Before Katrina, New Orleans was unfriendly and unpopular for cyclists. Today, the city has 15 streets with bike lanes totaling 40 miles of bike pathway, and is gunning to be as bike-friendly as Portland or Seattle.
Since 2007, the city has spent about $100 million of Hurricane Katrina recovery funds to rehabilitate roads. New Orleans has paved 56 miles with new asphalt on 55 heavily used streets and plan to pave 26 more streets, reports Cain Burdeau for the Associated Press.
"Ridership has also grown. In 2010, New Orleans ranked 12th in the number of bicycle commuters among American cities, an 84 percent increase in bike commuters since 2005, according to the latest Census data."
Even though the city has come a long way, streets still have potholes, debris on the road and missing stop signs are still problems the city need to cover.
"In other words, New Orleans is just like most other American cities - hardly the kind of place where the cyclist comes first."
FULL STORY: New roads post-storm make New Orleans cycling city
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