Earlier this year, the New Orleans Complete Streets Coalition commissioned Dr. Silas Lee & Associates to conduct a study to gather and evaluate the perceptions of New Orleans voters towards non-car transportation options, with a focus on bicycling and expanding bicycle infrastructure. The data they compiled provides a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of New Orleans residents and the unique wants and needs of their neighborhoods. In summary, an overwhelming majority of residents support increased transportation options and street infrastructure, with an emphasis on safety and accessibility.
The results of the study’s key findings are as follows:
Eighty-five percent (85%) of New Orleans residents believe people deserve as many safe transportation options as possible to get to work on time.
Seventy-six percents (76%) of residents understand that having protected lanes separating bicycles from cars makes the roads safer for drivers, and sixty-eight percent (68%) say that they would be more inclined to ride a bicycle if there were protective barriers separating bicycles from cars.
Seventy percent (70%) of residents think that the most efficient transportation system for New Orleans would have separate spaces for people driving, using the transit system, biking, and walking.
The poll results add momentum to the City of New Orleans’ Moving New Orleans Bikes initiative that will rapidly expand the low-stress bikeway network throughout the City. After intensive public input and planning, concentrated bikeway network construction is slated to begin in Algiers next month.
“The road forward to improved transportation options in New Orleans starts in Algiers,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “We’re excited about the work we’re doing with our Office of Transportation, especially our Moving New Orleans Bikes plan, in coordination with our partners in the New Orleans Complete Streets Coalition. Working together, we’re making it easier, safer and more equitable when trying to bike, walk, drive, ride the bus or take the ferry. I want to thank the members of the community for their encouraging feedback, it shows that we’re taking the right steps to move this city forward.”
New Orleanians are ready for more transportation options and safer roads. The public wants to solve traffic congestion with more transportation options, including transit and bikes. New Orleans residents share a concern for safety, with people feeling that motorists and bike riders share responsibility for following the laws and promoting safety. Creating transportation options, including bicycling and public transit improvements, is good for New Orleans’ businesses and workers. The results of this poll show us that more transportation options, along with complete streets, will bring a better quality of life and more safety to residents of New Orleans.
Complete streets are streets that are built to be safe and accessible for people of all ages and abilities, no matter how they’re traveling. Some common elements of complete streets are crosswalks, audible pedestrian signals, protected bike lanes, traffic calming, rain gardens and other stormwater management features, transit priority lanes, bus shelters, and more. Complete streets improve livability, health, equity, and sustainability.
The polling data, which was compiled from Dr. Silas Lee and Associates, provides the City of New Orleans and the Coalition with a better understanding of the unique transit needs in each neighborhood, and how best to address them in ways that benefit not just some, but all New Orleanians. Dr. Silas Lee is a nationally recognized pollster and strategist for a host of corporate, non-profit, public sector, political, and legal clients over the last 30 years. His company, Dr. Silas Lee and Associates, specializes in conducting public opinion research and creating communications strategies. The five hundred (500) respondents reflected the social and economic demographics of New Orleans, and 55% of the respondents were cellphone-only households. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3%.
For a more detailed review of polling results, please contact Dan Favre at dan@bikeeasy.org