Who's Who of Baton Rouge Bike and Ped Advocacy (Part 1)
We at Bike Baton Rouge are proud of the advocacy, social, and community work we do to promote safe and fun biking and walking in the Baton Rouge area, but lucky for us, we are not alone in this venture! We live in a city with multiple groups that share similar goals as us. In this post, we will introduce you to a few of them in a Who’s Who of Baton Rouge Bike and Ped Advocacy. In Part 1, we introduce you primarily to civic groups. (If you think we’ve missed any, please leave a comment and we’ll update the post!)
Baton Rouge Bicycle Club | Advocacy, Social Rides
A BRBC social ride along the levee.
BRBC promotes cycling, safety, education, and fitness for recreational and touring cyclists. They encourage and promote bicycling as a way of life and as a safe and enjoyable recreation and transportation option by leading touring rides in and out of town for all skill levels. Every Saturday they have a “Tour de Café” ride around the lakes, levee, and Capitol with refreshment stops at cafes. BRBC also advocates for the inclusion of bicycle safety in infrastructure projects in the Baton Rouge area.
Front Yard Bikes | Advocacy, social rides
Front Yard Bikes. Image from 225 Magazine.
FYB is a community bike shop that focuses on teaching participants of all ages how to fix and maintain bikes. This bike shop doubles as an after-school program for kids in the area. Every Friday they have social rides to local parks, libraries, museums, monuments, and more.
Baton Rouge Area Mountain Biking Association | Advocacy, Social rides
BRAMBA organizes mountain bike trail building efforts and supports mountain biking in the Baton Rouge area. They operate as advocates of the Kerry Stamey Trail System, organize trail maintenance days, and host an online forum for sharing information.
If you like trail riding, check out BRAMBA.
Geaux Ride | Social rides
Although Geaux Ride is a bike rental and bike tour business, they also double as a social group, hosting free, public social rides downtown every Thursday evening.
Public social ride downtown led by Geaux Ride.
BREC (Baton Rouge Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge) | Social Rides, Infrastructure
Silver Spokes ride hosted by BREC.
BREC manages the Baton Rouge area’s park system and fosters outdoor recreation. One of the ways they promote outdoor activity is through their Outdoor Adventure initiative, which includes programs like Silver Spokes—social rides for seniors with specially-designed bikes for riders interested in more stability or comfort than the average bicycle.
Walking and Running Clubs | Social walks, runs
There are several walking and running clubs in Baton Rouge. Their primary focus is on fitness and community-building, but participants are also advocates for safe streets since they are navigating the roads on sidewalks as vulnerable users. The East Baton Rouge Public Library hosts Your Pace or Mine Walking Club several days a week, and running clubs like Happy’s Running Club, Varsity Sports Running Club, Black Girls RUN!, and Club South Runners have regular runs and races.
AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) | Advocacy
AARP advocates for complete streets, livable communities, and streetscape design that allows pedestrians with a range of abilities and those with mobility devices to move freely through their communities and around town. The Baton Rouge branch has been active in the local complete streets conversation.
Baton Rouge Area Foundation | Advocacy
BRAF is a non-profit organization connecting philanthropic sources with civic projects in South Louisiana. They have a Mobility Initiative which advocates for transportation choices for bicyclists, pedestrians, and public transportation users. They have helped fund the soon-to-be-implemented bikeshare program.