MAYOR CANTRELL THANKS RESIDENTS FOR FEEDBACK
DURING BIKE PLANNING OPEN HOUSES
NEW ORLEANS — Several hundred residents participated in the two-week series of "open house" neighborhood workshops that engaged residents about the upcoming plan to expand and improve the City’s bike network, also known as Moving New Orleans Bikes. The meetings were organized by the City of New Orleans’ Office of Transportation, in collaboration with the Department of Public Works, the Office of Neighborhood Engagement, the City Planning Commission and our community partners that included Bike Easy and Blue Bikes with support from RoadWork NOLA and RTA’s New Links project.
"We appreciate all of our residents and community leaders who participated in these open houses and engaged with our process," said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. "Creating a bike network that works for all of our residents means meeting people where they are and being inclusive. We want everyone to have a voice in this process."
More than 300 residents participated in the open houses, while more than 160 have responded to the online survey and mapping tool.
Didn't make the meetings? You can still access the online survey and mapping tool by clicking here.
The meetings focused on four specific goals:
- Create a community-inspired vision for the New Orleans bikeway network
- Educate the public on the bikeway planning effort
- Discuss the importance of safe and protected bikeway infrastructure and it’s benefit to all modes of traffic
- Gather support for a rapid build-out of the bikeway network once planned
Residents participated in activity tables that asked them to respond to four key mobility-related questions or ideas:
- Destinations
- Routes and barriers
- Driving, walking and bicycling issues
- Bikeway design preferences
Meetings were held throughout all five of the City Council districts, with two each in Districts C and E.
Residents expressed interest in a number of subjects, including:
- Improved and connected bikeways; more bike parking
- Concerns around need for more education of all users of the roadway
- Appreciation for open house format of meeting
- Need for more street lighting
- Need for more maintenance of bike lanes
The Department of Public Works, with the Office of Transportation, will process the feedback as the program continues through the planning phase to connect, expand and upgrade the bike network, and will update residents on its progress with another round of meetings this summer. More information on this initiative can be found at the Moving New Orleans web page. People are also encouraged to use this website to access the online survey through the end of April.
The bike network planning is part of a broader vision by the Cantrell Administration, which includes the upcoming release of Mayor Cantrell’s transportation strategy, Moving New Orleans.
As we build out the bike network, we need to make sure we are traveling safely together. For more information, please visit the Moving New Orleans web page here.
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