New Orleans Bike Share

Blue Bikes Are Back

The City of New Orleans, in partnership with the local non-profit Blue Krewe, relauched Blue Bikes on August 23, 2021 with a new fleet of over 500 pedal-assist e-bikes.  Residents and visitors can access bike share by downloading the Blue Bikes Nola app and select from the Monthy membership, the Blue Bikes for All membership, or Pay-As-You-Go options.  Learn more below or at www.bluebikesnola.com

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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 external link 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.

 

Why is bike share great for New Orleans?

Low-cost transportation system

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 have affordable pricing options (including options for low-income residents). That’s a lot more money for things you need and want.

Makes biking easy to try and more convenient for existing bicyclists

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.

Works with transit

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.

Parking relief

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.

Supports the local economy

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.

Promotes health and wellbeing

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 wellbeing.

It’s safe

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.

Biking is fun!

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.