Biking in New Orleans

I have heard biking in New Orleans described a thousand different ways since moving to the city but I think the best one to date has been that “Biking in New Orleans can be compared to a big video game, except that if you lose you can actually die, and half the people in the game are either drunk or don’t care.”

Yet I still get up and ride my bike from my uptown apartment to the Tidewater building each morning and back again at night. Why? Mostly because on average it’s quicker.  While my roommate’s roughly 4 mile drive takes anywhere from 7 to 20+ minutes depending on the time, day of the week, and whatever unorganized construction project that may be underway, my roughly 3 mile journey takes me on average about 15 minutes.  My personal record is 11 minutes.  Other pros include: Physical exercise helps help eliminate some of the calories gained the night before.  Avoiding the daily parking fee, which if you leave and have to come back ends up costing double, and even if you pay can somehow lead to a boot or ticket.  You do your part in saving the environment.  You save gas money; in fact I only fill up about once a month and that’s not because my truck is anywhere close to fuel efficient.  Finally, and most importantly, it means you are completely awake, if not a little on edge, for your 8:00 Immunology class.



Will



As with all good things there are, however, various cons.  A couple of things that pop into my head include: The "caring" awareness of the typical New Orleanian driver.  The street car tracks embedded in St. Charles and Carondelet...  The fact that you are often a bit sweatier than the rest of your classmates at 8:30 in the morning.  And finally the overall autobahn-like condition of most NOLA streets.  Here are some suggestions to hopefully make your NOLA biking experience more enjoyable.

Some Do’s and Don’ts of Biking in NOLA.

-     Don’t be stupid, wear a helmet and well-tied closed toe shoes.



Krystal & Will



-     Seriously consider carrying a fresh inner-tube and the tools to swap it out.  You will    inevitably get a flat and making the long walk to your destination seriously sucks...  (In fact, I had to use mine this morning.)

-    Get a good lock & if possible bring your bike inside.  People will steal absolutely anything if you let them.

-    Get lights.  The roads are bad and people can’t see you.

-    It’s illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk in New Orleans, not to mention you wouldn’t want to.  On a road-bike you may feel like you are riding a stage of a race in the Sierra Nevada’s.

 

Kelly & I crossing Canal St. traffic.



-     Be careful near the street car tracks embedded in the streets.  Especially if you’re on a road bike.  The groove in the track happens to be the perfect size to grab your tire and flip you off your bike.  I know this from my personal experience last night; road-rash from slamming into the pavement at full-tilt sucks...

-     Watch out for cars.  Even if you have the right of way they usually don’t care, and again from personal experience, getting hit is not enjoyable.  And don’t be fooled, parked cars are dangerous to!  All it takes is one abruptly opened car door on St. Charles to ruin your day, and your bike.

-     It can spontaneously begin raining really hard in NOLA so carry something waterproof to protect your computer, notes, phone, etc. in case of an impromptu rainstorm.  A garbage bag works well.

-    Riding in the rain can be iffy so slow down and remember that your brakes often just refuse to work.

Furthermore, if you’re not mechanically inclined you should find yourself a good bike shop.  Some are better than others and rates vary.  Here is a list of shops spread throughout NOLA.

Jefferson

                Bicycle World of Louisiana- 701 Jefferson Hwy

East Carrolton

                GNO Cyclery- 1426 South Carrolton Ave.

Uptown

                Mike the Bike Guy- 4411 Magazine St.

Marigny/Bywater

                Bicycle Michael’s- 622 Frenchman St.

                Gerken’s Bike Shop- 2803 Saint Claude Ave.

Mid-City

                Bayou Bicycles- 3530 Toulouse St.            

So, I guess, if I were to describe biking in NOLA I’d say it was fun, adrenalin-filled, chaotic, and a bit unhinged.  I hope these ramblings prove useful and don’t deter you from joining the ultimate game of “Frogger.”



Kelly, Will, Matt- Tidewater Building