Bike Baton Rouge Board of Directors

Lynley Ferris - President

Tell us about yourself

I've been in Baton Rouge for almost 6 years. I'm originally from Missouri. Born and raised in the Ozarks and then did grad school in Kansas City. Postgrad school, I worked for Hallmark Cards INC as their Historian as well as had a few artist residencies there before living in Knoxville, TN for a bit and then returning back to MO to teach art and do additional artist residencies. My degrees are in art, art history, and library science. Primarily my work has been in archives, libraries, and museum education/community development.

I came to Baton Rouge as part of AmeriCorps and for my year of service was to run the Mid City cultural district through Mid City Redevelopment Alliance. This position also led me to work with Mid City Studio, which after my year of service I continued to work with them to help establish it as a non-profit. For the last four and half years, I've been working for STUN Design as the Project and Social Media Director. Doing social media marketing/branding, analytics, ad buys, and strategy for a variety of clients including state agencies, and political work. Personally, I'm still really into making art, gardening, cooking, reading, biking, and the outdoors. In fact, I also just became part of BREC's Green Force.

What do you see as your role at Bike BR and what do you hope to accomplish?

Over the years I have just really enjoyed working with Bike BR and volunteering for you all. I'd love to be more active as well as just kind of provide maybe some fresh ideas approaches, or just be new blood to have around. I do feel with the resurgence of cycling as an activity during the pandemic that it's kind of time to seize the moment for bikes, and would gladly put to use my marketing and community engagement experience to help enhance Bike BR's public presence and messaging. Also, I'm very much a doer. I can generate ideas as well as know-how to break down those ideas to see them come to fruition. I love brainstorming, being a sounding board, help solve problems. I'm not only a dreamer, I'm a doer. What I'd love to see or accomplish with Bike BR is just getting the organization to the next level and creating the connections that help make the big picture of what biking can be in BR a step closer to reality.

What do you like about biking?

Biking has been a huge part of my life. Growing up in the summer my family went on nightly bike rides around the city, we called it "Farrises on Parade." I also have an aunt who was an avid cyclist, marathoner, and triathlete. At 13 she got me into mountain biking and then also doing triathlons. Discovering bikes in that way in my teens gave me a form of freedom, and mobility, and independence as well as self-discipline. Combining that with living in places that really promoted greenway trails and alternative forms of transportation made me keep up my love of feeling the freedom a bike provides. I also just love the culture of bikes. Things that always seem to go with bikes are music and beer, and groups of people hanging out and eating good food. I love bike festivals. Back in MO, I'd go every summer to the Peddlars Jamboree a music and bike festival on the Katy Trail. And since moving to LA I've been participating in the Beers and Gears weekend in Mobile. Being on a bike seat you can just see and experience things a bit differently and I'm really into that.

Mark Martin - Founder/Vice president

Who are you and where are you from?

I am Mark E. Martin. I was born and raised in Florida a long time ago.

Why do you love bicycling?

As if there were a short answer to that . . . believe it or not, the main reason I love bicycling is the peace and joy it brings me. There are lots of other reasons but that’s the fundamental one.

How long have you served (as a board member or as a volunteer)?

I started what is now Bike Baton Rouge in 2006 with five others. I served as chair-president for a number of years and have been on the board the entire ten years. 

What do you see YOUR role as with Bike Baton Rouge? What do you do and what are you good at?

I tend to see problems and work to resolve them, that’s why I started Bike Baton Rouge. I’m good at talking to people, gathering information, and disseminating it to those who could use the information to move creation of safer streets forward on all levels. I’m also handy with lots of low-level computer applications used to create documents, visuals, and databases.

What would you consider the greatest challenge to bicycling in Baton Rouge?

Wow . . . well . . . primarily a lack of appropriate bicycle-specific infrastructure. Without the infrastructure the city has, in my opinion, nearly reached the peak of ridership, which is largely young males, also known as “riders of choice,” and those who have no alternative, also known as “riders of necessity.” Appropriate, well-constructed, and thoughtfully located bicycle infrastructure will provide a safer environment for riding. That in turn will attract a much wider and larger ridership comprised of those who are currently uncomfortable riding on the street without bicycle-specific infrastructure.

What are you and Bike Baton Rouge doing to tackle that challenge?

We’ve been deeply involved in the governmental agencies that are responsible for creating infrastructure, amending laws, and encouraging others to ride. We’ve been effective in moving bicycling, walking, and sustainable transportation into the mainstream of conversations with these agencies. That, in turn, has brought a greater understanding of the issues to those who were unaware.

What will bicycling in Baton Rouge look like in 1/5/20 years’ time?

My crystal ball is out for polishing but, if I had to predict the future, I’d say a great deal depends on three things: 1) support from political and business leaders; 2) continued funding for projects, and; 3) changes in the way bicycling is seen by those who build infrastructure. We have a mayoral election coming up this fall which will be crucial to continuing forward movement on infrastructure. Funding is tight now and will probably be tighter in the future. Attrition, a very slow process at best, will probably have the greatest effect on the engineers and builders though political support/pressure is a factor.

At the same time, I believe more and more people will want to ride. Demographics will potentially be a major force. We’re already seeing the effects of Baby Boomers aging out, part of which is a desire to live in dense urban settings without the need for daily driving. At the other end of the spectrum, Millennials have a lowest motor vehicle ownership and driver’s license holding levels in fifty years. Both of these forces will, I believe, create a desire for better bicycling infrastructure.

What does your ideal day of bike riding in Baton Rouge look like?

An ideal day of riding would include dry, cool, sunny weather with the least interaction with motor vehicles possible. Throw in a gathering of bike people, some good food, a little beer, and maybe a fire in the backyard pit . . . heaven.

Anything else you'd like to mention?

Ride yer bike!

Why did you join the Bike Baton Rouge board? How long have you been involved with Bike Baton Rouge?

I became a member in 2015, joined the board in early 2016, became Vice-President in early 2017 and President in 2018.  I joined because past board members have done a terrific job founding and laying the foundation for this vital organization.  Cities don’t become better by themselves; it requires many people doing what they can to make their city better.  Bike BR is my way of trying to do my small part to make Baton Rouge a better place to live.
  
What do you see YOUR role as with Bike Baton Rouge? What do you do and what are you good at?  

I like to focus on infrastructure and policy. There are reasons bike infrastructure is lacking, and I like to identify those and offer solutions.
 
What would you consider the greatest challenge to bicycling in Baton Rouge?  

The greatest challenge for me personally is getting other people to ride.   A big part of that is the lack of infrastructure – bike lanes, paths – in the city.   More people riding creates the demand for more infrastructure; more infrastructure entices more people to ride. 
 
What are you and Bike Baton Rouge doing to tackle that challenge?  

We host rides, inform our members of activities, legislation and causes. We craft policy statements and reports. We attend public meetings and sit on committees in an attempt to get officials and planners to consider bicycling as a legitimate and necessary part of transportation policy in Baton Rouge.

 
What will bicycling in Baton Rouge look like in the future?

1 year – pretty much the same, but a little better.  Hopefully, the small advances we’ve had in infrastructure will get people on their bikes.

5 years – I’d love to see the whole Ward/Dawson creek trail system complete. That would be a game-changer.  A 50% increase in the # of bike lanes would be great as well. With cycling on the rise in general, I’d love to see a 50% increase in cycling as transportation in Baton Rouge.  I’d like to see parents no longer afraid to let their children bike around town with their friends.

20 years – With gasoline prices destined to go up and traffic destined to get worse, I believe the Baton Rouge of the distant future will see 15 – 20% of its citizens using a bike to get around at least once a day. Biking will cease to be an oddity, an outlier, an anomaly.  It will be as normal as driving a car.  That is the dream, anyway.
 
What is does your 'ideal' day of bike riding in Baton Rouge look like?  

Biking to and from work, going to a bike-friendly business or two for a couple of errands after work, my wife joining me on a ride to dinner, then biking to meet friends afterwards.  
  
Anything else you'd like to mention?  

Riding a bike is one of the best things about my life.  My hope is that as many people in this city will experience the same joy as I have.  I genuinely believe that the more people ride bikes, the better Baton Rouge becomes.

What do you see YOUR role as with Bike Baton Rouge? What do you do and what are you good at?

I like to connect people with other people to get stuff done. My background is in public health, so I’m very interested in helping work towards systemic change.

What would you consider the greatest challenge to bicycling in Baton Rouge?

As long as infrastructure is designed with only cars in mind, biking will be limited in Baton Rouge. We need more connectivity, consequences for distracted driving, and education for drivers on how to share the road. 

What are you and Bike Baton Rouge doing to tackle that challenge?

So many things. We are working towards a vulnerable road user law (someday this will get passed!) and we are advocating for connectivity and continued infrastructure improvements.

What will bicycling in Baton Rouge look like in 1/5/20 years’ time?

1 year: more biking to LSU & Southern (students, faculty/staff, game day attendees). A Vulnerable Road User Law passed, I very much hope.

5 years: Noticeably more people riding bikes around town.

20 Years: Vastly improved connectivity.

What does your ideal day of bike riding in Baton Rouge look like?

Dry, cool air with beautiful clouds in the sky, out for an adventure with my family.

Anything else you'd like to mention?

Biking makes me happy. Small joys are worth a bit of sweat. Baby wipes are easy to store in your work desk.

tina ufford

Who are you and where are you from?  

Tina Ufford Colorado Springs, CO

Why do you love bicycling?  

Outside, gas free, exercise time! It shifts me into thinking about where I am..rather than where I'm going

Why did you join the Bike Baton Rouge board?   

I want to be heard, I want to help create change. I want to funnel frustration into action and help others do the same.

What do you see YOUR role as with Bike Baton Rouge?

Connecting the dots in the networking world, finding new partnerships. Keeping things going when we get stalled or burned out.

What do you do and what are you good at?

I am a healer and a creator, an explorer and an educator. I'm good at giving permission, and making people comfortable.

What would you consider the greatest challenge to bicycling in Baton Rouge?  

Guh! I only get to pick one...? Continuity! From planning to intersections to sidewalks, it's my biggest frustration here. 

What are you and Bike Baton Rouge doing to tackle that challenge?

Creating rides and events that document the experiences of all riders in town. Inclusion. All people, all areas of town. And then pushing for change.

What will bicycling in Baton Rouge look like in 1/5/20 years time? 

Well I'm pretty satisfied with the Dawson's creek path for this year! One little spot by Coyote Blues to smooth out, and we have a real people mover.
5 Years- I hope to see more education for riders and drivers, and for Government St, Eugene St, and Acadian to be slower, smoother, and safer.
20 years when I'm 60, I hope it just looks something like other capital cities as far as biking infrastructure goes. 

What is does your 'ideal' day of bike riding in Baton Rouge look like?

Morning ride to the Farmer's market downtown, lunch on the levee, a pit stop at home, sunset at the Perkins park, Trader Joe's on the way home. Getting groceries on bike is always ideal. 

Anything else you'd like to mention?

I believe our transportation troubles are the biggest reason for amazing people leaving this town. I have been here for over 10 years now, and plan to stay. When I travel to other cities, I realize how far we have to go, and also how easy we have it!! Good weather most of the time, mostly flat terrain, and the parade culture all lend themselves to this being one of my favorite places to ride! I feel that safe easy travel-biking, walking, public transport-makes a strong connected city,where people want to grow roots and bloom! I know that Bike BR is part of that foundation that keeps me here. 

kathy stites

Who are you and where are you from?  

I am a registered landscape architect and I work for BREC where I am currently the trail planner.  My job is to locate and build recreational multi-use connecting trails within East Baton Rouge parish, utilizing public input to construct a network of trails for recreation and alternative transportation.  I was born in Indiana and moved to Memphis at age 9, then to Baton Rouge at 13.  I have lived and worked here the majority of my life and have been involved with cycling issues and trail projects for much of that time.

Why do you love bicycling?  

I have loved my bike and bicycling since I was a child.  My bike meant freedom to me.  I loved using my physical strength to power it, the speed with which I was able to move, and the feeling of the breeze against my body.  That feeling never left me and even a short bike ride takes me back to what it felt like to ride back then.

Why did you join the Bike Baton Rouge board? 

I wanted to develop closer relationships with riders in the community so that I could better do my job as a trail planner in the city.  I believe that the relationships I develop will give me a better understanding of the needs and desires of my end user group and that I will be able to provide them with a bike network that fits the city and its people.

What do you see YOUR role within Bike Baton Rouge? 

What do you do and what are you good at? I think I am a link to the real world implementation of the bike network in Baton Rouge and can provide members with a link to those who implement bike facilities.

What would you consider the greatest challenge to bicycling in Baton Rouge?

I think that the biggest challenge is funding a large bicycle network and implementing a different type of transportation network in a town/parish that heavily relies on cars.

What are you and Bike Baton Rouge doing to tackle that challenge?  

This is an important time for cyclists and pedestrians in Baton Rouge.  We are entering a period where transportation networks will include complete streets that will consider accommodations for all road users.  There are currently two planning projects in progress that will focus on design and safety of the bike pedestrian network in the parish.  Bike Baton Rouge and I will be a part of the planning process and we need to identify our niche and set significant goals for the upcoming year.

 What will bicycling in Baton Rouge look like in 1/5/20 years time?

1 year – Master Planning and Safety Master Planning complete.  I am looking forward to identifying connections between neighborhoods, parks, schools, workplaces, businesses, and other public places. 

5 years – 10 years - Completion of the Health Loop trail and a link between the northern (Southern University) and southern parts of the parish (Louisiana State University). 

20 years – Main connectors complete including an east west link from downtown Baton Rouge to Denham Springs/Amite River

What does your "ideal" day of bike riding look like? 

My favorite ride in Baton Rouge is a ride around the university lake because I like to ride along a waterway.  In my neck of the woods I like to ride the Tammany Trace from Mandeville Trailhead with a stop in Abita Springs at the brew pub and then to Covington and lunch at Coffee Rani.  Then a trip back to Mandeville at the end.

thomas douthat

Where are you from?

I was born in Charleston, West Virginia, but I grew up in Montpelier, Vermont. I have also lived almost a decade in Puerto Rico. During graduate school my wife and I lived in Athens and Atlanta, GA. Since then we have been migrating southwest, with a stop in Pensacola, before Baton Rouge.

Tell us a little about yourself…

I have a law degree, and a PhD in City and Regional Planning from Georgia Tech. My expertise is in multi-jurisdictional and multi-scalar governance, law, and policy. However, I have always had a passion for urbanism, and the dream of living in a walkable and bikeable community in the United States. These are in short order, which has brought me to start working and advocating for safe streets more directly. Atlanta and Athens had lots of existing momentum, although progress has been slow beyond a few marque projects. I really got more involved in Pensacola, especially around the issue of street design and pedestrian traffic.

I am now faculty in Environmental Sciences at LSU, and live in the Garden District with my wife, and two children. We feel lucky to be in Baton Rouge, and we love it here. But no place is perfect, and there are many barriers to walking and biking in Baton Rouge.

What do you love about biking?
I love cycling, both as a means of transportation, and in the spandex warrior sense. Being on a bike allows one to explore and interact with cities in a convenient and fun way. One can see so much and also feel very connected to place. My love of biking is really an extension of my love of walking, and grew out of the desire to go a little further without getting in a car.

What would you like to see biking in Baton Rouge look like in the future?

In my vision of utopia, we would re-focus around Complete Streets principles, and recognize that parking should neither be free nor mandated by law.

My more practical goal is for Baton Rouge to have reasonable cycling connectivity among its activity centers, and for the central parts of the city to make progress so that one day it will be safe for my kids to bike to school or the store.

To do this, I think it is necessary to shift the conversation about traffic and transportation in Baton Rouge to one where at least in principle we invert the priorities pyramid to so that EBR recognizes the health, community, and environmental benefits of putting pedestrians and cyclists first. I think inserting this perspective into infrastructure decisions in our region is the biggest contribution we can make, but to do that we first have to convince our neighbors.

jim crowell

Where are you from?  What's your background both professionally and in civic engagement/volunteering? 

I am originally from here but lived in Colorado for years and still spend time there each year either skiing or biking and visiting old friends. I am on the faculty at LSU in our Emergency Medicine program and lecture periodically and work only a few days a month now in the ER at the BR General Medical Center. 

Why do you join the board of Bike Baton Rouge? What skills/experience could you bring to the board?

My involvement with civic/volunteer activities have centered around marketing healthy lifestyle issues with my position at the BR General Medical Center and over the years and as a competitive ballroom dancer using dance as a forum for marketing the health benefits of that activity. "Life on a Bike" has been a love/passion of mine for decades in many different scenarios and I would see my role  as someone with a passion to bring BR closer to the world I experience in Colorado where active lifestyle/biking is the norm not the exception.

What do you love about biking?  

As Mark once said so eloquently, "It is impossible to not be happy when riding a bike" and I wholeheartedly agree!! Even in my darkest moments over my 72 years,  riding the bike was a great solace and still gives me that when needed but usually I ride for the sheer "Joy of being on the bike." My children and grandchildren live in other cities that are profoundly progressive in regards to biking and I would like to have an impact on that happening here in BR so our children want to stay here and raise their families. In addition, the health benefits are an endless list that I can certainly provide but I try to live by example in being out and about and active on my bike literally feeling and enjoying that time as if I had not aged at all!! I want all my patients and the citizens of BR to strive for and hopefully attain that as much as they are possibly able to accomplish!

I also want to see if I can get more people to support getting more refuge islands. This fairly low cost option makes crossing the street so much easier. 

What do you hope to accomplish as a board member? 

Persuade more people to bike. I also hope to provide comments on proposed plans that barrier curbs should be used less. 

What do you like about biking? 

It can be convenient way to get at least some exercise. It's fulfilling for me to bike to do some errands. 

Anything else you'd like to mention? 

I support low maintenance options for some situations. Have you heard about foam tires? Reliability is important for some of my longer bike trips. Getting a nail in a foam tire is no big deal (just pull it out). 

I support solar power and collecting rain water too.

those in the northern portions of the parish. I would love to utilize my professional training as an educator to help promote the goals and mission of Bike BR through advocacy, outreach, and program implementation. As a board member, I see myself becoming more involved with bike-related initiatives on the local and state levels. The global COVID-19 pandemic has created a higher demand for bicycles, which makes now the perfect time for further advancing bike culture in our city.  

What do you hope to accomplish as a Bike BR board member?

By being a Bike BR board member I hope to accomplish advocating for bike paths and lanes, educating motorists and cyclists on bicycle safety and laws, and growing my social network among fellow cyclists. I want to see a more bike-friendly and connected EBR parish by informing and empowering citizens to speak up for these needs in their communities.  I hope to be an integral part of the changing bike culture by being a Bike BR board member. 

What I love most about riding bikes?

What I love most about riding bicycles is the physical and mental health benefits. Oftentimes, I get the best workouts on my single speed beach cruiser with coaster brakes. The sense of peace, freedom, and happiness that comes from riding bikes is unmatched. And let's not forget the social aspects of biking. Whether riding with groups as in social clubs or riding alone through the neighborhood; the human interactions you have while riding a bike can’t happen in a car. Furthermore, in my opinion, biking to a destination is a much more rewarding experience than driving!

around the city, perhaps leading to a plan that could result in national recognition of Baton Rouge as a bicycle friendly community as laid out by the League of American Bicyclists. I’m personally interested in getting into off-road and bikepacking activities and would like to see development of trails within and near the city as available.

What do you love about biking?

What I most enjoy about bicycling is the negligible environmental impact, the sense of community that comes from engaging with a neighborhood outside of a car, and the fact that it’s just fun and healthy.

for information on becoming a board member of bike baton rouge, email us.

**Generally speaking, being a board member requires 1. Time 2. Passion for biking and volunteering 3. Willingness to do some work.