Five Questions with . . . Kara Eastman

15 Aug

Kara Eastman is the President and CEO of Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance, Vice-Chair of the Metropolitan Community College Board of Governors, is married to Scott Eastman, Professor of History at Creighton, and mom to Sabina, a Junior at Central High School. She’s also running for Congress in Nebraska’s 2nd District. You can learn more about her platform at her website: eastmanforcongress.com

She’s our guest for our August Coffee Chat and we asked her five questions:

1. What is your preferred mode of transportation?
Walking
2. What, in your opinion, is the greatest challenge to multi-modal transportation in Omaha?
Political will
3. What, in your opinion, the the greatest multi-modal success in Omaha?
The Old Market
4. How did you come to have an interest in transportation?
Through my work in building healthy communitiies
5. If you could magically change one thing about the transportation systems in Omaha, without limit to budget or feasibility, what would it be?
I would create an energy efficient, public transportation system that connects north, south, and east Omaha (I might even consider adding West O)

Welcome to Mode Shift’s New Volunteer and Membership Coordinator Cam Bexten

14 Aug

We are pleased to announce that we have contracted a new Volunteer and Membership Coordinator to help with our up-coming membership campaign and ongoing member and volunteer activities. Cam Bexten was selected from a pool of amazing candidates and we are looking forward to a productive relationship with her as we transition to this new phase of Mode Shift Omaha.

Cam is a native Midwesterner who has years of experience working with nonprofits and small businesses, as well as in public education. She has a passion for community engagement, and loves helping people and organizations connect with each other to create positive outcomes in the community. She is an advocate for safe and sustainable transportation for everyone, from walking to public transit, and everything in between. In her “free” time, Cam is working to complete her Masters of Public Administration degree and enjoys down time with friends, family, and her two dogs.

 

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Pedestrian Infrastructure in Jeopardy

29 Jul

IMG_5619The City of Omaha scheduled the pedestrian activated crossing signals at six intersections to be removed within 90 days of notification. The residents of Dundee fought the removal of two of those signals that serve walking routes to Dundee elementary, and yesterday, the Mayor indicated that the signals at 51st and Farnam and at 52nd and Chicago warranted further study because of their proximity to a school.

There are four other signals scheduled for removal as a part of the city’s multi-year, $35 million traffic signal upgrade being majority funded by the Federal Department of Transportation. According to statements made by Public Works, these signals do not meet federal standards as laid out in the Manual for Universal Traffic Control Devices, and so their replacement would be ineligible for federal funding. Public works has not yet responded to requests for copies of the full traffic study or a description of the study methodology.

The traffic signals still scheduled for removal are the following:

120th and Arbor
108th and Oak
84th and Spring (see our video analysis of this intersection here)
73rd and Mercy

If you use these signals, or know someone for whom these signals are important for pedestrian access to work, commerce, services and community amenities, please contact Public Works at 402-444-5160 and/or email Mr. Murthy Koti at murthy.koti@cityofomaha.org and Mayor Stothert at mayorstothert@cityofomaha.org.

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