MAYOR CANTRELL ISSUES STATEMENT ON RELEASE OF
NEW LINKS PHASE III NETWORK PLAN
NEW ORLEANS — Mayor Cantrell today issued the following statement on the release of the proposed network plan under Phase III of the New Links project by the Regional Planning Commission:
“The New Links project set out to create a regional approach to more effectively and equitably move our residents throughout the metro New Orleans area. We are excited to finally see a plan that realizes this vision. New Links reduces the time it takes to go from downtown to New Orleans East, provides more direct links to our higher education locations (especially our HBCUs), and makes modifications that will improve service to areas where car ownership is low, including Central City and Hollygrove. This will result in better connectivity for our students and our workforce. Driven by data and conceived through an equity lens, New Links comes when our residents need it the most, giving RTA the opportunity to fulfill its mission to better serve our people,” said Mayor Cantrell.
“We are so very proud of this regional partnership to reimagine how public transit connects Jefferson Parish to our surrounding areas,” said Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng. “I’d like to applaud our Jefferson Transit Director Ninette Barrios on her work with the New Links planning project as we enter the official launch of Phase III to help improve the frequency and reliability of bus service.”
New Links is a planning project to reimagine how public transit connects Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard Parishes. The Regional Planning Commission (RPC) is working with the Regional Transit Authority (RTA), Jefferson Transit (JET) and the Mayor’s Office of Transportation to develop recommendations for a redesigned transit network to improve the frequency, reliability, and regional connectivity of bus and streetcar service. After a robust input process in Phase I and Phase II, the New Links team is preparing to release a draft network plan.
[READ: New Links Phase III plan]
The release of the draft network plan launches New Links into Phase III as the team seeks to gather input from the public. The draft network plan highlights suggested route changes and adjusted timetables to address the needs of riders based on feedback received throughout the first two phases. The project team is accepting public comment through an online survey.
[SUBMIT: Feedback on the network plan]
The New Links team joined Ride New Orleans on Oct. 13 for the State of Transit address, in which the team provided a detailed overview of the proposed plan.
[WATCH: 2020 State of Transit virtual event]
“Transit is valuable to everyone in our community; whether you actually use the service or not, everyone in the region benefits from the provision of quality service. We are excited to be working with the transit providers in our region, various community, civic, business, and other stakeholder groups, as well as parish governments to 'reimagine' how transit works in the New Orleans region,” said Jeff Roesel, Executive Director, Regional Planning Commission.
“I want to personally thank the Regional Planning Commission for their leadership and vision. Re-imagining transit connections toward the goal of improving mobility throughout our region is critical to connecting our riders to employment and educational opportunities,” said Alex Wiggins, CEO, RTA.
Phase III will include six weeks of intensive public outreach to bring the draft network plan to the public and gather feedback on community priorities in all three parishes. The Regional Planning Commission, Ride New Orleans and the rest of the New Links team in adherence to COVID-19 guidelines will schedule a series of virtual meetings similar in format to Phase II. These meetings will be scheduled in a manner to gather input from various geographical areas and demographics to ensure an equal opportunity for representation throughout the region.
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