Welcome to round two of Bike Easys advocacy round up! This newsletter aims to give New Orleans-area residents insight into advocacy campaigns and opportunities to take action for better biking and complete streets.POLICY UPDATESFederal FundingNew Orleans has received $49.97 million from the Environmental Protection Agencyto support greenhouse gas reduction measures, including building new bike lanes and an e-bike rebate program.Blue Bikes Program ExpansionThe city of New Orleans will receive a $1.7 million grant from the United StatesDepartment of Energyto expand the citys Blue Bikes e-bike sharing system and provide worker training to new mechanics.New Orleans East GrantNew Orleans East received $65.5 million for bike lanes and pedestrian bridges.Federal money from the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program will make improvements by constructing shared-use trails along the north and south I-10 service roads, trail connections at existing interchanges and three non-motorized bridges crossing the interstate.Tree Canopy ImprovementsNew Orleans has received funding for tree canopy projects from a variety of sources, including the city, the federal government, and nonprofits. This includes funding for maintenance of existing tree canopy, tree planting in neighborhoods currently lack in tree canopy, and workforce development in the field of urban forestry.CALLS TO ACTIONSupport the Poydras Street Bike LanesAs part of the current scope of work on Poydras St, which includes:Patching, milling, and resurfacing the street, re-striping, sidewalk repairs, installation of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant ramps where needed, and driveway apron repairs;a bike lane will be added in both directions on Poydras Street between Loyola Avenue and Convention Center Blvd. Preparations for striping work are now underway. This project honors our Complete Streets Policy which is meant to drive all new construction and factor in the needs of all road users when possible. It is important to clarify that this project does not include any lane reductions.Show your support for the Poydras Street safety improvements by contacting these councilmembers:District B Councilmember Harris Lesli.Harris@nola.govTransportation Committee Chair Councilmember Green Eugene.Green@nola.govCouncilmember At-Large Moreno helena.moreno@nola.govCouncilmeber At-Large Morell JP.Morrell@nola.govSafer St. ClaudeFor over a year, Bike Easy and the New Orleans Complete Streets Coalition have been holding stakeholders meetings to discuss improving safety for people biking and walking through and across state roads, in particular, St. Claude Avenue. Discussions are ongoing with the City, LADOTD, the the Mayors Office ofNighttime Economy, the Office of Sustainability and Resiliency, Councilmember Kings Office, and other stakeholders to discuss short and long-term solutions for improving transportation safety on the corridor, including an ask for protected bike lanes.Show your support for proposed safety improvements on St. Claude by contacting:Scott Boyle, District 02 Engineer Administrator Scott.Boyle@la.govNicole Rizzo,Asst. District Traffic Engineer Nicole.Rizzo@la.govDistrict C Councilmember Freddie King III Freddie.King@nola.govState ReprsentativeCandace Newell hse099@legis.la.govGet Registered to VoteEarly voting begins today!Make sure you are registered to votein Louisiana. Show up to vote and make your voice heard. Local amendments are where your vote can count the most!Updates from Last Advocacy RoundupRiver District Design ProgressSince our last roundup, representatives from the River District have presented at the Bike Easy Policy & Design Committee and New Orleans Complete Streets Coalition meetings, and have established an open line of communication.Planned Road Construction on US90We have not yet received any confirmation about the inclusion of a bike lane on new roadwork on Broad Street from Tulane Ave to Bienville. This project will include repaving, and does not include any clear design for a bike lane (a missed opportunity to improve a much needed connection in that corridor). Continue to request clarity on this projects inclusion of bikeway infrastructure, and inquire about their community outreach and feasibility studies directing these decisions by reaching out to:Scott Boyle, District 02 Engineer Administrator Scott.Boyle@la.govNicole Rizzo,Asst. District Traffic Engineer Nicole.Rizzo@la.govDistrict B Council Member Lesli Harris Lesli.Harris@nola.govState Representative Alonzo Knox aknox@legis.la.govSenator Jimmy Harris harrisj@legis.la.govSenator Royce Duplessis sen05@legis.la.govWant to get more involved in any of these initiatives? Reach out to laura@bikeeasy.org