Ped-Bike Master Plan passed!
Press Release
Yesterday, the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council voted, unanimously, to approve and adopt a Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan, officially adding it to the Transportation Element of the parish’s Comprehensive Plan. The plan calls for the creation of miles of on-street bike lanes, off-street paths and trails, improved pedestrian treatments at intersections and road design guidelines. Unlike similar plans released in the 1970s and 1990s, this plan contains a focus on implementation, an area where past plans fell short.
In 2015, Baton Rouge was designated a “focus city” by the Federal Highway Administration, due to its high rate of pedestrian and bicycle fatalities and injuries. This dubious distinction allowed the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to secure funding to create a plan to create safer conditions for those who walk and bike in Baton Rouge. Together with additional funding provided by BREC, industry leading firms Arcadis and Toole Design Group spent over two years creating and revising the plan with guidance and input from state transportation officials, city/parish officials, community organizations, other stakeholders and the general public.
“We are extremely thankful to the Metro Council for voting to approve the plan and especially heartened to hear there were no votes in opposition,” said Doug Moore, the President of Bike Baton Rouge, which was one of the organizations that provided guidance during the plan’s creation. The meeting was done via video conference due to Covid19. Members of the public were allowed to provide comments through email or an online comment form. There was a flurry of positive comments supporting the adoption of the plan with only one comment in opposition. “It was truly inspiring to hear so many members of the community come forward to express their desire to see Baton Rouge become a more walkable, bike-friendly place,” Moore said. “People understand that Baton Rouge needs to be a healthier place, a place where people who don’t drive can safely get to where they need to go.”
Although Baton Rouge is not known for being an especially hospitable city for those who walk and bike, the popularity of bike riding has exploded over the past few months. With many people out of work or working from home and with gyms having been closed for months due to the pandemic, an unprecedented number of people have taken to the streets on bikes, creating a huge maintenance backlog at local bike shops and a steep spike in bike share rentals. “I’ve never seen so many people on bikes in Baton Rouge. It’s incredible. Imagine how much better it will be once elements of the plan start to become reality. Sure, we don’t expect to become Portland or Boulder any time soon, but Baton Rouge has the potential to become a great walking and biking city. This is more important now than ever, as we’ve seen the risk an unexpected health crisis like Covid19 can do pose for people with underlying health issues like heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. Having a city that’s safer to walk and bike will encourage people to lead active, healthier lifestyles.”
One of the main reasons Bike Baton Rouge and other stakeholders worked so diligently on the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan is to put Baton Rouge on the path of a more equitable transportation policy. Moore says, “The majority of people who walk and bike for transportation are people of limited financial means. In Baton Rouge, most of the people who are hurt or killed while walking and biking are people of color. This is unacceptable. Discrimination and bias can take many forms. It‘s well known that it can exist in law enforcement practices, education opportunities and health care, but it is just as present in transportation policy as anything. Adopting the Pedestrian and Bike Master Plan is a good first step in undoing the effects of such discrimination. A city that is more walkable and bike-friendly is a city that values health, safety and equity and that, to us at Bike Baton Rouge, sounds like a great place to live.”
You can see the full plan at www.ebrpedbike.org
