Biking around Lafayette is dangerous, that much we know. A majority of the state and major local roadways in town — 65% according to a recent report by the TRIP National Transportation Research Group — are in poor or mediocre condition. As a state, Louisiana consistently finds itself among the most dangerous states for cyclists and pedestrians.
But for local advocates hoping to make Lafayette safer, an administrative hurdle presents a major roadblock: while data on the most dangerous roads and intersections exists, the government refuses to share it, citing federal law.
General traffic statistics about Lafayette Parish are readily available to the public. The Center for Analytic Research in Transportation Safety (CARTS) breaks down crash data in the state by everything from the type of accident to injury numbers. According to CARTS, Lafayette Parish had 54 fatalities of pedestrians and cyclists between 2019 and 2023…