New Orleans, LA has received a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities grant to investigate beginning a bikeshare program. New Orleans is one of five grants funded by the EPA focusing on planning bikeshare programs.
A bike share program would provide an affordable, accessible means of travel for short trips within the city as an alternative to private vehicles. Cedric Grant, New Orleans’s Deputy Mayor of Facilities, Infrastructure and Community Development, spoke of the benefits of a bikeshare program,
“Bikeshare programs offer a convenient alternative to driving and encourage healthy and safe commuting. They can also reduce vehicular traffic and environmental hazards while promoting sustainability.”
During the Superbowl earlier this year, New Orleans launched the city’s first bikeshare program specifically for the event. Bike Easy provided free bicycles and bicycle parking for the event, creating a means to avoid the event’s congestion.
The Building Blocks program provides communities across the nation with the tools and funding they need to achieve development and sustainability goals. The EPA provides assistance through workshops and direct consultation with local authorities leading to strategic plans to implement the communities’ goals. The program is a part of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, a collaboration between the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the EPA.
Read more at nola.com.