Please vote for use for the Crescent Fund + new mapping events

Crescent Fund
NolaCycle Bike Map Project applied for Market Umbrella's Crescent Fund this spring. It's a micro-credit loan of $500 that we can pay back through time (volunteering), talent (providing a service to the Crescent City Farmers Market or Market Umbrella), or treasure (money - something we don't have so we won't be doing that...).

We need your help to get this money though! You can vote online March 2-9 or in-person at the farmers market Uptown on Tuesday March 3rd or the downtown on Saturday March 9th. Please look over our proposal and vote!

You can vote online at:
http://www.crescentcityfarmersmarket.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=176&cntnt01origid=15&cntnt01returnid=62

Mapping Events
We're wrapping up mapping events for the first NolaCycle bike map, so please try to make it out this March! So far, I've scheduled these events:

Saturday March 7, 3pm: Upper 9th Ward. Meet at RUBARB, located at N. Tonti and Gallier.
Sunday March 8, 3pm: 7th Ward. Meet at the neutral ground at Bayou Rd, N. Tonti St, and Esplanade Ave.
Saturday March 14, 4pm: Gretna (and Upper Algiers). Meet at the neutral ground of Huey P. Long Ave near the ferry landing.

I know Gretna is a bit of a hike for a lot of you, especially since the ferry doesn't run on the weekends, but it really isn't a very long bike ride from the Algiers Ferry to Old Gretna. The levee path is a really nice ride and will drop you off right where we're meeting. Also, there is a farmers market and an art market in Gretna earlier in the day if you'd like to attend those. I'm planning on some super good West Bank Vietnamese at Pho Tau Bay once we're finished as well. All it all, what I'm trying to say is, it's worth the trip. The mayor of Gretna is interested in promoting cycling in his town, so we're interested in helping him do that.

Hope to see you out at one of the events and don't forget to vote!

"City Plans Upgrades To Area Streetscapes" From WDSU

New Orleans is getting serious about streetscape improvement! The article mentions that bike racks will be added to these streets ('bout time!), but nothing about bike lanes. These projects are focused on small stretches of roads, the main business-districts of neighborhoods, not entire corridors like Wisner or St. Claude where bike facilities have been added.

Robert Mendoza from Public Works said in the article people should start seeing work done by this summer, and the entire phase of the project should be complete by next year. I'm not sure if he means just the Canal Street and Alcee Fortier Boulevard projects or all of them. The article isn't very clear.

Anyway, check out this article and attend the public meetings if they're happening in your neighborhood.

The Ninth Ward streetscape meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Martin Luther King Jr. School at 1617 Caffin Ave.

The Broad Street and Lafitte streetscape meeting will be 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at 3700 Canal St.


Here's the list of all the streetscape projects:
· Bayou Road (Broad Street to Rocheblave Street)
· Elysian Fields Avenue (Foy Street to St. Aloysius/Stephen Girard Street)
· Gentilly Boulevard (Pauger Street to Elysian Fields Avenue)
· Caton Street (Norman Meyer Avenue to Elysian Fields Avenue)
· Freret Street (Jefferson Avenue to Napoleon Avenue)
· Alcee Fortier Boulevard (Chef Menteur Highway to the Michoud Lagoon)
· Read Boulevard (I-10 to Dwyer Road)
· Lake Forest Boulevard (Bundy Road to Wright Boulevard)
· Crowder Boulevard (I-10 to Dwyer Road)
· O.C. Haley Boulevard (Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard - US90B)
· General Pershing Street (S. Broad Street to S. Miro Street)
· St. Roch Avenue (Marais Street to N. Derbigny Street)
· S. Clark Street (Tulane Avenue to Banks Street)
· D'hemecourt Street (S. Clark Street to S. Jefferson Davis Parkway)
· Baudin Street (S. Clark Street to S. Jefferson Davis Parkway)
· Harrison Avenue (Orleans Avenue to West End Boulevard)
· N. Claiborne Avenue (Esplanade Avenue to St. Anthony Street)
· St. Bernard Avenue (N. Claiborne Avenue to Miro Street)
· General Meyer Avenue (Hendee Street to Odeon Avenue)
· S. Claiborne Avenue (Napoleon Avenue to Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard)
· S. Carrollton Avenue (Stroelitz Street to I-10)
· Washington Avenue (Short Street to S. Carrollton Avenue)
· Dixon Street (Dublin Street to S. Carrollton Avenue)

New DIY maps posted!

I've FINALLY updated the DIY site today! I posted maps from the 7th, 8th, and 9th Wards that need to be completed. If you have some time and would like to do these on your own time, you can download the maps of your choice from the website. Fill them out and then scan and e-mail them back, or e-mail me for my mailing address and do it that way.

Doing DIY maps is really helpful for use since sometimes events get rained out, there's a spontanious second-line and no one shows up, or I forget there is a Saints game that day. All types of crazy stuff happens and neighborhoods don't get completed on their assigned mapping event days.

Thanks!

Looking for a bike to rent for Mardi Gras? RUBARB might be able to help!

Apparently I'm not the only one that uses the Bike section on Craigslist to promote my organization. Rubarb posted this today and I thought I should share it with you guys. It's always really hard to find affordable bike rentals in New Orleans, but Rubarb can rent you or your friends bikes in exchange for donated time or money.

we're a community bike shop where you can come and work on your bike freely, learn how to make repairs, volunteer, obtain a bike through work trade or a suggested donation of $40-$75 (depending on the quality, make, etc...). we're also open to rentals for the mardi gras season. (all donations go back into the shop, to purchase tools, art supplies, etc..).

our hours are mon 10-2, wed 3:30-6 and sat 1-6. located on the corner of gallier and tonti in the 9th ward.

www.rubarbike.org

Mapping event this weekend at RUBARB in the Upper 9th

Before you head down to Krewe du Vieux on Saturday, swing up to RUBARB in the Upper 9th. We'll be finishing up the Upper 9th, St. Claude, and 8th Ward areas in pairs or groups. It's open shop at RUBARB on Saturdays, so while we're waiting for everyone to show up or after we finish, you can check out the shop. It's main focus is the earn-a-bike program for kids. They always need adult volunteers though, so you can talk to Liz and Louis about that on Saturday if you're intersted.

Saturday, February 7th, 1pm to 3pm - Upper 9th Ward: Meet at Rubarb community bike shop at N. Tonti St. and Gallier St. behind St. Mary of the Angels Church