Bike Easy, founded as the Metro Bicycle Coalition of New Orleans in 2003, came together as a group of volunteers to advocate for bicycle infrastructure funding. In 2004, the organization saw its first win when the City of New Orleans allocated 5% of a bond measure to supporting bike infrastructure. Four years later, the Metro Bicycle Coalition of New Orleans became a 501c3 non-profit organization.
Bike Easy aims to bring about change through education, advocacy, and community. Biking is clearly an environmentally better mode of transportation over driving and the exercise has numerous health benefits. However, riding in New Orleans can be nerve-wracking with the way people drive and lack of bike lanes in some areas. Bike Easy has resources for those wishing to learn more about biking safely and advocating for improved biking infrastructure.
Ways to contribute to better biking conditions include:
Voicing opposition to parking measures that take away bike lanes
If driving, make sure to be mindful of surroundings and watch out for people biking and walking
Take initiative to learn about bike infrastructure that may come to your neighborhood/area of business: https://nolacompletestreets.org/nabepages/
Attend Bike Easy’s various seminars on smart biking: https://bikeeasy.nationbuilder.com/smart_biking
Additional Resources: Bike Easy Online Map, Biking Trails
