Peterson is executive director of Live Well Omaha. Shukert is chairman of the Mayor’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
World-Herald columnist Robert Nelson and other Omahans have questioned the need for the City of Omaha to hire a bicycle/pedestrian coordinator.
In response, we believe that this investment will pay handsome dividends by promoting transportation choice, safety, community health, quality of life and, yes, actual reductions in the cost of living in Omaha.
In American cities, effective bicycle/pedestrian coordinators have increased the number of people who walk, bike or use transit for transportation or recreation. This position in Omaha is both a smart business decision and good public policy.
The idea of a bike/pedestrian coordinator for our city came from the private sector, reflecting a growing understanding of the relationship between transportation, routine physical activity and community health.
The position is funded outside the city’s general fund budget from three sources: The Metropolitan Area Planning Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Alegent Health. These sources recognize the importance of a balanced transportation system and the role of active lifestyles in reducing the nationwide obesity epidemic.
Even though the coordinator position is funded by grants rather than regular city tax revenues, it must stand as a wise use of funds — a test that an effective bike/pedestrian coordinator will pass with flying colors by increasing the number of Omahans of all ages who travel on foot, by bike and via transit, and improving the quality and safety of the environment that they move through.
The coordinator will work to ensure that city streets and other infrastructure accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists. He will review private development projects to improve access; develop concepts for better pedestrian and bicycle facilities; form partnerships with schools, businesses and neighborhood organizations to increase walking and cycling; develop and expand safety awareness and education programs; and seek new, self-supporting funding sources.
This position is about creating a community that offers transportation choices. So, how will this benefit all Omahans?
>> It will improve safety and convenience for all. Better safety education and greater awareness of mutual responsibilities will make the city safer and less frustrating for all people.
>> It will especially improve the safety of children. If encouraging kids to look carefully before riding into or walking across the street or to properly wear helmets saves even one young life, this investment will have incalculable returns.
>> It will save money and reduce air pollution by shifting some short trips from cars to walking or bicycling. If the coordinator’s work encourages a shift of just 10 percent of all trips under two miles to walking and biking, Omahans will drive about 36 million fewer miles, reduce their gasoline use by about 2.4 million gallons and save about $18 million every year — a great return on investment.
>> It will extend the life of existing streets and may reduce or delay the need for costly capital projects. Traffic growth projections justify projects such as a beltway, potentially costing over half a billion dollars. The consulting fees alone on a project of this scale would pay the coordinator’s salary for about 770 years in current dollars. Transportation options will reduce the need for these expensive proposals.
>> Most importantly, it will improve the health of our community. Sixty percent of adults in Douglas County are obese and-or overweight. Chronic disease caused by physical inactivity and poor eating habits presents enormous economic and human burdens.
Even more worrisome is the obesity rate among children. Once, more than four out of five kids walked or biked to school; now more than four out of five are driven there. We must create environments where healthy choices, like active transportation, are the easy choices.
Our urban peers realize that balanced transportation increases the health and vibrancy of the city. We have made major strides in Omaha as well. But our grass-roots effort will gain momentum with a full-time bicycle/pedestrian coordinator, giving Omaha the opportunity to become one of America’s healthiest cities.
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