Omaha By Design: Omaha, Only Better

by Ken Mayer

I was cruising along the trail near the Bob Kerrey Bridge recently when another bicyclist approached from the opposite direction. I looked up to smile and nod, as is my custom. To my surprise, I was looking into the face of a black cat calmly riding on the other fellow’s shoulder.

It was one of those unexpected moments that make life in the city so much fun.

Cats have nine lives, so the risks of bicycling probably don’t much matter to them. But the dangers are all too apparent to us two-legged critters on our two wheelers. Fortunately, things seem to be improving for those of us who often favor human power to get around.

About a year ago, we got our first Bicycle Czar. Carlos Morales, Omaha’s bicycle/pedestrian coordinator, is working on the transportation networks in the city focusing on the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians. He is looking at trails, bicycle parking facilities, bike lanes, share lane markings, signage, bike racks, motorist education, enhanced crosswalks and signals.

Omaha Bikes, a partnership with Activate Omaha and Live Well Omaha, promotes and advocates for improved transportation, utility, recreational bicycling infrastructure and opportunities. The site lists events, bike commuting tips and maintains a list of bicycle friendly destinations like businesses that offer discounts and promise not to laugh at your yellow Lycra outfit.

This summer, UNO launched the B-cycle program with the help of Blue Cross Blue Shield and UNO Student Government at solar powered stations near the Milo Bail Student Center and Mammel Hall. B-cycle members use their membership card or a credit card to check out a bike free of charge for the first hour and return it to any of five stations in the UNO/Aksarben Village area.

The university’s original Yellow Bike Program continues to operate as well. Yellow bikes with UNO Bike Share stickers can be picked up or dropped off at any UNO bike rack. Matching yellow Lycra is not required.

There are also several bike lanes that have been painted on the streets in some parts of the city. This is a welcome sight, although much of the new striping only goes a distance of three or four blocks at a time. I’m not convinced that a rider entering and leaving a bike lane every few blocks is really better off.

A couple of upcoming meetings will give bike riders a chance to sound off on the state of things. On Sept. 15, the public is invited to attend the transportation priorities meeting at the Scott Conference Center on the UNO campus. Omaha’s first street design guidelines will be reviewed. The guidelines will provide the basis for how our street system will accommodate all users.

On Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, the Metro Area Planning Agency and a host of other organizations will sponsor the 2011 Heartland Active Transportation Summit, also at UNO. The meetings will focus on the principles of active transportation planning, exploring what other cities have done and forging new partnerships between the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. That Friday’s events will be geared toward transportation professionals, while Saturday’s will focus on issues of interest to advocates and community members.

I’m all for changes in the physical environment and motorist education that will help cars, pedestrians and bicyclists coexist safely, but I’m not convinced that will be enough. I have been riding the streets of Omaha as an adult since 1973, and I’ve had my fair share of close calls.

In my opinion, the issue of safety for bike riders and pedestrians is largely behavioural. I’ve joked for many years that I would likely shuffle off this mortal coil after being hit by a latte drinkin’, cell phone talkin’ distracted driver.

I don’t think it’s going to get any better. Cars will become more sophisticated with more automation features like hazard-detection technology, electronic stability control and parking assist systems.

This will likely make the situation more dangerous for bicyclists and pedestrians in crisis situations due to the phenomenon known as automation addiction. Dependence on cockpit automation has eroded some pilots’ flying skills to the point that they sometimes don’t know how to recover from stalls and other flight problems. These weakened skills have contributed to hundreds of deaths in airline crashes in the last five years. The same thing is likely to affect drivers.

Add to that the well-documented fact that using a cell phone while driving, even a hands-free one, causes the same level of impairment as driving while intoxicated. Texting is even worse.

Nebraska law bans texting, but it does not prohibit adult drivers from using cell phones while driving, nor does it require them to use hands-free devices. Both are secondary driving laws, meaning the driver can only be cited for cell phone use or texting when stopped for a primary violation such as speeding or running a red light.

Unfortunately, a secondary violation can be primary cause of injury to somebody on foot or a bicycle.

Maybe it’s time to circle the wagons and expect our public officials to coordinate across their silos. Sure, let’s put better street guidelines in place, and let’s educate motorists and improve bike lanes, signage, and enhance crosswalks and signals. But let’s also make sure that we do something to actually stop the distracted driver, and not on a secondary basis.

Maybe then I can have a little more confidence that me, my fellow cyclists and their cats won’t end up as yellow Lycra road kill.