DDD Conducts Survey on Mobility and Parking Needs

The Downtown Development District of New Orleans is conducting an online survey to gather information on the mobility and parking needs in and around Downtown New Orleans. Residents, business owners, visitors, employees, and tourists are all encouraged to log on and complete the short survey.

The survey is part of the DDD’s Mobility and Parking Study, which is currently underway. Information gathered from the survey will supplement information gained through a series of focus groups held throughout the summer. The study area includes all of Downtown, including the Warehouse Arts District, the Central Business District, Lafayette Square, and the Medical District. The study area also includes the French Quarter and the Marigny Triangle.

The DDD has undertaken this study as part of its effort to assist Planning District 1 in implementation of the Unified New Orleans Plan. Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates is leading the study team. The team’s work consists of an inventory of currently available parking, utilization of parking, an analysis of pedestrian and bicycle accessibility and conditions, and a series of focus groups with stakeholders. The study is scheduled to be completed in November 2008.

Take the survey>>

New Orleans’ First Bike Lane Opens on St. Claude Avenue

The City of New Orleans, Dept. of Transportation and Development, and the Regional Planning Commission announce the completion of a new feature of St. Claude Avenue in New Orleans; the city’s first striped bike lanes.

The 3 mile stretch of lanes that connect the Marigny, Bywater, 9th Ward and St. Bernard Parish are part of a $3.7 million Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) project to resurface and improve the St. Claude Avenue corridor. In addition to the bike lanes, improvements have been made to crosswalks and sidewalk ramps at intersections along the corridor.

The bike lanes are 5 feet wide and located between the parking lane and the outside travel lane except across the St. Claude Avenue Bridge where bicyclists and motorists will share the lane due to size constraints on the bridge. The lanes will be identified with both signage and pavement markings to alert both motorists and bicyclists to their presence. Shared-lane markings, like those found on Robert E. Lee Boulevard, will be used on the St. Claude Bridge.

Click here to read coverage of New Orleans’ first bike lane in the International Herald Tribune

Steps Staffer Participates in New Orleans Sustainability Forum

Steps staffer Jennifer Ruley participated in a forum with Rutgers University Professor John Pucher entitled Sustainability and the Recovery of New Orleans: Bicycling as Transportation. Ms. Ruley gave an update on progress toward building a network of premier bicycle facilities throughout New Orleans. She discussed how lessons learned from bicycle-friendly cities in the U.S. and beyond have influenced the New Orleans approach and how New Orleans is capitalizing on the unprecedented opportunity to integrate bicycle facilities into numerous post-Katrina rebuilding projects.

Three New Stores Join the Steps to a Healthier New Orleans Corner Store Initiative

Nikkis Food Store, located on 3900 St. Claude Avenue; Eat-well Food Mart on 2700 Canal St. and Williams Supermarket at 2139 St. Charles Ave have joined the Steps Corner Store Initiative. Look for the Treat U Right logo and new healthy options at these stores in the near future.

New Orleans Receives Honorable Mention as Bicycle Friendly Community

Last month the League of American Bicyclists announced its Bicycle Friendly Community designations, and gave New Orleans one of ten “honorable mentions.” The Bicycle Friendly Community designation is awarded to communities with established records in two or more of the five categories which are known as the Five E’s: Education, Engineering, Enforcement, Encouragement, and Evaluation. Local cyclists, national experts, and League staff review the applications. For the complete list of Bicycle Friendly Communities and more information on the program visit bikeleague.org/programs/

See all recent STEPS updates

Media Campaign