Omaha's Active Transportation Discussion

Seth · Post by **Seth** » Thu Jul 22, 2010 8:36 pm

That would be awesome! I need to convince my employers to do the same. I think they could spare one visitor space in the garage, but I'd settle for outdoor. It looks like my wife and I will be getting a house more biking distance than walking distance. I suppose I could always park at Mutual where they're progressive enough to consider cycles.

As long as at least one driver took a bike, it wouldn't even decrease available spaces, not to mention the potential to increase it by 15.

Post by **Brad** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 7:31 am

We just park in our cubicles at my office.

S33 · Post by **S33** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 12:53 pm

Speaking of bikes, I am in the market for a new mountain bike for trail riding. Any recommendations for a decent shop for mountain bikes who will take the time to measure me for the right size bike and who won't rip me off?

I heard bike prices are kind of crazy in the fact that the same bike could hugely vary in price from store to store.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Sun Jul 25, 2010 1:08 pm

I would just check Craigslist, or, for an inexpensive but still quality option, I would go to the Re-Cycle Bike Shop on South 13th Street, or to the Community Bike Shop on North 33rd Street.

Here's a decent chart to help you figure out what size frame to get:
http://www.bikecyclingreviews.com/image ... able_1.gif

Bikes aren't like cars - newer does not necessarily mean better. What I mean is, you can take a bike that has been sitting in a garage for 30 years and get it perfectly ride-able in a day.

Post by **Brad** » Sun Jul 25, 2010 5:12 pm

But new bikes are sooooo much lighter!

I got a gary fisher which is equivalent to a trek and it was around $500.

I just sold a no name bike from my garage for $40.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Mon Jul 26, 2010 12:23 am

I prefer a steel lugged frame. :yes:

S33 · Post by **S33** » Mon Jul 26, 2010 6:01 am

Thanks, I was pointed towards a shop in Nebraska City. Apparently they have excellent on-going service (since I'm sure I'll need it). I also had no idea there was such a huge network of rugged trails in the Omaha area. Should be fun

DeWalt · Post by **DeWalt** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 10:48 am

S33 wrote:Thanks, I was pointed towards a shop in Nebraska City. Apparently they have excellent on-going service (since I'm sure I'll need it). I also had no idea there was such a huge network of rugged trails in the Omaha area. Should be fun

How about Bike Masters, out on Fort Street? And isn't there a bike shop in Midtown - kind of in the area of 38th & California?

My apologies if those are stupid suggestions...

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Fri Aug 06, 2010 3:32 pm

Sharrows and bike lanes completed on the Benson (Red) Route.

From the OWH:
http://www.omaha.com/article/20100805/N ... e-friendly

The city has painted bicycle outlines with directional arrows — called “sharrows” — on streets near the Benson neighborhood and near 16th Street and Capitol Avenue as part of its BikeOmaha Pilot Network.

Tammie Dodge, project manager at Activate Omaha, an advocacy group that promotes active lifestyles, said although Omaha is an auto-centric community, she has noticed more people turning to bicycles. She said more have joined the group's bike to work challenge every year since it started in 2006.

With the number of bicyclists and bicycle lanes growing, she said, Activate Omaha has received funding to conduct a rules of the road public awareness campaign. She said the group will spread its message through social networking and traditional media, educating bicyclists and motorists on driving laws.

I am SO happy to hear about the public awareness campaign! I'd love to see tastefully done, simple billboard, social media, and TV/Radio ads featuring quick, to-the-point bits of information for motorists and cyclists about safety, laws, and rights/responsibilities.

Seth · Post by **Seth** » Fri Aug 06, 2010 7:39 pm

S33 wrote:Thanks, I was pointed towards a shop in Nebraska City. Apparently they have excellent on-going service (since I'm sure I'll need it). I also had no idea there was such a huge network of rugged trails in the Omaha area. Should be fun

Craigslist is definitely the best place to get a good deal on a used bike. You do have to do your research and know what you're looking at, and you are on your own as far as making sure the bike is the right size, though. My wife and I just bought a tandem off Craigslist. We did have to drive to Lincoln to get it, though.

My wife and I went to Greenstreet cycles last weekend. I was really impressed. My wife bought herself a new saddle for the tandem and they were very polite and knowledgeable in recommending one to her. They even offered to let her come in and trade for another one if she didn't like it. The new bikes they carry are higher-end and pricey, though. I am very tempted to buy a new Surly, though. Incidentally, one of the guys working there moved from Minneapolis, and expressed his frustration over how much worse the bus system is here (I thought of this as I was reading the MAT thread a minute ago).

I've have also been to Re-Cycle on 13th where they seemed to have a pretty good selection of bikes. The guys there were pretty helpful. I was just buying inner tubes though, so I don't have much experience there.

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Mon Aug 30, 2010 7:47 pm

[youtube][/youtube]

Does this count as "active" transport?

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 3:58 pm

Well, bicycling does, and this constitutes supporting infrastructure, so yes.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:43 am

In Burlington, VT you can park your bike... in a car!

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Fri Dec 31, 2010 5:12 pm

I'm sad I wasn't able to participate, but it looks like the 2010 Bike De'Lights holiday night ride was a huge success and continues to grow!

[youtube][/youtube]

Linkin5 · Post by **Linkin5** » Sun Jan 02, 2011 4:53 pm

The other day I tried to walk across the stretch of Dodge that crosses the Interstate, it was terrifying. How is there no safe way for people to cross that area if they are walking? Thank you again to the guy that stopped and offered me a ride while I was walking on the center median.

omaja · Post by **omaja** » Sun Jan 02, 2011 6:50 pm

There are no sidewalks because the lower local lanes merge with the upper express lanes before the freeway itself actually terminates.

Linkin5 · Post by **Linkin5** » Sun Jan 02, 2011 8:06 pm

omaja wrote:There are no sidewalks because the lower local lanes merge with the upper express lanes before the freeway itself actually terminates.

So there is NO way they could have set it up to allow someone to walk across without putting their life at risk?

omahusker · Post by **omahusker** » Sun Jan 02, 2011 8:26 pm

well, they wouldn't be by the side of the road because it's technically a freeway all the way to the westroads/regency exit. the only way that could work would be to build a separate footbridge across I-680

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Sun Jan 02, 2011 9:00 pm

This is why I have previously said that, as far as pedestrians are concerned, W Dodge Expressway might as well be the Berlin Wall in that area.

omaja · Post by **omaja** » Sun Jan 02, 2011 9:02 pm

Linkin5 wrote:
omaja wrote:There are no sidewalks because the lower local lanes merge with the upper express lanes before the freeway itself actually terminates.
So there is NO way they could have set it up to allow someone to walk across without putting their life at risk?

I mean, sure, there exists a way. In the end, though, I think the cost (and severe lack of demand) outweighed any potential usefulness such a link would have provided.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Sun Jan 02, 2011 9:19 pm

I don't disagree that there is a lack of "demand" (which is a really sad critique on our society), but I don't think that is a valid reason not to create connections that provide the option of walking. If people don't even have an option, what choice do they have and how can any demand develop?

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Sun Jan 02, 2011 9:46 pm

I don't know exactly where you were trying to cross, but there is a sidewalk along Regency Pkwy underneath Dodge in that area.

omaja · Post by **omaja** » Sun Jan 02, 2011 10:09 pm

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:I don't disagree that there is a lack of "demand" (which is a really sad critique on our society), but I don't think that is a valid reason not to create connections that provide the option of walking. If people don't even have an option, what choice do they have and how can any demand develop?

Demand would be able to develop if Old Mill and/or Regency/Westroads were more pedestrian-oriented areas individually. Absent that, no one will be walking between the two when he utilized his car to get to his first destination anyway.

Seth · Post by **Seth** » Mon Jan 03, 2011 11:02 pm

omaja wrote:
Demand would be able to develop if Old Mill and/or Regency/Westroads were more pedestrian-oriented areas individually. Absent that, no one will be walking between the two when he utilized his car to get to his first destination anyway.

You're correct about that. I roll my eyes when I see people drive their car between adjacent big box stores in the new shopping developments. Sometimes it's so close I swear it must take them longer than if they walked.

A lot of municipalities are spending a lot of money to add sidewalks to subdivisions that were originally built without them. Champaign (where I went to school) was one of them spending a good chunk of their annual transportation budget for this purpose, as kids had to walk in the street to get to school.

Most developers are now required to include sidewalks, but I'll admit it doesn't do a whole lot for increasing pedestrian activity by itself. The same thing goes for the more-encompassing complete streets; if you build everything else around the car, a sidewalk and a bike lane still aren't that useful. I'm glad there at least trying now, though.

mrdwhsr · Post by **mrdwhsr** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 1:37 pm

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:This is why I have previously said that, as far as pedestrians are concerned, W Dodge Expressway might as well be the Berlin Wall in that area.

Pretty much true of every freeway, not just West Dodge Expressway. A great tool to divide neighborhoods (and destroy established neighborhoods - like the North Freeway).

I don't see anyway I would want to cross Dodge on foot at 114th or 120th. 120th and Blondo is about the maximum I would risk. The overpasses aren't all that pedestrian friendly either. I've only seen one intrepid jogger use the 150th and 156th Street overpasses. Suggestions: Make the pedestrian way (sidewalk) more obvious to motorists, bigger walk lights (the size of those "No RIGHT TURN" signs, the walk lights timed so you don't get stuck on the bridge between off/on ramps, speed limit enforcement anyone?

Westroads? I get the feeling that walking from the Mall to Granite City isn't that great an idea. Re-parking the car would have been safer.

Just don't get used to agreement on a subject Streets

omaja · Post by **omaja** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:42 pm

mrdwhsr wrote:
StreetsOfOmaha wrote:This is why I have previously said that, as far as pedestrians are concerned, W Dodge Expressway might as well be the Berlin Wall in that area.
Pretty much true of every freeway, not just West Dodge Expressway. A great tool to divide neighborhoods (and destroy established neighborhoods - like the North Freeway).

Though in Dodge's case the majority of development directly adjacent the corridor came after it was already in the process of being converted into a freeway. It's hard to divide neighborhoods and developments that were never conceived to be united in the first place.

Not to say that the status quo is acceptable and shouldn't be changed because it definitely ought to be as we as a society are slowly redefining suburbia and retaking the city. First things first, though: the individual developments need to be independently retrofitted to be more pedestrian-friendly in order for better pedestrian connections between them to make sense.

lisanstan · Post by **lisanstan** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:33 pm

Desire to live in a walking neighborhood is the reason i never considered anything west of 72nd St. I love that i can walk to restaurants/bars, groceries, movies, parks and its all pedestrian friendly. After many years in the south in rural areas with no sidewalks im in heaven. Reminds me of my childhood in LA where we walked everywhere as kids. It didn't hurt that the weather in LA is a "little" nicer than Omaha!

S33 · Post by **S33** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 8:14 am

lisanstan wrote:Reminds me of my childhood in LA where we walked everywhere as kids. It didn't hurt that the weather in LA is a "little" nicer than Omaha!

I would be willing to bet that if Omaha's weather was even as close to as mild as Southern California's, the city would be MUCH more pedestrian friendly. Given that 5-6 months out of the year it's either scorching hot and humid, or freezing cold and windy, not many people are that enthusiastic about walking/cycling.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 9:44 am

omaja wrote:First things first, though: the individual developments need to be independently retrofitted to be more pedestrian-friendly in order for better pedestrian connections between them to make sense.

Absolutely, 100% agreed. But land use and transportation (i/e connections) don't have to have a "chicken and egg" relationship. Either one can come first and encourage the other.

omaja · Post by **omaja** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 6:51 pm

Definitely. In the case of Westroads/Old Mill, though, the outrageous cost of having to grade-separate a pedestrian link through the I-680/Dodge interchange would be a deterrent to building one before the demand is there or at the very least already forming.

Light rail would do just the trick to get the ball rolling. Westroads and Old Mill would have trouble keeping up with the demand for increased pedestrianization.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 11:42 am

Here's some new research from UMass - Amherst that shows that bicycle and pedestrian road projects create more jobs per $1 million expended than other road projects - an important economic impact that is often ignored or overlooked.

http://networkedblogs.com/cIf5Z

Here's a brief abstract from the post:

Investment in transportation infrastructure of all types will generate employment in various industries throughout Baltimore and the State of Maryland. In this case study we find that investments in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure create the most employment for a given level of expenditure. While road construction projects create approximately 7 jobs per $1 million spending, pedestrian projects create over 11 jobs for the same level of spending, and bicycle projects create up to 14 jobs. Other studies have shown that investments in bicycle and pedestrian facilities can reduce carbon emissions and improve quality of life. Here we find that these investments bring an additional benefit to the community: they are an important source of job creation.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:54 am

Whoa! This was just passed my way. It's a delivery and hauling service based in Northampton, MA that hauls trash, recycling, and pretty much just about anything by bicycle. Look at some of these loads they are hauling!

http://www.pedalpeople.com/index.php?page=12

For those of you who are worried about being able to transport a few shopping bags or your children, how about a couch or a greenhouse!!!

Post by **Brad** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:59 am

That first pic is about the size of my old lawnmower trailer I use on my bike when I was 13 or 14 years old. However I built mine out of wood.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:09 am

Brad, I've been wanting to build a trailer for some time. Do you have access to any good plans or know where I could find some?

The main factors seem to be the axle and how (and where) you attach the trailer to the bike.

Post by **Brad** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:23 am

No, mine was totally homemade. I designed and built it as I went.

For the axle I used a threaded rod from the hardware store and two small wheels. I used double nuts and several washers to keep the wheels and threaded rod where I wanted it. I built a 2X4 frame for the base of the trailer and covered it with a piece of plywood. I ran the threaded rod through hold I drilled in the 2X4. I may have even doubled up the 2X4 where the threaded rod went through I wasn't fancy, but it worked.

As far as attaching it to the bike, I used two holes in the frame near the back wheel. There was a hole on either side and had 1"x2" boards that ran from the trailer frame up to the bike frame and I used a bolt, washers and nuts to hold the boards to the frame. The trailer didn't swing behind the bike so if I were to do it again I would try to connect it around the set somehow so it would pivot. With the stiff frame I used back in the day, you could not make sharp turns.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 12:12 pm

Cool. Thanks for the insight!

Bosco55David · Post by **Bosco55David** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 2:16 pm

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:Cool. Thanks for the insight!

If you have access to some basic power tools and a welder, you could probably make one out of lightweight aluminum.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 11:18 am

The power tools I have, but not the welder. I'd most likely build it out of wood and some metal piping.

Bosco55David · Post by **Bosco55David** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 11:39 am

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:The power tools I have, but not the welder. I'd most likely build it out of wood and some metal piping.

Personally, I'd do metal. If you can get your hands on some aluminum or chromoly it would probably be lighter than wood and less resistant to corrosion. You could probably find some shade tree mechanic willing to weld it up for a 12 pack or something too.

S33 · Post by **S33** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 11:43 am

Whatever you do, do not built the frame of wood. If anything, you could purchase the metal pre-cut and bolt your frame together.