The wheels are in motion. Omaha cyclists are getting something they've wanted for years: a web of commuter routes that adapts city streets such as Turner Boulevard, Leavenworth Street and Woolworth Avenue in Midtown Omaha for east-west bicycle transportation.
View a map of the routes and a video of the first lanes that have been placed of the 20-mile bicycle loop.
"We've been conceiving and developing this pilot network since the publication of the Omaha Metro Area Bicycle Map in May 2008, and working closely with the City's Public Works Department on its implementation," said Marty Shukert, a former Omaha city planning director and a principal of RDG Planning & Design.
"Details of the project include removal of barriers, pavement markings such as bike lanes and shared-use lane symbols (or sharrows) and graphics."
An active transportation advocate and urban cyclist, Shukert works closely with Activate Omaha, serves on the Live Well Omaha Kids executive committee and chairs the Mayor's Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee. The 20-mile system, called Bike Omaha, connects the Keystone Trail and Boulevard Trail with downtown Omaha and major midtown destinations. Bike Omaha's five routes include:
- Fontenelle Route - from downtown to Fontenelle Boulevard and Miami Street and the future Fontenelle Boulevard Trail.
- Ak-Sar-Ben Route - from downtown to Ak-Sar-Ben Village and the Keystone Trail.
- Boulevard Route - connecting the Fontenelle Route to UNO, Elmwood Park, and the Keystone Trail.
- Doorly Route - from downtown to Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo.
- Midtown Route - from Creighton University at 30th and Burt streets to the Field Club Trail and Lauritzen Gardens.
Completion of the pilot system with five color-coded routes is scheduled for 2010. Key destinations like Midtown Crossing, Creighton University, University of Nebraska Medical Center, University of Nebraska at Omaha and Ak-Sar-Ben Village are all on the system, which generally uses streets that provide a better experience for cyclists and minimize friction with motorists.
"The system capitalizes on former streetcar corridors that have some extra width or streets that are moderately traveled but still convenient. There are a couple of unavoidable, busier streets, but we offer alternates to those," Shukert said.
The $600,000 bike lane project is funded by grants from two foundations, including the Peter Kiewit Foundation. In addition, the City hopes to use federal transportation funds to complete the 32nd Avenue segment of the system, which also includes traffic-calming features.
Shukert said Activate Omaha was instrumental in securing the grants for the bike lane project. The organization is dedicated to creating "awareness, advocacy, and excitement about activity and the importance of designing our community for active lifestyles." Promoting active transportation is integral to that mission.
"Our perspective is that bicycles are not just for recreation," Shukert said. "Bicycles are an extremely efficient and pleasant form of transportation, especially for short- and medium-distance trips. Bike Omaha is designed to encourage more people to use bikes in place of cars for some of their trips."
Future plans, he said, include the possible western expansion of the bike lane network.