City becomes more bike friendly

Painted or real, bicycles are popping up all over Omaha's streets.

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.

“People don't watch for pedestrians, much less bicyclists,” said bicyclist Michelle Myers, 37. “The rule is to share the road, but it's still nice to have your own spot.”

Nebraska law says vehicles that reach speeds of more than 10 mph must use the street. The sharrows and designated bicycle lanes serve as a reminder to motorists while improving safety for travelers on two wheels.

A sharrow is painted on the street when the lanes are too narrow to create a separate bicycle lane. Typically, a bicycle lane is 5 feet wide, and a car lane is 11 feet wide.

Myers said she has bicycling friends who have been hit by cars. Conflicts between drivers and bike riders often get so intense, she said, that a friend once resorted to pounding his fist on the hood of a car that was crowding him.

“People don't necessarily know that we have as much a right to be there as you do,” Myers said. “Even if it's not as fast.”

Five routes eventually will make up a bike loop running northwest from downtown to the Benson neighborhood, then southwest to the University of Nebraska at Omaha, east on Leavenworth Street, and then south and east toward the Henry Doorly Zoo.

Derek Miller, Omaha's transportation planner, said the $600,000 privately funded BikeOmaha Pilot Network could expand to 200 miles as the city continues to investigate environmentally friendly ways to diversify its transportation options.

“One of the buzz phrases in communities is moving people, not moving cars,” he said.

Bob Brindamour, president of the Omaha Bikes advocacy group, said the sharrows and bicycle lanes are an integral part of changing the public's mindset about Omaha transportation.

“When you're riding your bike on a road, not everybody realizes a cyclist has the right to use the road and think you need to be on the sidewalk,” he said. “That's a training issue. Drivers just don't know that.”

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.

“You can't just expect to put (sharrows and bicycle lanes) on the street and have all people understand what's going on,” Dodge said.

Aside from the education efforts, Dodge said, the city still has a long way to go in changing Omaha's transportation culture. She said although the city has almost 100 miles of trails, it lacks an alternative mode of transportation for east-west travel.

Brindamour said the city must devote more attention to developing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.

“There are trails, but for most part you're going to end up riding with traffic if you're going to get anywhere,” he said. “For someone who is not familiar with riding a bike in traffic, it could be a bit daunting to get started.”

Contact the writer:

444-1545, zack.colman@owh.com

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