SEPARATED BIKE LANE ON ST. CLAUDE AVENUE
To the elected officials of the City of New Orleans, the State of Louisiana, and all relevant departments,
We, the undersigned, write to you not simply as residents, commuters, and organizers—but as the working people of New Orleans demanding that our streets reflect our right to live, to move, and to return home safely. On July 12, Michael Milam was killed in the bike lane at the intersection of St. Claude Avenue and Alvar Street in a hit-and-run. His death was not an accident—it was the product of inadequate infrastructure.
The current design of St. Claude Avenue prioritizes the speed and convenience of motor vehicles over the safety and dignity of those who travel by bicycle, bus, and foot. We demand immediate and concrete changes:
A protected, separated bicycle lane along St. Claude—shielded from traffic by a physical barrier, not a painted line.
Extended crosswalks at intersections to reduce crossing distances and serve as deterrents for speeding.
Relocation of the bus stop to the far side of the intersection (known as a "Farside Stop Relocation" per RTA standards) so the bicycle lane can pass behind the stop and avoid deadly conflicts between buses and bikes.
We have included a visual proposal to illustrate these critical improvements, attached with this message.
This is not a theoretical issue—it is a matter of life and death. Streets are political. Infrastructure is policy. And right now, the policy is profit over people, cars over communities, speed over safety.
According to the data on protected cycling infrastructure, one-way protected cycle tracks reduce injury rates by 28% compared to standard bike lanes on similar roads. The evidence is clear—where cities choose to invest in protected lanes, lives are saved. The people of New Orleans deserve the same standard of care.
We call on the DOTD, the RTA, and all relevant city and state officials to act immediately to reconfigure St. Claude Avenue in accordance with these demands. This is about more than urban design—it’s about reclaiming our streets from systems that serve the oil and auto industries, and reshaping them to serve people, justice, and life.
We urge you to respond with urgency, with humanity, and with the political courage this moment requires.
With Unwavering Resolve,