Survey on Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Closes: 461 Responses
Earlier this year, the City announced a partnership with Entergy to install over 50 public charging stations across New Orleans. In January, the partnership launched a public survey requesting feedback from the community about site locations for chargers.
The survey closed Saturday, March 13 with a total of 461 responses, 457 comments, 2,174 unique users, and around 400 locations identified as ideal places for public charging.
The City will convene the Electric Vehicle Charging Stakeholder Committee in April to finalize the prioritization criteria for the chargers which Entergy will use to determine the final list of site locations.
This work sets the foundation for the transition to electric vehicles for New Orleanians. For more information contact Marin Stephens, marin.stephens@nola.gov.
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Moving New Orleans Bikes Public Outreach Continued through February
The Mayor’s Office of Transportation and the Department of Public Works held two productive Moving New Orleans Bikes pre-construction meetings in the month of February. Over 140 attendees discussed feedback from the conceptual design meetings held in October and November of 2020.
The February 23 meeting covered proposed designs for six corridors in the 7th Ward, Faubourg St. John, St. Roch, Gentilly and Mid-City neighborhoods:
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Bienville Avenue (North Norman C. Francis Parkway to North Carrollton Avenue)
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Gentilly Boulevard (North Broad Street to New Orleans Street)
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North Galvez Street (Orleans Avenue to Franklin Avenue)
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North Miro Street (Franklin Avenue to Orleans Avenue)
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Paris Avenue (I-610 to Filmore Avenue)
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Ursulines Avenue (North Claiborne Avenue to Hagan Avenue)
The February 25 meeting covered proposed designs for the three corridors in the Central Business District and Warehouse District:
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Baronne Street (Canal Street to Howard Avenue)
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Howard Avenue (St. Charles Avenue to Loyola Avenue)
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O'Keefe Avenue (Howard Avenue to Canal Street)
Construction on these projects will begin in the Spring and Summer of 2021. To learn more about MNOB and to view the presentations from this week's meetings and all previous meetings, visit www.nola.gov/MNOB.
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Parklet Fee Waiver Extended Through June 30
The Parklet Pilot Program fee waivers have been extended through June 30, 2021, along with fees for Sidewalk Cafes (and other COVID-specific permits).
One component of the City’s Outdoor Dining initiative, the Parklet Pilot Program allows restaurants and bars to utilize on-street parking spaces in front of their restaurants and bars for additional seating. This provides additional safe dining spaces for restaurants and bars while the occupancy limits are reduced due to COVID-19 restrictions.
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Transit Oriented Communities Public Meeting Scheduled for April 14
The Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) study kicked-off in late 2020 as a collaboration between the RTA, City Planning Commission, and the Mayor’s Office of Transportation. The project team is requesting the public’s participation at their upcoming April 14 meeting. For more information visit www.nola.gov/transportation/transit-oriented-communities.
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Complete Streets Working Group
After updating the City’s Complete Streets Policy in late 2020 to better reflect both current efforts and future goals, the Office of Transportation will convene the Complete Streets Working Group on a quarterly basis, starting in May 2021.
Comprised of representatives from various City departments, public agencies, and community stakeholders, the Working Group will work to ensure that the Complete Streets policy is applied in the planning, design, construction, operations, and maintenance of all projects, to monitor execution of the Complete Streets Program, and to provide input, as appropriate, into policies, procedures, and regulations as they are developed within the context of the Complete Streets Program.
Additional information, including meeting notices and agendas will be available soon on our website nola.gov/transportation.
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RTA Board Moves Forward with New Links Transit Redesign Plan
At the March 23 RTA Board Meeting, the Board approved RTA staff to move forward with implementing the New Links Transit Redesign Proposal. The proposed network improves frequency, provides more equitable services, increases access to jobs across parish lines, and incorporates transfer hubs. This plan improves regional connectivity between Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard Parishes and reduces redundancy.
“New Links is crucial in creating a more connected, efficient, and equitable public transit system for the Greater New Orleans region. The Board’s action today shifts RTA’s focus to implementation and is the culmination of a two-year, robust community outreach effort to ensure that input from riders was the driving voice in the network redesign,” said Mayor Cantrell. Read the press release.
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Free Transportation to Vaccine Sites
RTA Provides Free Shuttle to Convention Center Vaccine Site
The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority provides free shuttle service to the Convention Center Hall J, from three different locations across the city.
1) Duncan Plaza, departing every 15 minutes
2) West Bank RTA Park and Ride, departing every 45 minutes
3) New Orleans East Walmart, departing every 45 minutes
Residents interested in utilizing the shuttle service are free of charge. All RTA shuttle buses will be marked as "Special/Convention Center."
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Uber Partners with New Orleans for Free Credits to Vaccine Sites
In mid-March, Uber announced a partnership with Greater New Orleans Foundation, LCMC Health, OPCD to provide free transportation to vaccine sites.
The partnership will provide 20,000 free rides to vaccine sites to improve access to vaccinations. The rides will be administered through LCMC Health and OPCD when booking vaccine appointments.
The 20,000 rides are being donated to the Greater New Orleans Foundation for use by the City of New Orleans and LCMC Health to bolster their vaccination efforts. Uber will be integrated into the City and LCMC Health's registration process so residents with no or limited transportation options will be able to sign up for both their vaccine shot and a ride at the same time. Starting Wednesday, eligible residents can register for appointments and rides in the following ways:
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Convention Center appointments or other LCMC Health vaccines sites by calling 504-290-5200 or by going to lcmchealth.org/vaccine
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New Orleans Health Department community vaccine sites by calling 3-1-1 or 504-658-2299, or by going to ready.nola.gov/getvaccine
Uber's ride donations will offer an additional layer of transportation options for residents to get to and from the Convention Center.
Blue Krewe to Provide 150 More E-bikes than Expected at Launch Date, September 1, 2021
Earlier this month, Blue Krewe and the City of New Orleans announced that Drop Mobility had been selected as the vendor to provide e-assist bikes and software for Blue Bikes. The launch is still on pace for September 1, 2021, but with 500 bikes instead of the required 350.
The bikes are being custom fabricated for New Orleans and will feature the familiar Blue Bikes color and brand. Blue Krewe will hire locally to directly manage day-to-day operations of Blue Bikes.
In February, Mayor Cantrell announced a partnership with Blue Krewe, a new local non-profit supported by the Greater New Orleans Foundation, to bring back bike share while ensuring more local control for this important community asset. Blue Cross and Blue Shield was announced as the title sponsor for the return of the program, the same sponsor of the original Blue Bikes program which launched in 2017.
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Mayor Celebrates Street Renaming from Jefferson Davis Parkway to Norman C Francis Parkway
In January, Mayor Cantrell joined officials in celebrating the renaming of Jefferson Davis Parkway to Norman C Francis Parkway. Mayor Cantrell presented Dr. Francis with a Key to the City as well as a Mayor's City of Yes Award, and also honored his late wife, Blanche, for her support.
Dr. Francis dedicated his life and career to education, serving as President of Xavier University for nearly 50 years. During Dr. Francis’ tenure, Xavier more than doubled its enrollment, broadened its curriculum, expanded its campus, and strengthened its financial base. Through Dr. Francis’ leadership, the university instituted a core curriculum, becoming nationally recognized as a leader in education.
“I want to say ‘Thank you’ on behalf of the City of New Orleans for the countless lives that Dr. Norman C. Francis has touched. Now it seems that historically black colleges and universities are taking their place on the national stage and the global stage, and that has been a mighty long time coming,” said Mayor Cantrell.
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Truck Routes
The Office of Transportation is leading an effort to engage with stakeholders and residents around regulations and routes for trucks and oversized vehicles as part of Mayor Cantrell's Moving New Orleans Transportation Action Plan. This effort seeks to meet and balance of the needs of residents, businesses, and the freight industry through a comprehensive approach to improving compliance with the City’s oversize vehicle regulations. This will include route signage, education and awareness, and enforcement. This process began in August 2020 and will continue through early 2021.
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