Jefferson Parish (LA) takes baby step to include bicycling in transportation plans

     Completing the path along Lake Pontchartrain, developing bicycle routes from the Mississippi River to the lake and teaching police about bicycle laws, were a few of the suggestions offered by a group of about 50 people attending a public forum at the East Bank Regional Library that will eventually lead to the development of a parish-wide Bicycle Master Plan for Jefferson Parish.
     Once developed the plan will serve as an official "blueprint" for making bicycling safer and easier in the sprawling parish.  The plan itself, a product of the Regional Planning Commission (RPC), will not create facilities but will be used to coordinate projects as money comes available, a fact sheet from the meeting said.  The RPC develops plans for a five parish area including Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, and St. Tammany parishes.
     A second public forum will be held on the West Bank, Wednesday, January 30 at the West Bank Regional Library at 2751 Manhattan Blvd. beginning at 6:30 p.m. to give residents of the West Bank a chance to make suggestions.
     Suggestions from the two meetings will be refined by the urban planning firms working on the project (there are five) into broad concepts that will be discussed at public forums in about a month, said Matthew Rufo, senior planner with GCR Inc. and lead presenter at the meetings.
     For more information, to ask questions, offer suggestions and to receive emails of upcoming meetings go to www.JeffParishBikePlan.org.  You can also participate by following the project on Twitter:@JeffBikePlan or "like" the project Facebook page: facebook.com/JeffParishBikePlan.
     For other RPC projects visit www.norpc.org.

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