New Orleans Neighborhoods Partnership Network

June 8th 2011

KidsWalk Coalition study finds hazardous walking conditions, recommends policies to City and Schools

The KidsWalk Coalition has released “Stepping to School: An Assessment of Neighborhood Walkability and Solutions for a Safer, Healthier New Orleans.”
The report indicates that 60 percent of New Orleans public school areas surveyed lack safe environments for walking and biking to school. It features results of walkability surveys of the areas surrounding all public elementary and middle schools in New Orleans covering nearly 175 miles of sidewalks.

The survey revealed that in total, more than one in five miles of sidewalks are in poor condition or missing altogether, hundreds of crosswalks are worn beyond recognition and over half of all intersection corners lack curb ramps. Only one school area surveyed received a “Good” rating in the report, and more than 30 school areas received a “Hazardous” rating.

Ranking fourth in the nation for prevalence of childhood obesity, only about one in three Louisiana children meet national recommendations for physical activity. Studies show providing safe, walkable and bikeable urban environments are proven ways to better public health by encouraging residents to be physically active.

The report recommends that the City of New Orleans prioritize and fund pedestrian safety improvements around schools; create and fund a sidewalk maintenance program; include pedestrian and bicycle-friendly provisions in the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance; better coordinate with utility providers to make street repairs; consider inspecting sidewalks through Code Enforcement; adopt and implement a city-wide “Complete Streets” policy; and adopt and fund an ADA Transition Plan.

Visit http://www.KidsWalkNOLA.org or call 988-7778 to learn more about what you can do to help make these recommendations reality.

November 1st 2010

Registration now open for Walk & Roll Louisiana 2010

Registration is now open for Walk & Roll Louisiana 2010. At this community summit, families, citizen advocates and policymakers from New Orleans and around Louisiana will join together to advance the cause of making our streets safer for all users. If you walk, bike or ride public transit in New Orleans and want to learn how to make our streets safer for everyone, register today, then join us on Saturday, November 13 at the Sojourner Truth Neighborhood Center, located at 2200 Lafitte Street.

It’s free and open to the public, but registration is required! To register, visit http://www.WalkandRollLouisiana.org or call 504.988.7778.

The event will feature keynote speakers, a walking tour of the Lafitte Greenway, workshops on ways to improve community streets and bicycle safety trainings, helmet giveaways and other games for kids.

Walk & Roll Louisiana 2010 is a joint effort of members of the KidsWalk Coalition, including AARP, the Metro Bicycle Coalition, the Prevention Research Center at Tulane University, the University of New Orleans Center for Urban and Public Affairs, the City of New Orleans Department of Public Works, the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission, the Louisiana Public Health Institute and many others. The KidsWalk Coalition is dedicated to improving youth health in New Orleans by providing safe environments for physical activity in New Orleans.