I remember my first bike without training wheels. It was sparkly pink with iridescent streamers flowing from the handlebars. I rode my bike in circles around my neighborhood and over the hills of Highland Road Community Park, scraping knees and elbows along the way. Ten years later, I upgraded to a slightly larger and less colorful model and navigated the streets of Louisiana State University with trepidation, dodging my peers on my way to class.
Despite playing an important role in getting myself from place to place, I had not given much thought to the challenges I often faced when biking around my hometown. There were no bike lanes; crossing the street was often a frightening ordeal; and there were rarely bike racks available at my final destination.
After starting at CPEX in the fall of 2020 as the Social Media and Outreach Coordinator through AmeriCorps’ Serve Louisiana program, I’ve learned about the field of planning and the holistic approach CPEX planners use to help tackle the range of challenges Louisianans face. CPEX works with municipalities, state government, community leaders, and residents to create plans and policies that help communities develop the housing, transportation systems, and land uses they’ll need for a healthy, economically stable, equitable, and climate-friendly future.
A couple of the facets of good planning that CPEX specializes in are Complete Streets and the 20-minute neighborhood concept. Complete Streets are streets that have safe facilities for all users, whether they’re on foot, traveling by bike, using an assistive device, or driving a car. A 20-minute neighborhood is a place where residents can reach the things they need on a daily basis via a walk or bike ride that is twenty minutes or less. Complete Streets are a core component of 20-minute neighborhoods because they provide the sidewalks, bike lanes, crosswalks, and other infrastructure needed to navigate streets safely.
In May of 2020, CPEX launched their own 20-Minute Neighborhood Campaign to encourage Baton Rouge residents to get out, get moving, and discover what they could reach on bike or foot within twenty minutes of their home. To commemorate Bike Month one year later, I decided to take on the 20-minute neighborhood challenge for myself. On a sunny Sunday morning, I dusted the spiderwebs from the spokes of my bike and set out with the 20-Minute Neighborhood Bingo Card (featured here in the National Association of Realtors magazine, On Common Ground) in my fanny pack. I knew I would face challenges.
I pedaled down the sidewalk on Staring Lane because there is no bike lane, and I didn’t feel safe sharing a lane with the cars traveling at high speed. I began seeing things I could cross off of my bingo card: street lights, check! Bus stops, check! Several churches and restaurants, check and check! I also began experiencing difficulties I hadn’t anticipated. Cracks in the sidewalk nearly threw me off my bike. I couldn’t go down streets I would have liked to because there were no sidewalks or bike lanes. When I stopped to get a snack and a bottle of water, there was no bike rack available to dock my bike. Once I arrived at Essen Lane, I could see a grocery store and a medical complex, but I wasn’t able to cross the street safely to reach them because there was no signalized crossing.
CPEX’s 20-Minute Neighborhood activity allowed me to explore my neighborhood in ways I hadn’t before. My experience also served as a reminder of the obstacles cyclists and pedestrians face while moving throughout their neighborhood. While I would love to increase my physical activity levels and get to know my neighborhood better by walking and biking to the places I want and need to go, I’ll likely continue driving so long as it is difficult to get around by foot or bike. I also recognize that I am privileged to have a choice. Improving bike and pedestrian infrastructure in our communities can provide critical access for those who do not have a car while improving quality of life for all residents.
Check out these CPEX resources to learn more about 20-minute neighborhoods, the bingo challenge, and Complete Streets.