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Bike lanes will improve urban travel

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Friday, Aug 04, 2006 - 12:13:08 am CDT

The creation of a couple of bike lanes for downtown Lincoln was long overdue. The Lincoln City Council — beleaguered as it may be for missteps on other topics — deserves a nod of approval for catching up with other localities that have had bike lanes for years.

Downtown Lincoln has more than its share of bicyclists thanks to the proximity of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s downtown campus. Downtown regulars know there will be an upsurge in pedal-powered commutes when fall classes begin at UNL.

Students aren’t the only cyclists, of course. Other commuters use them as well, and their numbers have been growing as gasoline prices hover around $3 per gallon.

The new bike lanes on 11th and 14th streets will be marked by solid white lines near intersections, with white dashes in mid-block to signal where motorists should change lanes. The bike lanes also will have two painted bicycle symbols per block, as well as arrows indicating direction of travel.

Because city officials wanted to preserve on-street parking, the new bike lanes will not be adjacent to curbs. Instead, the lanes will be more in the center of the street, allowing for a turn lane and buffer space next to parked vehicles.

Obvious as the need for bike lanes should be, the move apparently still has stirred some controversy, judging by comments posted on the Journal Star’s Web site in reaction to the council action. Many of the comments echoed entrenched animosity between bicyclists and motorists, with each camp accusing the other of disrespecting their rights and traffic laws.

From the perspective of the Journal Star editorial board, which has used both types of conveyance and regularly observes commuter behavior from the pedestrian point of view, both sides are right.

Fortunately, the advent of the new bike lanes will be accompanied by a educational campaign, including a video on Time Warner cable channel 5 and on the city’s Web site that explains how the lanes should be used and urges both motorists and bicyclists to follow the rules of the road.

One advantage Lincoln has is that it was able to draw on the experience of other communities that created bike lanes decades ago. The configuration adopted here is “fairly typical” in other communities, city Transportation Planner David Cary said.

No doubt, however, some adjustment will be required when bicyclists begin using the new lanes. Both motorists and bicyclists should be on their best behavior. Many other communities have learned that bike lanes are a valuable alternative for urban travel. So will Lincoln.

 


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c.h. wrote on August 4, 2006 5:36 am:
" While I bike our beautiful trails daily, I've never biked much downtown. I will now, this is a great idea. Other cities are so used to this that they don't even notice it anymore. That will happen very quickly here. If some driver's simply can't adjust, well, it's only two streets, use another route. But, make a concerted effort, because I hope that the success of this will lead to expansion to more of our downtown streets! "

 Sean wrote on August 4, 2006 7:29 am:
" I echo c.h.'s comments but am a little more hopeful. If this goes well, I hope to see the expansion of bike lanes into other parts of Lincoln. Many of the outskirts, built in true "urban sprawl" fashion, are very unfriendly to anything but cars. Addition of bike lanes can make other areas - such as the North 27th St corridor and the growing development on the east edge of town along Hwy 2 - more open to bicycle travel "

 Bikers wrote on August 4, 2006 7:36 am:
" OK, the bikers have their lanes. I am not completely sure they are necessary. Those of us using cars on the roads have to pay taxes. I think the bikers using that portion of our streets need to have an additional licensing fee to help pay for the costs. It's only fair. "

 nb wrote on August 4, 2006 8:33 am:
" I bike to work at least 3 days a week and drive 2. Most other bikers I know own cars so their paying roads taxes too and should be able to have a safe avenue to ride their bike or drive their car. Of the other bike commuters to downtown that I know, they do so for exercise and saving money on parking & gas, not because they are anti-car. "

 Cindy wrote on August 4, 2006 8:39 am:
" Most of us that bike don't do so all the time; I'm already paying my taxes for the road. Necessary? Perhaps not, but it will make bikers much more visible downtown (which is a safety issue) and get them out of the way of cars, which will benefit cars and bikers. "

 Wm wrote on August 4, 2006 8:45 am:
" Oh yeah lets road tax bikes. How about a walking on the sidewalk tax? How about taxes based on your usage of your car. Lets have manatory GPS systems attached and you should only have to pay a portion of the roads you actully travel. "

 jim wrote on August 4, 2006 8:50 am:
" I think bikes should have to be licensed and pay taxes as well. I have been ran into by a man on a bike downtown and he dented my car door. He hopped up and rode his bike off. Now I got stuck with the bill to fix my car. This way they would be liable for stuff like this and they can help fund the bike lanes. I recently almost hit a bicyclist riding south on 14th street crossing hwy 2. I had the green turn arrow to turn south on 14th and I had to swerve to miss the moron running the red light. Until they can follow the rules, I don't think we should give them anythin. "

 connie wrote on August 4, 2006 8:55 am:
" Anything that cuts down our use of gas is a good thing. I don't think bikers should have to pay taxes. They emit no noxious fumes into our air, they don't contribute to traffic tie-ups, they don't require we build them more and more parking spaces, and, mercifully, bikes don't come equipped with sub-woofers! "

 Tony wrote on August 4, 2006 9:24 am:
" Here's what I don't understand. When they are on the streets, bicyclists want to be treated as equals. Oh, there's a red light, now I'm simply a bicyclist in the crosswalk, you have to wait for me before you can turn. How about this: If you want to be treated as an equal on the road, you have to obey red lights and stop signs, too. Why not a bike lane on the sidewalk? I can't imagine the worst bike/pedestrain collision being half as lethal as a car/bike collision. Then the pedalers could legally use the crosswalks to avoid traffic laws. "

 Alright wrote on August 4, 2006 9:39 am:
" Lincoln finally joining every other college town in the nation. "

 Sean wrote on August 4, 2006 9:48 am:
" Great! Another way to add to traffic congestion. Let's find another way to dodge the lack of public transportation issue. It's going to be interesting to see just how much usage the bike lanes get during the winter time. "

 stu wrote on August 4, 2006 9:57 am:
" licensing cars pays for street repairs. Be it very little, bikes will cause street damage and it does cost money to restripe roads and bike lanes. "

 jan wrote on August 4, 2006 9:59 am:
" Tony, or they just simply run the red light. I am tired of being passed on the right by bicyclists while driving anywhere in town. I tend to drive close to the curb is there is a bike rider behinde me so they can't try to squeese by me and I have to wait to get around them again. There are many times that they curse at me or flip me off when I am that close to the curb. "

 Lemonte wrote on August 4, 2006 10:15 am:
" Jim bikes do have to have a license. :) They cost $1. If your caught without a bike license there is a fine. Last >I< knew it was around $50 plus court costs. :) Also bicyclists are also goverened by the same rules of the road as cars. So if your car was in an accident with someone on a bike you should have called the police and reported it as an accident. >You< did not call the police on him...what he did was a hit and run. Also bikes here in Lincoln are REQUIRED to have a headlight and a taillight on and visible after dusk. You would not believe how many people I see riding at night without them. You really should check your facts about things before going off. :) If your not happy with the it only costing $1 to register a bike...well take that up with the city council or mayor. Also just so you know I don't own a car. "

 Andy wrote on August 4, 2006 10:24 am:
" If, in our over regulated society, bikers are to have equal status with cars, then the operators should be licensed, insured and ticketed for all traffic violations the same as car operators. Of course it would be better if all roads were privately owned. sigh "

 Lindsey wrote on August 4, 2006 10:56 am:
" While many cyclists run red lights and can generally behave rudely, it's really only fair given the huge disadvantage they have while on the road. We might like to see them riding more "defensively", but I can't blame them. The issue at hand is having bike lanes, and I couldn't be happier to see my hometown FINALLY catching up to the rest of the civilized world .. (on this subject anyway). Next door, Colorado is full of bike lanes, and here in Massachusetts where I now live also has them all over the place, which I am so very thankful for given the popularity of cycling here. I drive very little, but when I do, I PRAY for cycling lanes wherever I go so that we are all a little safer. Having cyclists on the sidewalks is NOT a good idea, especially on the most heavily traveled sidewalks in the city. Like it or not, bikes are road vehicles and should be treated as such. "

 Bill wrote on August 4, 2006 11:17 am:
" I do both cycling and driving, and from everything I've seen, drivers behave far worse than bikers. This city has a great bike infrastructure already, and this will help. For all you naysayers, think of this: more bikes downtown, fewer cars. Fewer cars, more open parking spots. After all, the space required for a single parking stall could hold far more bikes. "

 D.S.B. wrote on August 4, 2006 11:25 am:
" It's great to see so many positive comments here! just a word to jan, many people feel (and drive) as you do. Hence yhe need for bicycle lanes. That will solve them passing you in your own lane. And, andy, bicycles don't have the same potential for costly damage and injury cars do, simply because of their much smaller size. The only fatalities involving bicycles, are to the cyclist, after having been hit by a car. I don't really think we need to make our children get riding licemses and insurance. "

 sam wrote on August 4, 2006 11:36 am:
" Lemonte I work with about 10 people who ride their bikes to work and none of them have a so called "$1 bike licence". Nor have they heard of it. "

 Jim wrote on August 4, 2006 11:37 am:
" lemonte, I did call the cops. There isn't much they could do with this info: 30 something male, blue bike, red helmet. If you think you could solve it, please do. "

 AndyG wrote on August 4, 2006 11:38 am:
" Until everyone (cyclists and motorists) drive more defensively and obey the traffic signals, these problems will exist. I am primarily a motorist (an occasional cyclist) and firmly believe Lincoln and Omaha are some of the worst cities in the country for running lights, especially turning left through a light that turned red in the last 15-20 seconds. How many times have we all watched a light turn red and then see the car waiting in the intersection - and then three more - turn underneath it? "

 jan wrote on August 4, 2006 11:39 am:
" DSB. it's not legal for anyone to pass in one lane. Why should bikes be able to? they have to follow the rules of the road like everyone else. "

 richard wrote on August 4, 2006 11:41 am:
" to dsb, The only fatalies involing bikes are not car-bike accidents. check around a bit before you start throwing bad information as fact. "

 joe wrote on August 4, 2006 11:45 am:
" I ride a motorcycle. It's not much bigger than a bike, it's a small 350cc streetbike. That makes me at a disadvatage to cars, does that mean I get to run red lights and pass people on the right in one lane? "

 Erik wrote on August 4, 2006 11:57 am:
" Bike!Bike!Bike! Trying out bike lanes downtown is a very valuable plan. Only after the use of them will we know the positive and negative impacts. By pointing out the rude and negligent bikers in town though gets nowhere on this issue. Because then you would also need to point out the unlawful, negligent, and rude drivers which then you would have cause to eliminate cars from downtown as well. "

 D.S.B. wrote on August 4, 2006 12:01 pm:
" Boy, was I ever misunderstood! I meant that when cyclists have their own lane, they won't be passing you in yours, and I meant that bicyclists don't run into people and kill them. Of course, they often manage to kill themselves! sorry for the mix up. "

 FYI wrote on August 4, 2006 12:16 pm:
" Checked with the lincoln cyclists blog, you don't have to have a license to ride a bike in Lincoln. You may however, register your bike with the LPD. It helps in finding and retrieving them if they are stolen. "

 Oz wrote on August 4, 2006 12:58 pm:
" jan, you are right, it's not legal for anyone to pass in one lane. Passing is only acceptable if you can safely merge into another lane, after signalling, or the lane is a designated passing lane. But as a bicycle commuter, I regularly get passed by cars in the same lane, many times having them "buzz" me within inches. Most drivers don't see an issue with this, because there is little risk of injury to them. But if this occurs to an unsteady, novice, or exhausted cyclist the consequences can be fatal. "

 percy wrote on August 4, 2006 1:00 pm:
" Lemonte- who was complaining about bikes without headlights or tail lights? I don't see that anywhere. Jim certainly wasn't complaining about that. "

 beerorkid wrote on August 4, 2006 1:06 pm:
" I think you are all being a little silly. These bike lanes are a good thing, it will prob help with those rogue cyclists. I ride my bike to work year round, I will be using the lanes daily. I find it so funny that drivers are all in an uproar over this. "

 steph wrote on August 4, 2006 1:13 pm:
" Oz, I see your point about getting passed by cars and completly understand. Most of the bike riders I see are already riding in the gutter, leaving 90% of the lane open and making people think they can just squeeze by. If bicyclists would ride in the middle of the lane, I think that would curb that. I also understand worrying about getting hit, but if you are wearing reflective or bright clothing, like it is reccomended, you should be easily visable. "

 merlin wrote on August 4, 2006 1:14 pm:
" My biggest complaint about the bike lanes, is that it is removing 1 lane of car traffic. Making that section of down town even harder to get around in. Also, I can just see those lanes messing up people here from out of town,especially for football games. "

 JMK wrote on August 4, 2006 1:46 pm:
" OZ, only when bikes can go as fast as cars should they be allowed in the same lanes as cars. So for your own safety, keep as far to the right as you can. "

 beerorkid wrote on August 4, 2006 1:58 pm:
" there will not be any loss of a car lane. it will go like this: | parking | car | car | bike | car | parking | The lanes on those streets are already wide, this will just move them a bit. Even the parking lanes will be moved a bit. you can see the blueprints here: www.beerorkid.com/bikelane The bike lane is in the middle of car lanes to avoid issues with turning cars. Really there is no valid reason to complain about the bike lanes, but maybe the rouge bikers. I always take my whole lane, I keep up with traffic and do not inconvience anyone, I use proper signals, I am traffic. "

 Regular biker wrote on August 4, 2006 2:11 pm:
" Though you all debate the myth of bike licenses, I think it's a consideration we should make to go along with these bike lanes. Most accidents involving cyclists are the CYCLIST'S fault, not the car's. It's not a bad idea to teach bikers to be safe in their newly gifted lanes. "

 Nancy wrote on August 4, 2006 2:52 pm:
" Unfortunately, the busses also run on 11th & 14th street. Narrowing the lanes is not a wise idea with a wide bus on the street. At least now the city will have a place to pile the snow in the winter! "

 beerorkid wrote on August 4, 2006 3:15 pm:
" well parking lanes will be more angled, the lanes will not be squeezed that much. And they better not pile up the snow in the bike lane cuz I will still wanna use it ;) Two parking spots will be lost in the east side of 14th street between Q & P. not tooo shabby if you ask me. It really seems as if people just do not know all the information, and they are jumping the gun to critisize these bike lanes. It will actually be more benneficial to drivers, the bikers will not be in your lanes any more. These bike lanes are a very positive step in the right direction. We are lucky. "

 Bj wrote on August 4, 2006 3:38 pm:
" After reading this: (http://www.ci.lincoln.ne.us/City/attorn/lmc/ti10/ch1048.pdf) Then make a comment. The municipal code is information not hearsay. Look into it. "

 D wrote on August 4, 2006 4:53 pm:
" More cyclists on the road equal less cars clogging intersections and taking up precious parking spaces. Bike lanes are an all around positive. "

 surlymojo wrote on August 4, 2006 6:37 pm:
" Why are car drivers so threatened by cyclists? Anyone who thinks cyclists "generally behave rudely", is invited join me on my commute to work and see how many times car drivers, yell and curse me. It's honorable to lessen your dependence on oil, by riding your bike, not to mention getting fresh air and using your muscles for something more than getting from your house-car-work-car-couch. Perhaps that is why, motorists have such a problem with bikers. Most avid cyclists don't try to antagonize cars, it doesn't take a genius to know who is more vunerable, a car or bike. Biking as alternative transportation isn't going anywhere, so chill out and get used to it. "

 c.h. wrote on August 4, 2006 7:18 pm:
" I read the municipal code (thanks for the address)as suggested. It does look like at one time there was a law that bikes had to be tagged, but it was repealed. Everything else id pretty much as expected. Bikers must follow basic traffic laws, and can't ride on arterials that are posted. I haven't EVER seen such a posting, except on the interstate. "

 Bj wrote on August 4, 2006 9:02 pm:
" I think an interesting fact might be that of what it cost the city to provide on street parking. The facilitation of parking spaces with their cost of providing space in a dense urban environment would seem to be of a higher cost than even providing a fleet of bicycles at given points throughout the downtown area for people to use after they park their cars in lots on the outer realm of the core downtown. I think I have read that we have an obesity and heart disease problem? And exercise could help us all. Plus, if everyone is on a bike, then what problems would we have in the downtown of bikes hitting cars. (No car doors wrecked! and riders riding off) Progress would be completely blocking off the downtown to car traffic and allowing pedestrian traffic, bicycle traffic, and light rail transit for transportation needs. Encouraging down-town commerce and living might be a good way to lessening our driving distances, cost/waste of fossil fuels, and many other positive outcomes. Check out this link. (http://www.newcolonist.com/vox/vox.html) "

 c.h. wrote on August 5, 2006 5:59 am:
" OK, blocking off downtown to cars is extreme. It doesn't allow for the elderly, the families with small children, or our state's 'extreme' weather. But I do like the idea of free city-owned bikes at various places around town. It's worked very well in other cities, and it would be very inexpensive to try. If I remember right Seattle's community bikes are an awful shade of yellow. Lets have a prettier color. I vote for turquoise. "

 Jill wrote on August 8, 2006 9:54 am:
" Actually, retail planner Bob Gibbs gave a facinating presentation to some Lincoln Commerce group that was broadcast on one of the public access channels. He presented information on the true reason for onstreet parking and meters. Each metered spot that is full all day will support one retail shop. Parking meters ensure that there is turnover, so that more shoppers are going into the stores and buying things. Every metered spot that is removed for a taxi lane, landscaping, etc. puts one small store out of business. Bikes might be fun, fewer meters might sound like a good idea, but who will go downtown if we put all the stores out of business? "

 Mike wrote on August 10, 2006 11:29 am:
" Great idea! Now everyone that a.) attends UNL, b.) lives on 11th or 14th street and, c.) enjoys dodging traffic can ride their bikes to class evey day. I am sure those three people that fit this criteria will appreciate the thousands of dollars being spent on them. I can tell you from experience, the last thing downtown need is an increase in traffic of any kind. All they will accomplish with these lanes is congesting traffic even more downtown. If you were looking for budget cuts, this would be a good place to start. "

 Bill wrote on August 10, 2006 10:20 pm:
" Get ready folks....This is just the first step of the Downtown Master Plan that was approved last year. It has the taxpayers of the City of Lincoln spending $200-400 million dollars so the downtown association and the people living downtown have a nice neighborhood while the rest of us have to fight to get our aging water system, broken down roads repaired. The grandiose plans are unbelievable. They are tearing down building so we can have bike lanes, tearing down building for 'Plazas', 12th Street becomes an Art corridor, and our taxes go up, up, up. The City Council is too afraid to make the tough cuts now. How can you expect them to do anything but bend over backwards to raise our taxes to make all this happen? "

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