City of New Orleans Celebrates Opening of Wisner Trail

October 28th, 2008

Trail advocates seek federal investment for walking and cycling as part of a national campaign

The Regional Planning Commissions Greater New Orleans Pedestrian & Bicycle Program (RPC), The City of New Orleans Department of Public Works (DPW), The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), The University of New Orleans Center for Urban and Public Affairs and The Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI) gathered today to celebrate the official opening of the Wisner Boulevard pedestrian and bicycle trail.

Part of a $1.45 million project, the Wisner trail runs from Robert E. Lee Blvd to Orleans Avenue and is the first phase of a fully integrated north/south connector between Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. The completion of the trail represents a major milestone towards a goal of transforming New Orleans infrastructure into a national model that encourages the use of walking and bicycling to promote healthy neighborhoods, environmentally-friendly transportation, and neighborhood revitalization. Though construction of the Wisner trail took only one year to complete, it is a project that has been in the making for ten years. The City now has 20 miles of completed bike routes, half of which have been completed in 2008.

Too often, communities have been designed to accommodate cars instead of people, said Robert Mendoza, Director of DPW. With every newly completed walking and biking trail, we are redefining transportation in New Orleans.

Nationally, nearly half of all trips are under three miles in length; the perfect length for bicycling or walking. With its tradition of neighborhood corridors, the percentage of short trips in New Orleans is thought to be even higher. This percentage of short trips and the density of local destinations make New Orleans a prime candidate for a transportation system that produces significant shifts to walking and bicycling. More walking and bicycling helps to decrease congestion as well as greenhouse gas emissions, and links New Orleans together to create healthier, vital neighborhoods that are crucial to long-term recovery and growth.

The Regional Planning Commission envisions New Orleans as a model for walking and biking infrastructure. Over the next 2 years, New Orleans will add 50 miles of new on-road bicycle facilities to connect the trail into neighborhood business and residential areas and complete the Lafitte Greenway, which will provide the final link in the transportation system from the river to the lake.

We are continuing to implement our plan to build and improve walking and biking facilities in Metro New Orleans, said Dan Jatres, Director of RPCs Pedestrian & Bicycle Program. Reaching our goal of 50 miles of new facilities within the next two years could make New Orleans one of the top cities for walking and biking in the country.

The Wisner trail opening occurs at the same time that New Orleans and dozens of other communities nationwide join the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), a national nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., in releasing a report titled Active Transportation for America. This report launches a national campaign to double federal investment for walking and biking projects in the next federal transportation reauthorization in 2010.

If the requested increase in federal funding is granted, it could bring up to $50 million to Metro New Orleans to build and improve walking and biking in the four parish area, including Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines and St. Bernard Parishes, with 500 miles of interconnecting facilities. The infrastructure construction and improvement project would begin in 2010 and would span over a four year period.

For those interested in learning more about pedestrian and bicycle programs in the New Orleans area, contact the Regional Planning Commissions Greater New Orleans Pedestrian & Bicycle Program, Dan Jatres, Director of Education and Outreach at (504) 568-6608 or via email at djatres@norpc.org

To learn more about New Orleans plans or to download the case statement for increased federal funding to build and improve walking and biking trails in the four parish area, visit www.norpc.org. The Active Transportation for America report can be found at www.railstotrails.org/ATFA. For details on RTC’s 2010 Campaign for Active Transportation, visit www.railstotrails.org