Meet the Board - Part 7 - Michael Domingue
Michael Domingue is our newest addition to the Bike Baton Rouge Board. He brings with him a wealth of practical knowledge and experience as the FHWA Recreational Trails Administrator for Louisiana.
Who are you and where are you from?
My name is Michael W. Domingue and I am from New Orleans, Louisiana. I have lived throughout Louisiana my entire life.
Why do you love bicycling?
I love it because it is fun, good exercise and cheap transportation.
Why did you join the Bike Baton Rouge board?
I hope to help make the bike community more prominent and influential in public policy-making in East Baton Rouge Parish.
What do you see YOUR role as with Bike Baton Rouge? What do you do and what are you good at?
I want to help build the organization’s membership. I administer the Recreational Trails program for the State of Louisiana. I am good at fundraising and organizing.
What would you consider the greatest challenge to bicycling in Baton Rouge?
Poorly designed automobile infrastructure which blocks cyclists and pedestrians from getting around is the biggest challenge in Baton Rouge.
What are you and Bike Baton Rouge doing to tackle that challenge?
We are trying to find short but impactful bike linkages (filling in the gaps) throughout Baton Rouge.
What will bicycling in Baton Rouge look like in 1/5/20 years time?
1 year: several more short ped-bike connections (like the Pennington Trail Segment and the Riverbend Connectivity Trail) will be completed by BREC and the FHWA Recreational Trails Program for Louisiana.
5 years: The Baton Rouge Downtown Greenway will be completed from City Park/ Brooks Park to the Louisiana State Capitol and the downtown area. The Wards/Dawson Creeks Trails will be completed from Pecue Lane to the Burden Research Center, the LSU AgCenter Botanical Gardens and the Rural Life Museum.
20 years: A ped-bike trail roughly paralleling Perkins Road/Bayou Duplantier will connect LSU to the Wards/Dawson Creeks Trails and beyond. The Wards Creek Trail will extend under the I-10/I-12 interchange into north Baton Rouge connecting to a network of ped-bike trails all the way to Southern University.
What does your 'ideal' day of bike riding in Baton Rouge look like?
I like to ride to work from my home in Riverbend Lakes Subdivision to the Louisiana State Capitol by way of the Riverbend Connectivity/Farr Park Trail to the Mississippi River Levee Ped-Bike Trail. On my way home, I like to shop at Matherne’s Market or stop to get a drink before getting on the levee to go home. On my days off, I like to ride my children and grandchildren to the Riverbend Park (2,000 feet from my house), to the levee, to LSU or to downtown Baton Rouge (Farmers/Artists Market especially).