photos by Charlie London
Social Bicycles is the program operator for the bike sharing program in New Orleans. Here is what they have to say about the Blue Bikes: “Blue Bikes is the fun new way to get around New Orleans. Whether you’re heading to work, to meet friends for dinner, or just want to explore the city, Blue Bikes offer a convenient, fun, and healthy way to experience the city you love.” More at:
https://bluebikesnola.com/
Gambit had this to say, “The bikes will be available 24 hours a day at kiosks throughout the city. Riders will have to download a smartphone app and start an account to access the bikes. A monthly pass is $15, which covers up to one hour of riding a day. The city also will offer a pass for low-income riders at $1.67 a month ($20 a year). There also is a “pay-as-you-go” rate for $8 per hour of use.
Each three-speed, blue-colored bike is equipped with GPS and “remote locking capabilities” and front and rear lights and a basket. Riders also can track their miles pedaled, calories burned and amount of carbon they offset by riding rather than driving.”
Just down the street from Parkway Bakery on Hagan St.
Places where you can check out the Blue Bikes in and around Faubourg St. John:
- Carrollton & Lafitte Greenway, 401 N. Carrollton Ave., 20 bikes
- Jefferson Davis & Lafitte Greenway, 3400 Conti St., New Orleans, 20 bikes
- Sojourner Truth Center, 598 Galvez St., 25 bikes
- Lafitte & Roman, 602 N Roman St., 20 bikes
- Broad & Bienville, 2699 Bienville St., 20 bikes
- Broad & Banks, 637 Banks St., 14 bikes
- Broad & Ursulines, 2716 Ursulines Ave., 20 bikes
- Bayou & Broad, 2564 Bayou Rd., 14 bikes
- University Medical Center – VA, 2200 Canal St., 14 bikes
- LSU Health Sciences Center, 499 Bolivar St., 20 bikes
- Orleans & Miro, 2301 Orleans Ave., 14 bikes
- Esplanade & Derbigny, 1624 Esplanade Ave., 14 bikes
- Galvez & Esplanade, 1362 N Galvez St., 20 bikes
- Esplanade & Desoto, 2790 Desoto St., 14 bikes
- Esplanade & Ponce de Leon, 3201 Ponce de Leon St., 14 bikes
- City Park – Esplanade, 3494 Esplanade Ave., 20 bikes
- City Park – Casino Building, 56 Dreyfous Dr., 20 bikes
Info below courtesy The City of New Orleans at https://www.nola.gov/bike-share/
New Orleans Bike Share
Bike Share Phase 1 Map Released!
The City of New Orleans, in partnership with Social Bicycles, Inc 
(SoBi), launched bike share on December 5, 2017. It’s a new and affordable transportation system for residents to move through the city. Bikes and stations are available and will roll-out in waves over 4-6 weeks. Click the image below to download a map of the initial 70 stations. Click here for an interactive map. To learn more about how these locations were identified, check out the Station Siting section.
Other Updates:
- Bike share service has launched with stations and bikes rolling out over 4-6 weeks. The launch schedule has been updated in the Station Siting section.
- Results from the online poll have been published in the Documents section.
Page Contents:
- What is bike share?
- Why is bike share great for New Orleans?
- How will station locations be determined?
- Answers to other frequently asked questions
What is bike share?
Bike share is a fun, healthy, and convenient transit option that is already operating in many major cities across the country and around the globe. Bike share technology offers online and on-the-spot opportunities to reserve and rent a bike that will take you where you need to go.
At the end of a journey, just drop it off at the nearest bike share station. You can pick up another when you need it next. Bike share is growing rapidly worldwide as a popular and fun transit system. It has been shown to encourage people to drive less, support local business, improve street safety, increase personal health, and enjoy the community more.
The goal is to provide a seamless, sustainable, and affordable mode of transportation. It is designed to serve all residents, improve neighborhood quality of life, and provide year-round, equitable access to worksites and destinations.
Watch an overview video of how bike share works by clicking below:
Why is bike share great for New Orleans?
Many people think of biking as a recreational activity or something for kids. In fact, biking is an easy and often faster way to make shorter trips, usually under three miles. Whether it’s for work, school or running errands, bike share means you always have a bike available as an option for those shorter trips.
The more you bike instead of drive, the more money you can save on your transportation costs. In fact average spending on vehicles (including purchase, fuel, maintenance and insurance) cost households about $708 a month! The bike share program will cost $15 a month (and even less for low-income residents). That’s a lot more money for things you need and want.
There are many reasons people resist riding bikes. Owning and maintaining a bicycle is a big one. Even if you have a bike already, many time you find yourself without one and wishing you could make a short one-way ride. Bike share solves these problems. It’s an easy way to try riding to work without committing to owning one. Say you drive downtown to work, imagine where you could go for a quick trip during the day without having to park again! Grab lunch or run an errand. Several researchers have found big increases in people new to bike riding as a result of have bike share available in their community.
Transit integration is a vital component to bike share. Many trips on transit can be made easier with bike share by eliminating a long walk or transfer to another bus or streetcar to get to your final destination. In some cities , transit use has even increased as a result of adding bike share. Best practices in placing bike share stations strongly recommend identifying locations that are directly visible from busy bus and streetcar stations for easy connection between systems.
Just as bike share can seamlessly connect with transit, it also works with cars. Some people may find they are close enough to give up driving altogether. A 2015 study of four North American cities show bike share participants drove 25% to 52% less. While many people may find it easy and convenient to just use bike share, many people still need to their car to get around, particularly for long distances. However, once parked, bike share makes for a very convenient way to move around, particularly in parts of the city where parking is difficult or expensive. Bike share can also allow someone to park a little further away and avoid parking meters and tickets.
Not only can biking regularly reduce monthly transportation expenses, but new research finds people who ride bikes actually spend more in local stores than people who drive. Travelling by bike means noticing more around you. And even though people sometimes don’t spend as much on each trip (bikes have small baskets) they shop more often, putting more dollars into the local economy. Business immediately next to bike share stations have also seen big boosts thanks to a steady supply of potential customers.
No need to drive to the gym – biking from A to B keeps you active and moving without requiring separate time for fitness. Active commuting has been shown many times over to reduce stress and improve overall well-being.
An extensive study on bike share safety found a much lower risk of collision and injury with bike share than riding a personal bike, even with lower helmet use. According to researchers there are a number of factors behind this, but the primary ones are 1) safer bikes that are slower with bright colors and better lights; and 2) more casual riders who tend to be more cautious and follow the rules of the road
When you can ride a bike for your commute to work or even to run an errand, you feel much more joyful. The hassle and stress of traffic and finding parking is behind you. Biking connects you to your community in a completely different way that makes any trip feel fun.
Charlie's Neighborhood News 