Connect the Nine Community Festival & Bike Ride

kidswalknola — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 23:09:16 +0000

Connect the Nine, CSED, The Sierra Club, KidsWalk Coalition, The Green Project, Bike Easy

When:

Saturday, March 09, 2013 from 10:30 am – 3:00 pm

Where:

Festival Location: Lower 9th Ward Village, 1001 Charbonnet Street, New Orleans, LA 70117, (504) 304-7868
Ride Starts: Green Project, 2831 Marais Street, New Orleans, LA 70117

Cost:

Free! Ride Starts at 10:30am – no registration necessary, all ages welcome!

Details:

Join Us for the Connect the Nine Community Festival & Bike Ride! Come learn what we can do as a community to provide better resources, access, and improve road conditions and our safety in the Lower 9 and 9th Ward. The ride, which begins at 10:30am at the Green Project (2831 Marais), will take riders across the St. Claude Avenue Bridge, stop at the Make It Right houses and Bayou Bienvenue, and culminate in a free community festival at the Lower 9th Ward Village.

In addition to the community bicycle workshop, the festival will include:

-A basic bicycle repair station
-Free food & beverages
-Bicycle light giveaways
-Tabling by local community organizations
-“Make the St. Claude Bridge Safe” petition signing
-A personal stories video booth to gather input from the community

RSVP to Breakfast Roundtable with Community Safety Advocates and Law Enforcement Officials

kidswalknola — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 18:58:23 +0000

The KidsWalk Coalition will host its next Breakfast Roundtable on Community Safety and Enforcement on Thursday, Nov. 8.

The roundtable will be led by Jim Letten, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana; Dr. Peter Scharf, Research Professor in the Department of Global Health Systems and Development at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine; and Joe Sherman, Resident and Member of Carrollton Hollygrove CDC.

Where: Mike’s on the Avenue, 628 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana 70130. Breakfast served.

When: 8 to 9:30 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 8.

Thanks to the support of Amerigroup, this event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited, so please RSVP to ndoerner@tulane.edu.

New Orleans Complete Streets policy gets recognized as a model for the U.S.

kidswalknola — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 18:54:05 +0000

Special thanks to the Complete Streets Coalition for naming New Orleans’ policy one of the best in the country! Check out the NOLA.com article here.

Next Coalition meeting is Tuesday September 25

kidswalknola — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 21:12:22 +0000

Mark your calendars for the next KidsWalk Coalition quarterly meeting, taking place:

Tuesday, September 25
1:00pm-2:30pm
1440 Canal Street, Suite 2301, New Orleans

Please stay tuned for an agenda.

Safe Routes National Partnership presents two free webinars this month

kidswalknola — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 19:47:38 +0000

From the Safe Routes to School National Partnership:

“This summer, we have produced a flurry of updates, e-mail announcements and blog posts about the impact of the new transportation bill, MAP-

21, on Safe Routes to School, bicycling and walking. We know that amount of information can be daunting as you try to figure out what’s next for your community and your state.

The League of American Bicyclists, the Alliance for Bicycling and Walking and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership are partnering to offer a series of webinars on the implications of MAP-21 for Safe Routes to School, bicycling and walking.

Registration is now open for the first two webinars – see below for the details on each. This is your chance to hear from the national organizations who worked on MAP-21 about the details of the legislation and how you can get involved in efforts in your state to maximize funding for Safe Routes to School, bicycling and walking. Plus, there will be time on each webinar for you to ask questions.

Webinar 1: The ABCs of MAP-21
Monday, August 13, 2012 from 2:00pm-3:30pm EDT
The first of the Navigating MAP 21 webinar series, this session will explain the basics of the new law, what it means for bicyclists and how we can harness the opportunities to fund bicycling and walking projects and programs. Join Caron Whitaker, campaign manager for America Bikes; Randy Neufeld, director of SRAM Cycling Fund; and Darren Flusche, policy director for the League of American Bicyclists and Advocacy Advance.
Register now for the ABCs of MAP-21!

Webinar 2: Navigating MAP-21: The Safe Routes to School Edition
Monday, August 27, 2012 from 2:00pm-3:00pm EDT
This webinar builds on the “Navigating MAP-21” series being held by the League of American Bicyclists and the Alliance for Bicycling and Walking. This webinar focuses specifically on the impact of the new transportation law, MAP-21, on Safe Routes to School, and what you can do to ensure that Safe Routes to School survives and thrives in your community and state. Join Margo Pedroso, deputy director, and Robert Ping, technical assistance director, from the Safe Routes to School National Partnership for this informative session.
Register now for the Safe Routes to School Edition of Navigating MAP-21!

There will be additional webinars in this series, so stay tuned for future announcements.

*Long distance charges apply accordingly if you choose to call in to the webinar.
**Recordings of the webinar will be available after the original broadcasts.”

New school zone times to start in August

kidswalknola — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:23:46 +0000

Ever notice that New Orleans schools often let out far later in the day than current school zone times? With increasingly longer school days, our school zones are woefully obsolete. That’s why the city is changing its times this summer in preparation for the 2012-2013 school year. The times will change from 7:30am-8:45am to 7:00am-9:00am and from 2:30pm-3:45pm to 2:45pm-4:45pm. The KidsWalk Coalition informed this decision by reaching out to public schools to determine their various start and close times.

We applaud the this change to accommodate shifting school operation schedules. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle moving 20 mph has a 5 percent chance of dying. As vehicle speed increases to 30 mph and 40 mph, the likelihood that the pedestrian will be killed increases to 45 percent and 85 percent respectively (U.K. Department of Transportation, Killing Speed and Saving Lives, London, 1987). By slowing driver speeds, the expanded school zone hours will enhance the much-need opportunity for New Orleans children and families to be physically active by walking and biking to school.

National Medical Association & Xavier University of Louisiana presents “Walk a Mile with a Child” July 28

kidswalknola — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 17:31:51 +0000

The National Medical Association is holding its Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly in New Orleans July 28th – August 1st. In addition to programs/activities for members, NMA sponsors a health event for residents. Join National Medical Association & Xavier University of Louisiana at the 5th Walk a Mile with a Child on Saturday, July 28, 2012 at Xavier University of Louisiana/University Center

1 Drexel Drive, New Orleans, LA
Walk: 7:00 am (Registration at 6:30 am)
Health Festival: 8:30 am – 12:00 noon

Download flyer

For Additional Information, Contact Yolanda at yfleming@nmanet.org or 1-800-662-0554

Pedestrian-friendly cities tend to be less obese

kidswalknola — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:07:08 +0000

The June issue of Governing magazine reinforces what KidsWalk has always argued: bike lanes and sidewalks are related to lower obesity rates in cities. The article explains that commuters are more likely to walk or bike where safe spaces for pedestrians are available. Additionally, areas where pedestrian commuting is common tend to have lower obesity rates than other areas.

For the purpose of this article, census information and data from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study were analyzed to see if there is a relationship between pedestrian activity and obesity rates in cities. Governing found a strong correlation between the percentage of regular walkers and bikers and the percentage of people who are neither obese nor overweight in the 126 cities analyzed.

As obesity becomes an increasingly important issue for health officials and policymakers, Governing recommends promoting open space infrastructure in urban environments as an effective prevention method. The article also suggests that healthcare savings can balance costs associated with supporting such infrastructure.

Governing advises educating and encouraging young people to safely walk and bike to promote health from an early age. Initiatives such as those supported by the KidsWalk Coalition, that target childhood obesity reduction through active living, are critical to the health of today’s youth and tomorrow’s adults.

For the full article, please visit: Governing Magazine

Interested in commuting and health research? You might also like: Healthy Commuting Habits

KidsWalk Coalition meeting time changed to 12pm, Tuesday June 26

kidswalknola — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 20:59:22 +0000

Please take note! The time of the KidsWalk Coalition meeting taking place next Tuesday, June 26, has changed to 12pm – 1:30pm. The location remains the Prevention Research Center office at 1440 Canal Street, Suite 2301.

Foundation for Louisiana to Host Second Community Training on the Citizen’s Guides to Land Use and Urban Design

kidswalknola — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 23:20:23 +0000

Are you interested in learning more about land use planning and urban design? Would you like to find out how you can be involved in the planning process in your community? Here’s your opportunity!

Foundation for Louisiana will be hosting a free training on Saturday, June 23^rd from 10am-1:30pm at the Norman-Mayer Branch Library.

This training will help residents gain knowledge in land use planning and urban design concepts, learn how to participate effectively in the planning process, and equip them to be leaders in their communities. The following topics will be covered:

How to read a land use map, understand the basics of land use categories, the difference between density and intensity, and how changes in land use can impact a community
How urban design elements contribute to neighborhood character and functionality, and what to look for when reading design documents such as renderings
Residents’ role in the planning process and how to participate effectively
How to develop proactive urban design and land use strategies for a community, including setting an agenda and effectively distributing information

If you are interested in attending this free public event please RSVP by June 21^st to: citizensguides@foundationforlouisiana.org, or call (225)772-1510 or (504)309-0468 by Thursday, June 21^st.

The Norman-Mayer Branch Library is located at: 3001 Gentilly Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70122.