New bike lanes, bike festivals, and Spring bike rides!
This is a magical time of year to be on a bike in south Louisiana. A cloudless blue sky with shady oak trees and flowers everywhere! It’s romantic and beautiful and just downright lovely.
Because of the absolutely perfect weather, our first April ride was a total of 16 miles! This is NOT a typical ride, but I wanted to do something special. A typical ride spans between 7-9 miles.
We went from our usual starting spot at the Electric Depot, all the way out to the Perkins Road park. We went through the Garden District, around the LSU Lakes, out to the Rouzan Development, along the Pennington trail, and ended in the Kenilworth neighborhood.
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One big focus of the ride was the new bike lane on Hyacinth Avenue, a project that got delayed for roughly a decade. That road has long been a connecting artery from Acadian to Lee Drive. It’s a tricky road because the speed limit is higher than your typical neighborhood road, and people generally use it to get to faster roads, so people tend to speed. With no shoulder, it was a dangerous pathway for bicyclists.
The bike lane, though not protected, should go a long way to create an experience that’s less fraught with negative experiences. In fact, we had a lovely moment when we were at a stop sign. A young woman rolled down her window to ask the name of our group so she could come join us sometime!
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Now, let me say I do not believe bike lanes are going to solve our transportation problems in the city. Rather, they are just one piece in the larger puzzle that requires some new attitudes towards alternative transportation. Seeing the addition of these bike lanes, cross walks, and off-road trails is a fantastic indicator that those attitudes are starting to change.
BIKE FEST
Another reason for our journey was to show people how to get to BREC’s Extreme Sports park on Perkins Road, because that’s where Bike Fest is happening!
This event is being put on by Bike Baton Rouge and will include some of the rad bike vendors out there as well as the fabulous folks at Front Yard Bikes! There will also be some fun games and activities. Bring your bike, or just come hang outside. There are plenty of walking trails, too.
It’s going to take place on Saturday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. I’ll be out there, so come join me for some fun!
ANOTHER FESTIVAL
The Baton Rouge Blues Festival will be back this year in full swing! Bike Baton Rouge will be there with bike parking and a raffle!
The raffle will be for two recumbent bikes that were once owned by Lt. Glenn Dale Hutto, Jr. a Baton Rouge Police Officer who was killed in the line of duty on Saturday, April 26, 2020.
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He was an avid cyclist and his widow donated the bikes to Bike Baton Rouge to help purchase more lights to give out to people on bicycles and raise awareness about safety.
SPRING GARDEN RIDE
Before the first day of the Blues Festival, come join me for a Spring Garden Tour! We will celebrate Mother Earth with a tour of some gardens located around the Goodwood area.
The ride will begin at the Botanic Gardens located outside the East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library on Independence Blvd. From there we will ride to the various neighborhoods and cover roughly 7 miles in the process.
We will have some light snacks at the end provided by… shhhhh! It’s a secret. You’ll have to come to find out.
YEAH BIKE!