Any Omaha Nebraska Commuters?

[carpaltunnel]

I'm not a bike commuter but would like to be. Omaha streets and drivers look very intimidating. Anyone trying it on a regular basis? Thanks!

[MomOnBike]

Well, I'm not in Omaha, but down the road a piece in Lincoln. Maybe I can help a little, though.

First, I know what you mean about Omaha drivers. I HATE driving in Omaha. As with any city, though, there are streets, and there are streets. Often, about a block or two over from a major arterial there is a perfectly good biking street that isn't cool, or fast, or something enough for cars. Get a city map and plot your route. After all, with every car in the universe on I-80, there have to be some open roads elsewhere, right?

I think you have bike trails too? Try them and see if you can work them into your route. A dry run on a weekend might be a good idea to refine things. Things just look different from a bike seat.

I'm sorry if this isn't site-specific enough, but that's what I'd do in your cleats, er, shoes.

[carpaltunnel]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've all ready done those things. The bike trails here are lovely but they don't go anywhere really. The maps and Saturday trips haven't panned out because there is no way around three major bottlenecks (an airport, an interstate highway, and a major creek) between me and work. They choke the routes down to just a few raceways. In 10 years of driving this route, I've seen one man on a bike, but I see red light runners at least once every day. I've even seen red light runners collide. (Where are the police?)

The Metro Transportation supposedly has a grant to put racks on the busses, but they're taking their time getting them deployed. They have to study the matter, get insurance, hold training, decide where to distribut them, etc. I'm hoping the bus route that crosses the bottleneck gets one. If it does I can bike to the bus stop, ride past the bottleneck, get off, and finish my ride.

Anyone from Omaha watching the bike rack/bus issue?

[MomOnBike]

Dear Heavens!

You're going past the airport? No wonder you need advice. Um, don't do it?

Another idea that I sometimes see given is to drive part-way, park & ride the rest. Of course, the bus would do just about the same thing, with the advantage of you never having to park, but until there are bike racks on the busses (and hockey leagues in Hell...) that might be a good alternative. Finding a safe parking spot might be a challange.

It just occurred to me that once you have passed the bottlenecks, you can branch out a bit, away from your vehicular route, and parking places/routes might be easier to find. Just a thought...

[carpaltunnel]

Yikes, if I had to bike past Eppley, I'd move instead.
My route, if you are a little familiar with Omaha geography, is basically from the far West Q area,170th or so, to about 108th & Q. The problem is that chokepoint from Millard Ave & Q to about 120th. Bounded north and south by Millard Airport and creeks, with Q being the only way to cross the Interstate. Murderous driving. I have never seen a bike on that stretch.

I saw the drive & ride idea and have been scoping out places along the way that might allow me to park my car there. IIII'm workin' on it!

Tell me about your commute!

[MomOnBike]

Compared, my commute is pretty wimpy. A 2.4 mile round trip through quiet neighborhoods. (Yawn)

The only excitement is the fact that the route is not flat and I cross O St. with no traffic lights.

That slick snow Wendnesday added excitement, though, I fell twice (leftover icy ridges under an inch of power will do that, you know) and lost a water bottle I had some emotional attachment to. Sigh.