METAIRIE, La (press release) – Registration is now open for the inaugural Ride to Remember event hosted by Metairie Cemetery in partnership with Bike Easy. On Sunday, May 19, the biking community is invited to participate in leisurely community bike rides through the historic cemetery in celebration of National Bicycle Safety Month. The family-friendly event is free and open to the public and will include bike safety information and demonstrations as well as a brief memorial ceremony to honor the lives of people killed while riding their bikes.
Ride to Remember is a new collaboration between Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Homes & Cemeteries and Bike Easy, a local non-profit dedicated to making bicycling easy, safe and fun for everyone in Greater New Orleans through education, advocacy and community events.
Several local bicycle organizations will take part in the event. Blue Krewe, the local community-based nonprofit that operates and manages New Orleans bikeshare service Blue Bikes, will provide giveaways, and Bike Law Louisiana will distribute educational material on Louisiana’s bike laws. Other participants include New Orleans Complete Streets Coalition, a local group working towards improved roadways and safe transportation options, and New Orleans Ghost Bikes, who will bring a commemorative “ghost bike” that will be stationed on-site as a memorial to people who lost their lives in a crash while riding a bike.
“Metairie Cemetery is a safe, enclosed and beautiful space to ride a bicycle on any given day,” said Jerry Schoen, director of community relations at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home and Cemeteries. “We created this event with Bike Easy to help raise bike safety awareness and to honor the lives of those lost in fatal bicycle crashes. In our search for a non-profit organization that could help us bring this vision to fruition, Bike Easy quickly emerged as our top choice for a community partner.”
Bike Easy’s Executive Director Allene La Spina added, “We are thrilled to launch this event in partnership with Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home and Cemeteries as we work to develop new and interesting ways to educate the New Orleans community on safe bicycling practices. This community ride will provide an uplifting way to honor those we have lost in fatal bicycle crashes while also celebrating an eternal love for bicycling.”
“New Orleans has the highest rates of traffic deaths in the country, and it’s increasing,” said Nellie Catzen, co-chair of the New Orleans Complete Street Coalition. “As we push for safer street design that can keep all users safe, this event offers an important moment for us to collectively feel the impact of these losses.”
A limited number of loaner bikes, compliments of Get Up N Ride Nola, will be available for those who are unable to ride or transport their own bicycles to Metairie Cemetery. Participants will be able to purchase food and commemorative T-shirts at the event. Pre-order T-shirts at bikeeasy.inkmule.com.
For event details and online registration, visit bikeeasy.org or call (504) 861-4022. The event is free and open to all ages, though advanced registration is encouraged.
