Give Me a Sign!

Question: What do Beauregard, Allen, Evangeline, St. Landry, Avoyelles, Pointe Coupee, West and East Feliciana, St. Helena, Tangipahoa, and Washington parishes have in common?

Answer: All will feature in the impression of South Louisiana that cross-country cyclists carry away with them, if Bike Baton Rouge gets its way.

An effort gaining traction in Louisiana and in other southern states including Texas and Mississippi, US Bicycle Route 90 is a project to identify an official route to guide long-distance cyclists riding the Southern Tier Bicycle Route (3,055 miles from San Diego, CA, to St. Augustine, FL) along byways of particular scenic and cultural interest during their trip through Louisiana. Bike Baton Rouge, an organization that works to make transportation infrastructure friendlier to bicycle traffic, has been leading the Louisiana effort, according to founder and current member Mark E. Martin. Working with groups including the Adventure Cycling Association, which designates the Southern Tier route, and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Bike Baton Rouge is working to secure commitments from the eleven parishes involved. Once those commitments are obtained, Martin explained, AASHTO will work with those governments and the Department of Transportation & Development to get routes signposted. “DOTD won’t do anything until they have assurances that the local governments through which the route passes show support,” he said, noting that for the parishes’ part, “support” simply involves voicing recognition that bicycle tourism is worth money, that they support signing the route, and that they’ll facilitate the signs’ installation and maintenance using funds from the state’s transportation department.

[Read this: Biking in Baton Rouge: Two enthusiasts hope to see more join their ranks.]

According to Martin, Bike Baton Rouge expects to have secured the support of all eleven parishes ahead of AASHTO’s fall meeting. “Then,” he said, “it’s on to DOTD.” How long it will take before signs appear along the designated route, which aims to direct cyclists along lightly trafficked rural byways as much as possible, is an open question. Although no one seems to have any reliable figures on how many cyclists ride the Southern Tier, Martin noted that just outside of Jackson, Louisiana, one resident accustomed to hosting long-distance cyclists reports hosting three hundred to four hundred riders a year. That kind of Southern hospitality goes a long way to making a good impression on passing cyclists. So any effort that makes biking Louisiana a little easier, and more beautiful, can only be a good thing. 

This article originally appeared in our May 2018 issue. Subscribe to our print magazine today.