Omaha Beltway Discussion

Trains, Planes, and Automobiles (and Streetcars!).

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Stargazer
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Post by Stargazer »

Well, no... apparently you have a different interpretation.

Let's just say... spending several hundred million to build a beltway around Omaha to address the 'inconvenience' which traffic congestion in Omaha presents... or even is expected to present 20 years from now... is a joke (for anyone who has experienced traffic in LA).

Frankly, I think light rail is a joke to a great extent as well... when you could accomplish the same thing with BRT for a fraction of the cost... maybe save some cash for the big forthcoming sewer project... I'm really looking forward to paying that extra $600+ a year a property taxes, let me tell ya.
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Post by Stargazer »

Worse... try a single 31mm type 5 Nagler...

Image


EDIT: heh heh... I'm sure Big E will be chiming in soon, looking at that eyepiece... from a non astronomy nerd's perspective.  Do take note of the 'girth' though!
Last edited by Stargazer on Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

Traffic congestion? Build a road around it

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2 ... d=10625606
JEFFREY ROBB WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER wrote:To keep Omaha from bogging down in traffic, the metro area needs a new Interstate beltway ringing the city, 10 times more people using public transportation and less sprawling development, according to the report that will be presented to local cities and counties.

"This is just the first step in, hopefully, the wakeup call," said John Abbott, a Blair city councilman and a member of the Metro Area Planning Agency board. MAPA commissioned the research for the report, and Abbott was briefed on the conclusions last week.

Building a beltway would be a massive venture, taking perhaps eight years and $750 million to complete, the report says.

For decades, Omaha has gotten by without a beltway, a common piece of the transportation system in other large metro areas. Omaha's best approximation, the Interstate 680 loop, now cuts through the midpoint of metro area development.

The report says Omaha has fewer freeway miles than other comparable metro areas - almost 100 fewer miles than Tulsa, Okla., for instance.
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Post by Big E »

Might as well merge them, huh?  I didn't remember this thread existed.
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

Or you can fight about urban sprawl over in the other one...
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Big E
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Post by Big E »

Brad wrote:Or you can fight about urban sprawl over in the other one...
LOL... like we're not going to do that here?
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Post by S33 »

Thank GOD! More freeway! jk Although, it would be nice to get the semi traffic off I-80.

At least they mention the need for light rail...
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Post by DTO Luv »

S33 wrote: , it would be nice to get the semi traffic off I-80.
Why is this such a concern for people? I've heard it before.
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Post by michaelsjewel »

seven years off before they start...and will take 8 years to complete?

i find that odd since..... they say "WE NEED THIS NOW" in that article....

they're gonna have to push that freeway even farther by then....

and widening of I-80...and 680 is already needed.....

and widen dodge...omfg that's a disaster at rush hour!
3 lanes for the only freeway out west is bogus...i hate getting to class out there
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Post by S33 »

DTO Luv wrote:
S33 wrote: , it would be nice to get the semi traffic off I-80.
Why is this such a concern for people? I've heard it before.
Their just a pain in the |expletive|. They chill in the left hand lanes without regard to traffic flow...etc.
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Post by Big E »

[deepbreath]

Today is not the day to point out the federal interstate system was designed to move things such as freight trucks and NOT to get people to and from their jobs and homes.
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Post by DTO Luv »

S33 wrote:
DTO Luv wrote:
S33 wrote: , it would be nice to get the semi traffic off I-80.
Why is this such a concern for people? I've heard it before.
Their just a pain in the |expletive|. They chill in the left hand lanes without regard to traffic flow...etc.
So what's wrong with any of the other 5 lanes of interstate traffic to choose from? There are way more local passenger cars on the interstate than semis. I've never understood this argument.
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Post by S33 »

Big E wrote:[deepbreath]

Today is not the day to point out the federal interstate system was designed to move things such as freight trucks and NOT to get people to and from their jobs and homes.
Actually it was designed for military logistics first.
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Post by S33 »

Big E wrote:][deepbreath]

Today is not the day to point out the federal interstate system was designed to move things such as freight trucks and NOT to get people to and from their jobs and homes.
Actually it was designed for military logistics first. And I think we all know the freeway system is primarily used inside city limits for people commuting to and from work.
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Post by S33 »

DTO Luv wrote:
S33 wrote:
DTO Luv wrote:
S33 wrote: , it would be nice to get the semi traffic off I-80.
Why is this such a concern for people? I've heard it before.
Their just a pain in the |expletive|. They chill in the left hand lanes without regard to traffic flow...etc.
So what's wrong with any of the other 5 lanes of interstate traffic to choose from? There are way more local passenger cars on the interstate than semis. I've never understood this argument.
It's because you don't drive! That is why they have the "move over or ticket" laws. It is considered unsafe by the department of transportation for slow vehicles to remain in the left hand lanes. And it pis*es people off.
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Post by Big E »

S33 wrote:That is why they have the "move over or ticket" laws.
Can you be ticketed for going the speed limit?
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Post by DTO Luv »

S33 wrote:
It's because you don't drive! That is why they have the "move over or ticket" laws. It is considered unsafe by the department of transportation for slow vehicles to remain in the left hand lanes. And it pis*es people off.
I don't have a car. I still drive. I've only not had my own car for over 2 years. In fact I drove from one end of Omaha to the other 4 times Saturday. When I was on I-80 semis weren't a problem and when I had my own car and drove I never really noticed problems with semis. To me, everyone drove slow.
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Post by S33 »

Big E wrote:
S33 wrote:That is why they have the "move over or ticket" laws.
Can you be ticketed for going the speed limit?
Yes, you can in many states.
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Post by S33 »

DTO Luv wrote: To me, everyone drove slow.
Maybe it's good you don't drive often, then?  :)
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Post by DTO Luv »

You must not have been on the forum long. :lol: I'm just glad I've never had a car since I've been old enough to drink.
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Post by mrdwhsr »

michaelsjewel wrote:seven years off before they start...and will take 8 years to complete?

i find that odd since..... they say "WE NEED THIS NOW" in that article....

they're gonna have to push that freeway even farther by then....

and widening of I-80...and 680 is already needed.....

and widen dodge...omfg that's a disaster at rush hour!
3 lanes for the only freeway out west is bogus...i hate getting to class out there
               Funny how the number of vehicles increases to fit the road expansion. I think someone said
"WE NEED THIS NOW" about twenty years ago when the West Dodge Expressway was in the
early planning stage.

              Insanity is repeating the same action and expecting different results.
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Post by TitosBuritoBarn »

Big E wrote:
S33 wrote:That is why they have the "move over or ticket" laws.
Can you be ticketed for going the speed limit?
I've heard......probably third hand....that you can recieve a ticket in California (and probably seveal other states as well) for going the speed limit if it is not at the pace which traffic is flowing. One slow driver is all it takes to start building congestion and slow the pace of traffic.
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Post by Brad »

California the trucks are forced to stay in the right lane and their speed limit is 10mph less than the rest of the traffic.   I was great Driving from San Fran back to the Central Valley at night, cars were just flying by the trucks.
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Post by S33 »

TitosBuritoBarn wrote:
Big E wrote:
S33 wrote:That is why they have the "move over or ticket" laws.
Can you be ticketed for going the speed limit?
I've heard......probably third hand....that you can recieve a ticket in California (and probably seveal other states as well) for going the speed limit if it is not at the pace which traffic is flowing. One slow driver is all it takes to start building congestion and slow the pace of traffic.
They actually have that law as close as Missouri, too.
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Post by GetUrban »

S33 wrote:
TitosBuritoBarn wrote:
Big E wrote:
S33 wrote:That is why they have the "move over or ticket" laws.
Can you be ticketed for going the speed limit?
I've heard......probably third hand....that you can recieve a ticket in California (and probably seveal other states as well) for going the speed limit if it is not at the pace which traffic is flowing. One slow driver is all it takes to start building congestion and slow the pace of traffic.
They actually have that law as close as Missouri, too.
That's true. I had a friend get pulled over on the way to KC for simply driving in the left lane too long. It's a good law in my opinion.....usually best to stay in the right lane except to pass.
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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Post by DTO Luv »

GetUrban wrote:
S33 wrote:
TitosBuritoBarn wrote:
Big E wrote:
S33 wrote:That is why they have the "move over or ticket" laws.
Can you be ticketed for going the speed limit?
I've heard......probably third hand....that you can recieve a ticket in California (and probably seveal other states as well) for going the speed limit if it is not at the pace which traffic is flowing. One slow driver is all it takes to start building congestion and slow the pace of traffic.
They actually have that law as close as Missouri, too.
That's true. I had a friend get pulled over on the way to KC for simply driving in the left lane too long. It's a good law in my opinion.....usually best to stay in the right lane except to pass.
Yes Missouri does have that law and it's stupid. I hate driving in the right lane on a two lane interstate. They usually don't ticket out of state drivers for it since they don't know but every time I've been pulled over in Missouri they've reminded me.
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Post by GetUrban »

DTO Luv wrote:
GetUrban wrote:
S33 wrote:
TitosBuritoBarn wrote:
Big E wrote:
S33 wrote:That is why they have the "move over or ticket" laws.
Can you be ticketed for going the speed limit?
I've heard......probably third hand....that you can recieve a ticket in California (and probably seveal other states as well) for going the speed limit if it is not at the pace which traffic is flowing. One slow driver is all it takes to start building congestion and slow the pace of traffic.
They actually have that law as close as Missouri, too.
That's true. I had a friend get pulled over on the way to KC for simply driving in the left lane too long. It's a good law in my opinion.....usually best to stay in the right lane except to pass.
Yes Missouri does have that law and it's stupid. I hate driving in the right lane on a two lane interstate. They usually don't ticket out of state drivers for it since they don't know but every time I've been pulled over in Missouri they've reminded me.
What's wrong with the driving in the right lane? Are you from England? People that hog the left lane all the time are stupid. It's like they are trying single Hand-idly to control other traffic. Either that, or they're too lazy to adjust their cruise control.  "Keep right except to pass" is a good rule. It's just common sense.
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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Post by DTO Luv »

It's personal preference for me and I usually drove too fast to stay in the right lane.
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Post by the1wags »

Yeah, there's probably a reason you didn't have a license and/or had thousands in fines.
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Post by S33 »

I guess that would be another incentive for light rail. Keeping people like DTO off the roads :)
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Post by DTO Luv »

S33 wrote:I guess that would be another incentive for light rail. Keeping people like DTO off the roads :)
Mills county filed for bankruptcy when I stopped driving. My insurance agent cried when she realized she wouldn't be able to afford the mansion out west she bought when I told told her I was going to quit driving.
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Post by Big E »

S33 wrote:I guess that would be another incentive for light rail. Keeping people like DTO off the roads :)
I think that would be worth $25 per year per person in the metro just for that.

Boom.  I just found $22.5 M worth of annual funding for the Omaha Streetcar system.
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Post by S33 »

DTO Luv wrote:
S33 wrote:I guess that would be another incentive for light rail. Keeping people like DTO off the roads :)
Mills county filed for bankruptcy when I stopped driving. My insurance agent cried when she realized she wouldn't be able to afford the mansion out west she bought when I told told her I was going to quit driving.
Did you live in Mills County at some time? I'm from that area and there aren't many 6'7" mixed dudes around that area.
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Post by DTO Luv »

S33 wrote:
DTO Luv wrote:
S33 wrote:I guess that would be another incentive for light rail. Keeping people like DTO off the roads :)
Mills county filed for bankruptcy when I stopped driving. My insurance agent cried when she realized she wouldn't be able to afford the mansion out west she bought when I told told her I was going to quit driving.
Did you live in Mills County at some time? I'm from that area and there aren't many 6'7" mixed dudes around that area.
heck no. I just went through there all the time to go down to Ne City to visit family. I got stopped there all the time.
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

Are my eyes failing me, or did MAPA (|expletive| MAPA) recommend light rail and increased transit ridership????  :music:

Of course this is in addition to their sprawl-feeding beltway. Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining, MAPA.

(Humorous note: My original text read "Don't p1ss on my leg and tell me it's raining" and the censor edited it to read "Don't cream on my leg and tell me it's raining."  Haha... when censoring goes wrong...)
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Post by mrdwhsr »

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:Are my eyes failing me, or did MAPA (|expletive| MAPA) recommend light rail and increased transit ridership????
I read that too. They just don't have any idea (?) of how to increase transit ridership from the paltry .5% to 5%.

Duh, let's think about that..frequent reliable service in a timely manner (the shortest route, not something that looks like a snake for a route map aka many MAT bus routes) between origin and destination... as many high traffic destinations within 3-blocks of a transit stop as possible...would that include downtown, Med Center, Creighton, UNO, AkSarBen Village, Creighton, Eppley Airfield, Offut/Bellevue, Oak View, Village Point... and as many high-density neighborhoods within 3-blocks of a transit stop as possible to provide a minimum ridership needed to cover 50%, 80%, or more of the operating costs...transit that will attract residential/mixed use development to raise the neighborhood density to a level that will support the system...transit that reflects a commitment to decades of service...transit that will attract 'choice' riders (DTO and the people who leave the car parked in order to ride)...doesn't that describe Streetcar and Light-Rail?

I wonder if anyone has done a transit study in Omaha to determine the rate of transit ridership among those who live within 3 or 4 blocks of a MAT bus stop? My guess is that 50% of the Metro area population doesn't live within a mile of a MAT bus stop -- and several major destinations are not served by MAT. That has something to do with the .5% ridership. Even Daub's idea to use vans, if it increases service to lower density neighborhoods, would increase ridership.
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Post by S33 »

How about obvious things like repairing busted bus stop benches and leveling the ones on a 65 degree slant.
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

Or, how about this: Actually having route and schedule information at each stop, so you know which |expletive| buses are supposed to serve the stop, and what |expletive| time they are supposed to arrive???

Seriously.

It's like the people in charge of MAT never took Public Transportation 101. This is basic stuff that is neglected.
"The right to have access to every building in the city by private motorcar in an age when everyone possesses such a vehicle is actually the right to destroy the city."
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Post by the1wags »

Absolutely. How hard is it to have a poster of Omaha with all the routes shown, the route and stop you are at highlighted, and a schedule? Tags reading "98" that are so faded you can't read them doesn't cut it folks.
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

Well, then just a couple years ago, they came out with their "new" signs at bus stops (the blue ones), that don't have ANY usefulness, other than to say "Hey, once in a while, buses stop here. Once in a while. And we're not going to tell you which ones or when. So |expletive| you. We didn't want your money any way."

Haha. But seriously, the bus system in the SMALL city where I lived in France puts most American public transit systems to shame, and makes Omaha's look like... well words can't even describe how pathetic it makes MAT look.
"The right to have access to every building in the city by private motorcar in an age when everyone possesses such a vehicle is actually the right to destroy the city."
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