Bike Omaha System Officially Open

With the ceremonial shredding of a ribbon, Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle officially declared Omaha's on-street bicycle route system open.

Read more about it on the Bike Omaha blog, including a route map, photos and video from the event.

Omaha Urban Cycling, and Early Look at 16th Street Bike Lanes

Tuesday over lunch I ran some errands by bike, and also rode up and down the new 16th Street bike lanes with the camera recording video from the handlebars.

Presented below are two videos with my comments added in.

The first video is me simply riding South 16th Street from Leavenworth Street to Douglas Street. This section is along a sort of "greenway". In the 80s, Omaha revitalized this area to make it attractive to shoppers, but it never really caught on. Most of the storefronts are empty, and the only real foot traffic there are people waiting to transfer buses. Almost all MAT routes transfer along this stretch of 16th Street. Here's a link to an interesting news story about future plans to turn 16th Street into a home for artists and galleries, with an eventual return of shops.



The second video is of me riding from 13th and Jackson Street to Capitol Avenue, then down the new bike lanes on North 16th Street to Cuming Street and then back to work. This one shows some typical stop and go traffic, and then a disturbing incursion into the new bike lanes. To the motorists' credit, the lanes are new, there are no signs up about them, and the traffic and parking lane work isn't done yet. The city took the pre-existing four lane road and converted it to two lanes, with a center turn lane, and a lane of parking on the outside. I'm sure motorists are used to driving in what is now a parking lane, so they are confused.



In closing, I'd like to say that the bike lanes are a small part of a much larger plan. They should not be regarded as an end product of the cycling transportation plan of Omaha. People will get used to them, cyclists will start using them, and the city will gradually come into its own at a truly bikeable community.

Also, please note that the videos are not created to serve some sort of vanity purpose for me. I want to show others what it's like to ride in Omaha on the streets, in hopes that others might take it up. Please let me know what you'd like to see in a bike video and perhaps I can get some interesting on-street footage.

2009 Mayor's Bicycle Ride and Bike To Work Week

This morning Activate Omaha kicked off the 2009 Bike To Work Commuter Challenge. Mayor Fahey was there, but unfortunately, did not ride. Additionally, neither candidate Hal Daub or Jim Suttle put in an appearance.

After a short proclamation by the Mayor, the group ride pedaled off from 10th and Bancroft to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. The weather was gorgeous, and the two and a half mile ride was all downhill, so more time was spent braking than pedaling.

RD was kind enough to host a group breakfast at his house where he made awesome pancakes and served coffee. I think about 10 people showed up at his place.

Here are some selected photos below. Click here for the full album.

Bikes at Bancroft Street Market

KPTM News Crew


Mark and Steve


Lucas is always there with his photography gear


Bob record stills and video of the event



The bike racks were filled to overflowing this morning

Omaha Cycling News Update

Thursday, March 26, 2009 I pedaled my bike to the First United Methodist Church at 69th and Cass to sit in on their monthly Sierra Club meeting. The topic was "Bicycling as Commuting" and was presented by many notable local authorities on the subject of cycling, community, and health.

First to speak was Stuart Shell, with RDG Planning and Design and a board member of the Community Bicycle Shop of Omaha. Stuart introduced the CBSO and reported on the wonderful work that they do to mentor Gifford Park children by teaching bike mechanics and promoting bike safety to the community.

Up second was Kerri Peterson, Executive Director of Our Healthy Communities Partnership. She spoke about how cycling can help treat some of the health problems affecting our society. Many modern health issues stem from inactivity. Other health issues are related to urban pollution, most of which comes directly from automobiles operating within the neighborhoods in which we live.

Finally, Marty Shukert, also with RDG and former Director of Planning for the City of Omaha, provided an update on the Omaha bikeway, tentatively called "Bike Omaha." Among other things, Marty mentioned:

• a logo has been designed to use on signage. It appears to be a circle with the top half showing a stylized image of the soon-to-be iconic image of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, and the bottom half showing a spoked bicycle wheel.
• the northen part of the 20-mile bikeway will be called the Fontenelle Route and will be the first part to be marked, possibly this year
• the central part will be called the Aksarben Route, and will include a sidepath "climbing lane" up Leavenworth between Saddle Creek Road and Elmwood Park. This will involve construction of a new sidewalk/sidepath
• Woolworth Avenue running through the Field Club will get proper shoulders
• the proposed Saddle Creek Road relocation project includes a bike lane
• the City of Omaha will consider incorporating bike lanes/paths as part of the transportation plan when building new roads, and more importantly, on reconstruction projects. This may be a shift in thinking where previously the City might not allocate street money to bike facilities unless bike money was specifically provided.

Before adjourning, another gentleman, whose name I didn't note, spoke on the Nebraska Legislative Bill 134. LB134 is a proposed change to the statutes of Nebraska that restrict natural resource districts in their ability to construct trails unless said trails are along a flood control system. This bill is in response to a planned path to connect Omaha and Lincoln via a trail. If this is important to you, please consider contacting your state legislator and ask them to vote no.

Some great things are happening in Omaha with respect to cycling as transportation. Be sure to get out and participate in the cycling community, and as always, keep pedaling.

Stuart Shell speaks about the Community Bike Shop of Omaha.


Kerri Peterson talks about the importance of living an active lifestyle.


Marty Shukert presents the latest information about Bike Omaha.



A possible design for the Bike Omaha logo and signage.


Proposed routes for the Bike Omaha system.

Bike Signage Goes Up On The Turner Boulevard Trail

The City of Omaha erected new signage along the Turner Boulevard Trail around January 28, 2009. If I remember correctly, that's the day I didn't see the new bike path stop signs in the morning, but did see them in the afternoon. It's remarkable to me that the City erected the signs with a quite a bit of snow and ice still on the streets. I guess a work schedule is a work schedule, and deadlines must be met.

These decorative stop signs are appropriate for the historic neighborhoods through which the trail runs. The stop signs are about half the size of a regular stop sign, and serve to remind cyclists to stop where the path crosses a street.

In my opinion, they also help to legitimize bicycle traffic to citizens who may not otherwise understand cycling issues by visually reminding motorists to expect the cycling traffic. I'd like to see some "bike crossing" signs around here as well.

At the intersection of 36th Street and Pacific stands a stop sign with some information about how to connect with the Field Club Trail. It reads:

TO FIELD CLUB TRAIL
BICYCLES [arrow pointing West]
(FOLLOW PACIFIC ST.)

PEDESTRIANS [arrow pointing South]
(FOLLOW 36th ST TO WOOLWORTH AVE.)

I would imagine that a similar sign will show up on the Field Club Trail at Pacific Street directing users up the hill toward 36th Street.

Originally, I thought that the Turner Boulevard Trail would connect directly with the Field Club Trail, but the placement and wording of this sign makes me think not.

These kinds of in-town, urban trails connecting neighborhoods together, and to the greater trail system go a long way to show the City's commitment to promoting cycling as part of the overall transportation plan.

More Turner Boulevard Trail information:

• An Early Look at the Turner Boulevard Trail
• Updates to the Turner Boulevard Trail
• Omaha Unveils Latest Part of Trail System
• Turner Boulevard Trail Map
  

2008 In Review

2008 was my first year as a full time bike commuter. I'll use this post to close out the year, and speculate about what 2009 might bring.

The Beginning

July 14, Monday
In a lunchtime conversation with my friend Jeff, I learned that he had bought a new Cannondale F5 mountain bike over the weekend. That got me thinking about cycling. I had commuted for the better part of a Summer in Huntsville, Alabama in my late teens, so I was already familiar with the process, but didn't really know much about the equipment and techniques.

July 15, Tuesday
Schooled myself about what kind of bike I needed, and learned about bike commuting through sites like Commute By Bike and mapped potential routes using Map My Ride.

July 16, Wednesday
Walked into the Trek Omaha store and clearly stated what I wanted to do. They put me on a Trek 7300 with lights. They were out of racks, so I had to come back over the following weekend and pick it up.

July 17, Thursday
My first commute to work. This was a life changing event.

And then a lot of days...

I won't log every day here. I just wanted to recall how quickly this all came about. I'll summarize and say that in the same week that I got my bike, we got a MT 220 for my daughter, and the following week pick up another 7300 for my wife.

Over the Summer we participated in the Corporate Cup Challenge and took many pleasure rides. One way we found to encourage our daughter to ride was to buy her a book at Border's after every five rides, or to ride down to the neighborhood Arby's for a soda and some curly fries. Emily says that her friends almost didn't believe her when she described riding 20 miles in one day.

Commuting To Work

According my logs at Map My Ride, I've ridden a total of 1,554 miles since I started. If I keyword search on "commute," I see 1041 miles.

If you figure that my truck gets 20 MPG, then I've saved 52 gallons of gasoline. When I started bike commuting, gas was near $4 / gallon. Now it's under $2. If we say gas, on average, was $3 /gallon, then I could estimate that I've saved $156.

Parking downtown can be free, if you walk far enough, or $3 to $8 a day. Monthly parking at my employer cost about $80 a month. If we say that I've saved $3 a day since mid July, and that there are about 20 working days on average each month, then I've saved about $330 on parking.

Estimated saving in gas and parking for cycling to work are approximately $500 for my first half-year. You can see that it doesn't take long to pay off the cost of a decent bicycle.

I started July 17 at 213 pounds. Yesterday morning I was at 196 pounds. That a net loss of 17 pounds. Other than cycling, I'm not doing any extra exercise. I'm eating more, and feeling better. My blood pressure is well below normal, and my resting heart rate is lower than average. At my fattest several years ago, I was near 250 pounds, so this 196 feel good, though I know I can do better.

An Intro To Long Rides

In early October, my wife, Roxanne and I rode from our house, over the BK Bridge, and to the trailhead of the Wabash Trace. We rode a couple of miles down the trace and then came back home. Round trip, this was about a 42 mile ride. We simply ran out of time, having other things that needed our attention at home, or else we could have enjoyed more time on the trace. This ride proved to us that we could do some light touring. We're cooking up plans now to ride more of the trace, possibly staying overnight in a hotel or camp site somewhere along the way.

Utility Cycling

Roxanne and I both have rear racks. We also have a couple of the Trek Interchange Grocery Bags that can hold an amazing amount of groceries. If we completely load up with panniers and use bungee cords for stuff on the rack, we can each carry about 50 pounds of goods. In the warmer weather, we made several trips to our local Hy-Vee about two miles away. It's mostly downhill there, and uphill back. For the purposes of carting groceries, it would be nice if it were the other way around, but such is life.

Many trips and errands were made by bike. These include:

• eating out
• hardware store
• eating out
• bike shop
• eating out
  
• drug store
• eating out
• book store
• eating out
• visiting family
• eating out
• attended baseball game
• eating out
• optometrist
  
• and some eating out

Had Some Adventures

I've changed a flat, added studded tires for snow and ice, learned more about multi-modal bike-bus commuting, learned basic bike maintenance, become interested in bicycle/pedestrian advocacy, made some maps of the upcoming bike route system, discovered several routes and interesting neighborhoods between home and work, learned how to dress at -8°, learned a bit about my own body, and generally, learned that I can do anything that I set my mind to, all the while having a great time.

I even had a chance to glimpse how utility cycling is done in other places.

Getting out of my car and on to my bike in 2008 has literally been a life changing event.

Made Some Connections

Through cycling, I've been introduced to some incredible people, some I've met in person, and many only though the blogosphere. These folks have been encouraging, and even mentor-like in their passing down of hints, tricks, techniques and cycling specific knowledge.

Here's credit where credit is due:

• Jeff - I've known Jeff for perhaps 10 years. We both work downtown and meet often for lunch, trading bike stories, and encouragement. Jeff is a life long mountain biker, and commuted during the summer three days a week, at over 37 miles a day! We would sometimes form a "bike pool" and ride out of downtown together.

• Brady - I found Brady's blog when looking for information about cycling and bus transit. I'd never met Brady before, but knew who he was, as we both work for the same employer. He's often a first commenter on my blog, and we chat a little in the gym at work. Through his own blog and comments on mine, I've gotten invaluable information on gear and techniques for commuting.

• Munson - His blog is also a valuable source of information. In competition with Brady, Munson often comments on my blog posts. Munson seemingly has mastered the art of thrifty and resourceful riding. I think of him as the MacGyver of cycling. He knows all about gear and how to extend the usefulness and life of gear.

• Biker Bob - I met Bob briefly at a lecture on bicycling at UNO presented by Andy Clarke of the League of American Cyclists and John Burke, CEO of Trek Bicycles. Bob blogs a lot about cycling and also leaves useful comments.

The Omaha bike commuting has several bloggers, and many of them are exceptional in helping out folks with constructive and encouraging comments, as well as advice about routes, technique, and gear. I'm certain I am leaving some off, but here's a list:

• MTB Omaha
• Eric
• Bike Omaha
• Dale, T-Bone and others at Omaha Commute
• MOD

I look forward to meeting new cycling folks over the next year.

Looking Ahead To 2009

I can't really predict what 2009 will be like. I plan to get some dual purpose platform/clipless pedals and some proper cycling shoes. I expect to continue to ride to work everyday. I also expect to get out more on the weekends for some exercise and pleasure rides. If the last half of 2008 saw me at about 1,600 miles, then I think 3,000 to 5,000 miles wouldn't be out of the question for next year.

I'd like to bike more with my family, especially if we can get our teenage son to come with us.

In general, I just expect to continue biking it whenever I can for work and errands, and to perhaps do a little better on the exercise and diet front. I'm already vegan, but you'd be surprised how many junk foods are vegan.

This Global Warming Thing Is Going To Work Out

After work this afternoon I crossed the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge and rode a few miles on the Iowa side. I don't know what the temperature was exactly, but I think it was near 50°F.

Recall that only a few days ago, the high temperature was around 5°F.

Totally weird. Almost all ice was gone from the streets. I felt kind of foolish riding on my studded tires, but there were still some slushy spots that might have been hiding some ice patches.

The nice weather attracted many folks out to cross the bridge on the day after Christmas. I only saw a couple of other bikers on the bridge, and they were wearing shorts.

I noticed today that my chain is a little rusty. I need offer up a little TLC to the drive train this weekend before it gets worse.

Get out there and ride before Old Man Winter comes back to town.

Omaha Unveils Latest Part of Trail System - Omaha World Herald

Omaha unveils latest part of trail system
BY TOM SHAW
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Published Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Original link

(Redd-Shift note: Please see the comments for this post. There is more to this than just a repost of the OWH article)

Although cold, blustery weather rarely inspires bikers and joggers, Omaha on Monday morning unveiled the latest part of its trail system.

Mayor Mike Fahey officially opened the Turner Boulevard Trail during a brief ceremony at Dewey Park.

The trail mostly follows Turner Boulevard south from Harney Street before turning west to 36th and Pacific Streets. Users can then follow city sidewalks to connect with the Field Club Trail.

The northernmost portion of the trail, linking Turner Boulevard with Dodge Street, will not be finished until 2009 because of the ongoing Midtown Crossing development.

The concrete trail is 1.2 miles long and 8 feet wide. The project cost $593,000, with about $474,000 coming from the Nebraska Roads Department and $59,300 each from the city and the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District.

"It (the trail) makes it even more enjoyable to live here in midtown," said NRD board chairman Jim Thompson.

Thompson said the Turner Boulevard Trail is the second of the city's new urban trails. The first was the Happy Hollow Trail, which opened a few years ago.

Thompson was joined by City Councilman Jim Vokal and neighborhood leaders at the trail's opening.

Carol Haas of the Leavenworth Neighborhood Association said it's important to link the city's green spaces.

"We couldn't be more excited," she said.


• Contact the writer: 444-1149, tom.shaw@owh.com

Changes on way to ease Omaha's bike traffic - Omaha World Herald

Changes on way to ease Omaha's bike traffic

BY RICK RUGGLES
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Published Sunday, October 19, 2008

Omaha turns crabby when it comes to its treatment of bicyclists, the chairman of the city's bicycle advisory committee said Saturday.

Marty Shukert told the 2008 Omaha Bike Summit that this should begin to change with the addition of bicycle lanes and signs on certain streets next year.

The Omaha Bike Summit, organized by Bikeable Communities and Activate Omaha, was held at the National Park Service headquarters on the riverfront. About 40 people attended the morning sessions.

Shukert, chairman of the bicycle advisory committee created this year by Mayor Mike Fahey, said in an interview that Omaha currently rates poorly in its treatment of bicyclists.

Although the city has a good trail system, it has no lanes or designated bike routes, has poor bike racks and minimal bike parking.

Many motorists exhibit bad etiquette toward bicyclists, and some bicyclists have bad etiquette toward motorists, he said.

Shukert told the group that his consulting firm, along with Activate Omaha, has established a 20-mile bicycle system for east-west travel through the city. The map of the system is available in limited numbers at bicycle shops, Shukert said.

The advisory committee will recommend bicycle lanes and stripes, street signs, bicycle symbols painted on streets and other strategies to improve conditions for bicyclists. Shukert said two foundations have contributed a total of $600,000 for those items.

One is the Peter Kiewit Foundation, and the other asked to go unnamed, Shukert said.

Joe Gudenrath, a spokesman for the mayor, said several City of Omaha representatives are on the advisory committee.

The mayor wants the city to be more bicycle-friendly, so the proposals will receive serious consideration, Gudenrath said. Further, the $600,000 in private money will make it easier to implement those recommendations, he said.

"This is something that the mayor has taken an interest in for a number of years," Gudenrath said.

Shukert said he hopes to see paint on streets next spring.


• Contact the writer: 444-1123, rick.ruggles@owh.com

Omaha Bikeway Progress Report - Marty Shukert

Marty Shukert, a planner with the design firm of RDG Crose, Gardner, Shukert Inc., presented an update to the City of Omaha's plan to develop bike lanes and bicycle boulevards at the recent 2008 Omaha Bike Summit. Mr. Shukert was kind enough to give me permission to record and post his presentation on the Redd-Shift blog so that others may also enjoy it.

For a quick summary and an answer to the burning question of "When?", I will say that Mr. Shukert said we may see painted lanes and signage beginning in the Spring of 2009.

For more detailed information, please watch the video below.



For those of you who take your media on the go, download this for your portable media player (iPod format).

I apologize for the poor video quality. This is an amateur recording and did not faithfully capture the professional quality of the presentation. However, it is my hope that the information will be of use to the Omaha cycling community.

Special thanks for Activate Omaha and Bikeable Communities for organizing and sponsoring the 2008 Omaha Bike Summit, and to the National Park Services for the use of their meeting facilities at the Riverfront.

Map of the Pedestrian Bridge

View Larger Map

I surveyed the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian bridge this afternoon using my GPSr. These devices are not terribly accurate for this sort of thing, but by doing it twice and eyeball-averaging the two routes, I think it's probably not too far off.

I also updated the Omaha Bikeway map to include the bridge data.

I'll enjoy seeing the aerial/satellite photos show up on Google Maps and see how well or poorly I did. I had no idea that the Nebraska/Iowa border is almost on the eastern shore of the river when crossing the bridge. I had just assumed it was near the middle of the bridge over the water.

Opening Day for the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge - TV News Report

Updates to the Turner Boulevard Trail

The finishing of the Turner Boulevard Trail is coming along nicely. The grass seed planted along the banks of the trail is growing well, and yesterday I noticed new signage had been posted.

The signs identify the trail at a couple of points, and other signs show upcoming curves and remind users that only non-motorized vehicles are allowed on the trail.

I believe that the only thing that remains is to finish the sidewalk path along the north side of Pacific Street from the Field Club Trail to Turner Boulevard.


View Larger Map

Read my previous blog entry on the Turner Boulevard Trail.

I read in the news that a 100 year old tree near 34th Street and Turner Boulevard had to be removed for safety reasons. I noticed a tree stump today near that intersection, but I'm not sure if it's the same tree. My guess is that we are going to see some landscaping in this half-block area just north of Leavenworth.

Omaha Bike Summit - 2008

Bikeable Communities! and Activate Omaha are hosting the 2008 Omaha Bike Summit, Saturday, October 18, from 8:15 am to 2:15 pm at the riverfront in downtown Omaha.

The event will take place at the National Park Service Building, 601 Riverfront Drive, and will feature speakers on pedestrian and cycling issues in the five county metropolitan Omaha area.

The $15 registration might get you lunch (not sure if the scheduled lunch is bring-your-own-brown-bag or provided) and a one year membership to Bikeable Communities!.

Come on out and show your support for transforming Omaha into a bikeable community.

More information:

• View the agenda and register for the 2008 Omaha Bike Summit at the official website.
• Map to the National Park Service Building
  

The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge Linking Omaha and Council Bluffs Opens

Today was an historic occasion for both Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge spans 3000 feet across the Missouri River carrying foot and bicycle traffic. This bridge is the only pedestrian bridge in the country linking two states. The bridge appears to be a focal point for current and planned riverfront development on both sides of the river.

I went down to the bridge this afternoon by bicycle. Since I was coming from the Omaha side, I wasn't able to participate in the opening ceremony, as that took place on the Council Bluffs side. I arrived around 2pm and found there were still many people on and around the bridge, making their way across to both sides.

The sky seemed a little hazy to me, but the sunshine, light wind, and warm temperatures were ideal for the bridge opening.

I had read in the news that the Omaha side would not be open until around 3pm to accommodate the large volume of people coming from the Council Bluffs side. However, before leaving, I checked the Pedestrian Bridge Web Cam and saw that it was open.

I brought my camera and took some photos to share here on the Redd-Shift blog. At first I was afraid I would be instructed by security to dismount my bike, but that didn't happen. I did stay in the saddle on the way over, but I had to ride as slow as people were walking, often putting my foot down when things went really slow.

On the Council Bluffs side the party was still going on. There were food vendors, games and activities for the kids, and live music.

I had never before seen or set foot on an Iowa trail, and I was pleased to see a large sign in Playland Park showing me which way to go for the various trails and attractions. I truly felt welcomed into Iowa. I can't wait to head over there early some day and explore the trails.

I think the Omaha side should have some signs or markings showing how to get to the Qwest Center and the Old Market. Honestly, the Omaha side of the bridge is a little confusing if you don't know for sure where to go.

Party on the Council Bluffs side at Playland Park


Rock climbing wall

A Dixieland Jazz band

What to do when you cross over to Iowa.
So many trails to explore, so little time.

A TV news crew interviewing bridge crossers.

Iowa's future riverfront development plans

This looks like a fun trail heading to the north

The entrance to the bridge on the Council Bluffs side.
Notice the gate to keep out the Omaha riff-raff.

The Omaha skyline through the trees and over the river

Each cable is secured using these giant bolts and nuts

The little biting flies were annoying

Another TV news crew looking for a story.

The Ron Paul guy welcoming people to Nebraska

A view of the river to the north

This guy apparently lost his belt in Iowa

The emergency call boxes are a good idea.
Too bad they don't work yet.

Another view of the tower

I think there is to be some sort of welcome center here.

The Omaha Riverfront Place condos are in the background.

The entrance to the bridge from the Omaha side.
Notice the gate to keep out the riff-raff from Council Bluffs.

Smile... you're on the Pedestrian Bridge Web Cam.

A Jetski parasailer passes under the bridge