scilley

Hi there,

I'm a newbie here and I would like some insight from the pros...I'm currently not 100% bike-free (I have a 2005 Chrysler Sebring) and I don't see the value of having a car. I mean, I like my car and it is somewhat convenient, but with gas, repair bills and insurance, I'd like to use the money for those expenses in a better way, and there are signs that gas is likely to hit the $5 mark soon. I bike for leisure, and I've been thinking, "what if I do this routinely?". I don't really have trips longer than ~10mi, although I do like occasional road trips or small escapades. I figure I could rent a car for those instances as there would be no sense in keeping a car (and the registration, insurance, storage and maintenance and whatever) just to use it a few times a year.

By spring of next year I am out of college and I will be moving to Lincoln, NE. I have general idea of where I would be living, and the apartments I've been interested in are generally anywhere from one to four miles away from downtown. I consider myself pretty fit but I know how turbulent the weather can be in Lincoln and the Midwest in general (too hot or too cold or stormy). Is it feasible and practical to commute by bike (or by public transportation) on a regular basis? How would I handle things like grocery shopping? I've seen those little tow-behind 'trailers'...how are those?

What should I do? I'm not wanting to take it all the way from OR to NE if I'm not going to use it, because I could just fly down there and save a ton of what I would spend on gas, hotels and whatever (and have my parents FedEx my possessions).

Should I get rid of my car or should I take it down there with me?

Artkansas 

You are asking some big questions.

Take some time to go through the threads on this forum. Maybe use the search function. You will find that these topics have been discussed many times and there is much you can learn from them.

For questions about Lincoln, specifically, check out https://bicyclincoln.org/ and https://bike.unl.edu/local-and-state-bike-links

And yes, you can probably be car-free in Lincoln. I am in Arkansas, I've lived car-free here and in California.

Best advice, while you are in the PNW, try to ween yourself off of the car. Go car-lite. That will answer a lot of your questions.

bragi

You can probably get by without a car in central Lincoln, but if you want to leave the area occasionally, you'll need a car. Lincoln's kind of bike-friendly, actually, but that's pretty much it for hundreds if not thousands of miles in any direction. I don't know if you're from NE, but the good news is that Nebraska is full of remarkably tolerant, pretty nice people; they may think you're odd for riding a bike everywhere, but they won't run you down because of it.

scilley

I know that I will need a car when I leave the area, but my question is this: is it wiser to keep a car of my own, or to rent a car when I would need one?

Thanks for your advice Artkansas and bragi...all of it helps

I-Like-To-Bike

It will depend on how often you want to leave the area, how far you want to go, and for how long?

If you are not over 25 renting a car could be a problem.

Artkansas 

That all depends on how much you need to use a car. Me, I had my last car for 8 years and drove it 50 miles total. 30 of that was driving home from where I bought it. I rent a car maybe once or twice a year. I do have insurance that covers me, driving.

That's why I advised you to go car-lite before you move. It will help you judge what your needs are and make a good decision on whether to keep the car or not.

Roody

Everybody emphasizes geography, and I do agree that it's best to have a manageable commute and a nearby grocery store. But maybe your individual psychology is even more important. Adaptability, creativity and a positive outlook will all help if you're carfree. You should also be able to tolerate mild social disapproval if you live in a place that's caught up in the car culture. (And that means almost everywhere in North America.)

InOmaha

I'm here in Nebraska. To give you an indication of the weather; 2 weeks ago it snowed and 2 days ago we set a record high at 101 F.

Public transportation in Nebraska is all but nonexistant. Bus routes here and there, but mainly to the malls (in Lincoln include the university) or straight line shots down a couple of major streets. In most places I lived when I was in Lincoln it would have taken longer to get to a bus stop than to get where I was doing. https://getonboard.lincoln.ne.gov/

I'd pay close attention to the place you're looking to live and make sure the stores you want are close and that there is something to do. Lincoln's traffic shouldn't be bad. The streets are mainly grid pattern in the core so you can move over a couple of blocks and get on less busy parallel streets.

If you live near the University(ies) there will be more biking, more resturants, more to do, but more noise in your appartment complex and fewer grocery stores. Overall, the "city" is rather small at about 4-6 miles wide by 8-10 miles long. If you pick a 4 mile radius from downtown, you're covering at least 1/2 the city.

The bike trails are better in Lincoln than here in Omaha because they go in a spoke layout, are longer, and they converge downtown. So you could look at living close to one of those. The Mopac trail runs east past Elmwood about 20 miles and the Jamaica-South trail runs south to Beatrice (about 45 miles). The one south is a hardpacked former rail line that runs along Highway 77. I see road bikes on the Highway 77 shoulders when the weather gets nice. The Rock-Island and Billy Wolf trails go south east.

Trail map

InOmaha

Oh, and don't worry about elevation changes slowing you down in any direction. The hilly part of the state is in the north and west. Lincoln is as flat as you can get. Almost as flat as most of Florida.

chewybrian 

...most places! I'd shoot for a place to live near one of those trails. I imagine you could get to many destinations, like a grocery store, without worrying about traffic, which makes it more fun to ride.

Scilley, you seem to have the right attitude, which is a key ingredient. You can figure out the rest as you go, and it's not that hard.


Hmm... I see you never climbed Cocoa mountain:

Brevard County High Point, Florida

Elevation: 83 feet, 25 meters

InOmaha

People assume Nebraska is flat because they drive through on I-80. Which was built on the flattest part of the state because...why not it's flat.

Even then, you'll gain about 2,000 feet of elevation crossing the flat spot on I-80.

Sure we don't have mountains, but it's hilly enough in many places to mountain bike.

gerv 

We always assume the car is the way to go. I've run into people who own cars in Des Moines and when they go to Chicago for a weekend, they take the Megabus. That's because you can ride in style and it costs less than parking for a weekend.

The other question is how much inter-city travel you need to do. If you have family in adjacent cities I can see it. But I've noticed that many people in Des Moines never travel to Omaha or Kansas City or Minneapolis very often. Last time I was in Omaha was 1998.

Nakedbabytoes

I live in Lincoln and was car free during college age(but not in college). The paved trails go pretty much everywhere and those places that it doesn't, sidewalks are your friend. Downtown has dedicated bike lanes since riding on the sidewalks there is illegal. I worked downtown the whole time I was car free and lived about 6 miles East and took a nice quiet sidestreet to work everyday without issue.

Here is the trail map of Lincoln.
https://www.gptn.org/wp-content/theme...ompleteMap.pdf

Some of the trail extend out from Lincoln to the countryside with crushed rock and you can often ride to smaller towns surrounding Lincoln within a 50 mile radius. The trails are from old rail lines and they are usually flat and slightly elevated. They are well maintained and often get scooped/plowed before the sidestreets do in winter! I bike still, along with run, and live 5 houses from the trail in my area. I use the trails darn near daily and have a fat bike for winter, a cargo bike for groceries and errands, and a road bike for when I want to go somewhere really fast and light. With the right tires(slicks in summer, knobbies in winter) and dress for the weather(like PP stated, conditions can get crazy sometimes!), you can totally be car free in Nebraska most of the time without issue. When I was car free and just had one bike, if I really needed to go somewhere and couldn't bike/walk safely, a cab is just a phone call away. Or buses. Or friends with wheels! Pretty sure someone you know will have a vehicle, just be sure to make it worth their while(as in a pizza or 6 pack o beer).

Theft isn't too bad here, but if you live downtown or on campus, you definately need a decent lock. People will just dick with your stuff because they can. Make it hard and they move on to the next schmuck with a poorly locked ride! I have a NY Noose from Kryptonite for my frame and a u lock for my front wheel. Learn the right way to lock your ride and you should be fine.

Clothing: pretty simple. For winter, make sure you have something for the cold wind as we only get snowfall an average of 8 days per winter. But it will stay cold for months! And the wind, winter & summer you just get pummeled day in & day out. I have a facemask and pogies for winter riding and they get used pretty much solidly from Jan-March. In the summer, just be sure to hydrate and such, pretty easy in summer to stop under a tree and get cool. We have lots of trees in town. Hubby is from Wyoming and I am like, "Where are your trees???!!!!"

Lincoln is pretty flat dowtown and then it dishes up like a bowl from there(commonly referred to as the "Lancaster Effect" for storms, they go right around the lip of the bowl Lincoln is mostly in. But I live way SE in town(almost out of town, 2 miles from trail end) and it is hilly out here but we are up on the rim, so there you go! Lol! Typically, on a ride across town I will only gain or lose(depending on direction) 400-500 feet, so it isn't pancake flat BUT it is gradual and flowy.

Any other ?, just ask away! I'd even be fine with showing you around if you need. I'm old though, 39 and a work from home mom, so I'm pretty boring But I don't bite.

Roody

I don't know, you sound interesting to me, and your knowledge of local geography is amazing! Also, I bet you could bite if you had to.

Nakedbabytoes

I have been known to "nibble"....lol.....rawr