November Newsletter
It’s the time of year when we turn our thoughts to the things we’re thankful for. We hope riding your bike is one of those things! Here’s the latest from your friendly bike advocates in Baton Rouge. Be sure to check out the calendar of events at the bottom as there are lots of opportunities to ride this month!
MEET OUR NEW PRESIDENT - Meet Lynley, Bike Baton Rouge’s new president! Lynley is the first woman to head Bike BR in its 17-year history and has deep ties to both biking and the community. Find out more about her on our blog here.
CRANKSGIVING 2021 - Cranksgiving 2021 is November 21. This is always a fun event and a great way to help the community. It starts at City Park at 9:30 a.m. with kickstands up at 10:00 a.m. Participants will receive a list of items to purchase along with a list of participating local grocers. It’s up to you to choose the route to visit all the grocery stores and get the items back to City Park. Awards will be won and the items will go to support the Baton Rouge Food Bank. Find out more about Cranksgiving and see photos from previous editions here. Let us know you're coming on the Facebook event!
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY - WE NEED YOU! We need volunteers to help with Cranksgiving on 11/21. If you’d like to volunteer, email info@bikebr.org.
BIKING IN THE COLD - We’ve actually had a few days of legitimately cool weather the last few weeks! As the temperatures start to fall (even if only temporarily), board member and past president, Doug Moore, has a few tips on how to get ready for cold-weather ready rides. Check out his suggestions on our blog here. It’s also a great time to get one of our snazzy hoodies to help layer up. Get it here.
ADVOCACY UPDATE - Two ordinances are set to be introduced before the Metro Council this month.
Our Vice President, Mark Martin, recently updated the board on the advancement of City/Parish ordinance updates with regards to biking (full text here). Mark had a significant role in helping to guide the updates and has reviewed the proposed changes. The updated ordinances will be introduced at the November 10 meeting of the Metro Council with a vote anticipated at the November 23 meeting (this is a Tuesday meeting rather than the typical Wednesday meeting to accommodate the Thanksgiving holiday).
Also expected to be introduced at the meeting on November 10 is an ordinance to allow multi-modal use of drive-through facilities (full text here). This is an ordinance that states, “For any and all businesses operating drive-through facilities, when a drive-through facility is open and customer entrances to the business are unavailable or locked, the drive-through facility must serve customers who arrive in modes other than an automobile such as pedestrians, bicyclists and those using mobility aids such as wheelchairs.”
We will continue to update the progress of both ordinances on our blog. If you would like to show your support for these changes, find your council person here and let them know.
PROJECT UPDATE - BREC is seeking input from the community regarding its Scotlandville Parkway project. This project will update the Scotland Parkway facilities and features in the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan. Take the survey here and let BREC know what you would like to see at the park.
VELO MEURTOS 2021 - There was a great turnout on a beautiful Sunday for this year’s Velo Meurtos cemetery tour ride. The ride started with 35 riders and visited 5 different historic cemeteries across Baton Rouge. Check out the photo gallery here! Thanks to Mark Martin for serving as tour guide.
SURVEY - The Capital Region Planning Commission is seeking input on its MOVE2046 regional transportation plan. Find out more about the plan and take the survey here. The survey is collecting responses until November 8.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
November 6 - The final Green Book Bike Tour starts at 9:00 a.m. at the Capitol Park Museum located on Fourth Street. This is the fourth ride led by Samantha Morgan, the organizer of the Downtown East Social Ride. Find out more information about the ride on DESR’s Facebook page.
November 7 - DESR is also hosting a special brunch and ride. Brunch is 12:00 at Leola’s with a ride to the Old State Capitol to follow. There will be a tour of the Capitol that you won’t want to miss.
November 11 - A Veteran’s Day ride will take place at 10:00 a.m. from the Capitol Park Museum.
November 19 - White Light Night is from 6:00-10:00 p.m. WLN is a street festival that runs along Government Street through the heart of the Mid City neighborhood highlighting the artists and businesses that make the neighborhood a vibrant community. Check out the map on the Mid City Merchants website.
November 21 - Cranksgiving is back! Bike BR is once again supporting the Baton Rouge Food Bank with the annual Cranksgiving ride. The event starts at 9:30 a.m. at Brooks-City Park. Find out more about the ride here.
December 3 - The annual Festival of Lights is returning to downtown. There are two rides for this one! BREC is hosting its Reindeer Ride from Farr Park that will follow the levee path to downtown starting at 6:00 p.m. Bike BR will also lead a ride along with DESR from City Park to downtown. The City Park ride will gather at 6:00 p.m. with kickstands up at 6:15 p.m. Come get in the holiday spirit with an evening bike ride!
Here’s a list of weekly rides. Find one near and meet some fellow bike riders!
Sunday
Baker Buffalo Cruisers -Baker, LA-
Baker Walmart (6PM)
Monday
Downtown East Social Ride -BR, LA-
Electric Depot (6PM)
Tuesday
Tuesdays on Wheels -Port Allen, LA-
Cohn Elementary (7PM)
Wednesday
Capital Heights Social Ride -BR, LA
Ingleside United Methodist Church (7:15PM)
Westside Wednesday -Baker, LA-
Ruffin’s II (7PM)
Thursday
Geaux Ride -BR, LA-
521 N Third St (7:45PM)
Friday
Who Dat Riderz -BR, LA-
Past Time Lounge (7PM)
Tuesday, Thursday, (6:30 PM) and Saturday (8AM)
Community Riders -Zachary, LA-
BREC’s Zachary Community Park
Membership - Please consider becoming a member if you're not already. The more members we have, the louder our voice. And if you're not sure if you're still a member, email us at info@bikebr.org and we'll check!
