NolaCycle wins the Crescent Fund (along with 2 others)!

Crescent Fund Update:

Thanks to everyone who voted for us! We’re really excited to get this cash infusion so we can move forward with getting incorporated as a non-profit and putting money towards the printing! Look for a “Bike to the Market” map in the summer on Market Umbrella and Crescent City Farmers Market’s websites!

Meeting with the City Update:

Also, our meeting with the city folks I was talking about should be happening soon! I’m pretty excited about that. I’ve had some really great conversations with people over their bike facilities desires for the city.

I think the next step after this is maybe to have a New Orleans Cyclists Round Table event where we can get everyone working on advocacy in the same room and work on some common goals. I feel like people working in direct action (bike co-ops, event organizing), policy recommendations, and policy making aren’t really communicating that well. I try to bridge that gap as much as possible, but it’s amazing to me who doesn’t know each other here. While we all like promoting cycling in different ways, I think we could all work together to achieve our common goals faster.

Nicole from MBC and I were talking about maybe hosting a big social event just to get people introduced to one another before we start working on well, work. Hopefully we can get that organized over the summer when I get back in town (which will be mid-June/early July).

Please vote for use for the Crescent Fund + new mapping events

Crescent Fund
NolaCycle Bike Map Project applied for Market Umbrella’s Crescent Fund this spring. It’s a micro-credit loan of $500 that we can pay back through time (volunteering), talent (providing a service to the Crescent City Farmers Market or Market Umbrella), or treasure (money – something we don’t have so we won’t be doing that…).

We need your help to get this money though! You can vote online March 2-9 or in-person at the farmers market Uptown on Tuesday March 3rd or the downtown on Saturday March 9th. Please look over our proposal and vote!

You can vote online at:
http://www.crescentcityfarmersmarket.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=176&cntnt01origid=15&cntnt01returnid=62

Mapping Events
We’re wrapping up mapping events for the first NolaCycle bike map, so please try to make it out this March! So far, I’ve scheduled these events:

Saturday March 7, 3pm: Upper 9th Ward. Meet at RUBARB, located at N. Tonti and Gallier.
Sunday March 8, 3pm: 7th Ward. Meet at the neutral ground at Bayou Rd, N. Tonti St, and Esplanade Ave.
Saturday March 14, 4pm: Gretna (and Upper Algiers). Meet at the neutral ground of Huey P. Long Ave near the ferry landing.

I know Gretna is a bit of a hike for a lot of you, especially since the ferry doesn’t run on the weekends, but it really isn’t a very long bike ride from the Algiers Ferry to Old Gretna. The levee path is a really nice ride and will drop you off right where we’re meeting. Also, there is a farmers market and an art market in Gretna earlier in the day if you’d like to attend those. I’m planning on some super good West Bank Vietnamese at Pho Tau Bay once we’re finished as well. All it all, what I’m trying to say is, it’s worth the trip. The mayor of Gretna is interested in promoting cycling in his town, so we’re interested in helping him do that.

Hope to see you out at one of the events and don’t forget to vote!