NolaCycle is a project aimed to create a high quality cycling map of New Orleans. Cycling maps include information beyond just streets and their names that benefits cyclists. In our map, we highlight the pavement quality, car travel speed, lane width, and special caution areas (busy intersections, man-eating potholes, or high accident areas). Volunteers help to collect this data by attending mapping events.
The information is then digitized to make a map of the data we collected to help cyclists - young, old, local, and tourist alike - navigate New Orleans.

Check out the blog for updates on the project, ways to get involved, and volunteer mapping events!

If you have questions, feel free to make a public comment on the blog entry or e-mail us directly at info@nolacycle.com.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Busy during the mapping events? No worries - there are other ways to get involved

I know a lot of people in New Orleans work on weekends, so not everyone interested will be able to make those events. But there are plenty of other ways you can help!

Pretty soon I'm going to organize some evening mapping events - not quite sure when yet, but soon. I'll post the dates and times as soon as I hammer it out.

Do you know your neighborhood by heart? I've met a few people who've lived here for decades that do. If so, I can e-mail or drop of maps and a key for you to fill out. I met this guy Louis who was able to map Treme from memory. If you're like Louis, you help is needed!

Also, I can e-mail you sections to do in your free time. This would be SUPER helpful if you live in a neighborhood where there aren't many bikers and it would be hard to organize events with enough people to knock out the entire neighborhood (Westbank, New Orleans East, Lakeview, etc.).

I always need help handing out flyers and I'm still in need of a poster. If you'd like to help design a poster or wouldn't mind attaching flyers to bikes or dropping them off at businesses, that would be incredibly helpful. I can e-mail you a sheet to print yourself or give you already printed sheets and rubber bands.

Also, if you'd like to help organize the project and become more deeply involved, I will be doing a planning meeting not this coming weekend, but sometime next weekend. I was planning on doing a planning meeting/pool party...but my pool need some work so I probably won't have anyone over until then.

11 comments:

  1. Instead of emailing or dropping, why not post maps up online for people to download themselves?

    I'm curious just to see what one looks like.

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  2. I just didn't want to flood the website layout with maps, nor do i want people to waste their time doing a map someone else already did. If you know a way to set it up so people will know if a map has been down already (like "this file has been downloaded 1 time") and do like an attached map page, that would be really helpful. I know next to nothing about website design (hence blogspot instead of a real website).

    Tomorrow or Thursday I'll bring one of the completed sections to work to scan and put online as an example.

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  3. I have a somewhat rare copy of an old bicycling map of NOLA. The plates to it burned in a fire some time ago but if it helps ya'll can have one of the maps. stop by Bicycle Michael's and ask for Tim.

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  4. I am trying to find a nice calm, low traffic route/wider avenue route from Canal St. to Loyola's Broadway campus. I could ride to work except for the overpass on Broad is so high/fast traffic. Makes the idea unattractive. Used to cycle commute in Washington, DC. Knew the city better by bike than car! Let me know if I can help in Tulane/Gravier areas of map, Bienville corridor.

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  5. hey Nolareno....I wanted to do some of the Tulane/Gravier area on Sunday, but I didn't have enough people show up. I was thinking of doing an evening mapping event of the CBG/medical district. If you have an evening that works well for you, I can set a date and time and start promoting.

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  6. Lauren,

    Not sure if you know about the community mapping project already in progress. This might be a good resource for you and your team.

    http://thinknola.com/

    I'm still struggling to come up with a speedy and safe route to ride from uptown out to Lakefront Airport area. I used to ride uptown to UNO daily, but I was younger and more foolish then. I took my life in my own hands at the Wisner overpass. Now with kids, I'd love to find a safe way for me to get to work and back.

    Sounds like you have already covered uptown near Lawrence Square. That's my turf for over 30 years, so I do know it like the back of my hand. Need any spot checks or editing for that area, drop me a line.

    Keep up the good work!

    Clark Thompson

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  7. Hey Clark, Uptown mapping starts this weekend, so come out if you can! if you'd like to bring your kids, I can give you a section without any busy roads. Some good news for you though - UNO and RPC are working on securing funding for more bike lanes and possibly off-road bike paths.

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  8. I went exploring (by car) and there is a nice green right of way underneath I-10 from the Circle Grocery Store at St. Bernard and Claiborne all the way to the Canal. I'm going to try it out this Friday.

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  9. I may be teaching a class this fall at UNO. Any idea who the point of contact at UNO would be for this project?

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  10. I've told Billy Fields at UNO (he works in the urban planning department) about the project. I know a couple of students up there too. I figured when classes start again, I could contact the urban planning, geography, and cycling student groups. I don't have any UNO students super involved in the project (Dan is a Tulane alum and Tom goes to Loyola), so I don't have someone I'm working really closely with up there. If you'd like to help organize some stuff at UNO that'd be really helpeful.

    Also, are you talking about Claiborne when it's under the bridge? That's a pretty decent stretch.

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  11. I'll see who I can find at UNO.

    Yes, when Claiborne makes the turn at St. Bernard, a green space begins underneath the I-10. It seems to be uninterrupted all the way to the I10-610 merge. Probably not a very safe route, but interesting to know it is there.

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