According to a press bulletin, the PeopleForBikes
organization just released its third annual ranking of the best cities for biking,
and New Orleans is moving up on the list. Last year, the city came in at number
27 but now sits at 17, a major improvement.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell responded, saying that she is
"encouraged that this progress is being acknowledged" as the city works to
improve its bicycle infrastructure.
"We recognize that we have made dramatic improvement in
accelerating our network and are experiencing a significant increase in
ridership. We also recognize that there is much work to be done to improve
safety for all of those who use the road, but especially for people walking and
bicycling," Mayor Cantrell said.
The PeopleForBikes City Ratings program assesses upwards of
550 cities and towns and is data-driven. The five gages they use to score
include how many bike riders there are, how safe it is to ride bikes in the
city, how fast bicycle infrastructure improvements are being made, how the
bicycle network works to serve all parts of its community, and how easy it is
for riders to get where they need to be.
New Orleans achieved its best marks in its level of
improvement and number of riders. The city hopes to build off this progress and
continue investing in its transportation infrastructure.