Mayors' Bike Ride!!

We'd love to have the largest group of riders ever in 2011! Join mayors from Bellevue, Council Bluffs, and Omaha!

Spread the word!!

Grab your bike!!

Join us!!

Will A Bike Ride a Day Keep the Doctor Away?

Researcher Says Portland’s Bike Paths Will Cut Its Health Costs

Swiss epidemiologist Thomas Gotschi, who, incidentally, has never visited Portland, decided to put together the first-ever cost/benefit analysis on biking in a U.S. city. He chose Portland to analyze because of its highest-in-the-nation bike commuter status among big cities. On the cost side, Gotschi added up the city’s past and planned expenditures on biking. On the benefits side, he looked at health care cost savings – how many fewer health care dollars will be spent on Portland’s citizens as a result of their getting more regular exercise from biking, and thus incurring fewer chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis.

Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinator Press Release

The press release from yesterday's press conference announcing Omaha's first Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinator can be found by clicking on this link!

Very exciting for the city of Omaha, the health of Omaha, and the quality of life in Omaha!

In the photo are community partners that made this happen: Kerri Peterson, Live Well Omaha; Rick Cunningham, City of Omaha Planning Department; Carlos Morales, new Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinator; Paul Mullen, MAPA; Mikki Frost, Alegent Health Systems; Jim Suttle, Omaha Mayor.

Adams Park Trail Day Party!!!!

Join us for a family event!!!!

Saturday, June 26th at 12noon
Adams Park
(3230 John A Creighton Blvd)

Celebrate with us the opening of a new hiking/biking trail!!! Bring your kids, bikes and helmets or try our demos!!! Snacks and drinks will be provided!!

This is an organized event sponsored by Activate Omaha, THOR, YMCA, City of Omaha, National Parks Service, and the North Omaha Development Project.

Federal Safe Routes Program Under Attack	Take Action!
Urge Your Representative to Support Safe Routes To Schools
House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) has targeted the federal Safe Routes to School program established under the 2005 Federal Surface Transportation Bill (SAFETEA-LU) as wasteful government spending in his weekly "YouCut program". Each week representative Cantor asks people to vote for which of five options they would cut from the federal budget. Republicans then hold a floor vote in the House of Representatives to try to eliminate the program that gets the most votes. This week, the federal Safe Routes to School program is one of Rep. Cantor's targets. He argues that SRTS duplicates other bicycling and walking programs, and that bicycling and walking infrastructure is a local government responsibility. We need your help making sure that Members of Congress understand the value of Safe Routes to School and support it. Please take a few minutes to send a message to your Member of Congress to ask them to vote against any effort to cut Safe Routes to School. Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter.

Register now for the Urban Omaha – The Ultimate Adventure Race on June 5^th!!

Click here to register today!!!

Is cycling more dangerous than driving?

KETV aired an article last night that include an interview with several Omaha transportation cyclists.  While going through the responses to the article on the KETV website and the KETV facebook page, I ran across this article.  Tell use what you think in the comments.

There is absolutely no way that I can furnish definite proof that bicycling is a safe activity. Those of us who bicycle on a regular basis while following the traffic laws know that it is a safe activity from years of experience, but we are also aware that other cyclists have frequent accidents, we assume due to different behavior. Nor can I do anything to reconcile my various sources of statistics. However, I think I can easily establish that cycling is much less dangerous that what the fearmongers insist and that it has compensating benefits which are more important than the risks involved. I think you will agree when you finish reading this that bicycling is very far from being the dangerous activity that the fearmongers like to make it appear.

What does the CDC have to do with Transportation?

Well, everything, now that you mention it!

The CDC has just published its recommendations for transportation policy:

"Expanding the availability of, safety for, and access to a variety of transportation options and integrating health-enhancing choices into transportation policy has the potential to save lives by preventing chronic diseases, reducing and preventing motor-vehicle-related injury and deaths, improving environmental health, while stimulating economic development, and ensuring access for all people.

With this goal in mind, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified transportation policies that can have profound positive impact on health. CDC supports strategies that can provide a balanced portfolio of transportation choices that supports health and reduces health care costs. Transportation policy can:

•Reduce injuries associated with motor vehicle crashes
•Encourage healthy community design
•Promote safe and convenient opportunities for physical activity by supporting active transportation infrastructure
•Reduce human exposure to air pollution and adverse health impacts associated with these pollutants
•Ensure that all people have access to safe, healthy, convenient, and affordable transportation

If you drill down in the report a little more, you'll find specific references to Safe Routes to School, Complete Streets, and other things that are on the radar screen for Omaha if not already underway.

Just more "water cooler talking points" for us as we continue to advocate for active transportation in Omaha!

Lots of Losers!

If anybody reading this blog thinks that they could never be like the cyclists they see out on the roads everyday because they are overweight and/or out of shape, take heart. I'd bet that if we took a roll call of dedicated Omaha cyclists that have not been lifelong members of the "Super Fit" club, we would all be surprised at the numbers.

I can now think of at least 5 people off the top of my head that have shared stories with me about how they were overweight and out of shape when they turned to their bicycle ... and how bike commuting and recreational riding transformed their bodies and their lives. I'm sure if I thought about it harder, I could come up with many more. (See, I just thought of another one! Make that 6!) Who knew we had so many losers in this crowd?? ;)

I think there is power in this message, and I think it is one that we should find a way to share, especially during Bike Month this May. Cycling can be an intimidating prospect for folks, and if they only knew how many of you started out in their shoes, maybe we could win over a few more people that may be wishing they could find a way to join the movement.

Let's never forget Mr. Anonymous comment poster from the OWH story about Ben's road rage encounter: "When I see the bikers on the street, my first reaction is 'Get off the road!' but my second reaction is 'Man, I'm jealous.'"