A Tale of Two Friends

Remember when you were a 6th grader?  You were finally old enough to start navigating the world more independently.  In fact, you were probably a seasoned pro at navigating around your world by now: riding to school, riding to ball practice, riding to your friend's house.  You were jumping curbs, exploring allies, creating shortcuts. (You're smiling just thinking about it, aren't you?!)

Last night, my 6th grader and her buddy hung out at our house after school to work on some math homework.  Her mom dropped her off with her bike, knowing that my kids like to ride.  They got their homework done and rode up to the elementary school to ride home with my 4th grader.  When it was time to take her friend home, it only made sense to use bikes...after all, her house is only about 2 miles away by car, and I wasn't going to drive her and her bike home on such a nice evening.

In an ideal world, with a fully connected trail around Standing Bear Lake  (OR- on street bike facilities along 144th, north of Fort) and grid streets rather than cul-de-sacs, our easy peasy 2ish miles route would have been:  

   In fact, this almost the same route that we rode...except that there is no shoulder at all along this section of 144th Street, and I'm not familiar enough with her friend's cycling ability to be comfortable riding on the street with her, so we took our chance riding the bumpy, weedy goat path worn along the east edge of the street.  My daughter's friend ended up pushing her bike in this area, and had my daughter not just finished a summer of mountain bike riding, she likely would not have had the ability to ride this section, either.  There was just enough traffic along 144th to add to this nerve-racking experience.  We also had to detour about a half mile out of the way to get into her cul-de-sac, even though we could see her house plain as day from the intersection of 144th/Fort.

I guess I could have let the girls ride by themselves...I mean, there is a lake with a perfectly wonderful trail that goes (mostly) around it... 

Um, I'm sorry...did you say 7 MILES??  Yep, the 2 mile route turns into 7 miles if you want to take the trail and the safe street crossing on Fort Street at the pedestrian signal.  (And this also assumes that my comfort zone is OK with them crossing 144th Street without a signal ...less busy here, to be fair... to get to the Standing Bear Lake trailhead.)  There has to be a better way, right?  

Well, sort of.  It is shorter (3ish miles), but the girls are left to fend for themselves trying to cross 40mph Fort Street with no signal.  Not so much. 

This is just one of many, many examples that we could point to that all of us have encountered.  In the words of my former boss, Paula: "Well, what are you gonna do about it?" 

Attend the Transportation Master Plan Update meeting on September 15.

Attend the Heartland Active Transportation Summit.

Advocate for Safe Routes to School.

Continue to ride my bike whenever and wherever I can and politley answer the bizzare questions people ask me about why and how I just did what I did.

And personally:  I'm going to continue to annoy my friends with seemingly meaningless Facebook and Twitter posts every time I ride the bus to show them that people in West Omaha can and DO ride the bus.  :)

What are YOU gonna do about it?

Important Transportation Bill Update! Act Today!!

Omaha Bikes Friends - here is an update from our friends at the Safe Routes to School National Partnership on the Transportation Bill that is currently being forumlated in Congress.  You can also read Andy Clark's(President, League of American Bicyclists) response here:  http://www.bikeleague.org/news/070711_transportation_bill_briefing.php

IMPORTANT – Key lawmakers acting to end dedicated funding for bicycling and walking!


Key Congressional leaders are attacking Safe Routes to School, Transportation Enhancements and Recreational trails and are taking steps to cut off dedicated federal funding for bicycling and walking. We need every single person who simply wants safe options to walk or bicycle to contact their Senators and Representative today!

House Transportation Chairman John Mica (R-FL) announced today that his transportation bill will eliminate dedicated funding for bicycling and walking, including Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School and the Recreational Trails Program, and discourage states from choosing to spend their dollars on these activities that are “not in the federal interest.” Chairman Mica’s statement that these programs remain “eligible” for funding is worthless; without dedicated funding for these three programs, they are effectively eliminated.

Things on the Senate side are not much better. Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), the lead Republican negotiator on the transportation bill, declared that one of his TOP THREE priorities for the transportation bill is to eliminate ‘frivolous spending for bike trails.’ This is in direct conflict with Senator Barbara Boxer’s (D-CA) commitment to maintain dedicated funding for biking and walking. However, the Senate is working towards a bi-partisan solution, and Senator Inhofe’s comments mean funding for bicycle and pedestrian programs is at risk of total elimination.

Help protect Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School and Recreational Trails. Contact your Members of Congress , and tell them to reach out to Senators Inhofe, Boxer, and Congressman Mica to urge them to continue dedicated funding for these important bicycling and walking programs.

Need some good facts to bolster your argument? Read on:

Not in the federal interest? Biking and walking make up 12 percent of all trips in the US – even as funding for biking and walking projects only accounts for 1.5% of the federal transportation budget. That is more than 4 billion bicycle trips and 40 billion walking trips a year, including trips to work, school, shopping and for recreation and tourism.

Frivolous? Two-thirds of all pedestrian deaths are on federally funded highways. One-third of children’s traffic deaths happen when children are walking or bicycling and are struck by cars. Bicycling and walking programs build sidewalks, crosswalks and bikeways—improving accessibility and saving lives.

The Facts
Biking and walking are important forms of transportation, and funding for bicycle and pedestrian improvements is a very efficient use of federal transportation dollars. Portland, OR built 300 miles of bike lanes and trails for the cost of one mile of highway.

These projects create jobs and build local economies. Building bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure creates 46% more jobs than building road-only projects per million dollars spent. Cities that invest in bicycle and pedestrian projects turn downtowns into destinations, and capitalize on increased business activity.

Eliminating the 1.5% of transportation funding spent on bike/ped would have no meaningful impact on the federal budget, but instead, decreases transportation options for American families in a time of rising gas prices and an uncertain economy.

Why Act Now? Both the House and Senate long-term transportation bills are being written as we speak. We still have a chance of influencing the outcomes. Let’s make sure that funding for biking and walking programs don’t disappear for many years.

We need every Senator to tell Senators Boxer and Inhofe that bicycling and walking are vital parts of our transportation system, and that there must be dedicated funding for sidewalks, bike lanes and trails to ensure that bicyclists and pedestrians are safe. And we need every Representative in the House to tell Chairman Mica the same.

Please contact your Senators and Representatives TODAY to tell them that bicycling and walking are a critical part of a safe and equitable transportation system. Ask them to tell Representative Mica and Senators Boxer and Inhofe that a federal transportation bill must continue dedicated funding for bicycling and walking.

saddlebrook elementary bike rack full

Usually there are 4-8 bikes but the school must have been offering extra credit if you rode in that day.

Another Volunteer Opportunity!

Here is your chance to put in a couple of hours of volunteer time that will make you feel really good!!

The Saddlebrook Elementary PTA is hosting a bike rodeo on Saturday, August 14 from 6-7:30pm, and we could use some help with some general bike maintenance and helmet fitting duties. If you have some basic bike tools, a work stand, and some handy wrenching skills ... or any combination thereof ... we'd love to have your help.

We won't be overhauling anyone's bikes; rather, minor tweaks to make sure the kids are ready to ride...pump up tires, adjust saddle height, fix a chain.

Saddlebrook's "Hike and Bike" program encourages kids to walk and ride to school. The school is located just west of Standing Bear Lake at 148th & Laurel Ave.

Email Julie if you are interested!! jharris(at)activateomaha(dot)org

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.

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!

Dear Member of the Omaha Metro Active Transportation Community

Many of you have noticed that almost no new trails have been opened on the Nebraska side of the metro area for a long time. Many major trail projects are designed and fully funded, including the West Douglas County Trail from Waterloo to Valley, a major part of the Riverfront Trail, the western end of the East-West Trail that will connect the Keystone and Field Club Trails, and Papillion’s 72nd Street Trail. These are very important projects for our active transportation community and would also create millions of dollars of new construction activity. Yet nothing seems to be happening. Why?

We have discovered several reasons that are causing these key projects to grind to a halt:
1. The state Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) office has found that the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR), who administers these funds, was in noncompliance with various regulations and procedures on some (non-trail) projects. Therefore, every project in the pipeline is being forced to go back to square one in the process.

2. At the state division of the FHWA, projects are encountering reviews and processing delays that seem unnecessary. Traffic signal installations and minor resurfacing projects must study their effect on endangered species, for example, and trails are treated like major highway projects. Short documents that should be reviewed and approved quickly are taking months because of drafts, reviews, and redrafts.

3. Stimulus projects are moving to the front of the line ahead of trails and other projects that have been funded for years and are ready to go, causing more delays.

4. Government agencies don’t seem to be communicating well. Rules and standards seem to change and procedural issues do not seem to be getting fixed.

What’s the result? Projects that we have been working on and anticipating for years now seem to be facing delays of up to FIVE YEARS! We know that people think they’re doing their jobs. But most of us would like to see these projects built before we’re too old to use them. Also, moving paper and having meetings does not stimulate the economy, create jobs, improve health, or promote sustainable transportation. We as a community must take some action. Therefore, we ask you to email, write, and/or phone any or all of the following people to express your opinion about these issues:

• President Barack Obama  www.whitehouse.gov/contact
• Senator Ben Nelson   www.bennelson.senate.gov
• Senator Mike Johanns   http://johanns.senate.gov/public/?p=EmailSenatorJohanns
• Representative Lee Terry   www.leeterry.house.gov
• Governor Dave Heinemann   www.governor.nebraska.gov/mail/govmail.html
• Nebraska Department of Roads Director Monty Frederickson monty.fredrickson@nebraska.gov
• Joseph Werning, Division Administrator, Federal Highway Administrator, Nebraska Division   Joseph.Werning@dot.gov
• Mayor Jim Suttle    www.cityofomaha.org/mayor/mayors-office-home 

Sample Letter

Dear (President Obama, Senator Nelson, Senator Johanns, Representative Terry, Governor Heinemann, Mr. Frederickson, Mr. Werning, Mayor Suttle)

I am a member of the Omaha, Nebraska metropolitan community who is vitally interested in trail development, sustainable transportation, and the physical health and vitality of our metropolitan area and its citizens. In our area, we have millions of dollars of trails projects that are funded, designed, and ready to build, yet are not moving forward. These projects will improve our area’s facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists, improve community wellness, and put hundreds of people to work during their construction. Yet, they are being delayed for an indeterminate time because the Federal Highway Administration found the Nebraska Department of Roads to be in noncompliance with various regulations and procedures. This is causing worthy, ready-to-build projects to go back to the beginning of the review process and is blocking efforts to build a healthier, more sustainable community.

I am not an expert on these issues and certainly do not want to cast blame on anyone. I simply would like to see federal and state agencies work together to resolve their issues so these important transportation projects can move forward. I do ask that you do everything in your power to help these agencies resolve their issues and work as partners to expedite these vital trail projects. The health and quality of our metropolitan area depends on it.

Sincerely yours,

(Your Name)

Call To Action! 108th/Crown Point

(The Douglas...can you cross post on the GTC blog?)

Folks - we have an elementary school that needs some help. One group with some shovels should be able to provide relief in a very short amount of time.

The NE corner at 108th & Crown Point (Just north of the HyVee at 108th/Fort) has been and continues to be a dangerous situation for kids trying to walk to Prairie Wind Elementary School. The Prinicpal is asking for help in clearing the sidewalk on that corner so that kids can have a safe place to stand while waiting to cross 108th Street. Today's snow is just going to add to the problem. This is a great school with a fantastic principal that wants to do whatever she can to help get more kids walking and biking to school. Let's support those who support our mission!

We could spend a lot of time talking about who shoulda/coulda/woulda already done this, but the bottom line is that these kids need to be safe, sooner rather than later.

Would anyone be available/willing to help out sometime this weekend? I can help coordinate.

Wanted: Bike Trainer

You may have heard about the bike blender?  Have I mentioned that before?  At any rate, you are probably (painfully) aware by now that we have the awesome homemade bike blender on the vintage tandem bike that we created at the Community Bike Shop.  The mini-grant we received from the National Center for Safe Routes to School has money in the budget for a commercially made bike blender...so now we will have two!  We already have the blenders booked for some school events coming up! 

The issue:  We need a trainer to set up the bike blender bikes.  I have used our personal one so far, but it would make things much easier if we had a dedicated one that can be stored/transported with the bikes.  It obviously does not need to be in spectacular working condition; but it does need to be able to support elementary school kids who want to see how fast they can pedal.  :) 

If we could get an old trainer donated to us, I would jump for joy!!  The other thought I had was to do some sort of bike trainer fundraiser night, with the proceeds going towards purchasing one....but we'll try the donation route first.

You can contact me at jharris (at) activateomaha (dot) org if you have one and want to make a deal! 

Safe Route Sunday

Please help by taking part in Safe Route Sunday.  No formalities, no rsvp's, no meetings ... find a drift blocking a sidewalk and clear it. 

Intersections near schools need particular attention.  Kids are climbing mounds of snow/ice to get across streets, and it is very dangerous.  Yes, somebody else shoulda coulda woulda, but the kids who are on foot everyday shouldn't have to pay the price. 

We are so inspired by the Guerilla Trail Crew that cleared part of the Keystone trail last weekend - let's all pick up a shovel and do our part this weekend!

A Blog Worth Following

I've been following Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's blog, and after today's post highlighting the value of the Safe Routes to School movement, I'm throwing my official (and highly influential?? ha) endorsement behind it!  :)  Check out some of the older posts, and you'll find his support for stimulas-funded bike infrastructure, among other things. 

We'll be keeping an eye out for when congress gets around to the reauthorization of the federal transportation bill.  Funding for important programs such as Safe Routes to School will be at stake, as will many other programs that are near and dear to the hearts of those of us interested in active transportation of all kinds. 

Deck Your Bike With Boughs of Holly...

Many of us are getting into the spirit by decorating our bikes for the holidays. Even if you can't join us for the Bike De'Lights event, don't let that stop you from joining in the fun!

Start a new family tradition of decorating your family bikes and riding with your kiddos to school...and then see how many friends you can convince to join in on the fun. You'll have a great time, and also realize that riding in the chilly weather isn't as big of a deal as you thought it was!

Be sure to send us a link to the photos of your bike(s) in the comments of this post - show it off and inspire someone to give it a try at the same time!!

Dashing through the snow

On a decorated bike

Up the hills we go

Pedal with all your might!

Bells on handlebars ring

Kids with smiles wide

Oh what fun it is to

Get to school on your bike!

The Sweet Taste of Success!

FINALLY ... and after 2 hours of Murphy's Law in full effect (in the form of everything that can go wrong with a bike tire)... we got to taste the fruits of our labor with the Bike Blender last night! The photo shows our strawberry banana vanilla soy milk smoothie about to experiece the power of the "pedal puree" setting!!

Lessons learned: use crushed ice instead of cubed, and smaller pieces of fruit ... but OH MY, it was tasty!! :)

Still some cosmetic/clean up work and signage to do on the bike itself, but that won't be too hard.

I cannot say thank you enough to Duane from the Community Bike Shop and to Scott Redd for all of their help on this project - we've been down there a lot of Wednesday nights! This will be fantastic way to promote our Safe Routes to School initiative.

Dangerous By Design

The "Dangerous By Design" report was recently released by Transportation For America. It's a great article, and we HIGHLY recommend that you read it. If you spend even a small amount of time walking or biking in Omaha, this report should be interesting to you.

You can read the short version of the report, or the long version(PDF) if you have the time.

You can also read about U.S. DOT Secretary LaHood's response to the report to see how this report is already turning some heads in Washington.

In the last 15 years, more than 76,000 Americans have been killed while crossing or walking along a street in their community. More than 43,000 Americans – including 3,906 children under 16 – have been killed this decade alone. This is the equivalent of a jumbo jet going down roughly every month, yet it receives nothing like the kind of attention that would surely follow such a disaster.

Photos from the Activate Omaha Bike Blender construction, Part 1

Wednesday night, seven of Omaha's mad scientists, er, I mean brightest bike blender mechanics, showed up at the Community Bike Shop to begin construction of a bike blender. Among them were high school and middle school students looking to have some fun while making a difference in the community.

This device, or perhaps multiple devices, will be used to make smoothies at Safe Routes to School functions to show kids (and grown up kids) just how much fun bicycles can be.

View all

Get your own

If you'd like to get involved, there will be other events to finish the contruction of the blenders. Help will also be needed to get the blenderbikes (donated by the CBSO) cleaned up and in working order. Of course, moral support (i.e.: those of us who are social scientists rather than mechanical/mad ones) is also welcome!

There is talk about also building an bike-powered ice cream maker, as well!! Stay tuned!

Freiker, Bike Blender and Pedaling Revolution Updates!

A few updates and vibe requests today!

First, please start getting the good vibes going for Freiker. The draft Safe Routes to School grant application went in the mail today; the money would fund Freiker programs http://www.blogger.com/www.freiker.org at 3 Omaha elementary schools. We still have a few more steps to go through for this grant process, but as they say, "vote early and often" - this applies to good vibes as well!

Second, a bike blender update. What a hoot last night at the Community Bike Shop! It was like mad scientists at work down there with those blenders. Forget the plans we found on the web - these guys are doing it their own way! In fact, we now have 2 different (original) blender plans under development. Special thanks to Duane Miller and Stuart Shell, our chief engineers; thanks, too, to Scott Redd and his adorable daughter Emily for coming down to help. Scott took posession of my camera and proceeded to work his usual photography magic (much to the chagrin of Emily, I might add). Photos coming soon, Scott! I promise! Our next work session will be Wednesday, 10/21 at 6pm at the CBSO. Cali Tacos at 5:30, anyone?

Lastly, I'm thrilled to report that the first thing I noticed when I walked into the Mayor's Bike/Ped Advisory Committee meeting this morning was a copy of our new favorite book, Pedaling Revolution sitting on the table in front of one of the attendees. I was equally as thrilled to report about the Bike Omaha Advisory Team and informed the group that they are practically ready to dig into their own pockets to make sure that everyone around that table has a copy. The committee definitely sees our BOAT peeps as being critical to the mission of the work they are doing. Great job BOATers and keep up the great work!

Bike Blender Wednesday!

Our bike blender build begins tonight at the Community Bike Shop at 6:00. I'm not sure how far we will get, but we will be looking at the blenders (up to 3 now - thanks, Caroline for the latest!) and trying to determine which one will work the best and how to adapt the plans accordingly. We will also be looking at the bike and determining what it needs to be the coolest blenderbike around. (All will be required to use hand sanitizer in order to prevent the spread of SingleSpeed Fever!!) We plan to wrap up around 8:00ish.

The more the merrier! Hope to see you there!

The Boulder Bike Story

Our friends at the Pedal Omaha blog have posted a really great video from Bikes Belong called "The Boulder Bike Story - how any town can become bicycle friendly." The video takes about 12 minutes to watch, and it is very inspiring. Check it out here:
http://pedal-omaha.blogspot.com/2009/10/12-minutes-of-your-time.html

We did a site visit to Boulder last fall, and can attest to the energy and community involvement going on there. Their Safe Routes to School program is one of the best in the nation, and it is here that we caught Freiker Fever. :) (www.freiker.org)

Where can YOU plug in?

Bike Blender Update!

I stopped by the Community Bike Shop (http://www.omahabike.org/) last night to chat with Stuart and my new buddy Duane (on the right in the photo) about the Bike Blender project. We scoured the basement of the shop to find the perfect bike - one that would accomodate both school kids and grown ups. And one, of course, that we could make look really COOL. :)

Although there was the coolest ever vintage FOLDING tandem bike, it was already spoken for, we found another possibility.

Now all we need is an old blender to make this happen. I have been checking at var

ious Goodwill shops and calling other second-hand stores, but so far, no luck. If you have an old blender that you would be willing to donate, please let me know. If worst comes to worst, we can go and buy a cheap blender, but I'd love to find a used one to maintain the spirit of sustainability with our project.

The bike blender will be used for Safe Routes to School events (bike to school day, bike rodeos, etc.), school health fairs and Bike Omaha events to make pedal - powered smoothies.

Attack on bike funding - Call your senator

Transportation Enhancements are the largest federal source of bicycle and pedestrian funding and they are under attack.

We need your help - TODAY! Go to the LAB web site for more information on how you can help!!