Frequently Asked Questions

At some intersections along project corridors, changes may be made to the curbline, either through concrete work or striping.  These changes are often intended to improve safety at an intersection by narrowing the roadway to shorten pedestrian crossing distances, tightening corner radii to promote slower and safer turning speeds for vehicles, or to maintain clear sight lines.  In some cases, the changes to the curbline creates space to remove impervious surfaces and/or include stormwater management opportunities to improve drainage conditions.

Parking protected bike lanes are designed with the bike lane against the curb and a buffer space and on-street parking between the bike lane and the general travel lane(s).  This design creates a greater separation between people bicycling and motor vehicle traffic and clearer expectations for roadway users as to where to expect to encounter each other, increasing roadway safety.  This design also reduces pedestrian crossing distances by breaking up the crossing with the parking lane, increasing safety for people walking.  Design considerations are made to maintain sight lines at intersections and driveways

The City and our partners in the community have and continue to implement various education and outreach efforts to raise understanding and awareness of safety and traffic laws for people walking, bicycling, and driving.  This includes media campaigns, printed materials, and workshops.  These education and awareness initiatives are ongoing efforts, similar to other traffic safety messaging around seat belt use or distracted driving.

Additionally, building infrastructure that supports various modes of travel promotes safe and proper usage of the road.  In partnership with the University of New Orleans, we've documented that when bicycle infrastructure is added to a roadway, there is an increase in the percentage of people using the roadway properly.

The Moving New Orleans Bikes public engagement process started in 2019.  Several hundred people attended 11 public meetings and over 2,200 people shared comments through the online feedback map.  Details on this process, including presentations from all the meetings are posted on the Moving New Orleans Bikes website.  As projects now move into implementation, public engagement around specific projects will continue including conceptual design and pre-construction meetings for groups of roadways.

Some projects designs will involve reconfiguring the roadway layout, this is sometimes known as a road diet.  A road diet is generally described as removing travel lanes from a roadway and utilizing the space for other uses or modes, and is one of the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) 20 proven countermeasures for improving roadway safety.

This design approach improves safety by better utilizing the roadway space to create safer and more comfortable roadways for all users, people walking, bicycling, and driving.  Wide multi-lane roads allow and even encourage people to drive at high speeds, which is a leading cause of crashes.  The reconfiguration acts as traffic calming, slowing the speed of motor vehicle traffic and improving safety for everyone.

The Department of Public Works Traffic Engineering Division reviews any roadway being considered for reconfiguration to ensure that traffic volumes are within acceptable ranges for the number of lanes being proposed.  This ensures that roadway designs are balanced to meet the needs of all users in a safe manner.