Metro Area Bicycle Discussion

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

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Coyote
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Metro Area Bicycle Discussion

Post by Coyote »

Nice. I am sorry I missed this one.

Bicyclists show support for pedestrian bridge
Omaha World Herald wrote:For riding enthusiasts, the new bridge means more than 150 miles of bike trails will be connected by the bridge over the Missouri River.

More than 2,500 riders participated in the event, setting a new attendance record, he said. Riders chose between three bike routes of varying lengths: one 10 miles, another 26 miles, and the most challenging at 42 miles.

Afterward, riders congregated near the entrance of Heartland of America Park, where they were treated to free bottled water and sports drinks, grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, and complimentary massages.
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Post by almighty_tuna »

A bit of a revival here.  

It's that time of year again!  The MS 2-Day ride is coming up in about a month, so I'm right in the middle of practice rides.  If anyone is up for some 30-40mile rides post away.  I try to average 13-15mph.

After hundreds of miles on the bike I decided to make the leap and bought some actual cycling shoes over the weekend.  As luck would have it, I got sick yesterday and haven't been able to try them out.
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Post by Bugeater »

Zorinsky Lake is a nice ride, but watch out for the peds, they are everywhere out there. The MOPAC trail is now complete from just south of 370 all the way to the Platte River, I'm anxious to get out on that one. It would be nice if they would get it connected to the Lied Bridge sometime but for now you have to ride out in the road to get to it. I still don't understand what the point of building that was when it's only connected to 1.5 miles of trail, but it's very nice nonetheless.

I am curious though, does anyone know where the trailheads are for the Riverfront Trail? There isn't any marked on the map and I'm not familiar with downtown.
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Post by Ben »

Bugeater wrote:I am curious though, does anyone know where the trailheads are for the Riverfront Trail? There isn't any marked on the map and I'm not familiar with downtown.


Until the finish the ped bridge, I'd say skip the portion of the trail that is directly downtown....  It runs from Lewis and Clark landing (Rick's Cafe) up by Gallup and the River City Star,.  Right now, its all torn up by RFP with the bridge being built.  

It is worth a ride where it starts up again a couple of blocks further north - Abbott Drive and Locust St, at Levi Carter Park in Carter Lake (just at the start of the lake).  From there on up to the north, you've got continuous trail all the way up to NP Dodge park.  At some point they're supposed to connect from there all they way to Boyer Chute, but last time I had made it up that far north (last summer), it still dead ended up just north of NP Dodge.  The roads aren't too bad up there though, so its not too bad of a ride to use that street if you want to go farther north from there.

On the CB side, their Riverfront trail is much more accessible - you can park at any of the riverfront casinos and hop on the trail on the levee.  It goes north to that park just north of the Potawattamie Co Jail, and to the south, it meets up with the Lake Manawa trail, which can be used to access the Wabash Trace.
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Post by rapidskies »

DTO Luv wrote:If you do ride a back please, DON'T RIDE IN THE STREET!! That's one thing that really upsets me off is when there is a perfectly good sidewalk or trail 3 feet away and people are in the street. One guy did this on Abbott Dr. and was holding all of these people up. I put the engine in neutral and floored it and the guy took off for the side walk and fell over. Then he flipped me off.  :) I have seen this more than once and it irritates me to death. So please use these lovely trails and not the streets.
Just to clear up some confusion it is technically ILLEGAL to ride your bike on the sidewalks and a bicycle is suppose to ride on the STREET (there are exceptions like children in residential areas).  A bicycle is treated like an automobile and has access to the same streets unless posted otherwise (ie Interstates).  Also most bikers can go long distances 100miles and commute long distances to work 20+miles, while the trails are OK in Omaha they are not commuter friendly running East-West and if I go on a long bike ride it is much safer riding on highway 50, 370, 31 rather than bike on a MUP where people sometimes walk 3 abreast, don't pay attention, or have dogs off leashes.

For a beautiful 40 mile ride start at Chalco take 370 to Gretna-> 31 to Louisville ->50 back to Chalco.  Nice shoulders and not a ton of traffic on weekend mornings.  You will see quite a few bikers out that way, in fact they just had an organized ride recently with 100+ people that started in Springfield.  

I'm not sure how old you are dto luv but you could seriously injure someone doing things like that (if they land in traffic) not something you really want riding on your conscience.  I hope you educate yourself in regards to bikes and their rights to the roadways and maybe take it up yourself, it is a great way to stay in shape, see some cool areas of  the state.  Take care.
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Post by Coyote »

Thanks for you input rapidskies and welcome to eOmahaForums
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Post by Uffda »

Just to clear up some confusion it is technically ILLEGAL to ride your bike on the sidewalks and a bicycle is suppose to ride on the STREET (there are exceptions like children in residential areas).
If it is technically Illegal -- why is this on the OPD website......
# Go slowly on sidewalks and bike paths

http://www.opd.ci.omaha.ne.us/FAQ/PREV/BIKE/
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Post by rapidskies »

Uffda wrote:
Just to clear up some confusion it is technically ILLEGAL to ride your bike on the sidewalks and a bicycle is suppose to ride on the STREET (there are exceptions like children in residential areas).
If it is technically Illegal -- why is this on the OPD website......
# Go slowly on sidewalks and bike paths

http://www.opd.ci.omaha.ne.us/FAQ/PREV/BIKE/
I was mistaken then, most larger cities treat bikes as vehicles and do not want them on the sidewalk you are correct it is not illegal to ride on the sidewalk in Omaha.  Just to clarify though it is legal to ride on the streets, highways:

http://www.bikeleague.org/action/bikelaws/ne.php

Thanks for pointing out my mistake take care!
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Post by Bugeater »

Ben wrote:
Bugeater wrote:I am curious though, does anyone know where the trailheads are for the Riverfront Trail? There isn't any marked on the map and I'm not familiar with downtown.


Until the finish the ped bridge, I'd say skip the portion of the trail that is directly downtown....  It runs from Lewis and Clark landing (Rick's Cafe) up by Gallup and the River City Star,.  Right now, its all torn up by RFP with the bridge being built.  

It is worth a ride where it starts up again a couple of blocks further north - Abbott Drive and Locust St, at Levi Carter Park in Carter Lake (just at the start of the lake).  From there on up to the north, you've got continuous trail all the way up to NP Dodge park.  At some point they're supposed to connect from there all they way to Boyer Chute, but last time I had made it up that far north (last summer), it still dead ended up just north of NP Dodge.  The roads aren't too bad up there though, so its not too bad of a ride to use that street if you want to go farther north from there.

On the CB side, their Riverfront trail is much more accessible - you can park at any of the riverfront casinos and hop on the trail on the levee.  It goes north to that park just north of the Potawattamie Co Jail, and to the south, it meets up with the Lake Manawa trail, which can be used to access the Wabash Trace.
What about the section south of Heartland of America park down to the South Omaha Bridge? It shows that it's complete on my map (which is a few years old) except for a short section by HoA park, and again no trailheads are marked. Can I park at HoA and head south from there?
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Post by Ben »

Bugeater wrote:
What about the section south of Heartland of America park down to the South Omaha Bridge? It shows that it's complete on my map (which is a few years old) except for a short section by HoA park, and again no trailheads are marked. Can I park at HoA and head south from there?
That's an awfully good question...  I haven't been able to find an access point (at least legally) in the 3 yrs I've lived downtown.  There's nothing from HoA, as the southern part of the ConAgra campus makes the trail start and stop.  The problem with accessing it south of here is that it continues on the levee, which is generally through an industrial area, and then across the tracks from any point in Little Italy or just south of ConAgra.   I believe that there may be an entrance down by the South Omaha bridge though, so if you wanted to start from the bottom and work up, that might be the most successful access point, although that still doesn't give you much distance on a continuous trail....

I think our best hope is once the DT powerplant redevelopment project takes off.  I wouldn't be surprised if they add an access point to the levee/river when that is completed.  Hopefully, in conjunction with that, they might be able to convince the city/ConAgra to connect the pieces, as by that time the ped bridge will be open, leading to 1 large, interconnected system.
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Post by Bugeater »

Thanks for the info Ben, I suppose I best just put off riding it until they get more done. It's too bad ConAgra is apparently standing in the way of getting it connected as that section is virtually useless until that happens.
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Post by Brad »

Date: August 27, 2008


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


The Corporate Cycling Challenge announced over 4,000 cyclists rode in the largest one day bicycle ride in the Midwest – the 18th Annual Corporate Cycling Challenge – which was held Sunday, August 17, 2008!

Bob Mancuso, Jr., one of the coordinators  from the Corporate Cycling Challenge Committee, said the event was a success!  There were both Corporate and Open Divisions.  

The Challenge included three tours --- 10-, 26-, and 42- miles long, featuring beautiful scenery and historical landmarks in a blend of urban and rural riding.  The participants were a mix of all ages and abilities.  The start and finish line was staged in front of the fountain at the Heartland of America Park, on 8th and Farnam in Omaha.

In the Corporate Division, the overall company winner with the most number of employee and family member miles (1/2 credit) completed was the Union Pacific Team.  They reclaimed the Corporate Division Championship from The Nebraska Medical Center/UNMC Team.  The Union Pacific team has now won the championship for 3 of the past 4 years.  The Union Pacific Team had the most overall miles – employees and family members miles with over 9,224.  The Alegent Health Team came in third – a fantastic team result for their second year in the challenge!  

This was the first year that family member miles counted in the team scoring.   Mancuso said one of the goals of the Corporate Cycling Challenge is to promote bicycling and to provide a fantastic event for the city of Omaha and bicyclists to be active and healthy.  It is a fun event for the whole family.

The Union Pacific Team completed over 9,224 miles – a new corporate team record.  The division winners were: AAA – Union Pacific,  AA – HDR,  A – Lutheran Family Services, and B- The Bike Rack.  There were over 67,209 total miles completed by the corporate entrants and over 82,264 total miles overall completed in this year’s Corporate Cycling Challenge – both new records.  

HDR captured the AA Division title for the first time.  They nipped long time AA Division winner ACI Worldwide by only 10 points.





Mancuso said the weather was fantastic for riding this year and it was a beautiful day to just be outside.  At the finish line, the cyclists enjoyed music provided by Q 98 Five Radio Station, a cookout from Hy-Vee, massages, Glacier Vitamin Water, and Powerade!


Mancuso said the Corporate Cycling Challenge’s donation of funds to Eastern Nebraska Trail Network (ENTN) is a good match.  The final numbers are not in yet – but it looks like another great year!  ENTN advocates and supports the development of multi-use trails throughout Omaha and the surrounding areas. Gary Gebhard, President of ENTN, said the funds will be a tremendous addition to our trail development activities.

The Corporate Cycling Challenge has donated over $84,250 to ENTN since it’s inception.  This past year, ENTN donated $25,000 to the Back to the River Project toward the Missouri River Pedestrian Bridge.  Gebhard said the bridge will connect trails and communities – the 2,700 foot span bridge – will connect nearly 150 miles of trails.  

Gebhard said past rides have enabled ENTN to make contributions to the Field Club Trail, the Boulevard Trail (in Dundee Area), and the Lied Platte River Bridge on the Platte River to name a few.  The Lied Platte River Bridge Project was the project that finally brought together trails from Lincoln to Omaha.

Mancuso said, “An event like this isn’t possible without all of the volunteers and the sponsors.  We would especially like to thank our main sponsors – KPTM – Fox 42 Television Station, Q 98 Five Radio Station, Hy-Vee, The Taste of Omaha, Olympia Cycle, Coca-Cola, Powerade, The Fall Home & Garden Expo, Union Pacific, Nebraska Balloon & Wine Festival, Budget Car & Truck Rental, Sam and Louie’s New York Pizzeria, Ideal Pure Water, Dex, Accent Limousine, Activate Omaha,  Omaha Police Department, Our Healthy Community Partnership, Carter Lake Police Department, Heartland React, Omaha Fire Dept Medi-Bike Team, Omaha School of Massage Therapy, Douglas County Police Dept, Washington County Police Dept, Universal College of Healing Arts, Whole Body Health Chiropractic, Regency Lodge, Old Market Massage, Funk Family Chiropractic, Eagle Services, Crossroads Massage Clinic, Pitney Bowes, and Forrest Lawn Memorial Park.


Next year’s 19th Annual Corporate Cycling Challenge is scheduled for Sunday,
August 16, 2009!  If you would like to be put on the mailing list, are interested in being a sponsor, or would like more information, contact the Corporate Cycling Challenge office at 932-RIDE (7433).  You can also visit our web site at http://corporatecycling.com.

* * * * * * *
For more information contact, Bob Mancuso, Jr., Corporate Cycling Challenge Committee, at 402-346-8003.
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Post by Recycled »

Hi All!

Best topic in the world and wish there was more to discuss but with these temps there probably aren't a lot of us out riding.

So what do you do in the winter months?  My bike came downstairs on the trainer about three weeks go and I'll be spinning in front of the TV until temps get back above 50.

Someone asked about a link to metro trails: http://www.papionrd.org/

Anyone here ever rode BRAN?  I rode my first last year and can't wait for the next one. :D
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Post by almighty_tuna »

Recycled wrote:Hi All!

Best topic in the world and wish there was more to discuss but with these temps there probably aren't a lot of us out riding.

So what do you do in the winter months?  My bike came downstairs on the trainer about three weeks go and I'll be spinning in front of the TV until temps get back above 50.

Someone asked about a link to metro trails: http://www.papionrd.org/

Anyone here ever rode BRAN?  I rode my first last year and can't wait for the next one. :D
Yeah, not riding so much right now.  Though, this week i did start my training for the Lincoln Marathon coming up on May 3rd.  

I've never ridden BRAN, scheduling is always an issue, but someday would like to!  Not happy that the 2009 MS 150 is so early in the year and has been reduced to a "fun" ride.  boooo....
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Post by Bugeater »

Heh, unfortunately my bike is hanging in the basement collecting dust right now and it won't be going anywhere soon. Too bad because I'm sure I gained 10 lbs over the holidays and could use the exercise. Definitely going to hit downtown, the footbridge and CB trails the first decent day we have.
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Post by Brad »

I bought a trainer tonight!  I have not got it out of the box yet, but I can't wait to ride my bike in front of the TV until it warms up.
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Mayors kick off bike challenge

Post by Seth »

Mayors kick off bike challenge

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100514/N ... -challenge
Omaha World-Herald wrote:Friday was the day to Trek to work to support bicycle commuting.

Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle and Council Bluffs Mayor Tom Hanafan met on the Omaha side of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge at 9:30 a.m. Friday to cycle to their respective city halls.

The 2010 Mayors' Bicycle Ride kicked off the fifth annual Bike Omaha Commuter Challenge, a competition among businesses to see who can accumulate the most miles over the next 14 weeks, with the counting beginning on Monday.
Omaha World-Herald wrote:It took Suttle 10 minutes to ride a blue Trek bike from the bridge to the mayor's office at the City-County Building.

Suttle wore his suit and tie for the ride, as organizers had encouraged him to do. One point of the ride was to show that people can wear business attire as they bike to work.

Before today, Suttle said he hadn't been on a bike in four years. He said the last time was during a trip to Boulder, Colo., where he went to learn about that city's biking program.

"It tells me I need to get in better shape, but we've known that for some time," Suttle said.
I'm glad to see Suttle and Hanafan supporting this, at least ceremonially.
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Re: Mayors kick off bike challenge

Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

Seth wrote:I'm glad to see Suttle and Hanafan supporting this, at least ceremonially.
Right. Same here. It's one thing for the mayors to make an appearance on a bike like this, but it would be quite another if they biked to work a couple days a week on a regular basis. Not knowing where Suttle lives, my guess is it's pretty far from where he works.

It would make a heck of an impression if he and his wife moved to Midtown Crossing or to one of the Downtown developments, and he was seen on the streets walking and riding to work all the time.
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Re: Mayors kick off bike challenge

Post by Seth »

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:It would make a heck of an impression if he and his wife moved to Midtown Crossing or to one of the Downtown developments, and he was seen on the streets walking and riding to work all the time.
I don't know, would that be the last straw for some suburban West-Omaha voters?  I would expect someone to accuse him of working in the streetcars just so he could use them personally.
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Post by Coyote »

Bicyclists get valet parking
Juan Perez Jr. World-Herald Staff Writer wrote:In an effort to promote two-wheeled commuting in Omaha, a local bicycle advocacy group plans to provide “valet bicycle parking” during every Shakespeare on the Green performance, starting Thursday. The OmahaBikes organization will place bikes inside a bike corral erected next to the Elmwood Park stage on performance nights beginning at 7 p.m. Volunteers will monitor commuters’ bicycles at all times, the organization said. The service is free, though any tips or donations will go to the group.
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

We could probably put this in the active transportation thread, Coyote.

I meant to post it but hadn't yet. Thanks!
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Post by Coyote »

I thought we had a bicyclist interest/benefit thread going but couldn't find it so I just stuck it here. I was going to look up OmahaBikes to see what they were about.
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Post by Bugeater »

Finally went out and rode the MOPAC trail this morning, and while I found the southern leg from the Platte River to Springfield to be a very pleasant ride, I was shocked to find out there is no direct connection to the trail north of Springfield. Huge failure there on somebody's part. You either had to ride through a hilly neighborhood or along Hwy 50. Fail, fail fail.

And the condition of the northern leg between Fairview and Schram Rds was appalling considering it is only a few years old. There were numerous rutted, washed out areas and broken glass on the trail. It makes me wonder if it's being maintained at all.
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Post by icejammer »

Bugeater wrote:And the condition of the northern leg between Fairview and Schram Rds was appalling considering it is only a few years old. There were numerous rutted, washed out areas and broken glass on the trail. It makes me wonder if it's being maintained at all.
Considering all the rain we've had, it's not surprising that there are numerous rutted, washed out areas on the trail.  In '93, we had the same problems on the Wabash Trace, which had only been open 4(?) years at that point, so it may not be a maintenance issue there.  The glass, however, is a problem...
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Post by almighty_tuna »

If you go east from Lincoln the trail is in excellent condition, generally speaking (aka, barring any major rain events, etc), all the way to Elmwood.
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Post by Bugeater »

icejammer wrote: Considering all the rain we've had, it's not surprising that there are numerous rutted, washed out areas on the trail.  In '93, we had the same problems on the Wabash Trace, which had only been open 4(?) years at that point, so it may not be a maintenance issue there.  The glass, however, is a problem...
That's a good point, and I understand that there is only so much that can be done when that much rain is occuring. But the Wabash has seen the same amount of rain this year and it has been in excellent shape all summer. In fact,  I can only recall a couple issues with the Wabash in the 6 or 7 years I've been riding it. It was in rough shape one summer in the area where they were building that new subdivision, and 5-6 years ago there was a problem with water running off the highway about a mile from the trailhead.  Other than that, it has been nearly flawless.
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Post by Bugeater »

almighty_tuna wrote:If you go east from Lincoln the trail is in excellent condition, generally speaking (aka, barring any major rain events, etc), all the way to Elmwood.
Yeah I was wondering if maybe the pieces we have by Omaha aren't getting attention since they are so far disconnected from the main part of the trail.

Heck, I'm not even sure if the leg north of Springfield is even considered part of the MOPAC. As I mentioned, there's no direct connection to the trail south of town, maybe it's something that the city of Springfield built. Or for all I know it's something the state threw down when they rebuilt Hwy 50 without appropriating any money to maintain it.
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Post by Bugeater »

Some pics:

Image

Image
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Post by Brad »

First off...

The roads in aksarben village have been repainted to include bike lanes.  by the dorms a whole lane was dedicated to bikes, in other areas the bike logo is panted on the curb lane.

Second:

Sharing The Road With Bicycles

http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/99797029.html
www.wowt.com wrote:Most of the signs and striping is done along the first designated bicycle route in Omaha that is designed to make riding a bicycle to work a little easier.
www.wowt.com wrote:Todd Pfitzer is the traffic engineer for the city of Omaha. "The folks in cars are going to have to start understanding when they see a bicycle on the road [the cyclists] have a right to be there as well."

The newly completed route takes cyclists between 16th and capital in downtown to the Benson business district
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Post by lyonsroar »

I'll pipe in:

About a month ago after those big rainstorms I did have to ride through about 2-3 inches of mud where the trail passes under the west dodge expressway where the trail comes right up to the creek.  I'd say there was a good 1/2-3/4 of a mile of mud covered trail.  I toughed it out and made it through and back, but I wouldn't want to do it again.  This was river mud.  Sticky as all get out.

Also, the train bridge by Seymore Smith park ALWAYS has mud under it.  ALWAYS.  Sometimes it smells less like mud and more like horse excrement.  The bad thing is that if you are coming at it from the south it is at the bottom of a curving hill so a few people don't see it and hit the mud patch at 20+ MPH...injuries... :shock:
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Post by lyonsroar »

^^
Went that way again today.  Seems that the city or whoever has scraped up the mud and deposited it along the edges of the trail.  A job well done!
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Post by omahahawk »

Omaha Updates Transportation Plan For Bicyclists

OMAHA, Neb. -- City officials said they are about to make Omaha more bicycle-friendly with bike lanes, boulevards and bridges.

Biking advocates said the city may have a long way to go when it comes to bicycling but they expect to put Omaha on the biking map.

http://www.ketv.com/news/26844921/detail.html
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Post by Seth »

That is great news.  I think the idea of encouraging businesses to install bike racks is a great idea.  When my wife and I go out to north downtown or midtown crossing on our bike, its very nice to be able to lock it up to a proper bike rack.  Even going to Old Market can be a pain, as finding a safe spot to leave the bike isn't always easy.
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

Absolutely, Seth. It's such an easy and inexpensive (compared to automobile storage) way businesses can accommodate their customers who prefer to bicycle, and be "green" while they're at it.

At the time I left Omaha last summer, things were improving--there were bike racks being installed around downtown at places like Patrick's Market, the Slowdown, etc. But there is still a great need for bike parking in the Old Market. I think that would be the perfect spot for a "pilot" car-parking-to-bike-parking project, where one or two car parking stalls can be turned into parking for about 16-32 bikes. Wouldn't that be something?
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Post by Brad »

granted, I only ride my bike for fun and not as a source of transportation, but there are more and more bike racks everywhere.  Sometimes I do think that its hard to decide if it is a bike rack or a sculpture.

Also, I think one of the suburban cities connected to Omaha requires bike racks now.
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nativeomahan
County Board
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Post by nativeomahan »

Michigan Ave, Chicago:

Image

Adams Morgan, Washington, D.C.:

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almighty_tuna
City Council
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Post by almighty_tuna »

nativeomahan wrote:Image
Haha! I have the same picture, only at 12:30am!   :lol:

Image
StreetsOfOmaha
City Council
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

Here's an awesome graphic illustrating the benefit of increased bicycle use to local economies.

Image

I'm sure these numbers are totally slanted and biased and are just concerned with pushing an agenda, just like me.  8)
"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."
Lewis Mumford, The Highway and the City, 1963
almighty_tuna
City Council
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Post by almighty_tuna »

Call me when that's relevant to Overland Park, Ks.
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