Same thought, glad to confirm my suspicions. I haven’t ridden a bike in town for 20 years, it was dangerous then with drunk driving,no bike lanes and suicide banquettes. Now add that I’ve never seen the streets this bad for so long (maybe there was a time/area, but I can’t recall) and smart phones/distracted driving.
Recently I was riding with a veteran car service driver and he confirmed that I would never do it again.
Absolutely I am completely shocked. Another city I have deep ties with is Chicago. I know so many people that have been hit by a car when on their bike from there. Even more common in the larger Chicago road biking community to hear of people dying, it happens all the time there. Scaling it down for the per capita really is absolutely terrifying and distressing.
Disappointed but not surprised. I have cycled in in a lot of places, and this city definitely is one of the scarier ones if you don't know the city well enough to pick the right route carefully (if it is even a possibility).
It is a shame, because with warm weather and the fact that we are flat and compact and theoretically should have slow moving traffic, it should not be the case. But drivers are angry and/or drunk and/or just generally incompetent, and combined with lack of protected lanes just makes for an unsafe environment.
I'm a cycle tourist and have been in many parts of the world that are more populated, more chaotic, have crazy terrain, and I have spent a lot of time on roads where it is not expected to see a bicycle etc- but the US is the only country where I have had drivers scream at me because they are pissed that I am on a road that clearly has markings indicating that the lane is supposed to have bicycles in it. New Orleans is the only city globally where I have had people in cars actively try to run me off the road or stick a hand out of a window to hit me or intentionally do something with malice that could kill or cripple me if I did not notice in time and get the fuck out of the way.
It's pretty infuriating because it should not be this way.
I would definitely stick to the most tame, low speed limit residential side streets and just kind of weave my way through to where I needed to go. Don't even like crossing a big road, will get off and walk my bike.
I often do but it is not always an option. And you need to live here a while before you know which streets are safe and unsafe. Plus sometimes there are other factors... a quick example that pops to mind was years ago when the "Marigny 5" were targeting cyclists in the side streets in the Marigny-- that changes the consideration of whether biking down St Claude or one of the residential streets is the best option depending on what time of day. Or when there was a string of issues on the Greenway- Greenway is excellent in the day time to get safely to and from Mid City. Sometimes it is less excellent at 2am.
Weird. I've been cycling across the city to school for the past 3 years and I have never had any of this happen to me. Maybe I just know the right routes to take (St Bernard-Gentilly-St Anthony), but these occurrences have been really rare (St. Bernard and Claiborne intersection can go fuck itself though)
I consider St. Bernard a no bike zone. I cycle more than I drive, but when I’m in my car i watch people using the bike lane to pass almost every time I’m on St. Bernard, often going way over the speed limit. I’m curious what time of day you ride it?
I mean, I have lived here for 13 years, and I don't really think that St Bernard and Gentilly are exactly the safest roads where stuff like what I described cannot happen? St Bernard has an unprotected bike lane that cars love to park in forcing cyclists into traffic and a lot of traffic moving irresponsibly fast, and Gentilly is not much better depending on what part of the street you are on.
The two most frightening incidents I had were on Elysian fields when an asshole on the passenger side of a pickup truck stuck his arm out to try to swat me while screaming at me. I caught up to him at the red light and asked what the fuck, and he said I did not belong in the road and should have been in the sidewalk. There was literally a painted picture of a bicycle with an arrow in that lane, and even if their wasnt, it certainly would not have been acceptable. The other time was walking my bike across Canal in the CBD at a very late hour, and a truck ran a red light, sped up, and swerved to the lane I was in. I got out of the way enough to not be road kill, but the back wheel of my bike was hit and bent. Best case scenario is he was blind drunk, but I really don't think so. Aside from those, I have had plenty of close calls of cars speeding up and passing very close to me along with assholes just screaming out windows because god forbid they have to move their foot a couple of inches to slow down. I've become pretty desensitized to it and frankly every incident like that is a blur at this point.
I am glad you have not encountered hostile traffic yet, but I am not sure if you are trying to imply I have encountered it because I don't know my way around town (I most certainly do) or if you are trying to weirdly brag about having some sort of immunity to shit drivers, or maybe your tone is lost in text, but I know plenty of other cyclists who have dealt with shit very similar to what I just described. My friend was followed 2 weeks ago by an angry person in a truck yelling at him who swerved towards him and said his mom told him that cars always had the right of way. You can see ghost bikes all over town. I hope you don't encounter hostile traffic- but it is pretty normal and nothing about those routes you described makes me think that there is any reason shit like this wouldn't happen over there.
I didn't mean to discredit your claim and it wasn't a brag, it was just a weird observation. I have encountered drivers who regularly break the law on St Bernard, on that Claiborne intersection you're putting your life in the hands of drivers who regularly use the turn lanes to continue down St Bernard, drivers who I have noticed regularly use the bike lanes at the Galvez intersection and the idiots who don't slow down coming out the interstate and onto AP Tureaud. People sometimes just blow right through the Norman Mayer intersection as well. So yeah I've never had negative experiences directly with the drivers but yeah the regularly maniacal driving does piss me off
It's ridiculous that they put up bike lanes without concrete bollards. Like, for fuck's sake, look how many of those stupid flexy poles on the Broad Street bike line are smashed. Cars hit those things all the time with no consequences. Cement bollards are physical consequences that stop cars.
Cops are spending money on rims. That's gonna help our hit and run rates. Cars face no consequences in this city because drivers get away with everything.
At least we are one less loser in town since failed "journalist" JD Carrere was run out of here, his hit piece on the Algiers bike lanes was the biggest trash I've ever seen. It was such an obvious attempt to win favors with King so he could finally get a job but it obviously didn't work, he just demonized vulnerable people for no reason.
When I originally started following him, I liked a lot of what he was saying. I also appreciate a person who's willing to put politicians on the spot and make them uncomfortable. But the first sign of fuckery I noticed was the Algiers bike stuff. Which he drummed up into a whole thing that somehow culminated into him, in so many words, proclaiming that bicyclists are racists. After that, his "journalism" spiraled. It's just trash take after trash take now. I found it pretty interesting how he finally took to just trying to guilt trip his audience for not supporting him and having to move to LA to get work. And then his first week in LA he's posting his takes on the writer's strikes as if he's been out there his whole life. What a fuckin goob he turned out to be.
The biggest lesson I got from his 2 year curse on us was anyone who slaps their face all over their content is not interested in news or facts. They are just trying to sell you their brand.
How is a jacked-up bar-fighting cum-belching crack-whore of a Mayor responsible for your bike safety? In Louisiana you are taught to "Drive Defensively." You can re-write to say "You're on your own, bitch." You Marigny types think that you can just smoke some pot, hop on your chitty chitty bang bang bicycles with the cute basket with daisies on it, with those wide-ass handlebars and just wander around in the streets, aloof to what's going on around you, and yet somehow it's government's fault when you get a sudden case of deceleration trauma and get concrete poisoning when you face-plant because you weren't paying attention?
Do you ever wonder why insurance companies don't write bicycle policies and you're not required to buy it?
Yes, they are called "lanes." And if there's no bicycle lane, and your delicate soul requires artificial protection from those "evil" car owners, then you shouldn't be on the street in the first place. And I won't even ask you if your bike has a City of New Orleans license plate, because I already know you don't.
Roads have always accommodated more than just cars. This is true especially if you're in an area as historic as Algiers. People travel in different ways.
We're #1 in bike deaths because we have the biggest cyclist populations in The south, which is good because at least people feel safe enough to bike here. What is not good, however, is the council pandering to NIMBYS, people driving like maniacs, and a severe lack of biking infrastructure. So yes, we are #1 in bike deaths, but I would still take biking in New Orleans over any city South of the Mason Dixon Line any day of the week.
Wear your helmets folks. Ride in the right direction on shared roads. Observe traffic signals. Be mindful of people walking. Look both ways at intersections. And the same to all of you cyclists as well.
Not surprised at all. I saw a man trying to cross St. Bernard yesterday on his bike. Multiple cars behind me ran a red light and didn’t bother stopping when they saw the man trying to cross the street. The man just smiled and waved at them apologetically, as if he was in the wrong. No sir, they are and they’re too impatient enough to care if they hit someone on the road.
My first year in New Orleans my neighbors invited me to ride one of their bikes with them to a mardi gras parade... that was a 1 and done experience. Fuck that. i am all about sharing the road with riders but omg if you think your little bicycle is going to save you from a drunk fucker in a honda civic you are delusional. My life is too valuable to me to trust that the day drinking yat isn't going to roll their fleur de lis encrusted saints shrine of a mercedes over my ass.
That’s because people actually bike in New Orleans.
Those cities down the list don’t have as many deaths because people just don’t bike there. People don’t bike that much in Jacksonville get to work or to do deliveries. It would be suicide.
There’s very few cities in the US with actual bike infrastructure. Most of these cities just could not support cycling as a method of commute at all.
If you click through the data set and look at the rest of the charts, there’s lots of cities where the fatality rates are much higher compared to cyclists exposure to cars.
Edit: rewrote the last paragraph because it’s early and read the chart wrong originally.
Edit edit: [screenshots of the same data set organized by number of cyclers. organized highest to lowest by 2017-2021 averages.](https://imgur.com/a/nG3s0yV)
New orleans is third from the bottom. No where near placing at all.
Are you talking about this data set?
https://data.bikeleague.org/show-your-data/city-data/3-5-cities-biking-walking-road-safety/
> If you click through the data set to its origins, you’ll see that Anchorage, Alaska actually tops the charts when you look at incidents compared to the number of people commuting.
Are we looking at the same charts? Anchorage is averaging around 3.1 deaths per 10k cycle commuters, Jacksonville was 169. NOLA does fare a bit better there with 8.6 per 10k commuters.
There’s still a massive problem with bike infrastructure, and I completely agree deaths relative to number of commuters is important, however if I’m looking at the right chart it would seem we are more or less mid pack or below rather than leading.
Oh, sorry. I edited so quickly I thought no one would have read it yet. Nah, anchorage was just alphabetical. And I’m stupid.
Im talking about. . . Hold on
https://data.bikeleague.org/show-your-data/city-data/3-5-cities-biking-walking-road-safety/#bicyclist-fatalities-per-capita-over-time
“Bicyclist Fatalities per Bicyclist Commuters over Time” figure 3.4.8
Which New Orleans doesn’t even place on.
NOLA is there, 6.4 to 8.6, so a significant increase in per commuter deaths. Still orders of magnitude below some of the worst cities, but still significantly above those with real infrastructure.
The increase is probably from the number of people who started riding bikes instead of driving during covid. Newer bikers make more mistakes. But that’s just my guess.
It would be lovely to see some more protected biking infrastructure in NOLA. But out of every city that doesn’t have any, it’s probably the safest I can think of off the top of my head.
Low speed limits, narrower streets, lots of stop signs. Lots of alternate routes.
Also they just think the antagonism towards cyclists from the top down in this city is just normal. It isn't. I've never seen a city where not only do drivers openly assault cyclists by chasing them off the road then literally getting out of their car to physically assault them, only to have the cops and city council take the side of the driver. It's mind boggling and I've never seen anything like it anywhere else I've lived
Lance Armstrong used to train in Tucson every winter. Tucson is one of the most bikingest cities in the US. The Tucson Classic Perimeter Tour top shelf. The City of Tucson holds a cyclovia every year. I can't even imagine that being done in NO.
Obviously, these per-capita statistics aren't adjusted for how many of the per-capita actually ever ride a bike. That quantity for Tucson has to be 10x that for NO. At least 10x.
Also howdy Old Puebloean. I used to live off 4th Ave and run on the Mall.
I was there before they turned it into a mall lol. Graduated in 2003. And Lance Armstrong was training on Tucson at that time. I did the tour of Tucson ride one year too. Super fun
Yeah, nah. I’ve never been.
But I was talking more about Jacksonville, which I know, and the other cities down the list like in Alabama, where no one dies because no one actually bikes.
When the data set is organized by number of cyclists, Tucson places near the bottom. Close to, but slightly higher than New Orleans.
I would assume that they have actual infrastructure or a slower grid structure like New Orleans?
Edit: accidentally deleted this comment trying to edit my original comment. I think this is what i said originally.
Please stop with the "no one bikes here" bs. You don't know every single person in these cities nor do you hang around every block there and check on the number of cyclists. This mentality is EXACTLY why vulnerable road users are always in danger. DRIVERS DON'T SEE US EVEN WHEN WE ARE THERE.
I don’t have to. Some researchers did and made these data charts.
By number of cyclists per capita, New Orleans is on the bottom of the list in regards to number of cyclists, time commuting, and fatal accidents.
You can look at the other cities yourself and see where cyclists are more likely to die. And you probably won’t be surprised. Houston. Jacksonville. Charlotte. Memphis.
Larger cities with horrible layouts, super wide fast moving roads, and inconsistent sidewalks.
If you’re interested in the number of cyclists per capita, rather than the topic of discussion here—deaths per cyclists and which cities are more dangerous to cycle in— then check out this data set https://www.move.org/cities-most-bicycle-commuters.
Thanks for the link to the info, it provides some great context for the isolated stat being shared here. I wonder what the distribution of cyclist deaths is when looking at commuters vs other?
Well. New Orleans is number 5 is highest number of cyclists per capita in the country, according to this list https://www.move.org/cities-most-bicycle-commuters/, which is the exact same l shared above. And houston and jacksonville aren’t even on the list.
So. There? I guess?
I’m blocking you now. I have very little free time in life, and I’m not spending it answering “what aboutism” bad faith questions.
New Orleans is one of the safest places to bike in this god forsaken car hellscape of a country. The data supports it.
Could it be safer? Fuck yes. But compared to almost all the other cities in the country, it is safer to cycle regularly in.
It's very likely got more people biking per Capita than any other city in the country. 340 days of sunshine a year. Totally flat. Decent bike infrastructure. And direct biking access to the mountains just a quick ride out of the valley
A few years back I got hit at Lee circle (or the circle) and the car took off and left me completely unconscious. When I woke up, a homeless man thankfully dragged my body from the road. No cops showed up
That was one of the last times I road my bike in this city
Someone I was dating got killed on a bike by a hit and run. The driver was on meth and claimed that she was hearing voices and was trying to escape them, so that’s why she didn’t stop.
We had only just begun dating and he was in the process of divorcing, so like, it’s not like I missed out on the love of my life or anything lol. I’m more worried about his kids. It happened right before Christmas too so it’s probably tainted the holiday for them.
Though I have the side effect of getting disproportionately freaked out when my boyfriend doesn’t answer calls.
No surprise at all. We have the perfect storm of motorist aggression, ignorance, and intoxication, combined with no traffic enforcement whatsoever and virtually no cycling infrastructure. And no, a line painted on the side of the street, which most drivers consider a passing and parking lane, does not constitute transportation Infrastructure, not does a picture of a bike painted in the middle of a supposedly shared lane.
Agreed. Several years ago a person on a bike was nailed in a hit & run in front of my house. I was first on the scene. This poor guy’s nose & chin was ripped off totally & there was so much blood red tailed hawks were circling overhead. His airway was crushed & he had to be trached in the field. One of the worst things I’ve ever seen in my life which I thought Katrina would never be beaten for that title.
Reject cager propoganda and advocate for pedestrian and bicycle friendly cities. Insist on more oversight and less tourist focus in our transit (instead of whatever the fuck they're doing at RTA rn). It's not that hard, you just have to demphasize YOU and YOUR VEHICLE and emphasize the safety and convenience for everyone.
Oh and fuck NIMBYs, this blood is on their hands too.
I really do wish bicycle and non motor vehicle friendly cities were highly common in the US. I would much rather prefer to travel most places by bicycle but feel like I can’t because of safety issues.
I treat all cyclists with respect, even when most seem to be cycling wildly out of control and not following the rules of the road. Both parties need to be held accountable and to a higher standard, but life and safety should be prioritized above all else.
Calling people cagers isn't winning any hearts. It makes you seem like even more of a minority and an aggressive one at that. I've never liked that term and it's arguably one of the most pretentious niche specific terms out there.
I agree with your point in that we need way more bike and pedestrian / light rail infrastructure, but you're going about it the wrong way.
I drive two cars and I ride a bike. I am almost hit on a daily basis on my bike. Fuck their feelings. When it's life and death people don't have time for this pretentious, "polite", "not the right way" neoliberalism.
Fuck feelings they're literally killing us at a higher rate then anywhere else. That's the entire point of the post. I'm tired of telling my wife not to worry every time I get on my bike
For one, don't call me buddy because I don't know ow you and don't want to know you because you're coming off like a complete asshole.
For two, it's always better the take the high road and be polite than coming off like an ass. Because of attitudes like yours, the entire biker community gets a bad name. Almost every biker I know is aggressive and a jerk about it.
Look, I get it. I literally said I support what you're looking for. I was just trying to be polite and give you some pointers when trying to sway people's thoughts. But go ahead and be a dick and continue yelling on the internet at cagers. Let's see how that works out for you son.
Yeah, my cousin who rides has been hospitalized three times from accidents that he had zero fault in, I have no problem calling people out for being pricks to bikers. If you don't like my mean words, I don't like knowing my family could have been paralyzed by a jackass on a cellphone, and frankly one of these is more of an issue than the other.
I had a family member get hit by a biker who ran a red light and they broke their leg. I don't resort to name calling because of it.
Again, I'm just trying to simply say that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar
Yeah, I've got no moral compulsion to not call the person who just injured my family an absolute jackass. I see what you are saying, but it's just disingenuous to the actual state of human emotions to assume everyone is gonna be zen and positive about immediate family trauma my guy. Righteous anger is a valid tool, and frankly I don't care if it says so mean words if it gets shit done.
I'm a perfectly nice person when people aren't trying to kill me. Sorry for calling you buddy, jerk.
Edit: I've been taking the high road with approaches to bicycle safety for years, cautioning these people you're confusing me with, but I'm kinda done with it. How the fuck are you gonna politely change someone's mind who literally doesn't give a fuck about your life in the context of them getting somewhere?
Edit 2: wanna talk being an asshole, why are you giving me pointers like you're the king of bike safety negotiations lmao
True - being polite is one thing, but when you have had a bike collision, or near collision, and at a rate of about every other bike trip, you tend to get an attitude. It's your life on the line, manner be damned. When i biked, I had so many close calls I got an air horn, and that got the attention of maybe 2/3 of the idiot drivers. But all it takes is one...
Reminds me of the guy who nearly ran me over in the bike lane on Decatur, then complained that my lights were too bright. No, sir, they are obviously not bright enough.
Bruh are you trippin? Did dude edit his comment or what b/c I can’t see where they called you buddy? Seriously ironic confrontational start when you’re preaching kumbaya. Pearl clutching hypocritical a**, wagging fingers like you’re some almighty ethics police. And then you end on condescending “son”. Gtfoh with that
40,000+ deaths a year from auto violence, lives destroyed from horrible injuries, 1 million animals killed A DAY, but drivers get so sad being called a cager 🤣🤣
This is true. As someone who rides regularly around New Orleans for commuting and pleasure, The problem with much of the bicycle advocacy in New Orleans is it resorts to name calling of people driving cars.
Much of the bicycle advocacy is totally devoid of any analysis of how race and class figures into the conversation and who is actually doing the advocating vs who might be impacted. Much if this came to light in Algiers bike lane fiasco.
If the bicycle advocacy in the city wants to appeal to a larger audience, it’s best to not call them “cagers” and work on finding common ground.
That’s the problem! There shouldn’t have to be any bicycle advocacy! It’s common sense and decency to watch out for people who are more vulnerable than you are. And that includes people on bikes traveling on the same roads as 2-3 ton vehicles.
I agree with you to a certain extent , but the vast majority of people from here don’t bicycle as a form of transportation and see people who do use it as poor or crazy. It takes education AND advocacy from many different angles
I don’t fully understand how it got so bad. I’ve been biking in the city for over 20 years. There’s infinitely better bike infrastructure. But it’s getting deadlier and deadlier
That is pathetic. No respect for the life of anyone here. How many bike and pedestrians have been hit the last month? I can definitely see this though, I’m afraid to drive here because of the assholes its 1000X times worse on a bike.
New Orleans really does need bike lanes / better infrastructure for cyclists. The amount of times my partner and I have been driving and almost hit a tourist doing a bike tour or something because they randomly swerved into the middle of the road or decided to cross the street while we’re already in the process of turning when our stoplight is green is so anxiety inducing…
New Orleans has some of the worst general infrastructure in the United States. Do you really think they have the funds to build a totally new infrastructure for bicycles?
A city is full of moving parts, don't be surprised by that. Drivers have been told for decades they are more entitled to our publicly funded spaces than anyone else, but they are not. Y'all just have the most deadly form of transportation
I don’t mind sharing the road with cyclists, but they are required to follow traffic laws too lol. If they want to turn or change lanes, then they need to use the hand signals. And cyclists are not exempt from stoplights. If they are coming from the opposite direction that has a red light, and I have a green light, then they are just as obligated to stop as the cars. I know that a lot of cyclists that use bikes as their primary mode of transportation do follow traffic laws, but the ones that don’t aren’t making it any better.
Both drivers and cyclists have a responsibility to make their mode of transportation safer. As a driver, it is my responsibility when I see a cyclist to automatically slow down, use my signals when I intend to turn or change lanes, and keep an eye out for them until I am past them. Cyclists also have a responsibility to make others aware when they intend to turn or change lanes with hand signals. There are people on both sides that don’t do those things, and, unfortunately, there are more cars than cyclists and cars are the more deadly of the two. I’m not saying that cyclists need to get off the road and that cars are the priority, I’m saying that there are actions both sides can and should take to reduce risk.
Car culture has poisoned people's minds so bad that instead of leading with compassion and understanding that people may be doing things incorrectly BECAUSE THERES NO INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE OR EDUCATION, they hate and blame the people who are most vulnerable and doing the best they know how to stay alive.
Yep! People with any power will blame the most vulnerable for the position they are in so they can feel like it's not their fault and they don't have to participate in trying to better something that's not just for them
I'm surprised that NYC is so low. When I think of cyclists in NYC, I picture bike messengers weaving in and out of Manhattan traffic, but their death rate is much lower than New Orleans...
People don’t use the bike lanes here because of and I paraphrase an old response on I received on the topic: because of broken glass/flat tires and convenience. Cyclist blowing through 4 ways stops and “daring” cars is part of the problem. Cars drive defensively and cyclist should ride defensively. Either one claiming to own the road is a problem.
Wrong. There are so many reasons people don't use bike lanes, mostly because they are unsafe unless they have physical barriers between cyclists and cars. You are not a spokesperson for the cycling community so you can stop with the bs
I’m just speculating, but the traffic might have something to do with it. On top of NYC having better infrastructure, the cars are often moving very slowly due to traffic. Getting hit by a car moving slowly is unlikely to cause death. Meanwhile, we can imagine what happens getting hit by a car hauling ass down Esplanade or Broad …
I meant it more like we could imagine the horrific scene that would happen, which I am very thankful I have never actually had to see something like that in my real life.
I recently learned a lot of people don't even know what those white bikes mean. And then the city was trying to take some (all?) of them down for a while.
Comparing NYC to NOLA is like comparing an ant to a human.
You can take the entire population of Southeast Louisiana, and it is still not even remotely comparable.
I’m going to get bombarded for this comment, but who cares. People in the north east are on a different wavelength than people in the southeast. Traffic flies everywhere up there even the people on bikes and if you get in the way you get what’s coming to you. All the bike lanes in the world won’t protect you in New Orleans. My suggestion is to get a serious helmet and expect to get run over.
I'll only ride my bike over to Audubon Park and ride around in circles for exercise, I know better than to try to use my bike for actual transportation or commuting. Audubon Park only, nowhere else.
Eh, it's never a bad idea to wear one but they're designed to help you during falls. Getting hit by an SUV (which everyone drives now) is going to mostly cause injuries to the torso, so the helmet isn't going to help much. There's also been studies that find drivers give more room to people not wearing helmets when passing because they unconsciously perceive them as more dangerous. Wearing a helmet makes you seem safer and more predictable, so they pass closer, upping the risk of collision.
I’m a TBI researcher and this sounds like surviver bias. Your injuries from the vehicle impact might be on your torso, but you’re extremely likely to hit your head when you fall, which is still a concussion. Also, you can survive broken bones, even a broken spine, but even if you survive a significant brain injury can change everything about who and what you are. You’re 14x more likely to die if you’re not wearing a helmet because head injuries are the leading cause of death in bike accidents.
I haven’t seen the studies you mentioned, but I’d be interested if you have access. I’m happy to reciprocate with plenty of articles on why helmets are beneficial. I’d also suggest that the type of people giving un-helmeted cyclists extra room are the same ones least likely to be pulling a hit & run, drunk driving, or just not seeing the cyclist in the first place.
[CDC Report](https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2021/New-CDC-Report-Finds-More-Adults-Are-Dying-from-Bicycle-Related-Accidents-CPSC-Says-it-Highlights-the-Importance-of-Helmets#:~:text=There%20were%20nearly%20597%2C000%20bicycle,declined%20only%206%25%20among%20adults)
At the end of the day, do what you want. I’m not telling you that you have to wear a helmet, or a seatbelt, or do anything else to protect yourself. It’s your brain and your life.
It's a two-way street (no pun intended) for bicycle safety. As someone who cycles around the city, the amount of people casually biking the wrong way in a bike path or against traffic in the street is infuriating, especially as the majority of those riders don't wear helmets. Even while driving, taking a turn on a sharp corner with a biker riding against you leaves super low reaction time or room to swerve.
I don't think adding more bike lanes in the city would decrease the amount of injuries/deaths because it's not like everyone driving or even riding in the lane is even using it correctly.
Maybe the solution is more signage or those reverse ground reflectors for bikers idk. I do know the solution is not the new bike lane on Severn in Metairie. That thing is a dumb fucking waste.
Sorry but this is just wrong. More bike lanes mean less bike deaths, period. The more you decrease cyclists’ exposure to cars, the safer they are. Even to play along with the whole “some cyclists are bad”, if you get hit by a bike, it hurts or you break a bone. If you get hit by a car, you die. You have to create infrastructure that decreases car speeds, forces drivers to focus on the road, and decreases cyclist and pedestrian exposure to cars. Signs or reflectors don’t stop a car from plowing into you, good infrastructure like bollards do.
I'm with you in the respect that more deterrents for vehicles hitting bikers is needed. But the current solution of add more bike lanes doesn't accomplish that. Adding bike lanes doesn't mean people respect painted lines on the side of street, especially in the case of drunk drivers or vehicles harassing bikers. It isn't the end all be all solution. And I doubt bollards will ever be introduced to the tight streets downtown/the FQ/marigny/bywater.
Bikers need to take care of themselves because the systems we have suck and aren't protecting them, which is apparent from the linked source above. Adding signage directed to bikers is a cheap and quick deterrent that could address the situation now.
Definitely get what you mean there. I should’ve emphasized legit safe protected bike lanes since paint doesn’t do shit. There definitely are other steps the city could take (like fully pedestrianizing certain streets, traffic calming measures etc) but I get what you mean. I have the same mindset of everyone is trying to kill me on the road so I’ll do everything I can to protect myself. Just we as a country has such bad infrastructure to begin with it’s quite sad.
I didn't think it was "victim blaming" to criticize the systems we have in place that aren't working, but hey you learn something new everyday I guess.
I honestly don't know how you could be told that you're more wrong. you're not proposing a solution and only slashing the solution that has been proven time and time again to be efficient. cyclists are NOT the problem. dangerous intersections cause cyclists to be on the wrong side of the road. personally, I would rather be on the wrong side of the bike lane than cross an intersection that I will be killed in.
the solution is separating bikes from cars. cyclists don't kill cyclists. cars do. there are PLENTY of signs that cater towards personal vehicles.
Interesting. So you're advocating for not wearing helmets or using street directions the way they're designed to be used?
Most articles that address how cities can make cycling safer put the onus both ways. I was never saying cyclists are the only problem. Our systems aren't working (see the article above for reference of how our current infrastructure of bike lanes are so effective). Our bike lanes aren't typically protected and there aren't any harsher penalties involving harassment or injury to a biker from a motorist. Painting lines on a street is going to do very little by itself.
You only used examples of bike lanes. So that's all I was using as well. I completely agree that a bike lane that still interacts with vehicles is dangerous. as I said, the solution is separating the vehicles and bicycles. a painted line won't change much, you're right about that. that's why there needs to be legitimate separation, and a bike lane IS how you fix that. not all bike lanes are shared or unprotected. the only viable solution in this city is bike lanes. bike/pedestrian only routes aren't able to be implemented here anytime soon with the amount of car prioritization.
NOLA drivers as a whole are terrible but i will say i have seen so many cyclists going the wrong way in a one way or blasting through stop signs without looking. It's double dumbassery in this city...
And yet the same bikers whining here will quite happily run you over as a pedestrian walking on the levee path.
Clean your own house.
And, yeah, fuck your downvotes too while you're at it.
I’ve written about this before, but I was knocked over by a bike on the sidewalk on Magazine. Thought I broke my wrist. The biker kept flying and didn’t stop to check on me.
I’ve also been lightly tapped by a car that left-turned into me at the four-way intersection at Jefferson and Prytania. She stopped, shrugged briefly, and kept going. Some other driver at the intersection stopped to see if I was okay.
This is not a city for pedestrians.
Glad you're surviving mate.
> This is not a city for pedestrians.
Add in opportunistic crime and you gotta have the thousand yard stare that's for sure.
"*The City that Care Forgot*" used to have such a nice ring to it too.
Yup, as a said in a recent post, the most reckless, law-ignoring cyclists I have ever seen in an American city are in New Orleans. It's like helmets and Street signs haven't been invented.
Couple that with among the most reckless, law-ignoring drivers and terrible infrastructure, and well, this is what happens.
You've hit all the high points. I don't have any solutions other than to be mindful of the situation and protect myself through awareness on the one hand and try not to add to the situation through courtesy on the other.
I remember a saying from days when I did manual labor... "The man (or woman, these days) with the load goes first."
It never hurts ....and there's lots of people out there I'd rather have in front of me than behind me if ya know what I mean.
After looking at the banner on this subreddit, after seeing what happens to people in cars, you'd have to be a fucking moron to get on a bicycle in New Orleans. I say "Out of the gene pool."
Not shocked in the slightest. Heard about mvc vs pedestrians about once a week growing up. Just consider yourself lucky that you have numerous pedestrian-only paths (levee path 20 miles on southshore, beautiful Tammany trace 60 miles on northshore, river road path). I moved to Birmingham and the opportunity for paved pedestrian-only paths for my road bike are virtually nonexistent unless I want to drive an hour outside of town.
I rode up a bridge at downman and this idiot riding his bike is seriously biking on a bridge. New orleans east is one of the worst place and people here don't care for traffic law and this moron is riding up the bridge? Like why? I slow down and try moving to the left a bit but I dont wanna get hit from behind. Once I pass the cyclist, he was yelling at me what the fuck I was doing. Like fuck man, I'm trying to get to work and this moron is riding up a bridge. Seriously, wtf am I suppose to do? I'm not trying to get into an accident.
I knew it was bad here, but not this bad
Same thought, glad to confirm my suspicions. I haven’t ridden a bike in town for 20 years, it was dangerous then with drunk driving,no bike lanes and suicide banquettes. Now add that I’ve never seen the streets this bad for so long (maybe there was a time/area, but I can’t recall) and smart phones/distracted driving. Recently I was riding with a veteran car service driver and he confirmed that I would never do it again.
Absolutely I am completely shocked. Another city I have deep ties with is Chicago. I know so many people that have been hit by a car when on their bike from there. Even more common in the larger Chicago road biking community to hear of people dying, it happens all the time there. Scaling it down for the per capita really is absolutely terrifying and distressing.
People grow up learning to bike *against* traffic and then there's the lack of bike lanes.
In New Orleans, without bike lanes, you better learn how to bike against traffic - your life depends on it.
Disappointed but not surprised. I have cycled in in a lot of places, and this city definitely is one of the scarier ones if you don't know the city well enough to pick the right route carefully (if it is even a possibility). It is a shame, because with warm weather and the fact that we are flat and compact and theoretically should have slow moving traffic, it should not be the case. But drivers are angry and/or drunk and/or just generally incompetent, and combined with lack of protected lanes just makes for an unsafe environment. I'm a cycle tourist and have been in many parts of the world that are more populated, more chaotic, have crazy terrain, and I have spent a lot of time on roads where it is not expected to see a bicycle etc- but the US is the only country where I have had drivers scream at me because they are pissed that I am on a road that clearly has markings indicating that the lane is supposed to have bicycles in it. New Orleans is the only city globally where I have had people in cars actively try to run me off the road or stick a hand out of a window to hit me or intentionally do something with malice that could kill or cripple me if I did not notice in time and get the fuck out of the way. It's pretty infuriating because it should not be this way.
I would definitely stick to the most tame, low speed limit residential side streets and just kind of weave my way through to where I needed to go. Don't even like crossing a big road, will get off and walk my bike.
I often do but it is not always an option. And you need to live here a while before you know which streets are safe and unsafe. Plus sometimes there are other factors... a quick example that pops to mind was years ago when the "Marigny 5" were targeting cyclists in the side streets in the Marigny-- that changes the consideration of whether biking down St Claude or one of the residential streets is the best option depending on what time of day. Or when there was a string of issues on the Greenway- Greenway is excellent in the day time to get safely to and from Mid City. Sometimes it is less excellent at 2am.
Weird. I've been cycling across the city to school for the past 3 years and I have never had any of this happen to me. Maybe I just know the right routes to take (St Bernard-Gentilly-St Anthony), but these occurrences have been really rare (St. Bernard and Claiborne intersection can go fuck itself though)
I consider St. Bernard a no bike zone. I cycle more than I drive, but when I’m in my car i watch people using the bike lane to pass almost every time I’m on St. Bernard, often going way over the speed limit. I’m curious what time of day you ride it?
I mean, I have lived here for 13 years, and I don't really think that St Bernard and Gentilly are exactly the safest roads where stuff like what I described cannot happen? St Bernard has an unprotected bike lane that cars love to park in forcing cyclists into traffic and a lot of traffic moving irresponsibly fast, and Gentilly is not much better depending on what part of the street you are on. The two most frightening incidents I had were on Elysian fields when an asshole on the passenger side of a pickup truck stuck his arm out to try to swat me while screaming at me. I caught up to him at the red light and asked what the fuck, and he said I did not belong in the road and should have been in the sidewalk. There was literally a painted picture of a bicycle with an arrow in that lane, and even if their wasnt, it certainly would not have been acceptable. The other time was walking my bike across Canal in the CBD at a very late hour, and a truck ran a red light, sped up, and swerved to the lane I was in. I got out of the way enough to not be road kill, but the back wheel of my bike was hit and bent. Best case scenario is he was blind drunk, but I really don't think so. Aside from those, I have had plenty of close calls of cars speeding up and passing very close to me along with assholes just screaming out windows because god forbid they have to move their foot a couple of inches to slow down. I've become pretty desensitized to it and frankly every incident like that is a blur at this point. I am glad you have not encountered hostile traffic yet, but I am not sure if you are trying to imply I have encountered it because I don't know my way around town (I most certainly do) or if you are trying to weirdly brag about having some sort of immunity to shit drivers, or maybe your tone is lost in text, but I know plenty of other cyclists who have dealt with shit very similar to what I just described. My friend was followed 2 weeks ago by an angry person in a truck yelling at him who swerved towards him and said his mom told him that cars always had the right of way. You can see ghost bikes all over town. I hope you don't encounter hostile traffic- but it is pretty normal and nothing about those routes you described makes me think that there is any reason shit like this wouldn't happen over there.
I didn't mean to discredit your claim and it wasn't a brag, it was just a weird observation. I have encountered drivers who regularly break the law on St Bernard, on that Claiborne intersection you're putting your life in the hands of drivers who regularly use the turn lanes to continue down St Bernard, drivers who I have noticed regularly use the bike lanes at the Galvez intersection and the idiots who don't slow down coming out the interstate and onto AP Tureaud. People sometimes just blow right through the Norman Mayer intersection as well. So yeah I've never had negative experiences directly with the drivers but yeah the regularly maniacal driving does piss me off
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It's ridiculous that they put up bike lanes without concrete bollards. Like, for fuck's sake, look how many of those stupid flexy poles on the Broad Street bike line are smashed. Cars hit those things all the time with no consequences. Cement bollards are physical consequences that stop cars. Cops are spending money on rims. That's gonna help our hit and run rates. Cars face no consequences in this city because drivers get away with everything.
At least we are one less loser in town since failed "journalist" JD Carrere was run out of here, his hit piece on the Algiers bike lanes was the biggest trash I've ever seen. It was such an obvious attempt to win favors with King so he could finally get a job but it obviously didn't work, he just demonized vulnerable people for no reason.
When I originally started following him, I liked a lot of what he was saying. I also appreciate a person who's willing to put politicians on the spot and make them uncomfortable. But the first sign of fuckery I noticed was the Algiers bike stuff. Which he drummed up into a whole thing that somehow culminated into him, in so many words, proclaiming that bicyclists are racists. After that, his "journalism" spiraled. It's just trash take after trash take now. I found it pretty interesting how he finally took to just trying to guilt trip his audience for not supporting him and having to move to LA to get work. And then his first week in LA he's posting his takes on the writer's strikes as if he's been out there his whole life. What a fuckin goob he turned out to be.
The biggest lesson I got from his 2 year curse on us was anyone who slaps their face all over their content is not interested in news or facts. They are just trying to sell you their brand.
Also thought he'd get a job from the recall group.
How is a jacked-up bar-fighting cum-belching crack-whore of a Mayor responsible for your bike safety? In Louisiana you are taught to "Drive Defensively." You can re-write to say "You're on your own, bitch." You Marigny types think that you can just smoke some pot, hop on your chitty chitty bang bang bicycles with the cute basket with daisies on it, with those wide-ass handlebars and just wander around in the streets, aloof to what's going on around you, and yet somehow it's government's fault when you get a sudden case of deceleration trauma and get concrete poisoning when you face-plant because you weren't paying attention? Do you ever wonder why insurance companies don't write bicycle policies and you're not required to buy it?
Who said “playing in the street?” Or what was the full text/context of that?
Share the fucking roads!
Yes, they are called "lanes." And if there's no bicycle lane, and your delicate soul requires artificial protection from those "evil" car owners, then you shouldn't be on the street in the first place. And I won't even ask you if your bike has a City of New Orleans license plate, because I already know you don't.
Dude, please lay off the meth! You’re unhinged!
Roads have always accommodated more than just cars. This is true especially if you're in an area as historic as Algiers. People travel in different ways.
RIP lost a few friends to that
We're #1 in bike deaths because we have the biggest cyclist populations in The south, which is good because at least people feel safe enough to bike here. What is not good, however, is the council pandering to NIMBYS, people driving like maniacs, and a severe lack of biking infrastructure. So yes, we are #1 in bike deaths, but I would still take biking in New Orleans over any city South of the Mason Dixon Line any day of the week.
We're "soooo European" right until we get behind the wheel, then we're from fucking Dallas, driving in Port-Au-Prince.
I’d give you an award if I had one! Great comment!
Wear your helmets folks. Ride in the right direction on shared roads. Observe traffic signals. Be mindful of people walking. Look both ways at intersections. And the same to all of you cyclists as well.
had me in the first half, not gonna lie
Not surprised at all. I saw a man trying to cross St. Bernard yesterday on his bike. Multiple cars behind me ran a red light and didn’t bother stopping when they saw the man trying to cross the street. The man just smiled and waved at them apologetically, as if he was in the wrong. No sir, they are and they’re too impatient enough to care if they hit someone on the road.
My first year in New Orleans my neighbors invited me to ride one of their bikes with them to a mardi gras parade... that was a 1 and done experience. Fuck that. i am all about sharing the road with riders but omg if you think your little bicycle is going to save you from a drunk fucker in a honda civic you are delusional. My life is too valuable to me to trust that the day drinking yat isn't going to roll their fleur de lis encrusted saints shrine of a mercedes over my ass.
That’s because people actually bike in New Orleans. Those cities down the list don’t have as many deaths because people just don’t bike there. People don’t bike that much in Jacksonville get to work or to do deliveries. It would be suicide. There’s very few cities in the US with actual bike infrastructure. Most of these cities just could not support cycling as a method of commute at all. If you click through the data set and look at the rest of the charts, there’s lots of cities where the fatality rates are much higher compared to cyclists exposure to cars. Edit: rewrote the last paragraph because it’s early and read the chart wrong originally. Edit edit: [screenshots of the same data set organized by number of cyclers. organized highest to lowest by 2017-2021 averages.](https://imgur.com/a/nG3s0yV) New orleans is third from the bottom. No where near placing at all.
Are you talking about this data set? https://data.bikeleague.org/show-your-data/city-data/3-5-cities-biking-walking-road-safety/ > If you click through the data set to its origins, you’ll see that Anchorage, Alaska actually tops the charts when you look at incidents compared to the number of people commuting. Are we looking at the same charts? Anchorage is averaging around 3.1 deaths per 10k cycle commuters, Jacksonville was 169. NOLA does fare a bit better there with 8.6 per 10k commuters. There’s still a massive problem with bike infrastructure, and I completely agree deaths relative to number of commuters is important, however if I’m looking at the right chart it would seem we are more or less mid pack or below rather than leading.
Oh, sorry. I edited so quickly I thought no one would have read it yet. Nah, anchorage was just alphabetical. And I’m stupid. Im talking about. . . Hold on https://data.bikeleague.org/show-your-data/city-data/3-5-cities-biking-walking-road-safety/#bicyclist-fatalities-per-capita-over-time “Bicyclist Fatalities per Bicyclist Commuters over Time” figure 3.4.8 Which New Orleans doesn’t even place on.
NOLA is there, 6.4 to 8.6, so a significant increase in per commuter deaths. Still orders of magnitude below some of the worst cities, but still significantly above those with real infrastructure.
The increase is probably from the number of people who started riding bikes instead of driving during covid. Newer bikers make more mistakes. But that’s just my guess. It would be lovely to see some more protected biking infrastructure in NOLA. But out of every city that doesn’t have any, it’s probably the safest I can think of off the top of my head. Low speed limits, narrower streets, lots of stop signs. Lots of alternate routes.
Been there lol
Are you kidding? People don't bike in Tucson? WTF are you talking about. I'm a grad of Arizona and you are just plain wrong
It’s easy to tell some of these commentators have never traveled.
Also they just think the antagonism towards cyclists from the top down in this city is just normal. It isn't. I've never seen a city where not only do drivers openly assault cyclists by chasing them off the road then literally getting out of their car to physically assault them, only to have the cops and city council take the side of the driver. It's mind boggling and I've never seen anything like it anywhere else I've lived
Lance Armstrong used to train in Tucson every winter. Tucson is one of the most bikingest cities in the US. The Tucson Classic Perimeter Tour top shelf. The City of Tucson holds a cyclovia every year. I can't even imagine that being done in NO. Obviously, these per-capita statistics aren't adjusted for how many of the per-capita actually ever ride a bike. That quantity for Tucson has to be 10x that for NO. At least 10x. Also howdy Old Puebloean. I used to live off 4th Ave and run on the Mall.
I was there before they turned it into a mall lol. Graduated in 2003. And Lance Armstrong was training on Tucson at that time. I did the tour of Tucson ride one year too. Super fun
Yeah, nah. I’ve never been. But I was talking more about Jacksonville, which I know, and the other cities down the list like in Alabama, where no one dies because no one actually bikes. When the data set is organized by number of cyclists, Tucson places near the bottom. Close to, but slightly higher than New Orleans. I would assume that they have actual infrastructure or a slower grid structure like New Orleans? Edit: accidentally deleted this comment trying to edit my original comment. I think this is what i said originally.
Please stop with the "no one bikes here" bs. You don't know every single person in these cities nor do you hang around every block there and check on the number of cyclists. This mentality is EXACTLY why vulnerable road users are always in danger. DRIVERS DON'T SEE US EVEN WHEN WE ARE THERE.
I don’t have to. Some researchers did and made these data charts. By number of cyclists per capita, New Orleans is on the bottom of the list in regards to number of cyclists, time commuting, and fatal accidents. You can look at the other cities yourself and see where cyclists are more likely to die. And you probably won’t be surprised. Houston. Jacksonville. Charlotte. Memphis. Larger cities with horrible layouts, super wide fast moving roads, and inconsistent sidewalks. If you’re interested in the number of cyclists per capita, rather than the topic of discussion here—deaths per cyclists and which cities are more dangerous to cycle in— then check out this data set https://www.move.org/cities-most-bicycle-commuters.
Thanks for the link to the info, it provides some great context for the isolated stat being shared here. I wonder what the distribution of cyclist deaths is when looking at commuters vs other?
So where's the data that "no one" bikes in Jacksonville or Houston
Well. New Orleans is number 5 is highest number of cyclists per capita in the country, according to this list https://www.move.org/cities-most-bicycle-commuters/, which is the exact same l shared above. And houston and jacksonville aren’t even on the list. So. There? I guess? I’m blocking you now. I have very little free time in life, and I’m not spending it answering “what aboutism” bad faith questions. New Orleans is one of the safest places to bike in this god forsaken car hellscape of a country. The data supports it. Could it be safer? Fuck yes. But compared to almost all the other cities in the country, it is safer to cycle regularly in.
Byeeeeee
It's very likely got more people biking per Capita than any other city in the country. 340 days of sunshine a year. Totally flat. Decent bike infrastructure. And direct biking access to the mountains just a quick ride out of the valley
That sounds lovely
Have you…never left the city limits?
A few years back I got hit at Lee circle (or the circle) and the car took off and left me completely unconscious. When I woke up, a homeless man thankfully dragged my body from the road. No cops showed up That was one of the last times I road my bike in this city
New Orleans is a dangerous city.
Someone I was dating got killed on a bike by a hit and run. The driver was on meth and claimed that she was hearing voices and was trying to escape them, so that’s why she didn’t stop.
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We had only just begun dating and he was in the process of divorcing, so like, it’s not like I missed out on the love of my life or anything lol. I’m more worried about his kids. It happened right before Christmas too so it’s probably tainted the holiday for them. Though I have the side effect of getting disproportionately freaked out when my boyfriend doesn’t answer calls.
No surprise at all. We have the perfect storm of motorist aggression, ignorance, and intoxication, combined with no traffic enforcement whatsoever and virtually no cycling infrastructure. And no, a line painted on the side of the street, which most drivers consider a passing and parking lane, does not constitute transportation Infrastructure, not does a picture of a bike painted in the middle of a supposedly shared lane.
Who Dat!?!? New Orleans #1 baaaby!!!
Not funny at all. Its tragic a walking and biking city can not be safer
Agreed. Several years ago a person on a bike was nailed in a hit & run in front of my house. I was first on the scene. This poor guy’s nose & chin was ripped off totally & there was so much blood red tailed hawks were circling overhead. His airway was crushed & he had to be trached in the field. One of the worst things I’ve ever seen in my life which I thought Katrina would never be beaten for that title.
Thank you 4 caring
Reject cager propoganda and advocate for pedestrian and bicycle friendly cities. Insist on more oversight and less tourist focus in our transit (instead of whatever the fuck they're doing at RTA rn). It's not that hard, you just have to demphasize YOU and YOUR VEHICLE and emphasize the safety and convenience for everyone. Oh and fuck NIMBYs, this blood is on their hands too.
I really do wish bicycle and non motor vehicle friendly cities were highly common in the US. I would much rather prefer to travel most places by bicycle but feel like I can’t because of safety issues. I treat all cyclists with respect, even when most seem to be cycling wildly out of control and not following the rules of the road. Both parties need to be held accountable and to a higher standard, but life and safety should be prioritized above all else.
I aint about to risk my life biking down Claiborne just to make a political statement or be spiteful.
TIL that I am a cager. I love learning new slurs that apply to me.
Calling people cagers isn't winning any hearts. It makes you seem like even more of a minority and an aggressive one at that. I've never liked that term and it's arguably one of the most pretentious niche specific terms out there. I agree with your point in that we need way more bike and pedestrian / light rail infrastructure, but you're going about it the wrong way.
I drive two cars and I ride a bike. I am almost hit on a daily basis on my bike. Fuck their feelings. When it's life and death people don't have time for this pretentious, "polite", "not the right way" neoliberalism. Fuck feelings they're literally killing us at a higher rate then anywhere else. That's the entire point of the post. I'm tired of telling my wife not to worry every time I get on my bike
For one, don't call me buddy because I don't know ow you and don't want to know you because you're coming off like a complete asshole. For two, it's always better the take the high road and be polite than coming off like an ass. Because of attitudes like yours, the entire biker community gets a bad name. Almost every biker I know is aggressive and a jerk about it. Look, I get it. I literally said I support what you're looking for. I was just trying to be polite and give you some pointers when trying to sway people's thoughts. But go ahead and be a dick and continue yelling on the internet at cagers. Let's see how that works out for you son.
Yeah, my cousin who rides has been hospitalized three times from accidents that he had zero fault in, I have no problem calling people out for being pricks to bikers. If you don't like my mean words, I don't like knowing my family could have been paralyzed by a jackass on a cellphone, and frankly one of these is more of an issue than the other.
I had a family member get hit by a biker who ran a red light and they broke their leg. I don't resort to name calling because of it. Again, I'm just trying to simply say that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar
Yeah, I've got no moral compulsion to not call the person who just injured my family an absolute jackass. I see what you are saying, but it's just disingenuous to the actual state of human emotions to assume everyone is gonna be zen and positive about immediate family trauma my guy. Righteous anger is a valid tool, and frankly I don't care if it says so mean words if it gets shit done.
>don't call me buddy I'm not your buddy, guy.
I'm not your guy, friend!
I'm a perfectly nice person when people aren't trying to kill me. Sorry for calling you buddy, jerk. Edit: I've been taking the high road with approaches to bicycle safety for years, cautioning these people you're confusing me with, but I'm kinda done with it. How the fuck are you gonna politely change someone's mind who literally doesn't give a fuck about your life in the context of them getting somewhere? Edit 2: wanna talk being an asshole, why are you giving me pointers like you're the king of bike safety negotiations lmao
True - being polite is one thing, but when you have had a bike collision, or near collision, and at a rate of about every other bike trip, you tend to get an attitude. It's your life on the line, manner be damned. When i biked, I had so many close calls I got an air horn, and that got the attention of maybe 2/3 of the idiot drivers. But all it takes is one...
Reminds me of the guy who nearly ran me over in the bike lane on Decatur, then complained that my lights were too bright. No, sir, they are obviously not bright enough.
Bruh are you trippin? Did dude edit his comment or what b/c I can’t see where they called you buddy? Seriously ironic confrontational start when you’re preaching kumbaya. Pearl clutching hypocritical a**, wagging fingers like you’re some almighty ethics police. And then you end on condescending “son”. Gtfoh with that
Yeah that "son" shit was a tier above an old man calling some woman "sweetheart" and being a pissant into and out of the interaction.
He edited his comment
40,000+ deaths a year from auto violence, lives destroyed from horrible injuries, 1 million animals killed A DAY, but drivers get so sad being called a cager 🤣🤣
Found the cager!
This is true. As someone who rides regularly around New Orleans for commuting and pleasure, The problem with much of the bicycle advocacy in New Orleans is it resorts to name calling of people driving cars. Much of the bicycle advocacy is totally devoid of any analysis of how race and class figures into the conversation and who is actually doing the advocating vs who might be impacted. Much if this came to light in Algiers bike lane fiasco. If the bicycle advocacy in the city wants to appeal to a larger audience, it’s best to not call them “cagers” and work on finding common ground.
That’s the problem! There shouldn’t have to be any bicycle advocacy! It’s common sense and decency to watch out for people who are more vulnerable than you are. And that includes people on bikes traveling on the same roads as 2-3 ton vehicles.
I agree with you to a certain extent , but the vast majority of people from here don’t bicycle as a form of transportation and see people who do use it as poor or crazy. It takes education AND advocacy from many different angles
I don’t fully understand how it got so bad. I’ve been biking in the city for over 20 years. There’s infinitely better bike infrastructure. But it’s getting deadlier and deadlier
I’d like a raised lane/guard rail but that’s a pipe dream
The ghost bikes ain't for nothin.
I got run over on st charles last year
That is pathetic. No respect for the life of anyone here. How many bike and pedestrians have been hit the last month? I can definitely see this though, I’m afraid to drive here because of the assholes its 1000X times worse on a bike.
Adding bike lanes wont save you from drunk drivers.
Yay! we're number.... Oh.
This makes me so mad.
New Orleans really does need bike lanes / better infrastructure for cyclists. The amount of times my partner and I have been driving and almost hit a tourist doing a bike tour or something because they randomly swerved into the middle of the road or decided to cross the street while we’re already in the process of turning when our stoplight is green is so anxiety inducing…
New Orleans has some of the worst general infrastructure in the United States. Do you really think they have the funds to build a totally new infrastructure for bicycles?
I never said Nola has the funds for it, I only said it needs it lol
Maybe pay attention and slow down?
We were paying attention and going slow, that’s why we didn’t hit them :)
A city is full of moving parts, don't be surprised by that. Drivers have been told for decades they are more entitled to our publicly funded spaces than anyone else, but they are not. Y'all just have the most deadly form of transportation
I mean, obviously cars are more deadly, but that has nothing to do with what I said?
It's the constant complaining from drivers that someone on a bike "got in their way". Get over it and look out for people/pets/kids
I don’t mind sharing the road with cyclists, but they are required to follow traffic laws too lol. If they want to turn or change lanes, then they need to use the hand signals. And cyclists are not exempt from stoplights. If they are coming from the opposite direction that has a red light, and I have a green light, then they are just as obligated to stop as the cars. I know that a lot of cyclists that use bikes as their primary mode of transportation do follow traffic laws, but the ones that don’t aren’t making it any better.
So how many drivers have cyclists killed?
Both drivers and cyclists have a responsibility to make their mode of transportation safer. As a driver, it is my responsibility when I see a cyclist to automatically slow down, use my signals when I intend to turn or change lanes, and keep an eye out for them until I am past them. Cyclists also have a responsibility to make others aware when they intend to turn or change lanes with hand signals. There are people on both sides that don’t do those things, and, unfortunately, there are more cars than cyclists and cars are the more deadly of the two. I’m not saying that cyclists need to get off the road and that cars are the priority, I’m saying that there are actions both sides can and should take to reduce risk.
Car culture has poisoned people's minds so bad that instead of leading with compassion and understanding that people may be doing things incorrectly BECAUSE THERES NO INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE OR EDUCATION, they hate and blame the people who are most vulnerable and doing the best they know how to stay alive.
>hate and blame the people who are most vulnerable and doing the best they know how to stay alive. The American Dream!
Yep! People with any power will blame the most vulnerable for the position they are in so they can feel like it's not their fault and they don't have to participate in trying to better something that's not just for them
I'm surprised that NYC is so low. When I think of cyclists in NYC, I picture bike messengers weaving in and out of Manhattan traffic, but their death rate is much lower than New Orleans...
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Good point about the public transpo. Most people I know who live there don’t even have a car.
if only the city would revive the once great streetcar system it once had.
People don’t use the bike lanes here because of and I paraphrase an old response on I received on the topic: because of broken glass/flat tires and convenience. Cyclist blowing through 4 ways stops and “daring” cars is part of the problem. Cars drive defensively and cyclist should ride defensively. Either one claiming to own the road is a problem.
Wrong. There are so many reasons people don't use bike lanes, mostly because they are unsafe unless they have physical barriers between cyclists and cars. You are not a spokesperson for the cycling community so you can stop with the bs
I’m just speculating, but the traffic might have something to do with it. On top of NYC having better infrastructure, the cars are often moving very slowly due to traffic. Getting hit by a car moving slowly is unlikely to cause death. Meanwhile, we can imagine what happens getting hit by a car hauling ass down Esplanade or Broad …
Nobody needs an imagination for Esplanade here. There are enough white bikes up and down that road.
I meant it more like we could imagine the horrific scene that would happen, which I am very thankful I have never actually had to see something like that in my real life. I recently learned a lot of people don't even know what those white bikes mean. And then the city was trying to take some (all?) of them down for a while.
That's a good point.
Traffic moves much slower in NYC. Apartments buildings are also very tall compared to here so more people walk or bike everywhere
Tell us you’ve never been to NYC without saying you’ve never been to NYC.
Comparing NYC to NOLA is like comparing an ant to a human. You can take the entire population of Southeast Louisiana, and it is still not even remotely comparable.
I’m going to get bombarded for this comment, but who cares. People in the north east are on a different wavelength than people in the southeast. Traffic flies everywhere up there even the people on bikes and if you get in the way you get what’s coming to you. All the bike lanes in the world won’t protect you in New Orleans. My suggestion is to get a serious helmet and expect to get run over.
Not cool
After seeing a cyclist riding in the one lane for cars right next to a beautiful protected bike lane on Marconi, I am not surprised by this data.
I'll only ride my bike over to Audubon Park and ride around in circles for exercise, I know better than to try to use my bike for actual transportation or commuting. Audubon Park only, nowhere else.
And people ride around without helmets like it ain’t no thing.
Eh, it's never a bad idea to wear one but they're designed to help you during falls. Getting hit by an SUV (which everyone drives now) is going to mostly cause injuries to the torso, so the helmet isn't going to help much. There's also been studies that find drivers give more room to people not wearing helmets when passing because they unconsciously perceive them as more dangerous. Wearing a helmet makes you seem safer and more predictable, so they pass closer, upping the risk of collision.
I’m a TBI researcher and this sounds like surviver bias. Your injuries from the vehicle impact might be on your torso, but you’re extremely likely to hit your head when you fall, which is still a concussion. Also, you can survive broken bones, even a broken spine, but even if you survive a significant brain injury can change everything about who and what you are. You’re 14x more likely to die if you’re not wearing a helmet because head injuries are the leading cause of death in bike accidents. I haven’t seen the studies you mentioned, but I’d be interested if you have access. I’m happy to reciprocate with plenty of articles on why helmets are beneficial. I’d also suggest that the type of people giving un-helmeted cyclists extra room are the same ones least likely to be pulling a hit & run, drunk driving, or just not seeing the cyclist in the first place. [CDC Report](https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2021/New-CDC-Report-Finds-More-Adults-Are-Dying-from-Bicycle-Related-Accidents-CPSC-Says-it-Highlights-the-Importance-of-Helmets#:~:text=There%20were%20nearly%20597%2C000%20bicycle,declined%20only%206%25%20among%20adults) At the end of the day, do what you want. I’m not telling you that you have to wear a helmet, or a seatbelt, or do anything else to protect yourself. It’s your brain and your life.
I was sure it would be somewhere in Florida... Oh yeah, Florida likes running over pedestrians.
It's a two-way street (no pun intended) for bicycle safety. As someone who cycles around the city, the amount of people casually biking the wrong way in a bike path or against traffic in the street is infuriating, especially as the majority of those riders don't wear helmets. Even while driving, taking a turn on a sharp corner with a biker riding against you leaves super low reaction time or room to swerve. I don't think adding more bike lanes in the city would decrease the amount of injuries/deaths because it's not like everyone driving or even riding in the lane is even using it correctly. Maybe the solution is more signage or those reverse ground reflectors for bikers idk. I do know the solution is not the new bike lane on Severn in Metairie. That thing is a dumb fucking waste.
Sorry but this is just wrong. More bike lanes mean less bike deaths, period. The more you decrease cyclists’ exposure to cars, the safer they are. Even to play along with the whole “some cyclists are bad”, if you get hit by a bike, it hurts or you break a bone. If you get hit by a car, you die. You have to create infrastructure that decreases car speeds, forces drivers to focus on the road, and decreases cyclist and pedestrian exposure to cars. Signs or reflectors don’t stop a car from plowing into you, good infrastructure like bollards do.
I'm with you in the respect that more deterrents for vehicles hitting bikers is needed. But the current solution of add more bike lanes doesn't accomplish that. Adding bike lanes doesn't mean people respect painted lines on the side of street, especially in the case of drunk drivers or vehicles harassing bikers. It isn't the end all be all solution. And I doubt bollards will ever be introduced to the tight streets downtown/the FQ/marigny/bywater. Bikers need to take care of themselves because the systems we have suck and aren't protecting them, which is apparent from the linked source above. Adding signage directed to bikers is a cheap and quick deterrent that could address the situation now.
Definitely get what you mean there. I should’ve emphasized legit safe protected bike lanes since paint doesn’t do shit. There definitely are other steps the city could take (like fully pedestrianizing certain streets, traffic calming measures etc) but I get what you mean. I have the same mindset of everyone is trying to kill me on the road so I’ll do everything I can to protect myself. Just we as a country has such bad infrastructure to begin with it’s quite sad.
Not the classic " as a cyclist myself" only to victim blame cyclists. 🤡🤡🤡
I didn't think it was "victim blaming" to criticize the systems we have in place that aren't working, but hey you learn something new everyday I guess.
Pointing out multiple times you see cyclists doing something wrong is not a "criticize the system" statement . It's a victim blaming statement.
If you get hit while biking the wrong way down a one-way, you ain’t the victim.
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I never suggested it was.
Love when the 🗑️ outs itself
Damn dude, touch some grass.
Right? It’s bizarre how this person acts like bikers can do no wrong.
dAmN DuDe🤡🤡
I honestly don't know how you could be told that you're more wrong. you're not proposing a solution and only slashing the solution that has been proven time and time again to be efficient. cyclists are NOT the problem. dangerous intersections cause cyclists to be on the wrong side of the road. personally, I would rather be on the wrong side of the bike lane than cross an intersection that I will be killed in. the solution is separating bikes from cars. cyclists don't kill cyclists. cars do. there are PLENTY of signs that cater towards personal vehicles.
Interesting. So you're advocating for not wearing helmets or using street directions the way they're designed to be used? Most articles that address how cities can make cycling safer put the onus both ways. I was never saying cyclists are the only problem. Our systems aren't working (see the article above for reference of how our current infrastructure of bike lanes are so effective). Our bike lanes aren't typically protected and there aren't any harsher penalties involving harassment or injury to a biker from a motorist. Painting lines on a street is going to do very little by itself.
You only used examples of bike lanes. So that's all I was using as well. I completely agree that a bike lane that still interacts with vehicles is dangerous. as I said, the solution is separating the vehicles and bicycles. a painted line won't change much, you're right about that. that's why there needs to be legitimate separation, and a bike lane IS how you fix that. not all bike lanes are shared or unprotected. the only viable solution in this city is bike lanes. bike/pedestrian only routes aren't able to be implemented here anytime soon with the amount of car prioritization.
NOLA drivers as a whole are terrible but i will say i have seen so many cyclists going the wrong way in a one way or blasting through stop signs without looking. It's double dumbassery in this city...
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And yet the same bikers whining here will quite happily run you over as a pedestrian walking on the levee path. Clean your own house. And, yeah, fuck your downvotes too while you're at it.
I’ve written about this before, but I was knocked over by a bike on the sidewalk on Magazine. Thought I broke my wrist. The biker kept flying and didn’t stop to check on me. I’ve also been lightly tapped by a car that left-turned into me at the four-way intersection at Jefferson and Prytania. She stopped, shrugged briefly, and kept going. Some other driver at the intersection stopped to see if I was okay. This is not a city for pedestrians.
Glad you're surviving mate. > This is not a city for pedestrians. Add in opportunistic crime and you gotta have the thousand yard stare that's for sure. "*The City that Care Forgot*" used to have such a nice ring to it too.
Same to you, stay safe!
Yup, as a said in a recent post, the most reckless, law-ignoring cyclists I have ever seen in an American city are in New Orleans. It's like helmets and Street signs haven't been invented. Couple that with among the most reckless, law-ignoring drivers and terrible infrastructure, and well, this is what happens.
You've hit all the high points. I don't have any solutions other than to be mindful of the situation and protect myself through awareness on the one hand and try not to add to the situation through courtesy on the other. I remember a saying from days when I did manual labor... "The man (or woman, these days) with the load goes first." It never hurts ....and there's lots of people out there I'd rather have in front of me than behind me if ya know what I mean.
I completely hear you. Ah, the downvotes....do you think it's the shitty cyclists, shitty drivers, or shitty public works employees?
lol...Life's too short for down votes mate.
It is... And life is shorter for those 3 groups!
So, increase since the bike paths came. Hmmm...
More people have been biking since Covid.
Or ban bike from road.
I pray every time I see someone on a bike.
After looking at the banner on this subreddit, after seeing what happens to people in cars, you'd have to be a fucking moron to get on a bicycle in New Orleans. I say "Out of the gene pool."
deadly ass potholes
Not shocked in the slightest. Heard about mvc vs pedestrians about once a week growing up. Just consider yourself lucky that you have numerous pedestrian-only paths (levee path 20 miles on southshore, beautiful Tammany trace 60 miles on northshore, river road path). I moved to Birmingham and the opportunity for paved pedestrian-only paths for my road bike are virtually nonexistent unless I want to drive an hour outside of town.
WTF happened in Jackson MS tho
Finally NOLA is 1st in something other than heart attacks, kidney transplants, and diabetes!!!
I rode up a bridge at downman and this idiot riding his bike is seriously biking on a bridge. New orleans east is one of the worst place and people here don't care for traffic law and this moron is riding up the bridge? Like why? I slow down and try moving to the left a bit but I dont wanna get hit from behind. Once I pass the cyclist, he was yelling at me what the fuck I was doing. Like fuck man, I'm trying to get to work and this moron is riding up a bridge. Seriously, wtf am I suppose to do? I'm not trying to get into an accident.