Local view: Consider bicyclists in grand scheme

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BY BETH THACKER

Downtown Lincoln is facing the perfect storm — the Antelope Valley Project and accompanying Union Plaza to the east, the UNL Research facility to the north and the Haymarket renovations to the west. All of these projects create the ripples that ultimately will grow into a gale, changing the look and function of our downtown for generations.

This change comes at a time when, on a local and national level, we are facing issues of equally epic proportions: both a health crisis of obesity with related complications and an energy crisis, with a rate of consumption that is quickly outstripping our resources.

In this reshaping of downtown Lincoln, there is a unique opportunity for our city officials to create a space that is sustainable, healthy and welcoming to alternative transportation modes. This opportunity would move Lincoln closer to becoming a greener and healthier community.

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Beth Thacker

Beth Thacker

City Hall moved in that direction when it went through the most recent update of the Downtown Master Plan and subsequent East Downtown Redesign. Part of the update process included recommendations from a transportation expert who studied our downtown area and came up with suggestions for improving its bikeability.

Because of that study — and with direction from a working group consisting of downtown business interests, the bicycling community and city officials — in August of 2006 bike lanes were installed on 11th and 14th streets. User counts conducted since then (twice in 2007 and once so far in 2008) have shown that bicycle traffic along those streets has increased significantly from before the lanes were installed. An examination of accident reports from before the bike lane installations and after their installations has shown no increase in accidents involving bicycles and cars.

Research bears out that appropriate bicycle facilities enable proper driving behavior for cyclists and motorists alike and decrease the likelihood of crashes. Numerous studies have shown that bicycle lanes improve safety and promote proper riding behavior. A well-designed bike lane supports and encourages bicycling as a means of transportation. Studies also show that when more bicyclists are present on the street more regularly, conditions become safer. Bike lanes help define road space, promote a more orderly flow of traffic, and signal motorists that cyclists have a right to the road, to name just a few advantages.

Historically, downtown Lincoln has not been a bike-friendly environment. Too often, motorists are not looking for vehicles other than cars. They seem amazed to see a cyclist on the street and sometimes even seem a little miffed if they have to share a lane with that bicyclist. On the other side, cyclists too many times disregard traffic laws, creating dangerous situations and engendering bad feelings toward cyclists in general. Both parties need to realize that a bicycle and a car both have a legal right to use all the roads in downtown and are subject to the same rules and regulations. Awareness and respect on both sides needs to be heightened.

Heightened awareness can and will make all downtown traffic lanes less stressful for bicyclists. The advantages to creating a downtown that is welcoming and safe to cyclists are just too numerous to be ignored.

In the coming months, as the redesign of this area evolves, I would like to encourage City Hall to implement specific bicycle facilities (e.g. bike lanes along M and N Streets for east/west traffic; bike lanes along 16th and 17th Streets, once the new Antelope Valley roadway diverts most through traffic away from these two streets; and possibly a separate multi-use trail facility through downtown).

Design it so that more university students want to bicycle to class rather than congest downtown with another car. Design it to encourage those families that enjoy the facilities of the new Union Plaza to ride their bicycles instead of driving, and maybe even ride through downtown to the Haymarket area (old and new). Design it to better accommodate those cyclists who already commute to their work downtown and encourage those who currently drive to consider hopping on a bicycle instead.

Being known as a bike-friendly city will only enhance the decision-making process individuals and corporations alike go through when looking to settle in Lincoln. To become a bike-friendly city will improve the health of each citizen, clean up and decongest a growing downtown area and conserve precious natural resources. An improved environment for downtown cycling can lead to smooth sailing through, and after, this perfect storm.

Beth Thacker is chairwoman of the Mayor’s Pedestrian/Bicycle Advisory Committee.