MAYOR CANTRELL ISSUES STATEMENT ON BICYCLE SAFETY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Press Release Edited by:
Leonard Lenny Vasbinder
March 15, 2019

NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell today issued the following statement on bicycle infrastructure and how it impacts the safety of New Orleans residents:

“The tragic events on Esplanade Avenue on March 2 underscored the importance of the work my administration has been doing since Day One to give residents safer, more accessible and more equitable ways to navigate the City. That includes improved bicycle infrastructure with each change to our roadway network and the creation of safer spaces for bicyclists.

“As one of my first acts after taking office, I established an Office of Transportation to improve coordination of transportation initiatives among various City agencies. The Office is working every day with the Department of Public Works, and its partners, to ensure that roadway dollars spent on transportation infrastructure follow national best-practices, especially for safety, including accessible pedestrian signals, sidewalk ramps, appropriate traffic lights, and protected or buffered bike lanes.

"This work is happening all around you. Just this week, the Broad Street Bridge was re-striped to include bike lanes in either direction, protected by plastic bollards.

“This spring I will be launching my transportation action strategy, which will lay out my vision for how New Orleanians can get around safely, no matter what mode of transportation they use.

"Also this Spring, we will embark on a citywide bike planning effort. The process will involve collaboration with the City Council, extensive input from bike infrastructure experts and advocates, best practices from across the world, and most importantly — community engagement. Our team was awarded a $2.6 million dollar grant to complete this work. We want to make sure to improve our existing infrastructure while creating better bike network options for citizens.

“The Office of Transportation is also working with DPW, the community, the Council and internal departments to define a new Complete Streets program and policy so that every street gets a review for appropriate transportation and safety improvements when it is reconstructed. This will change the way Complete Streets has been implemented in the past and will improve our ability to make these improvements more sustainable.

“As we mourn for the loss of innocent lives on our City streets, we remain laser-focused on the work we have begun since I took office, and committed to continuing every effort to prevent tragedies like these.”