NOLA ‘Bike to Work Week’ event celebrates rise of bicycling in city

By Christopher Tidmore
Contributing Writer

As the street system was rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina, bicycle lanes all over Orleans Parish have sprouted up with the new asphalt. Dedicated bike lanes now stretch down parts of St. Charles and Carrollton avenues, right-of-ways — with their “yield to bike” symbols — are painted on St. Claude and other streets, and a new liner park from Lakeview to the Treme allows bicycling without the worry of being impacted by a car.

The campaign to get New Orleanians to take up pedal biking goes to the next level this Wednesday, Wednesday April 13, 2016. Neighborhood bike trains will ride together from around the city to converge on Lafayette Square to celebrate bike commuting on over 100 miles of bikeways throughout the metro New Orleans Area.

Organized by Bike Easy, and underwritten by Entergy, NOLA Bike to Work Week continues on Thursday, April 14 at 6 p.m. when a community forum discuss next steps on improving bicycling in New Orleans by seeking insights to improve The City of New Orleans’ “Plan for the 21st Century,” commonly referred to as the Master Plan.

Events conclude on Tuesday, April 19 from 5-7:30 p.m., when the “Bike Commuter Happy Hour” meets at the Grand Isle Restaurant, at the corner of Lafayette and Fulton Streets. The nonprofit Bike Easy provides free appetizers, drink specials, giveaways, and a free raffle for all registered Bike to Work Week participants.

NOLA Bike to Work Week is sponsored by Entergy, and on the surface, it seems strange that a power company like Entergy would work with a green advocacy group like Bike Easy. One would think the events would cut into potential profits. Yet, Patty Riddlebarger, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Entergy, noted several months ago to the Weekly how important bicycling has become to this city, and her company played a large role in that from the beginning. “Before Hurricane Katrina, Orleans Parish had fewer than five miles of bike lanes and pedestrian walkways. Thanks to a grant from Entergy Corporation and a partnership between the City of New Orleans and the Louisiana Public Health Institute, the city now boasts 50 miles of completed bikeways and pedestrian walkways with another 20 miles planned or under construction.

“As a result, the City of New Orleans has been recognized as a Bronze Level Bike Friendly City by the League of American Bicyclists — joining other cities such as Portland, Boulder and Austin who are designated bike-friendly cities. Residents in metropolitan New Orleans can now access a growing bikeway network of more than 140 miles.

“Greenhouse gas emissions resulting from our daily commutes are a leading cause of climate change. Biking to work is one way we can do our part to save money, save energy and save the environment.”

This article originally published in the April 11, 2016 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.