tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45575849015410265952024-03-12T22:28:27.654-05:00NolaCycle Bike Map ProjectLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14466481849032061911noreply@blogger.comBlogger172125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-4330511229617553892013-04-18T14:50:00.001-05:002013-04-18T14:51:20.701-05:00nolacycle 1898<br />
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<a href="http://howard.indypgh.org/~mtoups/larc/20101202_001.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://howard.indypgh.org/~mtoups/larc/20101202_001.jpg" style="display: block; height: 2560px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 1440px;" /> </a><br />
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And if our NolaCycle data isn't out-of-date enough for you, we have this!<br />
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Map of the City of New Orleans, showing the various Street pavements, system of house numbering and street carlines, with desirable drives throughout the city (click on the image to view full-size).<br />
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Published by the Southern Cycling Association in 1898. scott eustishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05578658164028204122noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-66335160975280605862013-04-18T14:41:00.000-05:002013-04-18T14:42:52.634-05:00NolaCycle GIS shapefiles, posters, papers, and powerpoints to help you with your bicycle mapping projectsAfter some digging around, we've recovered the GIS files for the NolaCycle map (current as of April 1, 2010). I've posted these, and some other documents people might find informative, online at <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/nolacycle.com/nolacycle-files/">https://sites.google.com/a/nolacycle.com/nolacycle-files/</a>. Graduate students, planner, and bicycle advocates, please feel free to use these documents to help you with your projects. If anyone is interested in using our data for a commercial project, such as a mobile app, please email me at lauren(at)nolacycle.com for special permission, as I would require you to make some donations to local bicycle organizations in exchange. <br />
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We're working on getting some things fixed on the <a href="http://noladata.nolacycle.org/" target="_blank">NolaCycle Map</a> site so we can download the database again to use the updated information (though it's not very current either). If anyone is interested in a login to the NolaCycle map site to do updates in their neighborhood, let us know.<br />
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Crowd-sourced bicycle mapping has come a long way since NolaCycle started in 2008. If you're interested in checking out some cool new projects that harness the power of smartphones, look into <a href="http://www.hitthepothole.com/" target="_blank">Hit the Pothole </a>and <a href="http://www.sfcta.org/modeling-and-travel-forecasting/cycletracks-iphone-and-android" target="_blank">CycleTracks</a>.<br />
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If you'd like an up-to-date map of official bicycle routes in New Orleans, <a href="http://bikeeasy.org/" target="_blank">Bike Easy</a>'s Bike Map and Guide to Safe Cycling is <a href="http://bikeeasy.org/files/BikeEasy-BikeMap-Guide-072012_1.pdf" target="_blank">available online</a> as a PDF. <br />
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Thanks for all your help and support over the years! Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14466481849032061911noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-7647578269374811522013-01-05T13:17:00.000-06:002013-01-05T13:17:11.591-06:00Cheapest bike lights<br><br>
Many people ride in new orleans without bike lights. This is foolish, honestly. As much as i love riding in the darkened streets under the moonlight, it's a good way for cars to hit you.
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So i've been thinking about a way to achieve a decent LED bike light that lasts months for very little money, one i could distribute to people you see riding dark.
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This is especially nice if you are a parade or ride organizer, and want to distribute lights among your riders / paraders--since the lights are not the kind that last an extremely long time.
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<b>The lights.</b>
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For some reason, you can buy 10 LED lights from a<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001I9EICI/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00"> bargain hong kong</a> distributor for about $16. This is less than the cost of two 2016 batteries that you get in each light. If you wanted to run a cheap battery scam...
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<b>cheap bike light with rubber band</b>
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<b>a bag of lights, and the finished device on my finger</b>
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The rubber band holds the light tight against the frame (or a finger). These particular lights come with a key ring, which makes the task of wrapping the light around the frame easier. but, you could also thread a rubber band through the hole in the light itself.
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<b>the mount, here demonstrated on my finger</b>
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<b>finished!</b>
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the light activates with a button or a switch. the switch is what you want to use, naturally.
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<b>Re-using? </b>
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Here's the internals of the light, showing the 4 screws, and not showing the the 2x2106 button batteries. if you want to re-use the LED, i'm thinking the batteries can be replaced. of course, it's cheaper to buy new, and the most toxic / ecologically costly component of this setup is the batteries. scott eustishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05578658164028204122noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-70662814121526736612012-03-11T10:13:00.002-05:002012-03-11T10:35:05.736-05:00Update on NolacycleSince 2010, not much as happened with NolaCycle. A lot has happened in my life, which has kept me from the project, but on positive note, a lot of great things have happened for cycling in New Orleans since then too. We have miles of new bike lanes, more bicycle parking, pedicabs, a complete streets ordinance, and many groups actively engaging in advocacy in the city. Our data map is online though, and anyone can view it and use data from it. You can view it at <a href="http://nolacycle.noladata.org">http://nolacycle.noladata.org</a>. It's a bit out of date, especially considering how many road improvement projects have been completed in the last couple years, but you might still finding it useful for planning your bicycle routes around the city.<br /><br />Currently, I'm in the midst of deciding where to go to graduate school, so I don't see myself being able to pick NolaCycle back up in the next few years. I do plan on making all my work and the work of volunteers for the project publicly available in May. The posters for NolaCycle have already been posted in entries from April 2010 and June 2009, giving a good background on the goals of the project and the methodology.<br /><br />Thanks again to all the wonderful people who have been involved in NolaCycle. Another big thanks to everyone in the community and local government who has carried on NolaCycle's mission and has made New Orleans a much more fun and comfortable place to cycle than when I first moved her in March 2008.Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14466481849032061911noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-27931713171449670692011-04-30T18:56:00.001-05:002011-04-30T18:58:05.840-05:00where we actually went.thanks for riding! 50 strong! let's help each other work on building the mass next week! the ride gets more and more awesome with each rider. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--iP4QycV-dI/Tbyh3SsKFDI/AAAAAAAAASc/8FlGrPNHxE4/s1600/Actual%2BJazz%2BFest%2BRide%2BApr2011.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--iP4QycV-dI/Tbyh3SsKFDI/AAAAAAAAASc/8FlGrPNHxE4/s400/Actual%2BJazz%2BFest%2BRide%2BApr2011.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601530007823979570" /></a>scott eustishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05578658164028204122noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-73531202991114321062011-04-29T15:03:00.001-05:002011-04-29T15:05:01.678-05:00Critical Mass Ride! 6pm Jackson Squarecome explore the new bike lanes, and ride the park! 12 miles, 3 hours<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vK3qG8RWqas/TbsZy_MFjTI/AAAAAAAAASU/uZiHuMyVQwc/s1600/festivalbikeride.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 292px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vK3qG8RWqas/TbsZy_MFjTI/AAAAAAAAASU/uZiHuMyVQwc/s400/festivalbikeride.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601098925311626546" /></a>scott eustishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05578658164028204122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-67137480658218369092011-02-14T10:03:00.003-06:002011-02-14T10:15:14.026-06:00picture post: parking and lanesNo Parking at new Lakeview Grocery (Robert's)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eustatic/5423246796/" title="Bike Parking at Lakeview Grocery by eustatic, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5293/5423246796_477e20ba8f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Bike Parking at Lakeview Grocery" /></a><br /><br />No Parking at Rite Aid<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eustatic/5422616485/" title="Bike Parking at Lakeview Grocery by eustatic, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5052/5422616485_516280a2ee.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Bike Parking at Lakeview Grocery" /></a><br /><br />Parking at Bean Gallery<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eustatic/5421978805/" title="Bike Parking at Bean Gallery by eustatic, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5252/5421978805_bd9931c03d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Bike Parking at Bean Gallery" /></a><br /><br />New Bike Lane on Orleans! updating the map...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eustatic/5442639512/" title="bike lane on orleans by eustatic, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4153/5442639512_38732be01c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="bike lane on orleans" /></a>scott eustishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05578658164028204122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-10086680693391014022010-11-01T12:28:00.003-05:002010-11-01T12:35:55.980-05:00dirty coast compass rose<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.dirtycoast.com/uploads/large/compass%20design-60031.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 561px; height: 319px;" src="http://www.dirtycoast.com/uploads/large/compass%20design-60031.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Just a word on navigation, (and i know i'm a million years late on this) dirty coast has a tee shirt for sale with a singular "new orleanian" compass rose overlaid on the map of the wards. Instead of North, South, East, West, the rose displays "Lake, River, Downtown, Uptown."<br /><br />the only problem i have with it-- how are you supposed to look at the shirt when you need to find your way? maybe i can get it printed upside down, and grow a beer gut. you know, for navigation purposes. <br /><br />scpttscott eustishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05578658164028204122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-89628658427074016242010-10-29T11:47:00.001-05:002010-10-29T11:55:26.913-05:00CRITICAL MASQUE Cemetery Ride To-NITE! 6pm Jackson Square<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs387.ash2/66559_10100128398195830_4915943_58355741_1443173_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 568px; height: 720px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs387.ash2/66559_10100128398195830_4915943_58355741_1443173_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />CRITICAL MASQUE Cemetery Ride To-NITE! 6pm Jackson Square<br /><br />the dead drive the streets, burning fossil plants on their blind way.<br />encased in steel, they no longer feel the sun, no longer do they feel the bump of the earth and the contour of the land,<br />no longer do they hear the wind or see their fellows teeming in the hundreds beside them<br />the dead drive and drive to and fro in cattle lines, unsullied by the heat of the sun or damp of the chill air<br />the dead hand of greed drives us into war for oil and toil for a scorched earth,<br />the dead drive the state and the nation into the sea, which rises into the heated air to swallow us <br />for what do the dead fear? The dead cannot drown. <br /><br />but we the living ride, masked to cheer the dead hands that drive our lives, to call them forth to all hallow’s eve. <br /><br />Let’s Ride Bikes! Critical Masque Cemetery Ride TONITE! 6pm Jackson Square<br />A tour of the cities of the dead, in a city not long for this world<br />http://www.nolacemeteries.com/<br /><br />15 miles, 3 hours. now dressed!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs446.snc4/50312_151047164934308_646_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs446.snc4/50312_151047164934308_646_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>scott eustishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05578658164028204122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-8051831021996900662010-09-28T14:01:00.009-05:002010-09-29T13:35:03.650-05:00Bike Ride to Delacroix<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/5006607984_54e7587baf_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/5006607984_54e7587baf_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />A bike ride to delacroix on a sunday football weekend. People thought they couldn't do it, people thought i was crazy, several people backed out, or only wanted to do half. I'm sorry that nothing was decided beforehand, but planning takes work, work that was largely unnecessary, thankfully. Thanks to Asher, Chad, Tom, and especially Becca for running support, and Victor for his tips. In the end, I think we had more support than riders. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4151/5006612926_1db3ed780c_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4151/5006612926_1db3ed780c_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I was warned that the road with no shoulder starts soon after chalmette, and the point was well taken. From phone conversations, i thought the ride was going to end up like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJQ1YaCxLI/AAAAAAAAAKI/2LVvNDNQpNw/s1600/biketodelacroix1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 248px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJQ1YaCxLI/AAAAAAAAAKI/2LVvNDNQpNw/s400/biketodelacroix1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522064971124622514" /></a><br /><br />and yet, i knew this had been done by the punx, by people with serious attention to fun rather than athletics; i had ridden to Gulfport and back and braved the tossed gatorade bottles of hwy 90 into the pearl river basin, with no shoulder to swerve into; honestly, it seemed much less intimidating than attempting to ride to the northshore and hit the tammany trace from new orleans. <br /><br />and it proved to be fun. I think, because of the allure of television football, there were fewer people on the road in the morning than in the afternoon. the trip was more like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJQ1C620RI/AAAAAAAAAKA/mYvdBzMK-jM/s1600/biketodelacroix2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 248px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJQ1C620RI/AAAAAAAAAKA/mYvdBzMK-jM/s400/biketodelacroix2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522064965356671250" /></a><br /><br />With one jerk zipping us there, and another on the way back, both in the area outlined in red. no bottles, though. <br /><br /> 60 miles is about how much I can do without hurting the next day. we rode about 15 miles per hour, and with breaks, rolled into delacroix in 2.5 hours. There are gas stations all the way to Bayou Rd, but we had Becca drive to meet us out there with water. Next time, I'm bringing crab traps and stopping in Reggio. or staging a night ride to Violet Park.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4152/5005924557_9349a22c69_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4152/5005924557_9349a22c69_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />To start, the lower 9 after the st. claude bridge was an elegant ride, with style, in the door lane that goes to the parish line. St Bernard isn't so bad tho, until the 4 lanes become 2 east of Paris Rd. From there, the landscape gets more and more industrial, then rural--and the shoulder disappears in places.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJQ09ojMBI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/EgZt-88hp3k/s1600/5006568420_fc05be888a_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJQ09ojMBI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/EgZt-88hp3k/s400/5006568420_fc05be888a_z.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522064963937710098" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJKJJzfVCI/AAAAAAAAAJo/H3pw7ye-910/s1600/5006556346_67283d22c6_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJKJJzfVCI/AAAAAAAAAJo/H3pw7ye-910/s400/5006556346_67283d22c6_z.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522057614220809250" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4149/5005969633_08c2fb1923_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4149/5005969633_08c2fb1923_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJKIlGcnmI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/uL3hjOeyyys/s1600/5006559666_cc9e58599d_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJKIlGcnmI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/uL3hjOeyyys/s400/5006559666_cc9e58599d_z.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522057604368211554" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJJBJFtfYI/AAAAAAAAAJA/OefOcsoMxCI/s1600/5005974701_37a848a0cc_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJJBJFtfYI/AAAAAAAAAJA/OefOcsoMxCI/s400/5005974701_37a848a0cc_z.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522056377078218114" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJJBmvxhrI/AAAAAAAAAJI/mJZYxMGJAiA/s1600/5006624786_00c0a0d13a_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJJBmvxhrI/AAAAAAAAAJI/mJZYxMGJAiA/s400/5006624786_00c0a0d13a_z.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522056385039271602" /></a><br /><br />Once we hit the turn onto Bayou Rd, the traffic stopped considerably, probably because, unlike the 4-lane, the rd is blocked in two places before Verret. these roadblocks mean that you basically own the road--only fishermen are there. Even residents seem to use the 4-lane. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJJBKumRCI/AAAAAAAAAI4/1GLGA62LkTI/s1600/5006006733_dcfe23630d_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJJBKumRCI/AAAAAAAAAI4/1GLGA62LkTI/s400/5006006733_dcfe23630d_z.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522056377518146594" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/5006611238_118371b1ed_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/5006611238_118371b1ed_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJJAsuxSzI/AAAAAAAAAIw/W1V6z_rM5HM/s1600/5005981463_3416a05df8_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJJAsuxSzI/AAAAAAAAAIw/W1V6z_rM5HM/s400/5005981463_3416a05df8_z.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522056369465805618" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJJAbASUoI/AAAAAAAAAIo/TvpHbFxiMyg/s1600/5005989823_b749c3eb6f_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJJAbASUoI/AAAAAAAAAIo/TvpHbFxiMyg/s400/5005989823_b749c3eb6f_z.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522056364707435138" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4104/5005997065_970470a993_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4104/5005997065_970470a993_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />and, home again. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJKJYzENcI/AAAAAAAAAJw/9awoRuKiFtg/s1600/5006650086_7e80f15d1e_m.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TKJKJYzENcI/AAAAAAAAAJw/9awoRuKiFtg/s400/5006650086_7e80f15d1e_m.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522057618245563842" /></a>scott eustishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05578658164028204122noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-59954723817585879582010-09-07T13:57:00.004-05:002010-09-07T14:26:40.170-05:00Thanks for the StreetCar Ride!Hey, all. just giving you the shout-out for riding the old streetcar network with us this past month. check the tour map here:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TIaOyYpK2qI/AAAAAAAAAIY/_P1Ogs77m2U/s1600/nolaguidebookfair+002.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TIaOyYpK2qI/AAAAAAAAAIY/_P1Ogs77m2U/s400/nolaguidebookfair+002.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514251790021483170" /></a><br /><br />and the handout here:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TIaPW9aXr5I/AAAAAAAAAIg/xsgE9icCTrw/s1600/nolaguidebookfair+003.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 290px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TIaPW9aXr5I/AAAAAAAAAIg/xsgE9icCTrw/s400/nolaguidebookfair+003.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514252418366812050" /></a><br /><br />We rode 50+ strong through the streets, no fuss, really. After a bit of rain, and a pause to say hey to former mayor Ray Nagin, we cruised to Plessy Park, where Homer Plessy stood up to integrate our trains. <br /><br />Then we hit the Desire, transferred to the Jackson-Claiborne line, and rode the Bayou St John to the former streetcar barn at the end of Esplanade. After that break, we rode the City Park, transferred to the Canal, to see the station that still stands for the trains there. <br /><br />We cheated a bit, I mean, we weren't riding on rails after all...and jumped over to the former St Charles line on Tulane Ave; then under the ever-flooded Carrollton underpass to transfer onto the Napoleon line at Washington st. From there, it was only a couple transfers from napoleon ave to the Peters line on Dryades, and then to the Louisiana line on, well, louisiana ave. We ended at the old Magazine shops, where we greased our human bearings with juice from the Breaux Mart. <br /><br />Then we went to look at Darin's $1500 Sony No-Screen.<br /><br />This month: Snoballs on Piety 17th September, and then...Delacroix? Westbank?scott eustishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05578658164028204122noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-63519387170038606012010-08-13T14:10:00.003-05:002010-08-13T14:24:58.736-05:00SnoBall Search Mid-Month Rides!New Orleans Critical Mass is organizing fun, casual, mid-month rides to highlight some really awesome things in our city. This summer, it's Snoballs.<br /><br />Snoballs, if you don't know, are popular summertime treats made with saved ice, favored syrups, and sometimes condensed milk or ice cream if you want to get fancy with it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Hansens_Sno-Bliz_2010.JPG/400px-Hansens_Sno-Bliz_2010.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Hansens_Sno-Bliz_2010.JPG/400px-Hansens_Sno-Bliz_2010.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />If you've never had one before, here's a good description from Mr. <a href="http://www.gumbopages.com/food/dessert/sno-balls.html">Edward Branley</a>:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The sno-ball is truly a New Orleans creation. The main reason for this is a machine called a "Hansen's Sno-Bliz." This is the machine that turns blocks of ice into sno-balls. Most sno-cones are made of crushed ice; a Sno-Bliz machine </span><b style="font-style: italic;">shaves</b><span style="font-style: italic;"> a block of ice, giving it an extremely fine texture. The classic sno-ball machine (now manufactured by four or five companies in the area) works like a deli meat slicer. I've never seen anything like a sno-ball in any part of the country, although Lani Teshima-Miller's description of "shaved ice" in Hawaii is the closest thing I've heard. A sno-ball isn't an Italian ice, nor is it a crushed ice abomination.</span><p><span style="font-style: italic;"> Once the ice is shaved, it's collected into a cup, paper cone, bowl, plate, or even a container akin to the things that you get at a Chinese take-out place. Then syrup is poured over the ice, making one of nature's most perfect foods. Some people continue the process, adding cherries, ice cream, ice milk, condensed milk, or other toppings.</span></p><p>We're hosting 2 rides to bring cyclists to the city's fine Snoball establishments.<br /></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">On Friday August 20th, we're going Uptown starting at 5pm at the parking lot located at Magazine and Constantinople. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">On Friday September 17th, we're headed Downtown starting at 3pm at Piety and the Levee in the Bywater (near Piety Street Snoballs). </span></p><p>Here's the route for next week's ride and a number of snoball stands we've located. If we missed your favorite, leave us a comment so we can add it to the ride.<br /></p><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><iframe marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/mm?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=106960675667875346255.00048a70c67ce862fafcb&ll=29.95776,-90.099564&spn=0.048336,0.127888&output=embed" frameborder="0" height="350" scrolling="no" width="425"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/mm?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=106960675667875346255.00048a70c67ce862fafcb&ll=29.95776,-90.099564&spn=0.048336,0.127888&source=embed" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); text-align: left;">Sno Ball search</a> in a larger map</small>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14466481849032061911noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-26161762025138934092010-08-04T11:54:00.003-05:002010-08-04T12:18:52.343-05:00Thanks, new orleans, for an awesome Wetlands Ride.Hey! come out 13th August for our first Snoball search ride! I don't know how it's all going to work out, but i know we will be riding and eating snoballs in uptown and metairie for a little bit. It might look something like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TFmfZzykOPI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Xu4Lx0BUpKs/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-08-04+at+11.45.38+AM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TFmfZzykOPI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Xu4Lx0BUpKs/s400/Screen+shot+2010-08-04+at+11.45.38+AM.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501603685557614834" /></a><br /><br />or not. meet in the parkinglot on magazine and constantinople.<br /><br />Critical Mass! last week was awesome, despite a few hang ups, and a very long ride. I don't know when it ended, but only after we had taken two breaks, at the Spot in the East, and on the Lake as the sun set over pass Manchac.<br /><br />I was worried about all the overpasses, but besides for one breakdown, everyone was able to hump it up over the rises. The almonaster bridge worked well as a traffic-free passage into new orleans east, an alternative to the Deathly Danziger bridge. even though the simple passage north from the bridge was blocked by a train, we were able to mount the Jourdan road overpasses and get onto chef / hwy 90. From there, though, I made a hasty turn onto Dale. This would not have been a problem except that I failed to turn left at crowder--which was goofy considering we stopped right there at crowder for 30 minutes on a break--that would have cut a mile or more off the route. as a consequence, we crossed the interstate at Read, which is more stressful.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TFmggAJDn5I/AAAAAAAAAHs/qyJoi--zv-U/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-08-04+at+11.39.45+AM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TFmggAJDn5I/AAAAAAAAAHs/qyJoi--zv-U/s400/Screen+shot+2010-08-04+at+11.39.45+AM.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501604891464015762" /></a><br /><br /> In the interest of time and disorientation, we ended up going over at a place with no marsh. oh, but there is so much potential planting area there. The marsh at burke st was planted during a couple of days in 2007 and 2008. how much more marsh could we plant in a month of work? Coastal Restoration has to come out of our imaginations and into reality.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TFmgwrrWx2I/AAAAAAAAAH0/uUZSywRbtOE/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-08-04+at+11.40.44+AM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TFmgwrrWx2I/AAAAAAAAAH0/uUZSywRbtOE/s400/Screen+shot+2010-08-04+at+11.40.44+AM.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501605178028509026" /></a><br /><br /> We left the levee at twilight, and took the haynes ave bridges in the dark. We couldn't go morrison road, because of construction, so that added a bridge to the route. We had one dude on a clunker throw a chain---his wheel was seriously out of true, but cory was there to help take his brake off.<br /><br />We also had a detour onto Press instead of franklin, but because they've redone pontchartrain park, it was unexpectedly nice--Press runs into gentilly, and we took that new bike lane to franklin from there. That might be a shortcut, but i doubt it because press is curvy, and curvy the other way, away from our target of getting back downtown. We could have also scooted over to Alvar or Louisa, but these routes are either heavily trafficked or shoddily paved.<br /><br />Sorry about the confusion about the Franklin overpass. you can access it from underneath the bridge, i think that's what people might have been doing? But it's a great route from the river to the lake.<br /><br />thanks cory for running the support crew the whole time. If anyone has any photos, please send them to<br />criticalmassnolainfo@gmail.com<br /><br />1) If you are interested in passing out flyers, please email me and i will send you the slips.<br /><br />2) We also have business cards! great for slipping under people's brake cable housings! i laid out $5 for them. So if anyone wants to buy me a snoball...<br /><br />3) I think we have run out of spoke cards, so if anyone wants to step up and make new ones, they are about $10 to run off.<br /><br />See you next week!<br /><br />scottscott eustishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05578658164028204122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-24157052298523223212010-07-26T18:59:00.002-05:002010-07-26T19:03:25.148-05:00Mudslide into the Wetlands: Critical Mass Friday July 30th, 6pm Jackson Squarejoin us for the ride of your lives!<br />http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2263490258&v=app_2344061033&ref=ts#!/event.php?eid=139155372763892&index=1<br /><br /><br />It's over right? the well is capped (almost), and we can just do back to thinking nothing ever happened, right?<br /><br />The reality is the oil and the nightmare of coastal land loss is still among us, although more people across the nation and the world have awoken to our nightmare. Even in the city, we erect levees around our homes, levees that we think will keep the water out because they keep us from seeing it. The marshes that protect us have been threatened<br />ever more by this giant slick, these marshes that will continue to protect and feed us so long as they exist.<br /><br />The truth is that we should have marshes right in our backyards--and in some places, we still do. Join us as we ride to New Orleans East, over hell and high water, to the closest marsh to town, on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain.<br /><br />20 miles, 2.5 hours. There will be some bridges, so come get high with us (And bring your bathing suit).<br /><br />To make this ride more excellent, we need some additional help:<br />flyering --If you are willing to pass out flyers, please email me your<br />name and neighborhood, and I will email you the loop strips to print<br />out.<br /><br />support --we also need a support car this time, so email me if you are<br />interested.<br /><br />photography / video --if you are willing and able to shoot cyclists,<br />email me and let's talk about where you can set up.<br /><br />Don't forget: there's another demonstration 31st July in Jackson Square, 2pm<br />Let's keep the pressure up, let's meet each other and work on our long -term oil problems. <br />http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118253664889769<br />New Orleans Worldwide BP Protest Day - July 31, 2010 2pm <br /><br /><br />see you friday!scott eustishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05578658164028204122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-3825207231140701372010-07-01T21:26:00.004-05:002010-07-05T11:35:01.088-05:00Thanks y'all! Riding Strong through the Suburbs!Thanks to everyone for another great ride. join us next month, when we will ride into our urban wetlands and beaches.<br /><br />We rode 70 strong into metry, lakeview, and through the city park neighborhoods. Although we avoided all the bourgie mansions I wanted to pass en masse, we still fulfilled dreams and broke hearts by cruising down Veterans Blvd. Thanks to our friends who rode the <a href="http://www.laswift.com/routesSchedules.php">LA Swift Bus</a> from Baton Rouge to ride with us! I didn't know you could throw your bike on the bus--we'll have to return the favor sometime. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TC1PL5qqxmI/AAAAAAAAAHM/V5_1S1AmmyI/s1600/P5280072.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TC1PL5qqxmI/AAAAAAAAAHM/V5_1S1AmmyI/s400/P5280072.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489130586711443042" /></a><br /><br />A reminder that our friends at<a href=" http://rubarbike.com/the-shop"> RHUBARB</a> need help closing down their current location by July 10th. fear not! Liz is looking for a new space already. <br /><br />Check out the possible <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=30.005639,-90.012875&spn=0.099301,0.178528&z=13&msid=106960675667875346255.00048a5d59171093921b5">locations for next month (this is long):</a><br /><br /><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?client=safari&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=106960675667875346255.000489564096f5c7bec6a&z=14">Where we were this time out:</a><br /><br />If you want to help with flyers, new spoke cards, posters, and route plans, let's meet up this coming wednesday, uptown at Rue at Oak and Carrolton. 6 sound good? I knew it would. <br /><br />send all photos / photo links to<br /><a href="mailto:criticalmassnolainfo@gmail.com">criticalmassnolainfo@gmail.com</a>, and i promise a reporter next month.<br />look pretty for the cameras.<br /><br /><br />props to all corkers. <br /><br />scottscott eustishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05578658164028204122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-90879998584105074212010-06-18T23:50:00.001-05:002010-06-18T23:52:36.405-05:00Our good friends at RUBARB need your help!This was sent to me from Liz of <a href="http://www.rubarbike.org/">RUBARB</a>. If you can help in anyway, please contact them!<br /><br />*********************************<br /><br />dear fans and friends of RUBARB--<br /><br />we are closing down!! st mary of the angels, where we have been for over<br />4 years and have evolved into something quite wonderful, has asked us to<br />leave their property. they want us to get some crazy insurance we can't<br />afford and want us out by JULY 10th. we are respecting their request,<br />ending operation on that day and are planning to spend the following week<br />moving everything out. prior to that, on JUNE 26th, we will be having a<br />"repair-a-thon" and a farewell party. we want to get rid of some bikes<br />that remain, raise money, reflect on some great years, thank the church<br />and entire community, and most importantly... have fun!<br /><br />so we need your help!<br /><br />now more than ever. we need to find a temporary space to store our stuff<br />(if you can think of a potential spot, please let me know). we eventually<br />need a place to relocate to (we want to stay in the 9th w/d). we need<br />folks who would want to help repair bikes during the "repair-a-thon." we<br />could use people to perform during the party. we need people to help<br />break down the shop on JULY 10th and eventually help us move out by JULY<br />17th. we sound so needy, but it's true!<br /><br />the most important thing to me, is the kids. i've seen a lot of them grow<br />up in that place, maturing, learning, playing, having a safe positive<br />environment to just BE. it's sad to think that they'll have no place to<br />go, esp on saturdays when we're crawling with kids (i'm hoping we can set<br />up on a corner somewhere while we're temporarily closed, to let kids fix<br />flats, make little adjustments, hang out).<br /><br />we know everything will work out in the end, it always does. it's taken<br />hundreds of people from around the city and country to get to where we got<br />to, and no doubt that will happen again. change is challenging, but<br />change is good.<br /><br />thanks for listening! holla at me if you want to lend a hand in any way.<br />spread this email around. send any contributions to:<br /><br />RUBARB Community Bike Shop<br />PO BOX 770340<br />New Orleans LA 70177<br /><br />check out our website for updates: <a href="http://www.rubarbike.org/">www.rubarbike.org</a><br /><br />with love and pedal power,<br />lizLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14466481849032061911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-644727292019830972010-06-02T16:49:00.006-05:002010-10-06T14:12:08.783-05:00Rim and Spoke: Downtown is not Uptown.Hey, it's been a while. I've been busy helping promote Critical Mass in the wake of the oil disaster. Hope you've made it out. But you should know that I'm going to step back my involvement with Mass a bit in the coming months.<br /><br />Anyone want to ride out to Delacroix Island, soon?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TIZoovg2xQI/AAAAAAAAAII/2sZU_YIrb4M/s1600/4736113235_d4f4e1cf36_o.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TIZoovg2xQI/AAAAAAAAAII/2sZU_YIrb4M/s400/4736113235_d4f4e1cf36_o.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514209842920080642" /></a><br /><br />This series is and was a longer-term project to re-think cycling in New Orleans, to introduce new cyclists to a cyclist's geography, and provide the basis for some introductory, sneaky routes for tired or intimidated cyclists. So let's begin again.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Downtown is not Uptown<br /></span><br />Previously, we discussed how the River is a potential aid to cyclists and how minding it tells us how to shorten a ride. The example was going from Uptown to Downtown, through most of Uptown. For the Downtown example, let's note what the Uptown street network has that Downtown doesn't: Broadmoor and Mid-City, two places where Spoke streets meet. Downtown, N. Peters through the Quarter is the equivalent to Claiborne Ave, in that it provides the tightest contiguous turn, the route with the least vector change. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Broad, Miro, and Galvez are the </span>Tchoupitoulii, the longer <span style="font-weight:bold;">Rim </span>streets to take when navigating out of Gentilly, the Eighth, and the Ninth. But there is no analog to Broadmoor: the Quarter is on the River. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">So when we navigate Downtown to Uptown, we are more limited in our options.</span> If we travel from MLK Jr., on Caffin Ave, to drink at the Deutsches Haus (while it's still there), we want to more toward the River, just as we want to move away from the River if Uptown. But the street logic is much more coherent, and the options are limited by our need to cross the industrial canal (IHNC). <br /><br />In this way, Downtown New Orleans is more like cities in the rest of Southeast Louisiana: the urban area is very linear, and the waterways dominate the navigable landscape. Downtown also has less canopy cover, given that Downtown is not only poorer, but also more industrial than Uptown, which was conceived from original suburbs and swallowed satellite villages. <br /><br />St. Claude becomes the choice of cyclists, despite that the bridge can hardly be called a bicycle "facility." There is no shoulder, and a patchy latticework forms the lifting section of the bridge, increasing the damage to tyres and tubes. but we'll return to the subject of bridges one at a time... The other options are Claiborne Ave Bridge, which is scary, and the Florida Ave bridge, which is operated or not operated inscrutably. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Test: MLK to Deutsches Haus<br /></span><br /><br />So I devised a test of my previous theory: will hugging the river downtown produce the shortest route? <a href="http://nolacycle.blogspot.com/2010/05/rim-and-spoke-river-built-everything.html">Remember</a>, the previous shortest route from Oak st to the Marigny was the route furthest from the river. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TAbpDSlJAhI/AAAAAAAAAHE/jJEEqTfm1bc/s1600/RimNSpoke3.PNG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 220px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/TAbpDSlJAhI/AAAAAAAAAHE/jJEEqTfm1bc/s400/RimNSpoke3.PNG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478322239479284242" border="0"></a><br /><br />It seems that Downtown is a different world, because the quickest route from MLK to Deutsches house is the "straight shot": Claiborne. Although I wouldn't bike over the Seeber bridge--I'd take St. Claude over the industrial canal--it is the shortest route by half a mile. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Our choices downtown are constrained by how we cross the canal. </span><br /><br />So this test of our River Rule is interesting in how it fails.<br /><br />This case is more like the one I was trying to make for Uptown--the safest, best route is not the shortest. But hugging the river actually makes for the third longest route--<span style="font-weight:bold;">partly due to the course correction of 1.12miles,</span> to get back to Galvez, which overrides the gain from following the river. The River route is still shorter than riding to Florida ave and then to Miro and Galvez more directly, but it's not the best option, because of the bridges.<br /><br />Next time: Wormholes! quick but deadly! I promise.scott eustishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05578658164028204122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-82134709198930782372010-05-31T13:27:00.004-05:002010-06-02T16:39:54.818-05:00Critical Mass: victory. Dead Pelicans Ride Monday 5pm Jackson SqThanks corkers! Thanks everyone! an amazingly fun ride, yeah.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs313.ash1/27831_1504305847978_1244190894_1458101_4764562_n.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 720px; height: 540px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs313.ash1/27831_1504305847978_1244190894_1458101_4764562_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />150 in number, we rode down canal to the cheers of onlookers. After one hiccup at City Park Ave, we strolled down Metairie Rd, broke, then took a left on Airline.<br /><br />Because of a slight miscommunication, we ended up on the original route, Shrewsbury. which unfortunately is only formerly a street. (apologies to the woman who told me we weren't going to Central. you were right.) The sight of all those bikes portaging over the tracks is a memorable one, and unfortunately a practice required too often for cyclists in JP.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4006/4664582932_d2f74bb44b_b.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 798px; height: 439px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4006/4664582932_d2f74bb44b_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />we did manage to lose our police escort at this point, only to be rejoined as we turned onto Jeff Hwy and back home via Leonidas. Jeff Parish was slightly more aggressive, but only to clear one lane of three. well, we can give them a lane.<br /><br />The Dead Pelicans ride 5pm tomorrow. Dress Black, Ride Slow<br />-anyone have a mobile drum?<br /><br />Kat is taking route suggestions. meet early, 4:30pm to talk routes.<br /><br />This is only a beginning. the oil gusher won't end until the relief wells are done, probably around August. bigger and better, onward and upward.<br /><br />So what are we doing for June? How can we support the demands of our rally? let's get together for planning and to contact media.<br /><br />June 9th Rue on Oak and Carrollton 6:30pm<br />June 10th Sound Cafe 6:30pm<br /><br />think floats.<br /><br />ride safe!<br /><br />scott<br /><br /><br />#######################<br /><br />OUR DEMANDS<br /><br />This a list of ten demands we are making of the federal government.<br /><br />Note we are speaking to the federal government, NOT BP. BP’s chance to have any say or authority in this process should be long past. BP has proven itself a criminal enterprise concerned only with profit, recklessly and indifferently murdering its employees and the entire Gulf coast.<br /><br />We demand the Federal Government intervene immediately to stop the BP Oil Flood and:<br /><br />1. Declare the BP Oil Flood a national disaster so that Louisiana can finally begin getting federal assistance.<br /><br />2. Stop BP’s use of “Corexit” and other chemical dispersants that present significant danger to health and safety.<br /><br />3. Under a state of emergency, employ all resources (including Navy) of the government at every level – Federal, State, local, and parish — to defend our coast, our livelihoods, and our culture.<br /><br />4. Suspend all BP contracts by means of the EPA’s discretionary debarment act and seize all of BP’s assets, including BP Atlantis and other operational offshore rigs, to assure that all costs of cleanup and remediation are covered.<br /><br />5. Strongly enforce all regulations for workplace health and safety:<br />Cleanup crews must be supplied with and allowed to use full-face respirators, not paper masks.<br /><br />6. Undertake immediate, full, and ongoing 3rd-party verified air-quality and toxicity testing in all affected areas, including New Orleans, and objective close monitoring of the oil leak to determine the true extent of the catastrophe.<br /><br />7. End all deepwater offshore oil drilling.<br /><br />8. Institute a temporary moratorium on non-deepwater offshore drilling (both current and new operations) and require each operation pass a stringent independent safety review before they can resume operation. Those that fail inspection stay shut down and are heavily fined until they comply or are debarred.<br /><br />9. Keep all lawsuits related to the BP Oil Flood and its aftermath in Louisiana, and instruct the DOJ and States’ Attorney General to hold BP, Halliburton and Transocean accountable to the furthest extent possible under the law.<br /><br />10. Found a two-decade TVA-Style Gulf Coast Authority that rebuilds sea walls, levees, coastlines, and wetlands, with a dedicated fund for fishermen and related industries to provide economic relief for those put out of work because of the disaster.scott eustishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05578658164028204122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-66621414334153660862010-05-25T18:25:00.002-05:002010-05-25T18:28:37.258-05:00Street Bucklin' Heat, Y'allFrom the nola.com feed:<br />http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2010/05/five_kenner_streets_buckle_in_intense_heat.html<br /><br />one wonders why we pave the GMO with materials that can't withstand the environment and compact the soil.<br /><br /><h4> By <a href="http://connect.nola.com/user/msparacello/index.html">Mary Sparacello, The Times-Picayune</a> </h4> <h5>May 25, 2010, 5:13PM</h5> <p> <span style="display: inline;" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-photo"><span class="photo-breakout photo-right small"><img alt="road_work.JPG" src="http://media.nola.com/politics/photo/road-workjpg-a4a95696ae8f188b_small.jpg" /><span class="byline"></span><span class="caption"></span></span></span>At least five locations on Kenner streets have buckled during the hot temperatures of the past four days, City Hall said Tuesday.</p> <p>The Public Works Department said streets failed at:</p> <p>-- <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1500+38th+St.,,+Kenner+LA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=28.472892,49.482422&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1500+38th+St,+Kenner,+Jefferson,+Louisiana+70065&ll=30.025591,-90.244764&spn=0.01516,0.024161&z=15">1500 38th St.</a> near Greenlawn Terrace Elementary School<br />-- <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=661+Mayfair+St.,+Kenner+LA&sll=30.025591,-90.244764&sspn=0.01516,0.024161&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=661+Mayfair+Ln,+Kenner,+Jefferson,+Louisiana+70065&z=16">661 Mayfair St.</a> in the Holly Heights subdivision<br />-- <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=3600+Loyola+Drive,+Kenner+LA&sll=30.020147,-90.26062&sspn=0.00758,0.012081&g=661+Mayfair+St.,+Kenner+LA&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=3600+Loyola+Dr,+Kenner,+Jefferson,+Louisiana+70065&ll=30.02911,-90.268837&spn=0.015159,0.024161&z=15">3600 Loyola Drive</a> in University City<br />-- <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=3419+Florida+Ave.,+Kenner+LA&sll=30.02911,-90.268837&sspn=0.015159,0.024161&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=3419+Florida+Ave,+Kenner,+Jefferson,+Louisiana+70065&ll=30.018183,-90.240596&spn=0.015161,0.024161&z=15">3419 Florida Ave.</a> in Greenlawn Terrace<br />-- <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2400+Tifton+St.,+Kenner+LA&sll=30.018183,-90.240596&sspn=0.015161,0.024161&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2400+Tifton+St,+Kenner,+Jefferson,+Louisiana+70062&ll=29.999928,-90.25275&spn=0.015164,0.024161&z=15">2400 Tifton St.</a> in Veterans Heights.</p>scott eustishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05578658164028204122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-59684692803067847002010-05-23T14:56:00.003-05:002010-05-23T14:59:42.273-05:00Banner Making this Tuesday 7pm @Nowe MiastoNo need to Drill, no need to Spill or Kill:<br /><br />let's make Banners, to help set the tone for our ride this Friday, May 28th, 6pm.<br /><br />We are meeting at Nowe Miasto, at the end of Jane Place, off Broad and Banks in MidCity. The time is 7pm Tuesday, the 25th. <br /><br />Please bring<br /><br />Bamboo<br />craft wire<br />Old Campaign Signs<br />White Bedsheets<br />Paint<br />Markers<br /><br />or any materials that will help us construct mobile signage.<br /><br />see you there!<br />scott<br />scott@nolacycle.comscott eustishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05578658164028204122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-88456462244854957982010-05-21T14:14:00.004-05:002010-05-21T14:25:58.554-05:00TOMORROW (SATURDAY) - ANNUAL BICYCLE SECOND LINE PARADE!!!!Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/mbcnola">@mbcnola</a>, #Bike2ndLine<br />---------------------------------------<br /><a href="http://www.mbcnola.org/SecondLine.html" onmousedown="'UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this)," rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.mbcnola.org/SecondLine.html</a><br /><br />WHAT: 2010 Bicycle Second-Line<br /><br />WHO: Featuring the Crescent City Stompers<br /><br />WHEN: Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 formation at 10:00am; departure at 10:30am<br /><br />WHERE: Commencement at Magazine Street and Zoo Drive; After party at Avenger Field (Tchoupitoulas and Exposition Blvd.)<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=114301591370685006784.0004871f8a0c669154f02&ll=29.925072,-90.128982&spn=0.01073,0.021329&iwloc=0004871f8e76e196b1e5c&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=114301591370685006784.0004871f8a0c669154f02&ll=29.925072,-90.128982&spn=0.01073,0.021329&iwloc=0004871f8e76e196b1e5c&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">Bicycle Second Line</a> in a larger map</small><br /><br />WHY: To show cycling enthusiasm for New Orleans, and learn about cycling improvements in the city<br /><br />WITH: New Orleans EMS and the National Safety Council hosting a Bicycle Rodeo starting at 8am. Rodeo held at Audubon Charter School (428 Broadway). The first 50 families to either join or renew MBC will receive free helmets for their children.<br /><br /><iframe marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=428+Broadway+Street,+New+Orleans,+LA+70118-3514+%28Audubon+Charter+School%29&sll=29.934584,-90.129551&sspn=0.002566,0.005332&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=428+Broadway+St,+New+Orleans,+Orleans,+Louisiana+70118&ll=29.934176,-90.129885&spn=0.005365,0.010664&z=14&output=embed" frameborder="0" height="350" scrolling="no" width="425"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=428+Broadway+Street,+New+Orleans,+LA+70118-3514+%28Audubon+Charter+School%29&sll=29.934584,-90.129551&sspn=0.002566,0.005332&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=428+Broadway+St,+New+Orleans,+Orleans,+Louisiana+70118&ll=29.934176,-90.129885&spn=0.005365,0.010664&z=14" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small><br /><br />ALSO:<br />$25 for membership or membership renewal and 1 free t-shirt *note: free t-shirt is for full paying members only, not discounted student memberships<br />$15 for just a t-shirt, and<br />$5 for an existing member who wants a t-shirtLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14466481849032061911noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-47893973733773677522010-05-05T08:44:00.001-05:002010-05-05T08:45:34.376-05:00Link to download the latest NolaCycle posterLast month, Scott, Rob, and I presented the NolaCycle project at the national American Planning Association Conference, hosted right here in New Orleans. Here is the <a href="http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0Bz516tHc3khNOTZkYjY4YTItNzEzMi00MTBjLThiYWYtN2ZlZTcxZjJjMjE3&hl=en">link</a> to download a copy of our poster.Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14466481849032061911noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-41200560917652143372010-05-04T00:21:00.009-05:002010-05-04T11:19:35.614-05:00Rim and Spoke: the River Built EverythingThe River Builds Everything<br /><br />The first lesson, then, to New Orleans is to forget your compass and follow the River. Uptown is the direction Upriver; Downtown is the direction Downriver. Don't move north and south, but to the River or away from the River. While you are in the city, away from the River always means toward to the Lake, Lake Pontchartrain.<br /><br />You can blame all of New Orleans on the Mississippi River, because it built the soggy land we ride on. It built the streets crooked to confuse midwesterners. It built it flat so that you won't wear your knees out pedaling that beat up cruiser bike. It built it wet, so that the pavement sinks, settles, and slides at different rates, making potholes, sinkholes, and buckled pavement. It built it low so that you have take bridges to get out of town. And when we stopped it from building New Orleans, we started to lose it to the Gulf of Mexico.<br /><br />Re-establishing the ecological function of the river is the only way to stave off <a href="http://www.nola.com/speced/lastchance/multimedia/flashlandloss5.swf">coastal land loss</a> and the destruction of New Orleans. Those are called Diversions, and apparently, they are also handy during incredibly bad industrial accidents, like Oil Rivers flowing at us from the Gulf bottom. The River is the cyclist's ally in the fight against fossil fuels.<br /><br />Being mindful of the river and its curve can also get you where you're going faster.<br /><br />For example, if you work on oak st, and live in the marigny, you might think it's easiest to ride annunciation, since you might drive tchoupitoulas (to avoid traffic at carrollton, 'natch). But if you ride that rim, it's the longest possible route--which matters for a cyclist, especially one carrying a load on her back.<br /><br />There are several shorter ways than annunciation, which is probably the longest way, since it is the rim farthest from the "hub" of broadmoor. Whether or not these ways are quicker depends somewhat on your riding style, but let's examine the route length to start.<br /><br />In the <span style="font-weight: bold;">red</span>, a route through the park, onto <span style="font-weight: bold;">prytania</span>. a cool <span style="font-weight: bold;">8.2 miles</span>, but one on a well-paved, well-shaded street. If you take prytania, you won't have to make too many decisions about where to turn, but you'll take extra time getting to where you're going. And then, you usually have to bike back.<br /><br />Moving closer to the hub of broadmoor, the <span style="font-weight: bold;">blue </span>line is a "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Liberty</span>" rim route, with a few more jukes to avoid one ways and bad streets. It measures around <span style="font-weight: bold;">7 miles</span>. This is a route that takes advantage of our nolacycle data, pointing to the decenly paved streets often overlooked.<br /><br />Note that all of these routes, once they hit the CBD, try to hug the "hub" of the marigny riverbend: the change in the river course means that riding close to the river as it turns away from the city is shorter than riding close to the river as it turns in. <span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;">Going nine blocks away from the river shortens the rim route by a mile. Get away from the River Uptown, hug the River Downtown into St Bernard, or when going into Metairie. </span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/S9-znD3lUQI/AAAAAAAAAG8/mzF54hXO95I/s1600/rimNspoke2.PNG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 207px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6ng_WqTtdY/S9-znD3lUQI/AAAAAAAAAG8/mzF54hXO95I/s400/rimNspoke2.PNG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467285956285780226" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">[click to expand]</span><br /></div><br />The shortest rim route is a "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Claiborne</span>" route in <span style="font-weight: bold;">green</span>. Here, I tried to choose a route that would be equal in distance to the "Liberty" route. I thought it would be longer because of the long stretches spent correcting the course on spoke streets to avoid the deathly Claiborne overpass and to return to the river at the CBD. But the route closest to the hub in Broadmoor totals <span style="font-weight: bold;">6.67 miles</span>, shorter than the Liberty route, with fewer jukes and better pavement for increased speed--it's clearly the fastest route. The traffic on Claiborne can be intimidating, but it's by no means a killer for an experienced rider.<br /><br />This rule of navigation can even help you save time in a car; the highways through New Orleans are also an exception to it, as traffic managers made efforts to subvert the river-based logic that built the original grid.<br /><br />Next time, we'll touch upon these "Wormholes"; where they are useful and where they can destroy you.<br /><br />scottscott eustishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05578658164028204122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-75929616638749587072010-04-20T17:17:00.004-05:002010-04-20T17:24:30.517-05:00Public meeting on transportation this Thursday at the Regional Planning CommissionPublic input is extremely important in crafting effective planning documents. I strongly encourage everyone who cares about seeing multi-modal transportation improvements implemented to come to <span style="font-weight: bold;">this Thursday</span>.<br /><br />Details from Walter Brooks at RPC:<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Public Meeting - Metropolitan Transportation Plan</span><br /><br />The Regional Planning Commission is inviting the public to participate<br />in a transportation planning workshop. Interested citizens are being<br />invited to discuss their community's transportation needs and to help<br />shape a better integrated land use and transportation plan for the New<br />Orleans region.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The RPC is currently updating the region's long-range Metropolitan</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Transportation Plan (MTP) and short-range Transportation Improvement</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Program (TIP).</span> Citizens will be asked to identify their ideas for<br />improving the region's transportation systems as well as ways to foster<br />livable communities and environmental sustainability.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">RPC wants to know about transportation problems, needs, or priorities in</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> your community.</span> All ideas or suggested projects will be reviewed and<br />evaluated by RPC staff for possible inclusion in the Plan or TIP. RPC<br />will also provide you with the opportunity to stay informed about<br />transportation plans and projects that relate to your neighborhood or<br />community.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The workshop will be held at the Regional Traffic Management Center/RPC</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> offices located at 10 Veterans Memorial Blvd. in New Orleans on</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Thursday, April 22, 2010 from 6:30-8:00 P.M.</span> The building is ADA<br />accessible and parking is available on site. For special accommodations<br />for this meeting, please contact our ADA Coordinator by telephone<br />(504-483-8528) at least one week in advance. Upon request, RPC will<br />provide appropriate aids for qualified persons with disabilities so they<br />can participate, including interpreters for persons with limited English<br />proficiency.<br /><br /><br />Walter Brooks<br /><br />Executive Director, New Orleans Regional Planning CommissionLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14466481849032061911noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557584901541026595.post-479818185302100642010-04-19T18:18:00.007-05:002010-04-19T19:15:09.649-05:00New Orleanians are bad at (road) dietsIf you've been up on Gentilly Blvd lately, you might have noticed something different. <span style="font-weight: bold;">The street is now on a diet - a road diet!</span> This is a common traffic calming treatment "given to an urban roadway in which the number of lanes is reduced, and the freed space converted to parking, bike lanes, landscaping, walkways, or medians. Road Diets are implemented to provide additional pavement and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians, reduce speeding, and to make room for parking" (via the <a href="http://streetswiki.wikispaces.com/Road+Diet">Streetsblog wiki</a>).<br /><br />Gentilly Blvd. through Gentilly, is now 2 lanes in each direction (instead of 3) and includes a bike lane with a striped buffer between the furthest right car travel lane and the bike lane. The idea behind the buffer is reduce the number of lanes of car traffic (since 3 was too many for how many car trips the road sees on average daily) which encourages more careful (and hopefully slower) driving behavior and reduces the number of lanes pedestrians must travel through to cross the road.<br /><br />Here are some pictures I stole from Tim Eskew of <a href="http://bicyclemichaels.com/">Bicycle Michael's</a>. This shows the bike lane and buffer (which changes size based on available space) at a few points along the road. Some diagonal striping has also been added in some sections, though not seen in these pictures.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jyfS3PixBcE/S8zrZoWQ28I/AAAAAAAAAOk/pUGZbpXewjY/s1600/23484_1394944469014_1094257429_31202370_6364837_n.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jyfS3PixBcE/S8zrZoWQ28I/AAAAAAAAAOk/pUGZbpXewjY/s400/23484_1394944469014_1094257429_31202370_6364837_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461999273653623746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jyfS3PixBcE/S8zrTdXD3tI/AAAAAAAAAOc/DCoJG7HUtho/s1600/23484_1394942668969_1094257429_31202369_3741338_n.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jyfS3PixBcE/S8zrTdXD3tI/AAAAAAAAAOc/DCoJG7HUtho/s400/23484_1394942668969_1094257429_31202369_3741338_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461999167624961746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jyfS3PixBcE/S8zrNSB3tdI/AAAAAAAAAOU/aQmHDWzMnWI/s1600/23484_1394939588892_1094257429_31202367_4414615_n.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jyfS3PixBcE/S8zrNSB3tdI/AAAAAAAAAOU/aQmHDWzMnWI/s400/23484_1394939588892_1094257429_31202367_4414615_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461999061504079314" border="0" /></a><br />Portland has started using this type of bike lane (called enhanced bicycle lanes), finding it works better than bike lanes with raised buffers or landscaped barriers (called Cycle Tracks). Here's some <a href="http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2009/05/cycle_track_or_buffered_bike_l.html">Q & A from the Portland Bureau of Transportation via The Oregonian</a> about this kind of design:<br /><strong><br />What is an enhanced bicycle lane? </strong> <p style="font-style: italic;">An enhanced bicycle lane is designed so that it provides a more protected and comfortable space for cyclists than a conventional bike lane and does not have the same barriers to sight lines as a Cycle Track - where view of cyclists may be obstructed by parked cars. </p> <p><strong>Why are we constructing enhanced bicycle lanes (i.e., what's wrong with these streets the way they are now)? </strong></p> <p style="font-style: italic;">These streets currently work fine for people who are comfortable riding bicycles in mixed traffic. However, our designs are intended to make bicycling more comfortable for the majority of Portlanders who are not comfortable riding under such conditions. Our analysis indicates that most Portlanders would use a bicycle much more often than they currently do if they didn't have to mix so much with automobiles. A buffered bicycle lane provides that opportunity. </p> <p><strong>Why not use a simple bicycle lane? </strong> </p> <p style="font-style: italic;">Because the enhanced bicycle lane, with the added shy zones, offers a more comfortable riding environment that we believe it is more consistent with our efforts to make bicycling a part of daily life in Portland. </p> <p><strong>How does an enhanced bike lane provide more protection for cyclists than a bike lane?</strong> </p> <p style="font-style: italic;">Enhanced bike lanes provide more protection for cyclists by providing 'shy' or buffered zones on either side of the cyclist. </p> <p><strong>What will drivers notice that is different about driving on a street with an enhanced bike lane? </strong></p> <p><span style="font-style: italic;">There isn't much of a change for drivers. They will still need to watch carefully for cyclists when they are turning right at cross-streets or driveways. They will also need to take care when parking on-street which is accomplished by crossing the enhanced bicycle lane. Cyclists will always be clearly visible to drivers because, unlike a Cycle Track, the buffered bicycle lane does not have the barrier of parked cars between the bicycle lane and the travel lane.</span><br /></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">New York City cyclists are also big fans of this design</span>, according to <a href="http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/08/24/survey-finds-that-buffered-bike-lanes-are-better/">Streetblog New York City</a>. A study was done finding most cyclists felt more comfortable biking on buffered lanes than non-buffered lanes.<br /></p><p>So all in all, <span style="font-weight: bold;">looks like these new buffered bike lanes should be pretty awesome for New Orleanian cyclists.</span> Hopefully they'll encourage more people to bike instead of drive. I haven't rode them myself yet, but Jennifer Ruley at Department of Public Works has given them the first hand thumbs-up and Tim is pretty happy as well.<br /></p><p>I did, however, drive down Gentilly Blvd today on my way back from Lakeview. I wanted to figure out how many miles it was from my house to the Fairground if I traveled St. Claude Ave. to Franklin Ave. (newly resurfaced and looking lovely - but no bike improvements, yet at least), to Gentilly Blvd. It's really not too far, considering it will allow me to avoid the insanity of Mid-City during Jazz Fest. But I saw something pretty disgusting on my way home:</p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jyfS3PixBcE/S8ztsPVHkqI/AAAAAAAAAOs/fXpoU-Io_rs/s1600/cars+in+the+bike+lane.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 188px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jyfS3PixBcE/S8ztsPVHkqI/AAAAAAAAAOs/fXpoU-Io_rs/s400/cars+in+the+bike+lane.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462001792378704546" border="0" /></a></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Between Elysian Fields, past Franklin Avenue, I saw at least 3 cars travel in the buffered bike lane!</span> Obviously, New Orleanians aren't really sure how to do a road diet. In all fairness, there are no signs explaining cars must stay out of the buffer zone, though anyone with a drivers license should know diagonal white strips don't equal a car travel lane. Also, I haven't seen anyone bike Gentilly the two times I've driven down it since the lane went in.</p><p>If you're biking down Gentilly Blvd., <span style="font-weight: bold;">keep an eye out for cars in your bike lane!</span> If you can, write down the plate number and report it to the police. Hopefully as more people start biking on Gentilly, less cars will try to use the bike lane as a short cut around traffic. Also, if enough people report these acts to the police, maybe they'll start monitoring the area. <br /></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">New Orleans drivers are going to need more help, beyond just striping, if they're going to be successful with this new diet. <br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">But hey, Gentilly Blvd, 4 lanes looks good on you</span>. You we're kinda chubby back when you were a 6. I don't mean to be a jerk, but I really didn't want to go on a bike ride date with you back then. I think you look pretty hot now. Want to be my bike route?<br /></p>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14466481849032061911noreply@blogger.com4