If you like trails and better bike infrastructure, you have only until April 5 to weigh in on how you want to use our transportation dollars by taking the Long Range Transportation Plan Survey https://lrtplincolnmpo.com/participate. While you’re at it, show your love for Wilderness Park by educating yourself and taking the survey on the Master Plan for the park before April 16. http://lincoln.ne.gov/WildernessPlan
Word is that bike funding isn’t scoring well on the latest MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) survey. Please prove it’s important by wading through this weighty Long Range Transportation Plan survey. You’ll be asked to watch a video presentation, then asked about city and county transportation priorities before you get to the trail priorities. I personally found it more useful to look at the maps, visualizing the areas I found most concerning, and then looking them up on the list. I found that going through the whole list for each of the three areas was daunting otherwise. Set aside a chunk of time when you don’t have anything more pressing to do. Settle back with a beverage hot or cold, preferably during a time of day you wouldn’t rather be riding, and when you’re least likely to be distracted or interrupted. It helps if you’ve actually ridden in the vicinity of the proposed improvements, but it isn’t necessary. This could also be an opportunity for people to ride to some of these areas to imagine what improvements might look like. What would make the area safer for cyclists?
For the Wilderness Park Master Plan survey, please learn about each of the areas in question on the survey by clicking on the main topics. The Master Plan Project List PDF contains more detailed information. The goal is to identify park user experience amenities and guide future improvements. I know this can be controversial, depending on who the park user is. It’s important that the many park users among you learn about what’s in the plan and take the survey. There’s even an interactive map to get to know the park and the proposed plans better. Have a say in our future!