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Council OKs bicycle lanes

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By MATT OLBERDING / Lincoln Journal Star

Tuesday, Aug 01, 2006 - 08:57:13 am CDT

If things fall into place, University of Nebraska-Lincoln students could have an added incentive to bike to campus when classes begin this month.

The Lincoln City Council on Monday approved adding bicycle lanes to two downtown streets —  11th Street south from Q to K, and 14th Street north from L to R. Several council members said they thought the lanes were important to make cyclists feel safe while riding downtown and, potentially, to increase the number of people riding bikes.

“Bicyclists have really needed something like this downtown for a long time,” said council member Jonathan Cook.

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The city hopes to have the 6-foot-wide lanes ready before UNL classes start; at the latest, they would be ready by mid-September.

The project will cost about $20,000 and fits in the annual budget for road striping.

While the lanes are meant to be permanent, council members did approve an amendment by council member Robin Eschliman to examine the lanes in a year and make changes if needed.

Council member Ken Svoboda cast the lone vote against the lanes, saying he didn’t see a lot of accidents downtown involving bicyclists and didn’t think the lanes would make things any safer.

“I highly promote bicycle usage, I just don’t think this makes it any safer in the downtown area,” he said.

In other business Monday, the council voted against a package of Planning Department fee increases.

The increases had been approved by the Planning Commission and included in the mayor’s budget proposal, but council members said they didn’t think now was the time to enact the fees because the local construction industry, especially home building, has been struggling.

At formal and informal hearings, the proposed fees had drawn the ire of developers and builders, as well as neighborhood groups worried about a near-doubling of the fee for downzoning applications.

The fee increases would have generated an estimated $25,000 a year.

Planning Director Marvin Krout said the council’s vote would not have an effect on his budget because the fees go into the general fund budgets of the city and county.

“It’s just a little more taxes we’ll all pay,” he said.

Reach Matt Olberding at 473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com.


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Wm wrote on August 1, 2006 6:52 am:
" Yeah! But those lanes will confuse the heck out of the downtown drivers. Watch out for the first few months. They don't pay attention already. "
Ryan wrote on August 1, 2006 7:46 am:
" Wow, you'd think these new bike lanes were the greatest thing to ever hit Lincoln and approved by our city council. They're great, but let's catch up with other comparable cities as far as bicycling rights go. How about bike parking units rentable downtown? How about some trails that actually connect up to other trails (good start on this.) How about enforcing aggressive drivers for road rage against bicyclists? Why not let bikes on StarTran busses? We are decades behind many other cities. A few blocks of bike lanes. Wow. They'll probably cut them out in a year because car drivers and businesses complain. "
Bike fan wrote on August 1, 2006 8:22 am:
" Bike racks on the buses are 10 years overdue. They would improve ridership on StarTran because people could link to a bus stop without driving, or commute one way by bike and the other way by bus. "
Richard wrote on August 1, 2006 9:41 am:
" A bike rental company downtown sounds great but maybe FREE bikes downtown might be even better. The City auctions off hundreds of abandoned bicycles every year. Maybe some of the bikes that are basically good bikes but not what is really hot in the market place could be kept by the City, reconditioned and painted with some really identifiable paint scheme and these bikes could be left at various locations in the downtown area for use by anyone who needs them. A lot of bicycle theft is probably just some kid that is too lazy to walk and will steal a bike then leave it blocks away. This FREE bike program would stop a lot of that type of theft. Downtown businesses would benefit because this plan could free up much needed parking for cars. A lot of the labor required to repair these bikes etc might be provided by various Community Corrections inmates. This would be a more desireable job than picking up trash along highways and it could give some of these people a valuable job skill. Many people, like me, refuse to go downtown because of the lack of free parking. With a little bit of creative thinking a program like this could be done very cheaply and the rewards could be pretty good. Bike Fan's suggestion of bike racks on buses is a good point also. "
Lisa wrote on August 1, 2006 10:26 am:
" I'd LOVE to see more bicycles and have a safer place to ride! Let's give this a try! We'll be healthier, reduce some of the vehicle traffic downtown and help reduce our costs for gasoline! "
Delfs Linder wrote on August 1, 2006 10:47 am:
" It's about time they do this and they should add more lanes around the city. I live in Mesa AZ now and they have lanes on about every street here. "
Great... wrote on August 1, 2006 11:11 am:
" As if traffic isn't congested enough downtown already, now we're losing 1 (or maybe 2 as channel 8 said last night) lanes on those streets. That's just great... Also, maybe drivers would treat bicyclists with more respect if cyclists did the same, such as following the traffic laws rather than running red lights because they don't want to wait (or don't feel the law applies to them equally in "some" cases). "
connie wrote on August 1, 2006 11:15 am:
" Free bikes have worked well in other cities, but maybe Lincoln is too small for them to be of any real use. They'd all end up outside one or two buildings. I don't know though, it's sure inexpensive to try. I'd love to see it work out! "
fathead Neuman wrote on August 1, 2006 11:18 am:
" Ken Svobada should try riding a bike in downtown and see what it's like. If you can't keep up with traffic, it can be terrifying. The bike lanes are not just about safety. They encourage people to ride, providing a safe lane for bikes only where you can ride at whatever pace is comfortable instead of feeling obligated to ride fast and keep up with traffic. I commute by bike every day, and I'll adjust my route to use the 11th and 14th street bike lanes, especially when it's 100° outside. "
g wrote on August 1, 2006 11:21 am:
" How much more money do we need to spend on bicyclist? They should have to pay a wheel tax just like the rest of us! Tons of trails and now their own road? Why should I pay for their enjoyment? The city doesn't allow me to fish for free. "
Bikers wrote on August 1, 2006 11:26 am:
" Agree with Great...many bikers downtown totally disregard traffic laws..I drive downtown everyday and have seen this continually for 25 years....I also ride a bicycle for recreation and obey all traffic laws...it seems the hardcore bikers in this city have an attitude that that motorists "owe" them something or that laws don't apply to them....the cyclists just need to show a measure of respect and then motorists will reciprocate. "
c.h. wrote on August 1, 2006 11:32 am:
" I've looked forward to this with eagerness. My family has always made extensive use of this city's beautiful trails. If you've only seen them from the street as you drive by, get out and walk one for a short distance. You'll be astounded. Their could be an improvement connecting them, but it's pretty good now. You don't ahve to deal with much street riding to get from one to another. As for downtown lanes, this will be great, but riders, watch out for the cars until they get used to having you there, and I know that it's safe to cross at a red light 'cause we have no blind spot, but it irritates the drivers for some reason, so just wait. We'll all get along. "
JM wrote on August 1, 2006 11:32 am:
" I'd like to know how it can cost $20,000 to paint a few lines on several blocks' worth of streets? I agree that we need to do something to make it safer for bikes downtown, but traffic is heavy enough down there during the day, I don't think getting rid of an entire traffic lane will help things at all- that will just cause new problems. "
al wrote on August 1, 2006 11:57 am:
" I would agree that there hasn't been that many bicycle accidents to warrant these dollars to be spent for such few people. I would venture a guess that alot of cyclist violate the laws to their advantage even though they are the same as with automobiles.(Stop, yeild, etc) Are these 6 foot lanes being added, or are they just going to paint the lanes on existing pavement. If just adding paint costs $20k, I'd like to personally put in a bid for that job. I can do it cheaper and just as good. Just because some council see money in the budget doesn't mean that you have to spend it. Wake Up Lincoln Tax Payers...Stop this before it's too late. "
concerned that someone didn't do their homework. wrote on August 1, 2006 12:24 pm:
" There are 1500 students, according to a recent survey, who ride their bikes to the University campus. At $20,000 for bike lanes, isn't this a rather huge expense for only a few people? And do all 1500 come through town on 11th and 14th Streets? "
great wrote on August 1, 2006 12:39 pm:
" Love the trails, hope to use them myself soon (when I get a new bike). However, I have to disagree with the "safe" comment. The red light is there for a reason, and if the cyclists want autos to give them respect and treat them like they do other cars (i.e. give them the right of way when it's warranted, etc), then the cyclists need to follow ALL of the traffic laws. This is regardless of whether you "can see" or whatever. It's simply a matter of "if you want to be on an equal playing field, then you have to play by the same rules, too." "
Nervous wrote on August 1, 2006 3:54 pm:
" Uhhhh....some of us use a bike as our only means of transportation (not because of a DUI or anything like that.) We like to ride and enjoy the environment, savings, and efficiency of bikes. So, while there aren't as many of us, aren't we entitled to transportation venues also? "
Sean M. wrote on August 1, 2006 4:10 pm:
" I'm excited that Lincoln is taking its first big step in making the city more commuter friendly. As mentioned already, the trails are a fantastic recreational resource but don't work well for commuting to many parts of the city. As a bicycle commuter, I completely agree with the idea that bikes and cars follow the same rules. In fact, its written into city ordinances (available for easy download on the Cycle Works web site). I wouldn't mind seeing bike cops downtown enforce laws against cyclists...perhaps then everyone would take it a little more seriously. I think the safest place for a bike is in the street and now it will be even safer for those uncomfortable with riding in traffic. "
beerorkid wrote on August 1, 2006 4:13 pm:
" just to clarify for some of ya. not a single car lane will be removed. it will go | parking | car | car | bike | car| parking| trails are partially funded by the federal govt, and there are constant fundraising rides and GPTN to raise other fundage. THis is a good thing, it helps us become a better city. Yes some bikers need to follow the rules, I hope their own lane will encourage them to do so. I am sure a bunch of the $ will go to hourly pay, equipment, and barricades, read the article again. It was already in the budget. "
Sarah R. wrote on August 1, 2006 4:33 pm:
" I commute in and out of downtown (to and from work) every day, ride on the street and follow all traffic signals. To those drivers who mention people not following traffic laws on bikes, please don't judge all cyclists because of a few people not behaving in the best way. What is the chance you made a "rolling stop" in the last week? Or drove 5 MPH over the speed limit? Should I now judge all automobile drivers because of your sloppiness? On a recent morning, a college student joined me in my lane, who had seen the sign telling him not to ride on the sidewalk. As he slid up next to me, he stated that he wasn’t sure exactly where he should be riding instead. I’ve also been nearly run over by bicycles on the sidewalk - when stepping out of my office building - so if this helps people less sure about riding on the street know where to ride (and gets bikes off the sidewalks), then great! I truly hope we can ALL show more respect for the other traffic around us, regardless of each person’s mode of transportation. P.S. I currently ride on 12th and 11th Streets, but will change my route to utilize and show support for the lanes once they are in place. "
Bike fan wrote on August 1, 2006 7:26 pm:
" If the lanes just get people onto 14th and 11th, that will be worth something. While it is perfectly legal, I have always been amazed by the people that ignore the designated bike routes and insist on riding on 10th and 17th in the morning, and 9th and 16th in the evening. Yes it is legal, but it's still stupid to ride in rush hour traffic. At best the motorists will hate you - at worst they will hit and kill you. Why do it when other routes are available? - 20th is also an easy bike route with little traffic, in addition to 11th and 14th. "

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