The Most Persuasive Evidence Yet that Bike-Share Serves as Public Transit - CityLab

The denser the urban environment (particularly for rail), the more bikesharing provides new connections that substitute for existing ones. The less dense the environment, the more bikesharing establishes new connections to the existing public transit system.


The Most Persuasive Evidence Yet that Bike-Share Serves as Public Transit - CityLab

Cycling History on Baronne St, Embodied in New Orleans Bicycle Club (elitist as expected)

"New Orleans jumped onto the bandwagon, forming the New Orleans Bicycle Club (NOBC) in 1880. The NOBC’s evolution mirrored the changing times. Born first as a ‘gentleman’s club,’ they initially described themselves as “men of affairs of relatively high standing.” The less affluent were kept from membership by default, as they wouldn’t be likely to afford the expensive bicycles.

... Issues of race arose because the Northern cycling groups accepted applicants regardless of color, while the NOBC wasn’t ready to do that. "

Cycling History on Baronne St, Embodied in New Orleans Bicycle Club 

parking quotas debunked

NOLA Bike to Work Day

Maybe I'll see you on the Jeff Davis Parkway path on my way to the farmers market Uptown...


NOLA Bike to Work Day · Bike Easy

Biking by demographic

via

Click on the map to see it larger. Not surprisingly, men outnumber women in biking, although the difference is smaller in New Orleans than in other urban places.

Safest Bike Lights so far...

Revolights are basically blinking LED bulbs mounted to the front and rear wheel-rims. Like a car, the lights are white in the front and red in the back. What makes them special is a small magnet also installed into the bicycle’s fork, which communicates with the LED system—mostly indicating the bicycle’s speed. As the cyclist accelerates, the lights are programmed to blink in clusters as they reach either the front or back (white and red, respectively). At cruising speed, Revolights’ timing makes an approximately 2-foot-long, solid band of light. (Watch the video below.)

revolights. join the revolution. from revolights on Vimeo.

Ghost Bikes: Leave up or remove?

Story below about Chicago's ghost bike issue, where friends and family of fallen cyclists put up a stripped bike, painted white to signify a cyclist's death. Some neighbors (rightfully in my mind) wonder when it should be removed rather than left to disintegrate on its own. Families and friends, however do not share that idea.

The idea of permanent memorials for regular people has never been resolved as far as I know in any city or town. You pass the highway memorials put up by families and we certainly have some left from the federal levee breaks, especially those homeowners who have left their X as a permanent reminder but the public space is left for war and public officials memorials only.
The idea of using ghost bikes as a reminder of a bicycle death seems appropriate given the war between cyclists and those in tanks disguised as cars. Maybe the answer is a ghost bike which is then replaced after a period by a sticker or metal sign naming the person and date and time of the accident to be left as a reminder of the danger as well.

Ghost bikes

Bicycle parking is under threat

Fair Grinds Coffeehouse in MidCity is being told by NOPD that they must be move their "obstructionist" bike rack which takes up less than 1 car length parking spot and allows up to 10 riders to park while shopping in any of the surrounding stores/restaurants.
People should send support to Robert and Elizabeth and also tell their city council to give him a commendation for encouraging riding.While not even reducing the parking (he measured the block and found that the space allowed for a certain number of cars with 10 feet left over). Do your bit to speak up.

City Council

Biek sharing in Mid City we're #20 now!

let's vote for one zip code in our city to get bike sharing.

B-cycle is a next-gen bike-sharing system. In layman’s terms: B-cycles are magic bikes that are there when you want one and gone when you don’t. Just swipe your card, grab a bike, and get to where you’re going.

Vote for 70119

4 days, 4 amazing things to do with your neighbors

Cinco de Craft Mafioso New Orleans Craft Mafia's 5th Birthday Party Fiesta!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
6:00pm - 10:00pm
The Factory 8314 Oak Street
Come join us on Thursday June 24 from 6-10pm at THE FACTORY to celebrate our 5th birthday!!

The New Orleans Craft Mafia is celebrating its first 5 years of bringing crafty alternatives to the Crescent City with a birthday bash on Thursday, June 24. The event, dubbed "Cinco de Craft Mafioso", will take place from 6pm - 10pm at The Factory, a new crafty workspace at 8314 Oak Street, which will begin teaching screen-printing classes on July 7.

Cinco de Craft Mafioso is a celebration of all things crafty. The event is free and open to all ages, and will feature free craft workshops, including t-shirt recycling and screen-printing. Bring your old t-shirts in and revamp them - we'll show you how to breathe new life into your old tees!

The event will also feature a crafty marketplace with handmade goods by members of the New Orleans Craft Mafia, as well as music and snacks. Be sure to stop by for free beer (while it lasts!) and get there early because the first 20 guests will receive a free New Orleans Craft Mafia tote bag filled with handmade goodies!

Friday, June 25, 2010
Time:
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:
Jackson Square into the cul-de-sacs and secret streets
15 miles, 2 hours.

Hey bikers! join the Rolling Black Out Friday June 25th! There's no
need to drill, baby. 6pm Jackson square.

Thanks for everyone who came out last month, and to the Dead Pelicans
and Murdered Gulf Events. let's make this month's mass even more
massive. Let's show New Orleans how unnecessary cars are! Tell
your Friends, Bring your Mom, Bring a date.

This month, on the table is another JP/ suburbia route, only hitting
more of the tree-lined neighborhoods in Lakeview and Bayou St John
this time. In addition to catching some shade, we'll be hitting Canal
and Veterans, some secret passages, some shady spots, and riding
amidst the parts of New Orleans cul-de-sac'd away into car culture:
check it out here:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=29.972186%2C-90.091324&spn=0.079111%2C0.127888&z=13&msid=106960675667875346255.000489564096f5c7bec6a

of course, the route is always negotiable, and subject to radical
change. please give feedback! or come up with routes. or mis-lead
the ride somewhere new and interesting.

Saturday, June 26, 2010
Time:
6:00pm - 11:00pm
Location:
The Big Top!
1638 Clio Street

The New Orleans Food Co-op presents a live auction @ The Big Top!, hosted by famous MC Celebrity Auctioneer John Calhoun and his band! Doors and viewing @ 6pm. Auction bidding begins @ 7:30pm sharp. FOOD PROVIDED. Cover: $10 / $5 for NOFC member-owners.
Auction items include a wonderful selection of original art and gift certificates for a wide range of local services including massage, martial arts classes, and meals at your favorite restaurants.
All proceeds to benefit the NOFC's mission of bringing healthy, affordable groceries to New Orleans.
www.nolafoodcoop.org
twitter.com/nolafoodcoop
HEN: Friday, June 19th and/or Friday, June 26th Meet at Fairgrinds Coffee House to create your clay Spirit Vessel with guidance from local artist Jane Hill. Prayers and small animals also will be created.

Sunday June 27th 8:00 pm

Meet at the banks of Bayou St John, at the Bridge opposite Cabrini. In a simple ceremony, the unfired clay Vessels created by the community will be lighted and released into the water of the bayou, carrying our intentions and wishes for the Gulf’s restoration before they dissolve and go back to nature. Participation and performance from local musicians and poets will take place.

Note: All materials used in this community project are biodegradable and will not damage the bayou in any way. Please note that this event is not a protest or demonstration space. Children are encouraged to participate, but parents should know this is not designed as a children’s clay class or art project. Rain Date is Monday June 28th at 8 pm.

Abita Springs can surprise you

If you take the causeway to Mandeville, do yourself a favor and take a right almost as soon as you get off the bridge going into old Mandeville (take Monroe).
Be very careful to follow the speed limits; these cops are lurking nearby. Bring a bike and park your car at the Mandeville Trailhead and head north on the Tammany Trace. A rails to trails project that has spurred all types of projects (good and bad) alongside it, it is almost a one of a kind bicycle trip for our area. Really, for New Orleanians, how often do we get to ride quietly in shade (before 11 am or after 4 pm) without angry drivers or broken pavement as our constant companion? And then end up at a brewpub right on the trail?
Keep going til you get to Covington and get to one of their 5-6 good restaurants and if you are there on Saturday am or Wednesday afternoon, their excellent farmers market.
The Ozone Belt is alright.

Our region deserves better PR.

Bicycle culture

Chainbreaker Bike Book By Shelly Jackson
The New Orleans Bicycle Book (circa 1983 by Louis Alvarez)
New Orleans Bicycles by Mary Richardson, Nicholas Costarides
Truckbike.com
Metrobicyclecoalition.org
www.nolacycle.org

so these are books I have seen and some sites I use regularly that focus on the 2 wheeled culture of the city. It seems we are gathering steam with streets being striped for bikes (thanks Jen, among others) and with the excellent bike map project headed by Lauren Sullivan bike map about to be printed it's a good time.
I would say that we need to find more ways to communicate to drivers that we share the road. I am always on the defensive as a rider, having been hit on St. Charles back in the early 1980s. The guy asked why I wasn't riding on the sidewalk. I threw my helmet at his windshield and cursed him but good. Felt better later as I was taking a cab home. And as a bicycle messenger in the 1990s, I kept myself alive by anticipating dumb moves from others. Sort of an everyday habit now. Maybe we need to have a project where we raise money to give out fluorescent stripes that say "another cyclist on the road" for helmets, or ask people to record a month's worth of rides so the city can see how many people ride regularly. Or maybe we all need to show up at MBC events.

But at the same time, let's not forget that we want to ride just because its fun. So, sometimes just get on your bike and cruise. A good place to do that is next week in Abita Springs. Come celebrate with your regional cyclists at a really fun 10-year old event.