Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee

Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee

The City of Omaha’s  Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee will work in partnership with city departments and the public to improve bikeable communities, pedestrians, and other non-automotive forms of transportation.  The committee’s specific areas of involvement include:

  • Working with the Public Works, Planning, and Parks Departments toward developing a comprehensive bicycle transportation system for the city, combining trails with appropriate streets and other public ways.
  • Providing technical expertise and review of major city transportation projects, to include appropriate accommodation for pedestrians and cyclists.
  • Addressing specific design and safety issues in the existing street, trail, and pathway network.
  • Establishing design standards and practices that improve the safety and quality of infrastructure designed for pedestrians and cyclists.
  • Working with law enforcement officials to increase awareness of the rights and responsibilities of cyclists and pedestrians and to help create an atmosphere of mutual respect and courtesy between motorists and pedestrians/cyclists.
  • Advising city departments on pedestrian, cycling, and public transportation issues that arise from time to time.
  • Holding periodic meetings with the general public to elicit input and identify issues and concerns, bringing these to the attention of city officials.

Committee members were and will be selected by a selection committee within the Mayor’s office and should have specific expertise or insights into issues relating to bicycle and pedestrian transportation.  Public membership will normally range from 10 to 12 people and should include:

  • Planners and engineers with special design expertise in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
  • Representatives of four quadrants of the city.
  • The representative of Our Healthy Community Partnership.
  • A member with specific interests and expertise in public health and fitness issues.
  • Other members of the general public with special expertise in committee issues.

A committee chair will be appointed, and a coordinator for city and ex officio participation will be designated.  Each meeting will have a specific agenda developed by the chair and city coordinator.

The committee will meet monthly with an ex officio group of city officials that will normally include:

  • The City Engineer, Transportation Engineer, and Design Engineer of the Public Works Department. 
  • The Public Works director, should he/she choose to attend.
  • The Parks Director and his/her designee.
  • The Planning Director and his/her designee.
  • A representative of the Omaha Police Department.
  • A representative of the Mayor’s Office.

Ex officio members of other independent public agencies with specific interests in alternative transportation are also invited to participate.  These include the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, Metro Area Transit, and City of Omaha school districts.