Thursday, June 01, 2006

Speak up NOW!!!

I recieved this in the mailbox this morning, please take the time and make your voice heard. This is the only way we can let the city know that there are people out there that WANT to use their bicycles as a means of transportation. There is a perfect example of what to say below.

From Oz...

As you may know, NDOR is upgrading the stretch of I-680 between Center and Pacific and the Pacific Street bridge across I-680. There was a public meeting last week, and the plans did not include bike access, but the bridge engineer indicated to one of our employees that 7' sidewalks would be used. Since one of the biggest barriers for bicycle commuters in the city is a safe east-west route (especially crossing 680), this would be a prime opportunity for NDOR and the City to provide an east-west bike lane.
Even though Pacific is narrow and would not allow bicycle access east of about 96th, if the bridge were designed for bicycles, future upgrading of Pacific would then make sense for a bicycle lane. This may be something for you to send to all the team captains so they can distribute and provide comments to NDOR.

The public response period ends tomorrow (6/2) and all comments must be sent to Kevin Dugan at kdugan@dor.state.ne.us

I recommend something to the effect of

"Mr. Dugan,
As a resident of Omaha and a bicycle commuter, I would like to provide the following comment on the Pacific Street Bridge Project, CN 22068. As you may or may not know, making Omaha a more bicycle friendly city is a priority for Mayor Fahey and is vital for the future growth of the city. There are currently only 8 access points across I-680 going east-west, and with the exception of Sprague Street, all are on arterials and can at times be dangerous for cyclists and drivers.
Although current plans for Pacific Street may not include a bicycle lane, future expansion may warrant increased bicycle access. Therefore, I believe it is imperative to construct the Pacific Street Bridge with bicycle lanes. This will increase the safety of all users of this bridge. I appreciate the opportunity to comment on this important issue.
Sincerely, "

4 comments:

Tim Wieland said...

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. My email has been sent!

cvo said...

I've got some inside connections with the Dor.

I'll hassle my wife about it.

dale said...

I would suggest someone from each bike club send the sample email and email address to their members. Not everyone who would comment will read the blog in time.

ajb said...

Thanks, MOD...

::::sending email now::::