In 2020, Mode Shift Omaha Walkability Team documented conditions and wrote recommendations to improve the safety of Omahans during sidewalk closures. City council member Pete Festersen took the issue to the Public Works Committee, and the MSO Walkability Team presented policy recommendations to the Mayor’s Active Living Advisory Committee (ALAC) in January 2020. At that time, Omaha Public Works agreed to take the policy under consideration. They returned with a policy the very next month to share with ALAC. The policy is now being implemented and can be reviewed on the Omaha Public Works website.
Each year in the United States approximately 6,000 pedestrians die in vehicle collisions. Additionally, thousands of pedestrians are hit and survive, but with tremendous economic and emotional costs. It is encouraging to know that when action is required, our community can be counted on to engage with each other to get the job done.
But we asked ourselves what else must be done to create a walkable community? We began by conducting a study of the Dodge Street Sidewalks with the help of UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute. Enjoy our 2 minute film illustrating conditions and recommendations Walking On Dodge Street. This week we share our film in the hopes that you will share it with your friends. Next week, we release the Dodge Street Sidewalk Assessment. We look forward to sharing it and opening a much needed community dialogue about the condition of sidewalks in Omaha.