B.R. bike activists reaching out to businesses

Newly re-branded as Bike Baton Rouge, the nonprofit formerly known as Baton Rouge Advocates for Safe Streets hopes to make 2013 a turning point for cycling in the capital city. Part of that effort, says board member Beaux Jones, is a program that recognizes and promotes bike-friendly businesses and business districts. “When people can walk and bike in between the stores, rather than get on the interstate and drive, it’s good for business,” he says. It’s a way to thank businesses that encourage biking for their customers and workers in various ways, from putting out bike racks to providing showers for employees. “We want to encourage businesses and merchant associations to get together and say, ‘As a group, we want to support cycling and alternative means of transportation,'” Jones says. Promising areas could be LSU’s North Gates, the Perkins Road overpass area, Mid City and Capital Heights. The national bicycle commuting rate is a bit less than 1%; and Baton Rouge’s rate is roughly half of that. The sprawling Capital Region isn’t ideal for biking, and recent high-profile deaths of cyclists can discourage novices. Bike Baton Rouge hopes encouraging more people to ride, if only for short trips of two miles or less, creates a critical mass that leads to better infrastructure and better understanding between cyclists and motorists. You can find out more about Bike Baton Rouge here.—David Jacobs