Moderators: nebugeater, Omaha Cowboy, Brad, BRoss
Oh, I meant it the way I said it, implying that the Soccer Moms and the SUV Dads both have the dominant gene!Big E wrote:I might have gone with ingraining, but your way is so much funnier.Omababe wrote:Omaha has not seen serious transit for 50 years, that's two generations of private car inbreeding.
-Big E
I'd say that's true except for the #2 between downtown and UNO.Omababe wrote:In the Omaha area, you do get a concentration of those with no other transportation options on the bus, the near-homeless, the near-destitute, wandering poor, etc.thenewguy wrote:The crazies i'm talking about are the kind that sit there, rocking back and forth talking to themselves. Or sitting on the bench waiting for the bus, searching for smoked cigarette butts on the ground to light up...or the kind that wheel around a duffle bag full of bottles, coats, and whatever else they have, ...
Why?
Those of means just don't take the bus, in Omaha that is.
In larger cities, as somebody just said, everybody rides, and no segment of society stands out as the stereotypical bus rider.
Here, the average middle-class gainfully-employed person who regularly rides the bus is the exception and not the rule. Most of them take their cars, or pickup trucks, or SUVs! It's very much a car culture here. Omaha has not seen serious transit for 50 years, that's two generations of private car inbreeding.
Oh well ...
Swift wrote:I'd say that's true except for the #2 between downtown and UNO.Omababe wrote:In the Omaha area, you do get a concentration of those with no other transportation options on the bus, the near-homeless, the near-destitute, wandering poor, etc.thenewguy wrote:The crazies i'm talking about are the kind that sit there, rocking back and forth talking to themselves. Or sitting on the bench waiting for the bus, searching for smoked cigarette butts on the ground to light up...or the kind that wheel around a duffle bag full of bottles, coats, and whatever else they have, ...
Why?
Those of means just don't take the bus, in Omaha that is.
In larger cities, as somebody just said, everybody rides, and no segment of society stands out as the stereotypical bus rider.
Here, the average middle-class gainfully-employed person who regularly rides the bus is the exception and not the rule. Most of them take their cars, or pickup trucks, or SUVs! It's very much a car culture here. Omaha has not seen serious transit for 50 years, that's two generations of private car inbreeding.
Oh well ...
I used to ride the 98 from 90th and Blondo to downtown and it was fine too.Swift wrote:I'd say that's true except for the #2 between downtown and UNO.Omababe wrote:In the Omaha area, you do get a concentration of those with no other transportation options on the bus, the near-homeless, the near-destitute, wandering poor, etc.thenewguy wrote:The crazies i'm talking about are the kind that sit there, rocking back and forth talking to themselves. Or sitting on the bench waiting for the bus, searching for smoked cigarette butts on the ground to light up...or the kind that wheel around a duffle bag full of bottles, coats, and whatever else they have, ...
Why?
Those of means just don't take the bus, in Omaha that is.
In larger cities, as somebody just said, everybody rides, and no segment of society stands out as the stereotypical bus rider.
Here, the average middle-class gainfully-employed person who regularly rides the bus is the exception and not the rule. Most of them take their cars, or pickup trucks, or SUVs! It's very much a car culture here. Omaha has not seen serious transit for 50 years, that's two generations of private car inbreeding.
Oh well ...
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 00307/1001City buses making room for cyclists
staff reports • May 20, 2008
Bikers can give their cycles a lift on city buses.
A cyclist can meet the bus at a bus stop, flash a card to the driver, then mount the cycle on the front of the vehicle before boarding. The ride costs the regular $1 passenger fee, but bringing the bike along is free.
The card and free training are available at the Sioux Falls Transit terminal at First Avenue and Eleventh Street.
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John Nardini, general manager of Sioux Falls Transit, said the program has grown to serve 300 to 400 bikers a month. For details, call 367-7183
I'm glad Simon seems to recognize his service's shortcomings, but definitely points the blame too heavily on "underfunding". Hmmm, maybe MAT as a company should be more active in seeking out federal funding???Clyde Anderson, the main speaker at a workshop titled "Getting Around Green in the Big O," said Metro Area Transit's progress "tends to be glacial" and criticized the limited service in rapidly growing west Omaha and Sarpy County.
Curt Simon, executive director of MAT, responded in an interview Saturday afternoon that the bus service has limited money to expand. Nevertheless, Simon said, the soaring price of fuel increased MAT ridership by 9 percent last year and noticeably this year, too.
"It's all about resources, and we are poised right now to take advantage of the opportunity that's presented to us," Simon said.
MAT's Simon said his agency is talking with leaders of several Sarpy County communities about the potential for increasing service there.
As for west Omaha, Simon said his agency about a year ago added a park and ride at Lakeside Hospital on 168th Street, intends to create another park-and-ride area west of the West Dodge Expressway, and is in discussions with Metropolitan Community College about a park-and-ride service at the college's Elkhorn campus.
Simon said MAT is replacing old bus-stop signs. "They stink," he said. "They're bad."
JONATHON BRADEN WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER wrote:Omaha commuters could be riding the West Dodge express bus route in as little as a month's time.
Metro Area Transit's executive director, Curt Simon, said the express route is in the final stages of scheduling and said the route should start operating the third week of June.
"We think it will certainly be very popular," Simon said. "We've had a lot of requests from people out at the West Dodge corridor for a park-and-ride express."
Simon said the buses will pick up passengers in the morning at two places: the Village Pointe shopping center, at 168th Street and West Dodge Road, and at the North Omaha Transit Center, 30th Street and Ames Avenue.
The first bus route is tentatively scheduled to depart from Village Pointe at 6 a.m., 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., Simon said. The route will have a total of 12 pick-up points, including Village Pointe.
MAT's Route 2 has 11 eastbound stops, but covers a shorter distance from 102nd and Nicholas Streets through downtown to 22nd and Cuming Streets, according to MAT's Web site.
Currently, Simon said, no park-and-ride location has been secured at Village Pointe. MAT is working to arrange a location on a temporary basis, Simon said, so it won't have to delay the start of the express route. Commuters can park at the First National Bank Park, 144th Street and West Dodge, and at the Bank of the West, at 132nd Street and West Dodge, Simon said.
At 4:11 and 5:11 p.m., the bus will take people back to Village Pointe.
The second bus route will pick up passengers at the North Omaha Transit Center at 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. That bus will then make its first stop at 14th and Dodge Streets on the way to Village Pointe.
At 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., the bus will depart from Village Pointe and haul passengers back to the North Omaha Transit Center while making stops along Dodge. People riding the bus from the North Omaha Transit Center won't be able to park there because the transit center has no parking.
The new express route, Simon said, could quickly become MAT's most popular route.
KETV wrote:"We anticipated the 92 Express to start today, but because of some signage issues and some concrete issues, we did not start today," Shadden said. "We've had a lot of interest from riders who are very excited about that route." Once Route 92 begins, it will go from the North Omaha Transit Center to downtown and then continue on Dodge Street to Village Pointe Shopping Center and back.
I actually just started parking and taking the bus from Oakview to the Medical Center (15) this week. I figured out the cost and at around current gas prices it will save me about $700 if not more in gas. Not a insignificant amount and the times are good and the stops are right next to my work. Most peak times are not real full but a good number of people although it gets sparse the further out you go. Although last nigh I took the 8:10 or so stop from the med center and had personal limo service the entire trip to Oakview. Not a single other person on or off. I would love it if somehow we could eventually get the whole light rail lines out west started.Swift wrote:The 15/55 goes out to Oakview.
The 97 goes to 156th and Q.
KETV wrote:MAT Needs Permanent Parking Solution On New Route. It hopes to work with an organization that will permanently donate space, said MAT spokeswoman Linda Barritt. Otherwise, MAT must purchase land to build a park-and-ride location. Ridership for the new route is already up 179 percent, MAT officials said.
Hello!
If you’re looking for an alternative way to get around Omaha, hop on your bike and head for the nearest bus stop.
Starting Monday, Sept. 29, the general public will be able to begin using the new bike racks mounted on Metro Area Transit (MAT) buses.
Local bike enthusiasts can practice using the new bus bike racks in a learning session set for Monday, Sept. 15. The event - sponsored by Activate Omaha in conjunction with MAT, the City of Omaha and Omaha by Design - will begin at 5 p.m. in the front parking lot of MAT headquarters, 2222 Cuming St. All those interested are invited to participate.
[center]JOIN US!!!
What: Learn How to Bike & Ride
Date: Monday, September 15, 2008
Time: 5:00pm
Location: MAT, 2222 Cuming Street
(front parking lot; inside if it rains)
RSVP: [email protected]
Bring Your Bikes!!! Bring Your Fellow Commuters!!!
All are welcome!!![/center]
Not quite, if you did not ride the bus, you can not pass page 2StreetsOfOmaha wrote:Here is the Young Professionals MAT survey, open to participants and non-participants alike.