Downtown goal: kicking butts

Uffda · Post by **Uffda** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:08 am

I love how they are trying to blame this problem on the smoking ban.

Downtown goal: kicking butts
BY C. DAVID KOTOK
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Task No. 1 for Omaha's new downtown improvement district is eradicating all the cigarette butts trashing up the sidewalks.

The problem is growing worse, Kiel said, partly as an unintended consequence of the city's ban on smoking in restaurants and other workplaces. More people are stepping outside and |expletive| their cigarette butts onto the sidewalks and streets, she said. Omaha's smoking ban took effect in October 2006.

Here is the link

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2 ... d=10323325

They also changed the title of the article :lol: It now reads:

Downtown Omaha wants to eradicate cigarette butts

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:36 am

Waste. Of. Money.

Uffda · Post by **Uffda** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:19 am

How so?

Post by **Brad** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:21 am

Not a waste of money... Just have cops start writing tickets for littering and problem solved. The city makes money and the the buts start to go away.

the1wags · Post by **the1wags** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:26 am

They should be cleaned up but I'd rather see new signage downtown. Des Moines has some nice signage pointing out directions downtown on every corner. How about replacing the trees that are missing from a bunch of the planter areas in the sidewalks?

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:41 am

Brad wrote:Just have cops start writing tickets for littering and problem solved. The city makes money and the the butts start to go away.

Bingo.

Make property owners responsible for cleaning their own damn sidewalks, too. We don't need a business improvement district. We need businesses with brooms.

-Big E

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 11:09 am

There just need to be more trash cans (in general) with receptacles on top. It's not TOTALLY the fault of the smoking ban, but also the city's for passing the smoking ban without planning for smokers being outside. Smokers don't go away just because of the ban.

There are good intentions behind the BID, and I like that they want to make downtown "greener". I hope they're able to accomplish their goals.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 11:58 am

If this is the first goal of the BID then it needs to go away or greatly rethink their purpose. There are |expletive| trashcans on about every corner DT.

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:18 pm

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:It's not TOTALLY the fault of the smoking ban, but also the city's for passing the smoking ban without planning for smokers being outside. Smokers don't go away just because of the ban.

True, but cigarettes didn't suddenly become litter since the ban, either.

It's another case of why can't we just enforce the laws we already have (ie, littering) rather than taxing me because other people are inconsiderate jack |expletive|?

-Big E

Uffda · Post by **Uffda** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 1:12 pm

How about replacing the trees that are missing from a bunch of the planter areas in the sidewalks?

In line with the group's mission of making downtown Omaha "cleaner, greener and safer," an effort currently is under way to make downtown a green symbol for the city.

The plan is to turn downtown into an urban arboretum with a diverse mix of trees along the streets and in parks, she said.

Uffda · Post by **Uffda** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 1:32 pm

other people are inconsiderate jack |expletive|?

If you know their email you can even send them the following anonymous email

http://www.cigarettelitter.org/index.asp?pagename=Email

A visitor to our web site entered your e-mail address into a form that automatically generated this message. This could be because you were observed littering a cigarette or because this visitor thought you would be interested in information on this topic.

Please visit http://www.cigarettelitter.org to learn more about the negative impact of cigarette butt litter, including the following facts:

- Cigarettes are the number one source of litter in the world, with an estimated several trillion littered annually.

- Cigarette butts are NOT biodegradable -- they are made of plastic fibers.

- Littered cigarette filters contain toxic chemicals which are released into the environment.

- Cigarette litter causes numerous fires every year, many of which are fatal.

Thank you for reading this message and for helping us address this very important issue! Please feel free to e-mail this message to anyone else who you feel will benefit from the information.

nebport5 · Post by **nebport5** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 2:41 pm

Proposal: Anyone caught littering cigarettes will be fined and sentenced to pick up cigarette butts ala convicts cleaning highways.

People are freaking lazy, the presence of trash cans isn't enough. Businesses need butt out posts out front.

I think the green plan is a great component to the plan.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 2:46 pm

For my part, I always throw my butts away.

Post by **Brad** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:01 pm

Trash cans....???? FIRE HAZZARD!

Ashtrays would be more appropriate to put outside bars and such.

Bobcat · Post by **Bobcat** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:14 pm

The downtown BID has been in place for over a year and it's not too clear what, if anything, has been accomplished. The website for the BID doesn't explain much and looking at the meeting minutes makes it even murkier. Now they will be paying 70,000 dollars a year to pay someone to institute programs like picking up cigarette butts. So far this entire program seems like a waste of money. Let's hope the new leader earns her keep and makes it an effective organization like it is in some (not all) cities that have them.

the1wags · Post by **the1wags** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:42 pm

Here's a pic I ganked from the Des Moines forum of their downtown signage. I'd REALLY like to see us get something like this.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Thu May 01, 2008 2:18 am

You're right, Brad, just having trash cans IS a fire hazard. Like I said, I always throw my butts away, which involves making sure the cigarette is completely out first. Frankly, most people aren't likely to do this and will just toss the still-burning butt on the ground, MAYBE stomping it out.

Anyway, that signage looks great. This is something that would be REALLY great for Omaha.

There could/should be signage in the Old Market, CBD, and now North Downtown, maybe even in Midtown directing people to the Qwest Center, Old Market, Joslyn, the Durham, Midtown Crossing, Med Centers, Parks, etc...

Especially with the increased tourists Downtown during the summer, with the CWS in North Downtown, WOOO!

Uffda · Post by **Uffda** » Thu May 01, 2008 6:18 am

There are plenty of designs like this that a business could put up outside

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Thu May 01, 2008 7:32 am

Exactly. And I'm sure those aren't very expensive.

nebport5 · Post by **nebport5** » Thu May 01, 2008 11:09 am

I think I'd rather have a clean and green downtown that obnoxious signage everywhere. However, I don't think its an either or situation, I think we could have both. I'm not against all signs either, but something more tasteful than ugly blue and red. Earth tones would look much more aesthetically pleasing.

Or how about a few more strategically placed mounted picture maps signs like the ones in place in the Old Market?

The overall plan of the BID may have some flaws and you may disagree with the implementation but the goals are still worth while.

Omababe · Post by **Omababe** » Thu May 01, 2008 12:07 pm

Uffda wrote:There are plenty of designs like this that a business could put up outside

Uh, it's almost funny that these keep the ashes under lock and key!

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Thu May 01, 2008 12:45 pm

If not you'd probably get punk kids opening them up and making a mess all the time.