Newsletter - June, 2011
RPC Website Redesign
The RPC website (www.norpc.org) has undergone a major redesign making information and resources easier to locate while providing greater accessibility and an overall user-friendly format. All the reasons to visit the RPC website, such as transportation planning documents, project announcements, and regional studies, are still available and there is now even more.
One of the new features on the RPC website is traffic count mapping, which makes RPC’s ongoing traffic data collection available to the public in a convenient format. Another feature is a calendar to easily keep track of upcoming meetings and events.
The RPC is also making an effort to make more information available to the public electronically by adding an online library to house publications, newsletters, presentations, maps, and multi-media files. They are also making sure this information will be accessible to all by incorporating many Section 508 recommended features including significant color contrast, top and side navigation panels, and a tool to make text larger.
Metro New Orleans GreenRide
A regional rideshare matching website
The Regional Planning Commission is excited to announce the launch of Metro New Orleans GreenRide, a free service that gives locals a more economical and environmentally friendly commuting option. Metro New Orleans GreenRide features an easy-to-use website that instantly matches people within the greater New Orleans region to carpools, vanpools, and other ridesharing opportunities. Metro New Orleans GreenRide is based on a state-of-the art ridesharing solution that has won top awards for ease of use, technological innovation, sustainability, excellence in energy conservation and innovative public-private partnerships.
| The RPC is committed to finding new and innovative ways to make commuting better and cheaper for the people who live and work in the region,” stated Walter Brooks, Executive Director of the Regional Planning Commission, in reference to the Metro New Orleans GreenRide program. |
Rideshare programs in other regions have helped participants save money, while reducing traffic congestion and air pollution. Metro New Orleans GreenRide is designed for anyone who lives, works or travels in the New Orleans metropolitan area and is available at no cost to the user. Navigation of the site is easy, and it only takes a few minutes to sign up. The user simply creates an account with their specific commute information, and they are matched with other users or services that have similar commutes.
Metro New Orleans GreenRide is a website developed by Ecology and Environment, Inc., who have an office in Baton Rouge. Access Metro New Orleans GreenRide at www.norpc.greenride.com.
Census 2010 GIS Files
Available for Download
The Regional Planning Commission website, www.norpc.org, now contains an interface allowing the public to download recently released formatted Census 2010 redistricting data. The data currently available includes statistics for total population, population by race, and housing occupancy. Population by race data has been summarized into categories for convenient use. These data have been joined with various levels of geography, ranging from parish level down to block level and formatted as shapefiles so they can be easily imported and used with GIS software.
The U.S. Census Bureau will continue to release Census 2010 data pertinent to the greater New Orleans region throughout 2011, and likely through 2013. As data are released, the RPC will attempt to make it available in an easily accessible format to its member parishes and organizations as expeditiously as possible. To download the Census 2010 GIS files or to review the RPC methodology used to create the files, please visit our website, www.norpc.org.
MotorWeek Spotlights Two RPC Clean Fuel Partnership Fleets
Airport Shuttle and RTA
MotorWeek, Television’s Original Automotive Magazine, is produced by Maryland Public Television and airs on local PBS, Discovery, and Discovery HD Theater Channels. MotorWeek regularly highlights Clean Cities fleets that incorporate clean transportation options into their operations. Recent MotorWeek Clean Cities Success Stories featured local fleets and RPC Clean Fuel Partnership stakeholders, the Airport Shuttle and the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA). Airport Shuttle was recognized for their use of propane to power 27 of their shuttle vehicles.
In 2010, Airport Shuttle displaced 139,120 gasoline gallons equivalent with cleaner burning propane, resulting in a reduction of 230 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. The RTA was acknowledged for their work to expand the use of old and new clean transportation options throughout the New Orleans transit system, including using biodiesel in their diesel vehicles, the addition of hybrid buses to their fleet, and the historically green electric streetcars.
For more MotorWeek segments related to cleaner transportation, visit: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/motorweek.jsp.
For more information about the RPC Clean Fuel Partnership contact Clean Fuel Partnership Coordinator, Rebecca Otte at 504-483-8513. 
Note: Bus photo courtesy of Kent Kanouse
RPC Launches Small Business Assistance Website
Metro New Orleans SourceLink
The Regional Planning Commission, with funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and in cooperation with The University of New Orleans, has recently launched a website to assist small businesses in the greater New Orleans region. The new website was built using the U.S. SourceLink web platform and modeled after Kansas City SourceLink, winner of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s 2007 Excellence in Economic Development Award for enhancing regional competitiveness.
Metro New Orleans Sourcelink serves as a clearinghouse of information to connect emerging entrepreneurs and small businesses with resources tailored to fit their organization’s growth needs. Behind Metro New Orleans Sourcelink is a network of partner organizations, including non-profits, universities, governmental entities, and for-profit businesses that offer specialized services, counseling, seminars, classes, and financial products to help grow businesses in our region.
The site features two key business assistance tools: the Resource Navigator and the Events Calendar. The Resource Navigator uses a database to quickly turn basic information about the type of business assistance needed into a list of service providers who can help. The Events Calendar is used to showcase business-building seminars, events, and classes throughout the New Orleans metropolitan region.
Some of the specialized business-building services provided by Metro New Orleans SourceLink partner organizations are: business planning, financial resources and assistance, import and export assistance, high tech and life sciences development, marketing, networking, office & meeting space, business certifications, and site selection.
If you would like more information about Metro New Orleans SourceLink please visit the website at: www.bizsourceneworleans.com or contact RPC Director of Economic Development, Kara Mattini Renne by phone at 483-8527 or e-mail at kmrenne@norpc.org.
RPC Campaign Promotes Pedestrian Safety
This spring, the Regional Planning Commission’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Program will be promoting pedestrian safety with a 3-month media campaign including radio, outdoor and online advertising. The campaign’s messaging focuses on the idea that “Safety is a Shared Responsibility,” requiring both pedestrians and drivers to act predictably and remain aware of their surroundings.
Campaign messages will remind pedestrians to always cross the street at marked crosswalks and intersections and to avoid distractions like texting and music while crossing the street. Motorists are also being reminded to respect crosswalks by yielding to and stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks.
This latest campaign is a continuation of last year’s campaign, featuring bright yellow and black billboards that reminded bicyclists to always ride with the flow of traffic and educated drivers on the new law that requires them to maintain three feet of distance while passing bicyclists on the road.
SAFETY TIPS FOR DRIVERS
Be Alert: Watch for Pedestrians at all Times
- Scan the road and the sides of the road ahead for potential pedestrians.
- Before making a turn, look in all directions for pedestrians crossing.
- Don’t drive distracted or after consuming alcohol or other drugs.
- Do not use your cell phone while driving.
- Look carefully behind your vehicle for approaching pedestrians especially small children, before backing-up.
- For maximum visibility, keep your windshield clean and headlights on.
Be Responsible: Yield to Pedestrians at Crossings
- Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, whether marked or unmarked.
- Yield to pedestrians when making right or left turns at intersections.
- Do not block or park in crosswalks.
Be Patient: Drive the Speed Limit and Avoid Aggressive Maneuvers
- Never pass/overtake a vehicle that is stopped for pedestrians.
- Obey speed limits and come to a complete stop at STOP signs.
- Use extra caution when driving near children playing along the street or older pedestrians who may not see or hear you.
- Always be prepared to stop for pedestrians.
SAFETY TIPS FOR PEDESTRIANS
Be Safe and be Seen: Make Yourself Visible to Drivers
- Wear bright/light colored clothing and reflective materials.
- Carry a flashlight when walking at night.
- Cross in a well-lit area at night.
- Stand clear of buses, hedges, parked cars or other obstacles before crossing so drivers can see you.
Be Smart and Alert: Avoid Dangerous Behaviors
- Always walk on the sidewalk; if there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic.
- Stay sober; walking while impaired increases your chance of being struck.
- Don’t assume vehicles will stop; make eye contact with drivers, don’t just look at the vehicle. If a driver is on a cell phone, they may not be paying enough attention to drive safely.
- Don’t rely solely on pedestrian signals; look before you cross the road.
- Be alert to engine noise or backup lights on cars when in parking lots and near on-street parking spaces.
Be Careful at Crossings: Look Before you Step
- Cross streets at marked crosswalks or intersections, if possible.
- Obey traffic signals such as WALK/DON’T WALK signs.
- Look left, right, and left again before crossing a street.
- Watch for turning vehicles; make sure the driver sees you and will stop for you.
- Look across ALL lanes you must cross and visually clear each lane before proceeding. Just because one motorist stops, do not presume drivers in other lanes can see you and will stop for you.
- Don’t wear headphones or talk or text on a cell phone while crossing.
 RPC Expands Public-Private Partnerships
The Gulf Coast Alliance for Economic and Environmental Resilience is a multi-state initiative (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida) comprised of chambers of commerce and other business support organizations along the Gulf Coast, and has been working to market key industries common to the entire Gulf Coast – aerospace, defense, energy, maritime, seafood and tourism.
The Alliance was created by the RPC immediately following the 2010 Deepwater Horizons oil spill disaster as a means of leveraging local and national resources to accelerate the rebuilding of key Gulf Coast markets. Also, the Alliance is focused on building resilience in communities so that the coast will be better prepared to address future manmade and natural disasters.
Some of the recent efforts of the Alliance include:
1. The Alliance played a key role in assisting the Defense Commissary Agency with the introduction of Gulf seafood into Department of Defense commissaries. This initiative will be a financial and psychological lift to the Gulf seafood industry. The official kick-off of the program was held on February 8th at the dedication of the commissary on the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. Gulf seafood was prepared at the event by well-respected chefs from the Gulf Coast and by top military chefs with the Joint Culinary Center of Excellence at Fort Lee, Virginia.
2. The Alliance met on April 6 in Gulfport, Mississippi and agreed to promote the industries along the Gulf Coast as an entity to more effectively compete with the east and west coasts of the U.S. Some of these industries include:
Louisiana – shipbuilding; commercial and recreational fishing; tourism
Mississippi – Stennis Space Center, Keesler Air Force Base, Pascagoula shipyard, casinos, sandy beaches
Alabama - shipbuilding, steel production, aircraft refurbishment, health care facilities, beaches, deep-sea fishing
Florida – Pensacola Naval Air Station and Naval Aviation Museum, the Eglin Air Force Base, and the area known as the Emerald Coast because of its aquamarine seas and sandy beaches, seafood restaurants along the coast
At the forum, an overview of Infinity - a $40 million science and technology center being built near Stennis Space Center - was provided by Mr. John Wilson, Education Program Development Director.
Last year the RPC initiated an Emergency Preparedness Public-Private Partnership that focuses on effectively engaging the public and private sectors so as to produce a “culture of preparedness.” The partnership continues to expand with representatives from numerous entities that have a vested interest in their respective continuity of operations.
The partnership addresses various issues related to disasters and hazards such as medical-health, hurricane season, and special populations including children. Of specific interest to the partnership are sharing best practices, exchanging updates, determining how private sector resources can assist emergency officials prior to-during-and following a disaster; and building overall resilience into our disaster preparedness process.
Representatives from the public sector include:
New Orleans Urban Area Security Initiative
Department of Homeland Security Protective Security Advisor
Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
Louisiana Business Emergency Operations Center
National Incident Management Systems and Advanced Technologies
Representatives from the private sector include:
Chambers of Commerce and economic development organizations – throughout southeast Louisiana
Professional and trade associations – local and statewide
Key industries represented through the associations.
For more information, contact Chris Laborde at 504-483-8540 or at claborde@norpc.org. 
Note: John Wilson , Program Developemnt Director of Infinity photo courtesy of Sheilah Ware, NASA
 US 61/Tulane Avenue Corridor Improvements
URS Corporation recently completed a Stage 0 Feasibility Study for the Regional Planning Commission which identified proposed improvements to the US 61/Tulane Avenue Corridor in New Orleans. In accordance with LaDOTD’s Complete Streets Policy, the project seeks to create a “comprehensive, integrated, connected transportation network for Louisiana that balances access, mobility, and safety needs of motorists, transit users, bicyclists, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.” The limits of the study area spanned from S. Carrollton Avenue east to S. Claiborne Avenue, approximately 2 miles. The proposed roadway typical section consists of amenities associated with the Complete Streets Policy, such as:
- Reduction from 6 to 4 travel lanes (wider travel lanes);
- Wider medians that are able to accommodate left-turn lanes at key intersections;
- Exclusive right-turn lanes at key intersections;
- Access management including median closures, driveway consolidation, and driveway elimination;
- Dedicated bike lanes;
- Retention of existing parking lane; and
- Overall improved streetscape and pedestrian and transit system operations utilizing bump-outs, pedestrian signals and crossings, and other amenities.
There are now over 1,000 occupied housing units on Tulane Avenue, within the study limits, and several small businesses have also opened to serve these new residents The corridor is also located within the Greater New Orleans Biosciences Economic Development District (GNOBEDD), now referred to as BioDistrict New Orleans. The District is a 2.4 square mile state-enabled economic development district created in 2005 by the state of Louisiana and is comprised of LSU and the Tulane University Health Sciences Center, Xavier University and its School of Pharmacy, and Delgado College. The district is generally bounded by Loyola Avenue, Iberville Street, Carrollton Avenue, and Earhart Boulevard. It is focused on the development of a biosciences industry in New Orleans that will provide world-class biosciences research and development; local, regional, and global healthcare delivery; and stable, high-paying jobs for professionals, managers and workers representing a wide range of skills.
As the national economy improves over the next few years and as the new Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) and the University Medical Center (UMC) complete construction, the impact is going to bring Tulane Avenue and the entire US 61 corridor to a new era of prosperity as a vital part of the city and the region's economy.
The stakeholders for this project represented various entities including: LaDOTD, the Regional Planning Commission (RPC), the Downtown Development District (DDD), the Regional Transit Authority (RTA), the Greater New Orleans Bioscience Economic Development District, the LSU Health Sciences Center, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), as well as city, parish, and state elected officials and various business owners and community groups. Approximately 70 individuals served as stakeholders for this study. 
DBE Workshop - Certification Procedures and Opportunities
June 10, 2011, 9:30 a.m., Regional Traffic Managment Center, 10 Veterens Memorial Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana
The Regional Planning Commission will sponsor an informational workshop on Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs). DBEs are for-profit businesses that are at least 51 percent owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Management control and daily business operations must also be under the direction of these individuals. African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian-Pacific and Subcontinent Asian Americans, and women are presumed to be socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
The workshop will offer guidance on the process for certification as a DBE. In order to qualify for work under the DBE program, firms must be certified under the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD) Unified Certified Program (UCP). The certification process will be explained. Representatives of the certifying agencies in the New Orleans area will be introduced and will be available for consultation following the workshop.
The workshop will also provide information on upcoming opportunities that will exist for DBE firms. Local governmental agencies that use DBE contractors will be present to discuss future procurements and consulting contracts that may be available to certified firms.
For additional information contact Nik Richard, 483-8535
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RPC Newsletter, December 2011
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