration, the date issued, the name and address of the person to whom issued and the number on the frame of the bicycle for which issued and a record of all bicycle registration fees collected by them.

(c) It shall be the duty of the superintendent of fire to forward a true copy of the record of each registration made by him, or any employee of the department of fire, to the superintendent of police.

(d) The superintendent of police may authorize bicycle dealers to register and attach registration plates to bicycles. All such persons authorized to register and attach registration plates to bicycles shall forward immediately to the superintendent of police true copies of such registration. It shall be a misdemeanor to fail to furnish such copies or to furnish false or fraudulent records to the superintendent of police.

(Code 1956, § 38-194)

Sec. 154-1406. Attachment of registration plate.

The superintendent of police or other authorized person upon issuing a bicycle registration shall also issue a registration plate bearing the registration number assigned to the bicycle, and the name of the city. The superintendent of police or other authorized person shall cause such registration plate to be firmly attached to the frame of the bicycle for which it has been issued in such a position as to be plainly visible. No person shall remove a registration plate from a bicycle during the period of ownership for which it is issued except in the event the bicycle is dismantled and no longer operated upon any street in the city.

(Code 1956, § 38-195)

City Council does need to address the issue, because police should not legally be able to issue a ticket for a registration sticker residents cannot obtain, but Councilman Carter's proposal to raise fees to $15 a bike for non-commercial use and $75 for commercial use has not been completely hashed-out. Where is the registration money going? How will the new registration system help deter theft? What considerations have been made for the thousands of low-income residents who use a bicycle as their main form of transportation? A lot of questions remain unanswered.

NolaCycle, Metro Bicycle Coalition, N.O. Bike Polo, and 311 individual cyclists (as of 3/28) would like you to sign the online petition encouraging well thought-out and financially reasonable bicycle registration laws in New Orleans.

Petition text:

To: New Orleans City Council

We, the undersigned, request the City Council examine our concerns about Councilman Carter's proposed Bicycle Registration Fee hike to $75 for commercial use and $15 for non-commercial use (amendments to Sections 154-1403 through 154-1406 of the Code of the City of New Orleans). While an effective bicycle registration program can be a valuable resource, the magnitude of this increase (500% for non-commercial and 2500% for commercial) will be a hardship for some cyclists and feel like a punishment to others. The following outlines our primary concerns:

- The ordinance does not specify how the collected fees will be used by the city

- An increase of this scope should involve greater public participation to insure an effective registration program

- Low registration fees will encourage citizens to participate in the program, which will in turn discourage theft and promote ridership.

We appreciate your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Another round of Master Plan meetings - March 18-30

2010-03-09T15:07:00.001-06:00

Via City-Works:

City Council Holds Community Meetings to Engage Citizens and Encourage Public Input on Master Plan

In the next few weeks, the City Council, in coordination with the City Planning Commission, will hold public meetings in each Council District in an effort to inform and engage the public on the Master Plan.

The public meetings will be held throughout New Orleans in each Council District:

District A

Tuesday, March 30th, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

City Park - Timken Center (old casino building) on Dreyfous Dr.

Parkview Terrace 2nd floor

District B

Wednesday, March 24th, 6 p.m.

Dining Hall of the Academy of the Sacred Heart

4301 St. Charles Ave.

District C

Thursday, March 18th, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Alice Harte Elementary Charter School

5300 Berkley Dr.

District D

Tuesday, March 23rd, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Gentilly Presbyterian Church

3708 Gentilly Blvd.

District E

Eastern New Orleans

Monday, March 22nd, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Household of Faith Church
9300 I- 10 Service Rd.

Lower Ninth Ward
Monday, March 29th, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
New Israel Baptist Church
6322 St. Claude Ave.

NolaCycle needs bikes!

2010-03-04T18:58:00.001-06:00

So far, 2010 has brought a lot of out-of-town volunteers to NolaCycle. We've been working with some awesome AmeriCorps NCCC folks and were starting weekly volunteer days with Contemplatives in Action. But with all these great visiting volunteers, we've run into a big problem between all the NolaCycle organizers, we don't have enough bikes!

If you have a bicycle you would like to long-term lend to NolaCycle or donate to Contemplatives in Action, please e-mail info@nolacycle.com.

We're not picky about type or size, but it would be best if the bike were in working condition. We can replace a chain or fix a flat tire, but we are a little too short on time and money to do major repairs.

Ideally, NolaCycle would like up to 6 bikes to borrow through the spring. Contemplatives in Action could greatly benefit from a few donated bikes as they help provide volunteers to a number of projects serving New Orleans. You can learn more about them at http://www.contemplativesinaction.org/.

Also, if you're a skilled bike mechanic, NolaCycle could also greatly benefit from donated repair services. Lauren and Scott have a couple of bikes that need minor repairs but neither of us have time to tinker at Plan B or money pay for professional repairs in the next couple weeks. If you could help us out by fixing those bikes this weekend, we would have up to 3 bikes to loan to volunteers.

Thanks for your ongoing support!

Lauren & the rest of the NolaCycle team

Party on the Greenway tomorrow (2/25) evening

2010-02-24T12:25:00.002-06:00

Re-posted from Friends of Lafitte Corridor:

As part of the Urban Pathways conference, on Thursday, February 25th, Rails to Trails Conservancy, Friends of Lafitte Corridor, the Urban Conservancy and Catholic Charities/Sojourner Truth Neighborhood Center are hosting the first ever Party on the Greenway! The event will run from 5:30 to 7:30 at Sojourner Truth (2200 Lafitte St.) and will feature music by the Treme Brass Band, food from Dooky Chase, a raffle for a children’s bicycle and free bike helmets for the first 20 kids who arrive with parents. Everything at the event is free and is open to all. Please come and help us celebrate!

For more information, contact Ethan Ellestad @ 504-383-5249.

NolaCycle Events Sunday and Tuesday & Service Learning with Loyola

2010-01-28T13:46:00.004-06:00

Winter holiday season is over, the city is warming up, and Mardi Gras is right around the corner. NolaCycle is going to squeeze in two events before things start getting crazy again - a mapping event on Sunday and a digital map working session on Tuesday.

Mapping Meet-ups:
Sunday January 31, 2pm - Meet at the covered pavilion near Bayou Oaks golf course in City Park. 1040 Filmore Ave. We will be filling in the gaps around Gentilly, Filmore, St. Anthony, and City Park. Just bring your bike and something to carry a clipboard in.

Planning & Design Meetings:
Tuesday February 2, 6:30-9pm - Meet at Flora's Coffee Shop. 2600 Royal St in the Marigny. Bring a laptop or e-mail us if you need to borrow one.

*******************

NolaCycle is partnering with Loyola's Service Learning program this spring. We're really excited to get students involved in route design, helping us move closer to the final map. So between the kick off of the service learning project on February 9th and the end of Carnival season (plus a few days to recover), NolaCycle organizers will be focusing on helping students with their service learning project. But come the week after Mardi Gras, we'll be holding bi-weekly digital working session and weekly mapping meet-ups to finish things up.

Current status of mapped areas

2009-12-29T11:13:00.003-06:00

NolaCycle has mapped a lot of New Orleans since we started in July 2008. Here's the newest image showing the areas we've collected data for. The section and labels relate to the dimensions and file name of the each map section volunteers have filled out. New Orleans south of I-610 and Florida Avenue, has been mapped with the exception of a few areas that were not completed due to rain or bike trouble (it's hard to map with a flat tire).

More events will be taking place in 2010 to map the rest of the 9th Ward, Lakeview, the greater Gentilly area, Algiers, and parts of Jefferson Parish and New Orleans East. As always, the more volunteers interested in mapping, organizing, and promoting, the more we can do.

As you can see when you look at our Bike Map website, not every map section has been added to the online map. We still need help from volunteers to get the data from the paper sheets (or the online scans) onto the website. This is really easy to do, and anyone with a computer and internet access can help. NolaCycle will be holding a couple "working session" where we gather together to enter data in January. If you'd like to help, keep an eye posted for events or e-mail us so we can explain the process and get you a login to enter data.

NolaCycle Events for this Thursday and Sunday

2009-12-16T11:09:00.005-06:00

NolaCycle has two upcoming events where volunteers can get involved with creating the bicycle map of New Orleans.

Digital Map Working Session: Introducing the New Bike Map Website
This Thursday, 6-9pm, Loyola University's Monroe Library Multimedia Room 2
NolaCycle will be formally introducing the new data entry and bike map website to our volunteers. Everyone interested in helping with the data entry process is encourage to attend. NolaCycle will explain how to use the website, create data entry accounts for volunteers, and gather feedback on how to improve the site. Bring a laptop if you have one, or contact us to reserve a lender laptop. Free pizza (meat, vegetarian, and vegan options will be available) and soda will be provided.

View Larger Map

NolaCycle Bike Mapping Ride with HandsOn New Orleans
This Sunday, 10am-12:30pm, Parking lot of Bayou Oaks in City Park (1040 Filmore Ave)
With help from HandsOn New Orleans, NolaCycle will be mapping more of the city north of I-610. Everyone is welcome to come, and the more help the better. Volunteers need only to bring a bicycling and something to carry a clipboard in (like a bike basket or shoulder bag). We will be meeting in the parking lot of Bayou Oaks at 10am. Volunteers will work in pairs to map sections of the neighborhoods for suitability for cycling. We will be meet back at Bayou Oaks at between noon and 12:30 to return maps and materials. Volunteers are welcome to join organizers on a ride to the 9th Ward to catch up with the Super 9 Social Aid and Pleasure Club second line parade.

View NolaCycle Bike Mapping Ride - Sunday Dec. 20 in a larger map

Two Upcoming NolaCycle Events - December 17th and 20th

2009-12-09T13:02:00.003-06:00

Mark your calendars - NolaCycle has two events in the next couple weeks. More details will be posted soon.

Mapping Meet-ups:
Sunday Dec. 20 - Fillmore, Milneburg, and Lakefront neighborhoods mapping ride with HandsOn New Orleans. 10am-12:30pm, meeting at the Bayou Oaks parking lot in City Park, 1040 Filmore Ave.

Planning & Design Meetings:
Thursday Dec. 17 - Digital working session to introduce the new data entry and bike map website! Please bring a laptop or let us know you need to borrow one. 6-9pm, Loyola University Monroe Library, multimedia room 2. Pizza and soda will be provided to volunteers!

Routes to and from Rome Park

2009-11-21T21:40:00.002-06:00

Meet us at 10 am tommorrow! allow for 45 minutes travel time if you're unfamiliar with the route.

Call us if you need directions: Scott 504 237 0323

View NolaCycle Mapping Ride 11/22 in a larger map

TONIGHT - NOLA Bike Bash Opening Party & Goldsprints at Handsome Willy's

2009-11-20T16:43:00.002-06:00

$2 to race per round, FREE to watch!

What are Goldsprints, you ask. Well check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldsprint for answers.

Here's a video from YouTube. We'll probably be racing one-on-one though.

Meet other guys and gals that like to put the fun between their legs as we kick-off a great weekend of bike fun in New Orleans. Come out to Handsome Willy’s and cheer on your friends that choose to race the Goldsprints. But what are Goldsprints, you say? Well, you know how way back in the 70’s, everyone had stationary bikes that turned into clothes hangers in the 80’s? Then everyone wanted to go spinning at the gym. Well, it’s kind of like that, except, with a big projection screen behind the stationary bike, and the faster you peddle, the faster the scene changes behind you. Oh, and to make it better, you’re competing with your friends lined up next to you, and you have screaming crowds cheering you on to victory. Sounds fun, doesn’t it. It is. We have drinks specials, too, just be careful drinking and racing.

View Larger Map

Detailed Bike Bash Schedule of Events

2009-11-17T13:35:00.001-06:00

Here's the details on all the events happening this weekend.

FRIDAY:

Bike Bash Opening Party with GOLDSPRINTS @ HANDSOME WILLY’S
10pm-12am…218 s Robertson
$2 to race per round, FREE to watch! What are Goldsprints, you ask. Well check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldsprint for answers.
Meet other guys and gals that like to put the fun between their legs as we kick-off a great weekend of bike fun in New Orleans. Come out to Handsome Willy’s and cheer on your friends that choose to race the Goldsprints. But what are Goldsprints, you say? Well, you know how way back in the 70’s, everyone had stationary bikes that turned into clothes hangers in the 80’s? Then everyone wanted to go spinning at the gym. Well, it’s kind of like that, except, with a big projection screen behind the stationary bike, and the faster you peddle, the faster the scene changes behind you. Oh, and to make it better, you’re competing with your friends lined up next to you, and you have screaming crowds cheering you on to victory. Sounds fun, doesn’t it. It is. We have drinks specials, too, just be careful drinking and racing.

SATURDAY:

VIEUX CARRE RIDE
10am…esplanade and royal
FREE!!!
Participate in an awareness ride highlighting bicycle safety in the French Quarter. This ride will take you on a scenic tour of the historic Vieux Carre (French Quarter), while showing the importance of bike safety in shared spaces with motorized vehicles and pedestrians. Afterwards, the tour will continue north to RampART along North Rampart Street and then up the Lafitte Corridor, a planned greenway which will feature a trail from the French Quarter through Treme, Mid-City and ending at Canal Blvd. The ride will terminate halfway up the corridor where it intersects Bayou St. John, a natural inlet from Lake Pontchartrain, and also another established bike route the Jefferson davis and Wisner Trails) stretching from Uptown all the way to the lake: very much the future bicycle cross-roads in the middle of New Orleans.

N.O. BIKE POLO OPEN
10am-6pm…canal and villere
FREE to watch!
Come out and watch talented players from all over the world (literally) with impressive maneuvering skills battle it out in a 2 day tournament. Teams are flying in from all over to show off their skills during the N.O. Bike Polo Open. It’s tough, it’s rough, it’s gritty, and dirty. And it’s loads of fun. Want to participate? Go to www.nopolo.org.

BAYOU BBQ & VOLLEYBALL
12pm-2pm…moss and toulouse
FREE!!!
Ride your bike to end of Bayou St. John (near Lafitte) and enjoy some BBQ and volleyball. Mid-City Volleyball is a very active organization in helping get the Lafitte Corridor plan approved along with the Friends of Lafitte Corridor organization. So Mid-City Volleyball will be setting up volleyball nets for a nice social afternoon to be accompanied by some grilled foods provided by the Metro Bicycle Coalition (omnivores, carnivores, and herbivores are all welcome). This is a great opportunity to get off the bike, socialize with fellow enthusiasts, and refill with some much needed calories to finish your day on the bike.

BIKE RODEO 4 KIDS
1:30pm-4pm…n. tonti & gallier (RUBARB)
FREE!!!
Bike Rodeo for kids of all ages. Learn how to ride safely and be more predictable around motorists and pedestrians. You’ll learn about which way to ride down the street (with traffic or against), the way to signal when you’re making turns left and right, and a lot more. This is a great training for anyone unfamiliar with what the laws really say, and to help parents teach their children correctly, as well. We’ll have a prizes, too!!

VEER MOVIE SCREENINGS @ NOLA CANDLE FACTORY
Two showings @ 5pm & 8pm…4537 n robertson (Candle Factory)
$8
There is limited seating, so feel free to bring your own chair. Enjoy New Orleans’ first screening of Veer, the movie. Veer explores America’s fast-growing bicycling culture by profiling five people whose lives are inextricably tied to bicycling and the bike-centric social groups they belong to. The film follows these characters over the course of a year, offering a behind-the-scenes look at their personal struggles and triumphs. Veer examines what it means to be part of a community, and how social movements are formed.
Recognized as an official selection for the Lincoln Center New York Film Society Green Screens Series, Victoria Film Festival, Winner of Best Documentary at the Calgary Underground Film Festival, Nominated for Best Documentary at the San Joaquin International Film Festival, this screening should not be missed. Watch the trailer: http://www.veerthemovie.com/trailer.asp
There will also be beverages available for purchase and popcorn.

SUNDAY:

AUDUBON ZOO BIKE RIDE 4 KIDS (AND THEIR FAMILIES!)
8:30am-9:30am…6500 Magazine (Audubon Zoo)
$4 per bike (Children in Safety seats or pulled in bike trailers free)
Early morning bike-ride through the Audubon Zoo for children. Register ahead of time with Monica Pasos (mpasos@auduboninstitute.org ) at Audubon Zoo, so you can be one of the 50 bikes to ride through. The ride will last one hour, with several stops to see the animals along the way. This is a great opportunity to get into Audubon Zoo before it opens when it’s quiet, animals are out, and the crowds have not yet arrived. When the ride is over, you can go back to the zoo a little longer to sight-see some of the animals you missed, or browse the shops.

NOLACYCLE MAPPING RIDE IN PONTILLY
@ ROME PARK PLAYGROUND
10am-12pm…robert e lee and st roch
FREE!!!
Help complete NolaCycle’s mapping project while enjoying a ride in Pontilly. NolaCycle is a grassroots organization that recently joined forces with the Metro Bicycle Coalition. Led by Lauren Sullivan, the group has ridden all over New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to grade the roads of the city by width, quality, and speed of motor vehicles. You’ll be given a small quadrant map and a few markers so you and your team can graphically illustrate block-by-block what the conditions of the roads are from a cyclist’s perspective. When this data is completely collected, a GIS map will be created and distributed showing the best blocks to ride on, in order to inform a cyclist’s route across the city. What’s better is that Acorns of Hope, an organization set out to replant trees along coastal Louisiana after Hurricane Rita, will be making their annual bike ride to plant trees, and end up in New Orleans on this day to help with the mapping. We welcome our tree-planting-cousins from Southwest Louisiana, and are glad they can be here to help make New Orleans a more sustainable city. We’re especially excited that they’re biking the whole way here!

N.O. BIKE POLO OPEN
10am-6pm…canal and villere
FREE to watch!

BIKE DRAWING & RACK INSTALLATIONS & SPONSORSHIPS @ PO BOY FESTIVAL
11am-6pm…Oak St.
Where Ya’ Rack? is the latest Young Leadership Council project to come out of the Leadership Development Series in the fall of 2008. The purpose of the project is to have plentiful, safe and secure bike parking installed all over New Orleans. There will be a raffle for a bike at the Po Boy Festival, as well as information for individuals and businesses to learn how to sponsor one or more racks for installation, and tell us where it is you live, work, and play, so Where Ya’ Rack? can install racks where demand is greatest.

METRO BICYCLE COALITION BBQ @ N.O. BIKE POLO OPEN
12pm-2pm…canal and villere
FREE!!!
Chow on some BBQ while watching Bike Polo. This will be the end of the internationally attended New Orleans Bike Polo Tournament. Come by, have some food (again, all omnivores, carnivores, and herbivores are welcome), and see which teams come out on top.

BIKE BASH AFTER PARTY @ ALL-WAYS LOUNGE
9pm-?…2240 St. Claude
$8
Fund-raiser for Plan B at the All-Ways Lounge (formerly Cowpokes). Will have 3 bands and 2 DJ’s. More info forthcoming.

NolaCycle Mapping event this SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!! Come out and map the streets!

2009-11-17T12:01:00.004-06:00

On Sunday November 22nd, as part of the city-wide NOLA Bike Bash festival, NolaCycle will be organizing volunteers to map the greater Gentilly/Lakefront/Pontchartrain Park area. Riders will meet at Rome Park playground (at St. Roch and Robert E Lee) at 10am.

People of all ages and cycling experience are encouraged to attend. Riders will be given a map to record information on road conditions that will take approximately one hour to complete. Since we survey conditions block-by-block, NolaCycle rides are slow paced and relaxed. Even middle school children have helped out! Acorns of Hope, a group riding across southern Louisiana replanting trees, will be joining us along with a number of Metro Bicycle Coalition members.

Volunteers need to only bring a bicycle (actually, skateboards work well too) and something to carry a clipboard with such as a basket or messenger bag. NolaCycle organizers will explain the process, assign areas to pairs of riders to map, and hand about materials. The mapping event will end at noon at the parking lot on Canal and Villere for the FREE Metro Bicycle Coalition BBQ and the N.O. Bike Polo Tournament. Riders who don’t want to join us for the lunch can return materials to NolaCycle organizers at Rome Park by 11:45am.

The more people who attend, the more data we can collect, and the closer we get to completing the first comprehensive, city-wide bike map of New Orleans! Hope to see you Sunday!

The Bike Bash is Almost Here!!!!!

2009-11-11T09:58:00.005-06:00

It's going to be awesome. Check out all the details on MBC's Bike Bash website.

NolaCycle's event is going to be on Sunday from 10am-noon. We're going to do a mapping ride like that ones we were doing last summer until this spring, but we're taking it above I-610 this time! Bring your bike, friends, and a basket or bag to carry a clip board and meet us at Rome Park. After the mapping ride, we'll go down to the BBQ at the Bike Polo Tournament.

View Larger Map

Digital Working Session Wednesday Nov 4

2009-10-30T10:18:00.004-05:00

On Wed Nov 4th, NolaCycle will be holding another working session to digitize the NolaCycle data.

We're building a database of our raw data (on the map sheets volunteers filled out) that can be used to GIS and online mapping programs. Bring a laptop with Excel and a PDF reader program. There will be some laptops available for those who don't have one. Please let Scott or Lauren know if you need a computer to borrow.

We're meeting at Flora's at Franklin and Royal in the Marigny. We'll be working from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Flora's serves food and coffee drinks. If you haven't helped with digitizing before, please come at 6:30 so we'll have plenty of time to explain the process and answer questions.

Digital map working session tomorrow Oct 27th

2009-10-26T23:30:00.002-05:00

If you have two free hours tomorrow evening, swing by my place (e-mail for directions) at 7:30pm to help build the data base for the digital map. We need LOTS of help on this since it's a very time consuming process. Please bring a laptop with Excel.

I'll make some of my specialty vegan chocolate cookies for volunteers (and yes, they are seriously just as good as non-vegan cookies. If you don't believe me, then come tomorrow and taste for yourself).

Plan B Bike Co-op is hosting a Halloween-themed Bike-In movie this Sunday

2009-10-21T13:31:00.003-05:00

Straight from Plan B:

BEETLEJUICE!!! Sunday Night. Plan B Bike-In Movie, Halloween Edition. Bugs Bunny Cartoons, It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!, A Garfield Halloween. Cartoons start at 7:30 sharp, Movie after! Bake sale! Popcorn! Beer! Fall Drank treat! Only 2... DOLLARZ!!! Behind the Mardi Gras Zone. Repost if you love us!!!

Movies are screened on Architect's Alley (behind Mardia Gras Zone) in the Marigny.

View Larger Map

Pizza will be provided for volunteers this Sunday

2009-10-08T10:24:00.003-05:00

If you enter data, we'll feed you pizza!!! After we finished at 6pm, we'll have some pizza delivered to Loyola for all our wonderful volunteers.

Let us know if you're vegan or have a gluten allergy so we can order something you can enjoy.

Digital Working Session THIS SUNDAY

2009-10-06T10:46:00.003-05:00

If you'd like to help NolaCycle build this digtal database of street conditions (which will be used to make shapefiles of conditions and recommended bike routes), please come to Monroe Library at Loyola University this Sunday from 3 to 6pm. We'll be meeting in Multimedia Room 2 (MM-2).

You don't need a lot of computer knowledge to help with data entry. All we will be doing is putting information from the maps we filled out during mapping events into an Excel database. So if you can type, you can help! Bring a laptop if you have one, but some extra computers will be made available.

This is a map of Loyola's campus. The library is located in the middle of campus next to the Danna Student Life Center. E-mail Lauren if you have questions.

Loyola University Police Bike Auction October 1st - this Thursday!

2009-09-29T20:48:00.001-05:00

Ever wonder what happens to all those bikes left behind at the end of each quarter? They end up being auctioned off by the university police department a couple times a year. This is a great opportunity to get a cheap "fixer-upper" that might have been abandoned because of a broken wheel or stolen seat.

Here's the official 411:

University Police will hold a bike auction on Thursday, October 1, 2009 beginning at 5:00 p.m. on the 4th floor of the Freret Street garage. Viewing of the bicycles will take place from 4:30p.m. until auction time. Bid opening will range between $20.00 and $50.00 depending on the condition of the bicycle. All bikes will be sold in an AS IS CONDITION and ALL SALES ARE FINAL. Checks will only be accepted from Loyola University community members. All other must pay CASH. Bikes must be removed immediately upon purchase.

N.O. Bike Polo Open

2009-09-28T23:04:00.003-05:00

Check out New Orleans Hardcourt Bike Polo for more information as the date nears.

Mark your calendars - the first annual NOLA Bike Bash will be held November 20-22

2009-09-22T11:42:00.002-05:00

The Metro Bike Coalition and N.O. Polo are planning the first annual NOLA Bike Bash for November 20-22. Events will be held around the city, including a polo tournament, group rides, repair clinics, film screenings, a BBQ, and a NolaCycle mapping event. More info to come soon!

NolaCycle Update, aka "What the heck have you been up to, Lauren?"

2009-09-08T14:32:00.002-05:00

It's been a crazy and fast summer for me. As you probably gathered, I graduated from college and now I'm living in New Orleans permanently. I'm also working full-time for a non-profit organization. Add all that on top of a personal life, and things get pretty busy!

A quick run down of what's on the table for NolaCycle right now:
1 - Digitizing the NolaCycle data. We have a database! A database that needs information added to it... John DeFraites put together a database file we can add information to segment by segment. I'll be dividing up raw data maps this week and giving those to volunteers to start adding that info into the Excel file. Once everything is added, that can be turned into GIS shapefiles and KML shapefiles (for use with internet-based programs like Google Maps). If you're interested in helping with adding data, let me know. I have a list of about 10 or so people, but the more we have, the less time it will take.
2 - Fall mapping events. Soon we will be holding NolaCycle mapping meet-ups again! Gentilly, Lakeview, Algiers, and other areas of Orleans Parish that we're mapped last year will be mapped this fall and winter. That includes all areas of the East Bank north of I-610/Florida Ave (We mapped all of the southern half of the East Bank already). We did Algiers Point, but would like to continue the map further south. If some brave souls want to map Eastern New Orleans, that would be wonderful. Since I'm working full-time, I won't be able to head up as many mapping meet-ups as I used to. NolaCycle is going to need volunteers to help with this because Dan, Tom, and I cannot do it alone right now. If you want to help organize events in your neighborhood, e-mail Lauren (at) nolacycle.com and I'll help you get started. ***If you're in Jefferson or St. Bernard Parish, we'd really like for you to get involved and organize mapping events!***

Okay....that's it for now. I'll update more later.

St. Charles Ave and Harrison Ave getting new bike lanes

2009-08-12T16:16:00.002-05:00

New Submerged Roads projects are starting every month or so at this point and 2 of the projects currently underway have received a fair amount of attention, St. Charles Avenue and Harrison Avenue. In addition to the resurfacing of these roads, both will have bike lanes as part of the final lane configuration.

The St. Charles Ave bike lanes will go for 1.4 miles between Carrollton and Nashville Avenues and will should see heavy use as St. Charles is already a popular route for cyclists. The Harrison Ave bike lanes will go for about 1 mile from West End Blvd to the Orleans Ave Canal. There will also be new bike lanes along Harrison through City Park between Marconi and Wisner Boulevards.

There are some quotes from Robert Mendoza in the article that are hopefully a positive sign that future road projects will continue to address bicycle and pedestrian needs.

For more details on the projects, read the Nola.com articles on St. Charles Ave and Harrison Ave.

Promote safe biking, walking

2009-07-04T11:22:00.003-05:00

Check out today's Metro section of the Times Pic, for a letter to the editor from John Renne, President of the Metro Bicycle Coalition, regarding there recent passage of the Colin Goodier Bicycle Protection Act. This is in response to Monday's Times Pic story about the governor signing the bill into law.

Re: "Jindal signs bills for expanded seat belt use, bicycle safety," Page A2, June 29.

Our legislators and governor should be commended for supporting safety on our streets. The recent passage of the Colin Goodier Protection Act, which will require motorists to maintain a safe distance of at least 3 feet from bicyclists while passing, is sure to reduce crashes and save lives. The measure also protects bicycles from harassment by motorists and acknowledges our right to share the road.

While it is great to see our politicians supporting bicycling this year in the Legislature, we still have a long way to go toward making it safer on the streets of New Orleans. The Metro Bicycle Coalition has been working for safer streets, including more bike lanes, bike parking and overall awareness.

We envision a European-like city that will continue to attract families and young professionals. The next mayor should take cues from Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York to make walking and biking a centerpiece of their strategy to revitalize this great city.

John Renne
President
Metro Bicycle Coalition
New Orleans

Governor Jindal signs 3 foot passing law

2009-06-25T23:57:00.004-05:00

Governor Jindal signed the Colin Goodier Bicycle Protection Bill this afternoon. The law requires motorists to provide 3 feet of clearance when passing a cyclist on Louisiana's roadways as well as outlawing the harassment of cyclists. The law goes into effect on August 15, 2009. If you're interested in reading the exact language, check out this link or search for HB 725 at the Louisiana Legislature's website (www.legis.state.la.us).

Graphics & Digitizing Meeting July 1st

2009-06-17T00:33:00.003-05:00

If you're interested in helping with the graphics, design, data entry, and digital outputs (GIS, GPS, iPhone apps, interactive online maps, etc., etc.), then come to the graphics/digitizing meeting Wednesday July 1st at 7pm. Please e-mail lauren@nolacycle.com for details about the meeting and where it will be held.

Goodier Bike Protection Bill Passes Senate

2009-06-11T12:42:00.002-05:00

Shortly before 12:30 today, the Louisiana Senate voted unanimously to pass the Colin Goodier Bike Protection Bill (HB 725). According to the Louisiana Legislature's website, the bill has returned to the House without amendments from the Senate.

We'll update you all later today on the the final steps before the bill heads to Governor Jindal for his signature. Also check back for an update on the Complete Streets Study Resolution (SCR 110).

The NolaCycle Project wins the Director's Choice Award for DAAPworks!

2009-06-09T20:35:00.002-05:00

The NolaCycle Bike Map Project won the Director's Choice Award for urban planning at DAAPworks this year!

It really blows me away how blown away people at school have been by the project.

Honestly, what is NolaCycle?

NolaCycle is just taking an idea and running with it. It is networking, coordinating, and data collecting. It is not anything so complicated that a dedicated group of advocates couldn't replicate.

NolaCycle is looking at an urban issue in reverse. Instead of planning and then acting, NolaCycle is acting then planning, using what was learned to formulate goals and strategies for the future.

Learning by doing - that is what NolaCycle is.

So what is so special about?

NolaCycle lets us discover our city. It uncovers hidden assets (good roads in the mix of potholes) and devises ways to use those assets.

NolaCycle is building community, or rather uniting community, through data collection. It doesn't sound sexy, but it works. By making data collection a social event, NolaCycle is making something technical into something social. We are connecting by building our understanding of under-used resources and hidden assets. We are connecting by developing plans to use those resources and assets.

And, finally, NolaCycle is building a model that can be used for other urban issues. It is a mindset, a framework, and a strategy for building community and building knowledge.

"Out of all the undergraduate senior problem projects, from all the different cities and towns around America, yours is the only one that really makes me want to live there."

Loyola University Police Bike Auction June 10th

2009-06-07T17:20:00.001-05:00

LOYOLA'S UNIVERSITY POLICE BIKE AUCTION

University Police will hold a bike auction on Wednesday, June 10,
2009 beginning at 5:00 p.m. on the 4th floor of the Freret Street
garage. Viewing of the bicycles will take place from 4:30p.m. until
auction time. Bid opening will range between $20.00 and $50.00
depending on the condition of the bicycle. All bikes will be sold in an
AS IS CONDITION and ALL SALES ARE FINAL. Checks will only be accepted
from Loyola University community members. All other must pay CASH.
Bikes must be removed immediately upon purchase.

NolaCycle featured in this week's Gambit Weekly - go pick one up!

2009-06-07T13:46:00.004-05:00

NolaCycle has been featured in the Gambit Weekly as the COVER STORY!!!!!!! (see image above - that's the cover of the Gambit this week!)

Go to your local coffee shop, locally-owned business, bookstore - where ever the Gambit can be found - and check out the story on NolaCycle, plus the other cycling-related stories.

Here are the links to this week's cycling features:

Chain Gang: A citywide bicycle map nears completion after a year in the making

Share the Road: Being discourteous to cyclists is a form of bullying

Spin Doctors: Bike co-ops get cyclists in touch with their inner mechanic

Wish you had a 36"x48" poster of the NolaCycle project for your wall? Dream no more - the poster is DONE!!!

2009-06-06T21:08:00.007-05:00

One part of the "things I need to do before U.C. will let me go" is COMPLETE and will be printing off tomorrow afternoon.

My poster for NolaCycle can be seen in full-size and full-color on the 5000 level of DAAP (College of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning) on the "wooden floor" (by the fancy glassed-in gallery, across the way from the library and college office) all next week. The opening reception for DAAPworks (our college-wide senior show) is Tuesday evening from 5 to 9pm. You can check out not just the world-changing, super exciting planning projects, but also paintings, photographs, sculptures, models, clothing, and posters from all the other programs.

I hear there will be free food...maybe booze? I bet the School of Design will have booze in their gallery. I'll meet you there! Its always better to tell people all about New Orleans when you're buzzed.

In you're not living in exile in Ohio like I am, you can download a small PDF of the poster. It sums up the project in about 2000 words and has pretty pictures - you might even be in one of my pretty pictures! Jade, Andy, Liz, Amanda and Tom are, along with a handful of others. The poster is much more enjoyable to read than my almost 100 page capstone paper. Who knew you could write damn near 70 pages about cycling in New Orleans? (I filled those other 30 pages with maps, pictures, and newspaper clippings - which is NOT cheating because formatting graphics is hard work).

NolaCycle Bike Map Project by Lauren Rae Sullivan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

One step close to the Colin Goodier Protection Act (aka Louisiana 3ft Law) becoming law!

2009-06-05T10:44:00.008-05:00

The Senate Transportation Committee approved the Colin Goodier Protection Act!!!! It will now be sent to the floor to be debated and voted on.

....as always, ignore all the ignorant "public" comments that have been posted about the article.

From Nola.com - "Senate committee approves bill to make roads safer for bicyclists"

BATON ROUGE-- A Senate committee stood up for bicyclists Thursday, giving unanimous approval to a bill that would enhance their safety on the road and make it a misdemeanor offense for occupants of cars or truck to throw objects at the cyclists.

The Senate Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works approved House Bill 725 by Rep. Michael Jackson, I-Baton Rouge, sending it to its final legislative stop on the Senate floor.

If the bill becomes law, it will be known as "Colin Goodier Protection Act," after a New Orleans native and avid cyclist who was a fourth-year resident surgeon at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital. He died last summer in Iberville Parish while training for a triathlon when his bike was struck from behind by a truck on River Road.

Jackson's bill says that a vehicle must leave a "safe distance" of at least three feet when passing a bicycle on the road, and must maintain the distance until the vehicle safely passes.

The bill also directs the Office of Motor Vehicles to include a summary of the new law in driving manuals and other "instructional publications" for drivers, and requires the state Department of Transportation and Development to "place signs in areas frequently used by bicyclists. . .to make motorists aware of the need to share the road." It also directs the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission to engage in a public awareness campaign."

Violations carry a fine of not more than $250, but for motorists who are occupants of vehicles and "harass, taunt or maliciously throw objects at or in the direction of any person riding a bicycle," Jackson's bill says the fine is a minimum of $200 or imprisonment for not more than 30 days."

"Hopefully, we will save somebody's life," Jackson said.

Goodier's mother, Nicette Goodier, testified that since the House passed the bill two weeks ago, one cyclist has been seriously injured by a vehicle and another killed. The accidents happened in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas, she said.

Goodier said that 14 states already have laws that set up safe zones for cyclists and at least five others besides Louisiana are debating ones this year.

"Let's legislate awareness now," she said, struggling to keep her composure. She said Louisiana ranks third per capita in bike fatalities.

-Ed Anderson, The Times-Picayune

New draft map of NolaCycle data

2009-06-04T18:29:00.004-05:00

Here's a new draft map of the NolaCycle data. It's just for a small area because we're planning on taking a different approach to digitizing the data than originally planned. I'll post the information on some upcoming digitizing/graphics meetings for July later in the month. If you're into computer programming or GIS, then those will be the meetings for you!

In the mean time, check this map out. From this map you can design your own custom routes. NolaCycle will be doing some recommended routes as well (likely will have a "data map" and a "route map" when it's all said and done), but I didn't feel comfortable drawing up recommended routes without being able to double-check them physically before posting them online. If you see any errors with the data on this map, leave a comment or e-mail me so I can make the corrections.

This work by NolaCycle Bike Map Project is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

Violent attack on a cyclist reported on Chef Menteur yesterday

2009-06-03T17:19:00.004-05:00

I posted a couple of days ago about a vehicular homicide in Eastern New Orleans that resulted in the loose of Ruben J. Soria. Just yesterday another man on a bike became a victim of violent crime. This post showed up in my google alerts today. I don't usually read the New Orleans Murder Blog, but the author does usually report on all the violent attacks of the day that the news sometimes leaves out. The blog doesn't post anything about the victim or their condition, but we hope that he recovers quickly.

I wanted to call this to everyone's attention so you all can be on alert. I don't have any more details on the incident, but if something shows up in the news with a description of the vehicle or license number, I'll be sure to post that. Not sure if this was an attempted theft or personal attack. If this was an attempted theft, please be careful and be alert if anyone approaches you accusing you of riding their "stolen bike."

From The New Orleans Murder Blog

"3) 6900 block of Chef Menteur. On 06-02-09 at 1230pm, the victim was approached by a male who told him the bike he was riding looked like their bike. The victim rode away. The victim noticed the two men following in a car. The victim turned north on Chantilly and heard several gunshots which struck him in the arm and chest. NO East, Shooting"

NolaCycle is now part of the Streetsblog.net National Blog Network!

2009-05-31T17:37:00.005-05:00

We're moving on up in the world, kids! Check out the Steetblogs.net National Blog Network for transportation-related blogs from around the nation. There is now a little dot over New Orleans on their map :)

Beach Alley Cat? Um....yes please! Thank you Pensacola Alley for giving me a reason to go on vacation!

2009-05-31T11:11:00.007-05:00

Anything I might have been planning to organize with NolaCycle for the weekend of the 10th will be delayed. I'm going on vacation! Thank you, Pensacola, for giving me a totally awesome way to spend the weekend before I start work.

There will probably be a good group of New Orleans people going to Pensacola that weekend. Usually a handful of the N.O. Bike Polo folks go to these events and I have a 3-bike truck rack, so I'm sure you can figure out a way to get there if you don't have a car. The New Orleans Bike Forum is a good way to keep up with what's going on regionally (Memphis, Baton Rouge, Pensacola, etc.), but make sure to put in your name and location and such when you join because they've been getting a lot of spambots making profiles. The moderators had to start requiring approval of members to cut down on this.

See you on the beach!

Keep an eye out for the June 7th edition of the Gambit Weekly

2009-05-30T21:24:00.003-05:00

Not this coming week's Gambit, but the following week's edition is going to have a special section on cycling in New Orleans, so make sure to grab one early! I'll post the links to the stories when they come out so you can check them out online too.

Also, we're one hit away from being viewed on 5300 computers (the counter goes by IP addresses, not hits). That's pretty awesome when you think that NolaCycle only started a little less than a year ago and the maps aren't even completed yet. Thanks everyone who's checked us out on here!

I'm really excited about getting back in town (just a little more than 3 weeks away!) so NolaCycle can get the ball rolling on digital outputs for the data and finish up the PDF map. If you want to get on the "digitizing and graphics" team, shoot me an e-mail and I'll put you on that mailing list. Tom and I will be organizing meetings at the end of June or early July, so get on the list so we can work with you to set up meeting times that fit your schedule.

Also, there are lots of updates about the project and all types of kinda interesting research (if you're into planning and public policy you'll find it interesting) I did for my capstone that I'll be posting online after June 9th (only 10 more days until I present the project to my professors....kinda scary). I won't be posting the entire document until later in June though because I'll likely make some more edits after I get feedback from my adviser.

Photo Essay: 20 of the Freakiest Custom Bikes on the Road

2009-05-29T16:24:00.003-05:00

I thought this was pretty awesome. Eira sent this my way so she could convince me we really need to build this shopping cart bike (or something similar, since who knows what we'll find in the scrap pile at Plan B).

Photo Essay: 20 of the Freakiest Custom Bikes on the Road

Posted using ShareThis

Bike Commuting video - one of the many fun things that show up in my google e-mail alerts

2009-05-26T22:47:00.006-05:00

Joey Brooks has put together some videos of cycling in New Orleans. I really like this one because it reminds me how much I love high-speed bike rides through the French Quarter and Downtown. I'm getting new cranksets for both of my bikes (hopefully really soon) so I'm looking forward to the insanity of riding on Decatur and Canal during the holidays zooming around cars and confused tourists. Oh, opps, did I say I weave around cars? I meant I love traveling at the same speed as everyone else and following every single traffic law.

Anyway, who the heck is Joey following in this video? I can't figure it out and it's really irritating me because it's probably someone I know and I thought I could recognize almost all of the fixie kids by their bikes and back of their heads.

Also, if you haven't watched the NO Bike Race Alley Cat videos, these are awesome too. They feature almost all of my favorite New Orleans cyclists, so that's an extra bonus when I'm feeling homesick because I'm stuck in Ohio writing a freakin' 80 page paper about biking in New Orleans.

Louisiana Bicycle Festival - June 20th in Abita Springs

2009-05-26T10:24:00.008-05:00

Shoot, this is happening the day I'm supposed to leave Ohio (4eva!!!). Maybe I should talk my brother into driving down to Louisiana with me a day earlier.

Anyway....June 20th is the Louisiana Bicycle Festival in Abita Springs (Northshore). I didn't go last year for some reason I can't remember, but I've heard its a good time. The festival includes a parade and bicycle show (see "competition" below). There will be a lot of vintage bikes for sale as well, so bring your cash money. It runs from 10am to 4pm. And since you're in Abita Springs already, you can use that opportunity to visit the Abita Brew Pub - one of my favorite places on the Northshore. That still gives you time to go to my # 1 favorite Northshore location - Fontainbleau State Park. Man, maybe I really should come back to Louisiana early....

Here's what you need to know about the Louisiana Bicycle Festival

Competition: Bring some bikes and your may win a prize. Prizes may be awarded in a variety of categories: Original Pre 1940; Original 1940 - 1960; Original Post 1960; Restored Pre 1940; Restored 1940 - 1960; Restored Post 1960; Custom; Decorated; Novelty; Art from Bikes or Bike Parts; and Best in Show - judging is very unorthodox - judges may be bribed (this is Louisiana) and categories may be created and deleted as the judges mingle with participants.

Past prizes have included new bikes: a new 3G bicycle, a Huffy, a Schwin, bicycle books, posters, tee shirts, bike memorabilia, certificates suitable for framing, and fantastic bragging rights!

Schedule: 10:00am - The festival officially starts at 10am. Most bicycle enthusiasts arrive on the festival grounds hours before. Many "deals" are made before 10am.
12:30pm - The parade takes shape
2:00pm - The ballots are collected and counted
2:30pm - The awards and prizes are announced.
4:00pm - The festival is officially over, however some participants who came from out of state may have already left to return home, and some participants will stay a few more hours, enjoying the fellowship with the remaining bikes and local beverages

Website:
http://www.labicyclefestival.com/

Need more information? Contact John Preble of the UCM Museum, http://ucmmuseum.com or john@seelouisiana.com

"The New Orleans Bicycle Book" - Only took me like 9 months to find this...

2009-05-23T18:19:00.004-05:00

So I finally found the name of that infamous "awesome book about biking in New Orleans that was written in the 70s or 80s." All the people I've talked to about NolaCycle who are over 40 kept telling me "you should really find that book. I can't remember the name or the author though..." Well, I ordered a copy of it today for $8.50 off ebay from some book seller out of Missouri (good things do come out of the Mid-West sometimes). I'm super pumped to get this book in the mail. You can few a little bit of the content online, but only a few pages work. I'm also trying to contact the author, Louis Alvarez (the e-mail address on there doesn't work). If you know how I can get a hold of him, help me out!

Once I get this book, feel free "borrow it" aka, come over to my house and read it. For how rare it is, I don't think I want to risk loosing.

Cyclist killed last night in New Orleans East in a hit and run

2009-05-19T07:57:00.005-05:00

From nola.com:

"Ruben J. Soria, 56, died immediately after a motorist struck him as he pedaled a bike in the 12000 block of Chef Menteur Highway near Paris Road, coroner's chief investigator John Gagliano said Tuesday.

The car didn't stop after striking Soria, police said, and authorities are still looking for the motorist that killed him."

Bicyclist killed in hit and run in eastern New Orleans

This is really terrible, and not the only only hit-and-run that has happened lately. RIP, Ruben Soria. My condolences go out to his family and friends. Hopefully the police are able to figure out who is responsible and bring him or her to justice.

The rest of the details of this incident have not been released yet as the investigation is on-going. If you have any information on this murder, please call Crimestoppers at 504.822.1111 or toll-free at 1.877.903.7867.

If you haven't been out to New Orleans East, it is by far one of the least bike-friendly parts of the city. The roads there are much more suburban in character and route choices to get from one part of the East to the other are extremely limited. Despite how unfavorable it is for cycling, if he was coming or going from Village de L'Est or NASA, Chef Menteur might have been his only option for a route. New Orleans needs to make bicycle improvements a priority throughout the city, including areas outside the core such as the East. The lives of people who live and work in those communities depend upon it.

NolaCycle now has a Flickr photostream

2009-05-17T21:52:00.003-05:00

Pictures from mapping events, local rides, and also examples of road conditions around the city.

Feel free to use the photos for your website, school report, or presentation - just make sure to give credit to the photographers. And don't make money off of them unless you're giving that money back to us - we could use it.

Check out Andy Menking's Local Food Map with bike routes!

2009-05-14T21:52:00.007-05:00

Mapping volunteer Andy Menking has used the NolaCycle date to create a bike route map in GIS connecting local food sources (farmers markets, community gardens, and a couple produce stores) to one-another (because sometimes you have to go Hollygrove and Crescent City to find all the ingredients for your weekend feast) and to the East Bank neighborhoods.

I'm really excited that our data set has been put into use even before our map is done!

NolaCycle will be working with Andy's help to build off this map to create a "Bike to the Market" map for the Crescent City Farmers market this summer. Keep posted and look for it around later July or August!

Cheap bicycle rentals has finally come to New Orleans

2009-05-06T09:10:00.004-05:00

Zac from NolaBikes (mobile bike repairs) is expanding his business and is now offering bikes for rent for only $10 a day. So now all of you can stop e-mailing me about where to rent a bike really cheap because you can just call Zac now instead! Problem solved!

Also, all of you who don't have a bike for the Bicycle Second Line this Saturday can rent one from Zac and still come out for the fun!

From Zac:

Tired of walking? Only $10 a day.

Come by the place right off broadway to select the right bike for your or call and have one dropped off to you anywhere- free deliveries to Audubon Park.

Use your credit card to avoid a cash deposit.

Absolutely the simplest and most convenient way to rent a bike.

If interested please call,

Thanks,

Zac
917.517.6291
www.nolabikes.com
^^

specializing in mobile repairs for the uptown/campus area.

Annnual Bike Removal at Tulane happening May 19-20 - DON'T LEAVE YOUR BIKE ON CAMPUS THOSE NIGHTS

2009-05-06T09:02:00.004-05:00

Get your bike off campus after commencement, unless you want the TUPD to take it off your hands. I'm not sure if UNO, Loyola, Dillard, or Xavier do anything similar, but you might want to check just to be sure.

From Tulane (via a friend's e-mail):

Annually, following Commencement, police officers on the uptown campus remove bicycles locked to fixed objects (bicycle racks, handrails, trees, etc.). Abandoned bicycles take up valuable space on campus bicycle racks, and they tend to attract an unsavory element to campus. This year, bicycle removal will occur over a two-night period, May 19-20. Removal is accomplished between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Faculty, staff and students commuting to campus by bicycle should not allow their bicycle to remain on campus during the dates and times designated for removal. Students residing in uptown residence halls will be allowed to secure their bicycles in their residence hall rooms during the dates and times noted for removal.

Tulane University Police Department

Bicycle Second Line

2009-05-01T10:09:00.003-05:00

The Metro Bicycle Coalition will be hosting New Orleans' Inaugural Bicycle Second Line on Saturday, May 9. The event will start at 10:30am from Washington Square Park (Frenchmen & Royal).

Stops along the way include:

Global Green, to see sustainable affordable housing in Holy Cross
Lafitte Corridor to hear about the progress of the Greenway, and
City Park for an after party

For more info got to www.mbcnola.org

Where are these international NolaCycle.com visitors coming from?

2009-04-17T09:29:00.003-05:00

So I've noticed in the last couple of days there have been a lot of visitors from Europe and some from South America on my blog. The "FEEDJIT" blog traffic widget I had on there didn't tell me where you all were coming from (as in what website you visited before you visited here) because I thought that was a little silly and stalkerish, but now I'm curious. I mean, shoot, my project isn't even done yet! I should be working on the map right now, but instead I'm being a lazy before I have to drive 4 hours to Detroit to pick up a sweeeet mountain bike (I'll post pictures when I bring it home! Pictures of me tearin' the horse trails at Mom & Dad's).

So I upgraded to the fancier FEEDJIT blog traffic widget that will tell me what hip Europian bike blog is leading you to me. I think I'll e-mail that blog author a virtual high-five for promoting my project!

Anyway, I'm really super super flattered that people around the world have now heard about NolaCycle!!!! A couple of month's a ago a coworker told me he overheard someone mention my project at a wedding reception in Houston. I thought that was really awesome. I mean, Houston, shoot, that's like 5 hours from New Orleans! But France, Peru, Sweden - that's a way bigger deal than Texas (sorry Texas, but you're really not exotic). Keep those international visits coming!

And if you're planning a trip to New Orleans and were hoping my map was finished, you can still e-mail any of the team members - Lauren@nolacycle.com, Dan@nolacycle.com, Tom@nolacycle.com - and ask us for advice on getting around by bike.

Bicycle Rolling Stop Animation - Idaho Stop Law

2009-04-16T08:38:00.004-05:00

Check out Urban Velo's post about a new proposed bike law in Oregon based on a law that now exists in Idaho. It allows cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs, so they don't have to loose momentum by coming to a complete stop when the intersection is clear. But it does continue to make "flying through a stop sign" illegal and increases the fine.

In New Orleans, I'm pretty sure 95% of us already treat stop signs as yield signs, but there are a good 5% or so percent that don't stop or yield - they just fly right through causing dangerous situations for themselves, drivers, and pedestrians. Perhaps legalizing rolling stops for cyclists and taking on a strong public advertising campaign to explain the law would help with the situation. Apparently, the rolling stop law has worked really well in Idaho and the state overall has a very good bike safety record.

Bicycle Rolling Stop Animation - Idaho Stop Law

Bicycles, Rolling Stops, and the Idaho Stop from Spencer Boomhower on Vimeo.

Tour de Lis ride raise money for cancer research/support - Saturday on the Lakefront

2009-04-15T13:46:00.005-05:00

This Saturday, April 18th, the Tour de Lis ride is taking place on the New Orleans lakefront. If you haven't heard about this ride before, it happens every year and is open to cyclists of all ages and ability levels. It's not a race, but ride to raise money and awareness. Last year they raised $165,000 that went to organizations helping cancer victims and their families with treatment, fiancial assistance, support, education, and research.

Pre-registration closed today at 1 (sorry I didn't post this sooner), but if you show up before the ride on Saturday, you can donate $50 to participate. Ride begins at 8 am and ends at noon.

Event Features

A ten-mile loop on picturesque New Orleans Lakeshore Drive
Police support
Food, snacks and beverages
Free bike support
Goody bags for riders
A New Orleans party atmosphere
Fundraising awards

Ride one loop, one hour, or the whole day-- solo or on a team! Individual and team participation is encouraged as participants can ride the entire time, part of the time or recruit and have a team relay. It’s a ride for a cause – not a race.

Please Note:

No minimum fundraising required.
All donations are greatly appreciated.
All cyclists must be at least 12 years of age
All cyclists must wear a bike helmet
Baby seats and child carriers attached to bikes are not permitted
Tour de Lis begins and ends at 8000 Lakeshore Drive near Landry's Restaurant

New Metro Bike Coalition Website - I'm super late updating our link!

2009-04-12T15:17:00.005-05:00

If you haven't checked it out yet, Metro Bike Coalition has a new website with a new website address - http://www.mbcnola.org

It's all pretty, shiny, and new! Check it out and update your links/bookmarks!

Transport for NOLA - new transit advocacy group getting started in New Orleans

2009-04-08T22:58:00.004-05:00

Straight from my e-mail inbox to your computer screen - It's finally happening! People have come together to make a multi-modal transportation advocacy group for New Orleans! We're talking bikes, buses, light rail, streetcars, pedestrians, unicycles, hovercrafts, mules & horses (alright, maybe not too many horses because biking through poo is no fun).

But seriously, folks, Transportation Alternative in NYC has made a huge impact on improving mass transit and bicycle and pedestrian amenities and advocating for the people of the city who decide not to drive. Transport NOLA is bringing that multi-modal, "we're all in this together," model of advocacy to New Orleans. Transport NOLA is starting their campaign by focusing on rail improvements, especially pushing for a light rail system that will serve the entire city and just not a handful of neighborhoods like our current streetcar system. Check out the "Where" section and you'll see where bike and pedestrian facilities come into play too. (I'm not too crazy about this "bike lane in the middle of streetcar tracks" idea in the Tulane Station model, but maybe with modern streetcars, you and do it up so wheels don't get caught. I'll look into this and make sure a bunch of poorly designed bike lanes don't end up all over the city.)

I knew this was brewin', but I was really surprised to see how quickly this has come together. The website looks great and they already have some concept designs online!

The kick-off event is THIS FRIDAY at the Rusty Nail (1100 Constance St in the Warehouse District a few blocks south of Lee Circle) from 6-9 pm.

I, of course, will not be there due to this "you have to be in Cincinnati to take classes"/"you're too close to graduation to transfer" situation, but you should really go and get involved. This will be an excellent opportunity to create a forum in which all of us (advocates and users are various non-personal motor vehicle transportation modes) can come together, and work together, to improve the city and region.

Some bike questions for my reading audience

2009-03-31T13:40:00.005-05:00

So I'm back in Ohio for 3 months, but I'm pleasantly surprised (and a little bit worried too) to find that almost all of my friends are in Cincinnati right now too. Anyone from the Rust Belt knows this rarely happens since everyone (including myself) is always trying to run as far away as possible, but thanks to the shitty economy and everyone trying to actually graduate this spring, about 90% of the people I've been hanging out with since I was 17 are back in town. For better or worse, though, I'm sitting in my childhood home on my parents farm 40 miles from campus because I'm cheap and I didn't want to pay rent or have to buy groceries and I only need to be at school two days a week.

On the "for the better" side of this, I actually have money right now. And I also have a real job lined up in New Orleans starting in July (I thought I'd reassure you all that I'll be back soon and not leaving for more than a week or two ever again!). That leads me to why I'm posting this - I need some more bikes. I only have one bike, the lovely champagne-colored Nishiki mixte you've probably seen me riding around on. I love that bike and I would U-lock the hell out of anyone who ever tried to steal it (keep that in mind encase you were considering that), but it's not that fast and I can't take it off-road.

I'm thinking of getting some type of cyclocross bike to fix that problem. There are a number of single-speed cyclocross bikes out there and Surly makes the Crosscheck frame that can be easily set up with a single-speed of flip-flop hub. I'd have to build that baby from the ground up though, and while I'm up for the challenge, I'm wondering if it is really cheaper than buying a complete bike. I've been scooping out the Specialized Tricross Singlecross but I've heard mixed reviews about alumnimum frames and carbon forks. Whenever I go to the bike shop in Oakley, I usually drool over the Salsa Casseroll Single which is really flexible in how the wheels/tires are set up and is made with CroMoly which I've been riding on for years now and have been happy with. These is also the Bianchi San Jose which I haven't seen at any bike stores but heard good things in online forums. I'm not exactly sure what else is out there in the under $900 price range.

A lot of the fixed-gear and single speed road bikes on the market are automatically ruled out because of their standover height. The max standover I can do with something with a straight top-tube is 28.5." 27.5" or 28" would be ideal. Most of those bikes are at 29" or more for the smallest size available. Discrimination against girls and short dudes if you ask me. I think I need to send some angry letters to Surly because the 49 cm Steamroller is too big for me! I can ride 49's in other brands like Specialized, but the 49 Surlys are way too big. The Crosscreck comes in a 42 and 46, so that'll work out.

I've also found myself up a creek trying to find a bike on craigslist. Everything is too big and bikes that aren't too big are traditional "women's style" frames which is not what I'm looking for. In frustration, I'm thinking I'll just buy new.

My dad, who is totally awesome, trash picked an old on road/off road bike for me this winter. It's not something I'd want to make into a regular rider, but I think I'm going to fix it up anyway and leave it at mom and dads for when I visit. It has gears (which I think work) so I'll put some off-road tires on it and take that baby out on the trail. I'd like to take my future cyclocross bike out on the trail too, but the one-speed might be tough in Ohio. A one-speed cyclocross bike should be pretty awesome though for any off-road trails in Louisiana and out terrible roads in New Orleans.

So what I need from you, oh dear readers, is some advice on what type of bike I should buy. Should I just get a road bike and pick up some old mountain bike on craigslist? Should I not give up on finding a small frame on craigslist so quickly? Can you solve all my problems and just sell me your bike? But really, give me some advice on this. In the mean time, I'll be visiting all the bike shops in Cincy on Wednesday and see what's around.

Oh, and PS...I need bff bike mechanic in New Orleans. I'm super sad about mine planning on moving away not only because he was really good at showing me how to fix my bike, but because he's a good friend and a top-notch adventure buddy. I'm working on trying to get my bff bike mechanic in Cincinnati to move to New Orleans but I'm not sure I'll suceed. He's not done with school and has a girlfriend who doesn't graduate for like 2 years. My other bff bike mechanic lives in San Franciso and don't ever get me started on how crushed I am about that. If you'd like to fill those shoes of these fine young men, send an e-mail to me and tell me how awesome you are. If you are indeed as awesome as you say you are and you can fix bikes just as well as anyone who works in a shop, I'll make you cookies and dinner in exchange for helping me with bike issues and we'll go on awesome bike adventures and get drunk every weekend. If you help me rebuild a bike, I'll buy all the beer too. This is a serious job here, so only send serious inquries. Men and women are welcome to apply, but the position is only open to those who are young adults or very young at heart. It is quite likely I'll never like you as much as Willie, Dave, or Rafe, but you can make an effort.

Louisiana 3 Feet

2009-03-25T12:58:00.004-05:00

Louisiana State Representation Michael Jackson has introduced a law into the state legislator to require drivers to give cyclists 3 feet of space and to make harassing cyclists a crime.

Recently New Orleanian Dr. Colin Goodier was killed by a driver on River Road in Baton Rouge. The Baton Rouge Tiger Cycling Foundation started campaigning for 3 feet laws in response to his death and others in the Baton Rouge area.

The Baton Rouge Bike Club and Crescent City Cyclists are asking people to send a thank you e-mail to Rep. Jackson to introducing this bill. To add to that, NolaCycle would like to ask you e-mail or call your local representative and tell him or her that you support this measure and would like to see additional legislation to promote cycling.

NolaCycle wins the Crescent Fund (along with 2 others)!

2009-03-16T09:56:00.005-05:00

Crescent Fund Update:

Thanks to everyone who voted for us! We're really excited to get this cash infusion so we can move forward with getting incorporated as a non-profit and putting money towards the printing! Look for a "Bike to the Market" map in the summer on Market Umbrella and Crescent City Farmers Market's websites!

Meeting with the City Update:

Also, our meeting with the city folks I was talking about should be happening soon! I'm pretty excited about that. I've had some really great conversations with people over their bike facilities desires for the city.

I think the next step after this is maybe to have a New Orleans Cyclists Round Table event where we can get everyone working on advocacy in the same room and work on some common goals. I feel like people working in direct action (bike co-ops, event organizing), policy recommendations, and policy making aren't really communicating that well. I try to bridge that gap as much as possible, but it's amazing to me who doesn't know each other here. While we all like promoting cycling in different ways, I think we could all work together to achieve our common goals faster.

Nicole from MBC and I were talking about maybe hosting a big social event just to get people introduced to one another before we start working on well, work. Hopefully we can get that organized over the summer when I get back in town (which will be mid-June/early July).

Please share you ideas for exclusive bike roads, lanes, pathes, and other facilities with us!

2009-03-09T10:42:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone! NolaCycle is going to have a meeting with some Big Shots from the city next week. We've been asked to talk about our project and share "big" ideas for bike facilities in New Orleans, especially exclusive bike roads (think the path along the lake shore in Chicago) and some ideas for general improvements and policies that the city could implement.

So if there is really anything bike-wise you'd like to see you want the city to hear about, e-mail lauren@nolacycle.com and I'll work it into my presentation. But if you have any really good ideas for exclusive bike routes or new paths, that would is what I'm really looking to pass along.

Thanks for your suggestions!

Please vote for use for the Crescent Fund + new mapping events

2009-02-26T17:57:00.005-06:00

Crescent Fund
NolaCycle Bike Map Project applied for Market Umbrella's Crescent Fund this spring. It's a micro-credit loan of $500 that we can pay back through time (volunteering), talent (providing a service to the Crescent City Farmers Market or Market Umbrella), or treasure (money - something we don't have so we won't be doing that...).

We need your help to get this money though! You can vote online March 2-9 or in-person at the farmers market Uptown on Tuesday March 3rd or the downtown on Saturday March 9th. Please look over our proposal and vote!

You can vote online at:
http://www.crescentcityfarmersmarket.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=176&cntnt01origid=15&cntnt01returnid=62

Mapping Events
We're wrapping up mapping events for the first NolaCycle bike map, so please try to make it out this March! So far, I've scheduled these events:

Saturday March 7, 3pm: Upper 9th Ward. Meet at RUBARB, located at N. Tonti and Gallier.
Sunday March 8, 3pm: 7th Ward. Meet at the neutral ground at Bayou Rd, N. Tonti St, and Esplanade Ave.
Saturday March 14, 4pm: Gretna (and Upper Algiers). Meet at the neutral ground of Huey P. Long Ave near the ferry landing.

I know Gretna is a bit of a hike for a lot of you, especially since the ferry doesn't run on the weekends, but it really isn't a very long bike ride from the Algiers Ferry to Old Gretna. The levee path is a really nice ride and will drop you off right where we're meeting. Also, there is a farmers market and an art market in Gretna earlier in the day if you'd like to attend those. I'm planning on some super good West Bank Vietnamese at Pho Tau Bay once we're finished as well. All it all, what I'm trying to say is, it's worth the trip. The mayor of Gretna is interested in promoting cycling in his town, so we're interested in helping him do that.

Hope to see you out at one of the events and don't forget to vote!

"City Plans Upgrades To Area Streetscapes" From WDSU

2009-02-17T12:01:00.003-06:00

New Orleans is getting serious about streetscape improvement! The article mentions that bike racks will be added to these streets ('bout time!), but nothing about bike lanes. These projects are focused on small stretches of roads, the main business-districts of neighborhoods, not entire corridors like Wisner or St. Claude where bike facilities have been added.

Robert Mendoza from Public Works said in the article people should start seeing work done by this summer, and the entire phase of the project should be complete by next year. I'm not sure if he means just the Canal Street and Alcee Fortier Boulevard projects or all of them. The article isn't very clear.

Anyway, check out this article and attend the public meetings if they're happening in your neighborhood.

The Ninth Ward streetscape meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Martin Luther King Jr. School at 1617 Caffin Ave.

The Broad Street and Lafitte streetscape meeting will be 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at 3700 Canal St.

Here's the list of all the streetscape projects:
· Bayou Road (Broad Street to Rocheblave Street)
· Elysian Fields Avenue (Foy Street to St. Aloysius/Stephen Girard Street)
· Gentilly Boulevard (Pauger Street to Elysian Fields Avenue)
· Caton Street (Norman Meyer Avenue to Elysian Fields Avenue)
· Freret Street (Jefferson Avenue to Napoleon Avenue)
· Alcee Fortier Boulevard (Chef Menteur Highway to the Michoud Lagoon)
· Read Boulevard (I-10 to Dwyer Road)
· Lake Forest Boulevard (Bundy Road to Wright Boulevard)
· Crowder Boulevard (I-10 to Dwyer Road)
· O.C. Haley Boulevard (Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard - US90B)
· General Pershing Street (S. Broad Street to S. Miro Street)
· St. Roch Avenue (Marais Street to N. Derbigny Street)
· S. Clark Street (Tulane Avenue to Banks Street)
· D'hemecourt Street (S. Clark Street to S. Jefferson Davis Parkway)
· Baudin Street (S. Clark Street to S. Jefferson Davis Parkway)
· Harrison Avenue (Orleans Avenue to West End Boulevard)
· N. Claiborne Avenue (Esplanade Avenue to St. Anthony Street)
· St. Bernard Avenue (N. Claiborne Avenue to Miro Street)
· General Meyer Avenue (Hendee Street to Odeon Avenue)
· S. Claiborne Avenue (Napoleon Avenue to Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard)
· S. Carrollton Avenue (Stroelitz Street to I-10)
· Washington Avenue (Short Street to S. Carrollton Avenue)
· Dixon Street (Dublin Street to S. Carrollton Avenue)

New DIY maps posted!

2009-02-11T19:56:00.004-06:00

I've FINALLY updated the DIY site today! I posted maps from the 7th, 8th, and 9th Wards that need to be completed. If you have some time and would like to do these on your own time, you can download the maps of your choice from the website. Fill them out and then scan and e-mail them back, or e-mail me for my mailing address and do it that way.

Doing DIY maps is really helpful for use since sometimes events get rained out, there's a spontanious second-line and no one shows up, or I forget there is a Saints game that day. All types of crazy stuff happens and neighborhoods don't get completed on their assigned mapping event days.

Thanks!

Looking for a bike to rent for Mardi Gras? RUBARB might be able to help!

2009-02-11T12:06:00.003-06:00

Apparently I'm not the only one that uses the Bike section on Craigslist to promote my organization. Rubarb posted this today and I thought I should share it with you guys. It's always really hard to find affordable bike rentals in New Orleans, but Rubarb can rent you or your friends bikes in exchange for donated time or money.

we're a community bike shop where you can come and work on your bike freely, learn how to make repairs, volunteer, obtain a bike through work trade or a suggested donation of $40-$75 (depending on the quality, make, etc...). we're also open to rentals for the mardi gras season. (all donations go back into the shop, to purchase tools, art supplies, etc..).

our hours are mon 10-2, wed 3:30-6 and sat 1-6. located on the corner of gallier and tonti in the 9th ward.

www.rubarbike.org

Mapping event this weekend at RUBARB in the Upper 9th

2009-02-05T15:40:00.003-06:00

Before you head down to Krewe du Vieux on Saturday, swing up to RUBARB in the Upper 9th. We'll be finishing up the Upper 9th, St. Claude, and 8th Ward areas in pairs or groups. It's open shop at RUBARB on Saturdays, so while we're waiting for everyone to show up or after we finish, you can check out the shop. It's main focus is the earn-a-bike program for kids. They always need adult volunteers though, so you can talk to Liz and Louis about that on Saturday if you're intersted.

Saturday, February 7th, 1pm to 3pm - Upper 9th Ward: Meet at Rubarb community bike shop at N. Tonti St. and Gallier St. behind St. Mary of the Angels Church

Updates, Updates & a rescheduled mapping event

2009-01-25T15:05:00.003-06:00

It was kind of a yucky day today, so we're going to try the 7th Ward area again next Sunday. We'll be meeting a the neutral ground at the intersection of N. Tonti, Bayou, and Esplanade this time though. It's a nicer little corner there. We'll be meeting at 1pm this time too so you all can sleep an extra hour.

Also, graphics meeting is tomorrow at 7pm. E-mail me, lauren@nolacycle.com if you'd like to attend!

Finally, here's the map of the updated completed areas.

Events for next weekend and the following

2009-01-20T14:19:00.004-06:00

These might be the last two mapping events before the first NolaCycle map is released! Try to make it out one of these two Saturdays. We'll be meeting at local neighborhood organizations that you might not have been out to before. Ashe' does a lot of arts, music, drama, and cultural events. Rubarb is a community bike shop that focuses on helping kids learn how to build and fix bicycles.

Saturday, January 31st, 1pm to 3pm - Central City: Meet outside the Ashe' Cultural Center at 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard

Saturday, February 7th, 1pm to 3pm - Upper 9th Ward: Meet at Rubarb community bike shop at N. Tonti St. and Gallier St. behind St. Mary of the Angels Church

Events for this weekend: Hollygrove and the 7th Ward

2009-01-19T14:14:00.003-06:00

We had some really great events last weekend - new faces and completed neighborhoods! The weather was really nice this weekend too. Couldn't be any better!

Phil from the Tulane Bike Shack figured out the best way to map city streets this weekend - the use of a tandem! The front person steers while the back rider fills out the maps! You can just keep rolling the whole time and you don't need to stop to fill things out.

We have events for you guys this weekend again. We'll be doing Hollygrove on Saturday and the 7th Ward on Sunday. On Saturday we'll be meeting on Olive Street near the Hollygrove Market and Cuccia-Byrnes Park. There are some baseball fields there and we'll probably just be hanging out in front of those across the street from the Market. If you haven't been to Hollygrove Market yet you should go check it out. Right now they're getting everything ready to be an urban agricultural site and produce store but while they're still building planting beds and fixing everything up and you pick up a box of locally grown produce on Saturdays between 10am and 2pm for $25. You have to e-mail them ahead of time to reserve the box. If you're curious about it, Saturday's mapping event will be a good time to stick your head in there and check it out. Eira and I have been getting them for 3 weeks now and we love it. I'd recommend spliting a box with a friend because it's a lot of food.

On Sunday we'll be in the 7th Ward at the neutral ground park at St. Bernard Ave and AP Tureaud Ave. There is a statue there and some park benches.

Both events are going to be from noon to 2pm. As always, try to get there as close to noon as possible so we can get everything done in time. We'll be sending out people in pairs or small groups, so bring your friends!

Bring a bike lane with you!

2009-01-16T12:25:00.005-06:00

Things can get a bit slow with trying to get DOT to fund bike lanes in New Orleans (and many other cities for that matter), so Alex Tee and Evan Gant of Altitude came up with a bike light that let's you create a bike lane wherever you are! It's only a concept right now and not for sale, but if I was these guys I get one because I think it could be the #1 gift for cyclists in 2009.

I guess this was featured in GOOD magazine this month...but since I don't live with Ella and all her amazing magazine subscriptions anymore I don't get GOOD. Bummer. I need a money and a permanent address so I can have magazines delivered to my door.

Started making the digital map! Here's a little taste of the draft

2009-01-09T13:33:00.004-06:00

So last night I as watched CSI, 11th Hour, and Law and Order (Why are there only crime shows on on Thursday nights?), I started converting the field data into a digital file. I was averaging about 45 minutes a neighborhood, but that's mostly because I kept changing colors and line weights. Here's a little screen shot of some of what I was working on last night. All the colors are just working colors. I won't keep the background purple - it will most likely be white. I think I like the blue, yellow, and red for the lines. The blue stands out well and I think blue is pretty positive color. Yellow fades back a bit, but most of the roads in New Orleans fall into that moderate category, so that works well because it doesn't need to stand out since you can assume a road will probably be of moderate quality. I want a strong color like red for the poor quality roads because you need to be able to easily see them to know to avoid them. I could use purple...maybe magenta. I want to avoid using red because some people can't see red, so if you can think of another good color for poor pavement quality roads, I'm open to your input. Blue = good pavement. Yellow = moderate. Red = poor. The fatter lines = wide roads. Dashed lines = fast travel speed of cars.

Once I figure out how I want all the labels to be and such, I'll upload some of the completed neighborhoods so you can use them right now. I need to double check some of the roads because I'm using the state's road file, which includes private drives, so this is by no means a final. Also the labels are all over the place - that'll take forever to correct too. But I love the cyclists of New Orleans, so I'll make it look extra pretty for you all even if I have to spend an hour a night until June to finish it!

Upcoming mapping days - Algiers Point and City Park!

2009-01-09T12:43:00.006-06:00

We have two upcoming mapping dates scheduled for January. We'll have some more dates coming up soon. We're getting really close to completing the map! We only have a few gaps left, so it's really important to come out and volunteer so we can get this baby out for the summer! So if you haven't volunteered before, now is the time to get involved.

Saturday January 17th, 2 to 3:30pm: City Park/Naverre/Lakewood

Meet in the park near the playground by Victory and Marconi.

Sunday January 18th, 2 to 3:30pm: Algiers Point
Meet at the grassy area around the Ferry Landing.

Newly repaved Uptown Roads

2008-12-27T10:28:00.003-06:00

The T-P did an article today about the logic of repaving in New Orleans and included a handy map of some newly repaved roads in Uptown. Thought you guys might be interested in looking that this.

"If you do that fairly regularly, it's a cheaper way to maintain the streets," Mendoza said.

Residents of three Uptown neighborhoods recently began to feel the effects of Mendoza's preferred method as construction crews worked block by block in small sections of town, patching minor damage and pouring new asphalt.

While the project in the St. Mary area included short portions of just two streets, scores of blocks covering a total of 1Â¤3/4 miles in the Irish Channel and West Riverside neighborhoods got a facelift.

Mendoza said the city consulted with Entergy New Orleans and the Sewerage & Water Board to make sure that streets slated for smoothing weren't scheduled to be dug up during the next several years for routine maintenance of utility or drainage lines.

The chosen streets were good candidates for the city's first stab at neighborhood-wide street rehabilitation because they didn't flood in Hurricane Katrina, meaning damage to subsurface utilities was not as great as in swamped areas.

Together, the street projects cost about $2.5 million, financed by bonds sold in 2005, city records show. The city hired MWH Inc. as the consulting engineer and Boh Brothers Construction Co. as the contractor for all three jobs.

While Mendoza hailed the projects as a success, it's unlikely the systematic restoration process will be replicated in other neighborhoods anytime soon.

Street repairs are on hold in most areas that flooded because the S&WB and Entergy haven't finished their repairs, he said.

"We can't do these everywhere because there are some places where the Sewerage & Water Board has major repairs that need to be done, or where Entergy still needs to convert the gas lines," Mendoza said."

Upcoming mapping days!

2008-12-01T10:49:00.003-06:00

We're back in action this weekend and next! Come on out the help finish up the remaining sections for the first NolaCycle map.

December 6: Gert Town/Hollygrove
11AM, Jefferson Davis Neutral Ground at Earhart. Mapping remaining areas upriver of Broad Street and riverside of I-10.

December 7: Central City
11AM, Old Winn-Dixie at S. Claiborne Ave and Toledano St. Mapping remaining areas downriver of Broad Street and riverside of I-10.

December 13: 7th Ward
11AM, Small park at Esplanade Ave and N. Tonti St. Mapping area between Esplanade Ave, Broad St, I-10 and Florida Ave.

December 14: St. Roch
11AM, St. Roch Park. Mapping areas between St. Claude Ave, I-10, Florida Ave and Press St.

Metro Bike Coalition meeting coming up

2008-11-24T10:17:00.005-06:00

For more info about MBC check out their website at http://metrobicyclecoalition.org/index.htm