Omaha Biking Infrastructure Needs Some Love

Well, would ya look at that—I finally created my very first YouTube video! 

It's pretty fascinating how simple it is to create and publish a video to share with the world.

I decided to create a short video about my frustration with the City of Omaha for the lack of effort put into maintaining and improving the bike routes and trails in town. I've biked in a lot of different cities across the U.S., and it pains me—deeply—to say that Omaha is arguably one of the worst in terms of safety, accessibility, usability and convenience. 

Many of the designated bike routes are chockablock with potholes, or they run through high-traffic streets not conducive for biking. I can't tell you how many times I've been riding down a shoddy, narrow road hoping the car I hear blazing up behind me doesn't barrel into me and send me off into oblivion. 

There are a couple of respectable trails—the Keystone Trail and the West Papio Trail—but those mainly serve as recreational trails, making it challenging to commute from Point A to Point B. 

Sorry, I don't mean to rant. I realize maintaining and improving the current biking infrastructure is a major investment for the city, but I also believe the demand to take such action is there. Omaha has a pretty raging bike scene, and making our city a little more biker-friendly would not only be appreciated by the current avid cyclists out there; it might also encourage others to get out and go for a ride every once in a while.

On that note, is anyone going on the Owl Ride?  

Cheers!

Mikaela