When I moved from Omaha to Lincoln last year, I anticipated the difficult changes that would come with a new job, a new home, and being away from all of my favorite local spots I had discovered during my time living in Omaha. What I underestimated was the welcoming community of Lincolnites and the City itself that facilitates and encourages me to follow my passions.
One of these passions I am able to follow is, as you might have guessed, bicycling. I have loved cycling for as long as I can remember. In college, I started earning some money from an internship I had and after a few months, was finally able to afford a new bike that actually fit me properly and could go faster than a light jog. This is when my passion for cycling took off as I could be outdoors exploring the city from a very different perspective than that of a driver’s seat. I was majoring in Civil Engineering at UNO at the time and found myself interested in transportation. I have since graduated and worked as a Transportation Engineer for four years. During that time, I have learned about many of the policies and standards that are in place and have always kept safety at the forefront of my mind. Humans make errors and break rules, we just have to design and educate for that natural human behavior. Drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians can all harmoniously coexist, as demonstrated by the practices of other cities and countries, we just need to come together and strive for safety for all.
In my free time, I enjoy running, hiking, fishing, snowboarding, reading, and just about anything that will get me outdoors. Most of all, I love learning. As a board member, I want to learn from other residents how they look at bicycling in Lincoln as a whole and educate those willing to learn. Everyone I talk to has a different perspective and many have opinions on improving infrastructure or policies. I want to help realize those ideas and get people excited to choose biking as their means of transportation, exercise, or fun.
I think Lincoln has an exceptional trail system and I am fortunate enough to be able to commute to work every day by bike. I understand that this is not feasible for every resident of Lincoln, but I hope to be an advocate to get more people riding more often. Biking should be accessible for all, fun, welcoming, and most of all, safe. With BicycLincoln, I hope to be a contributing member to make Lincoln a place where everyone can enjoy biking at least as much as I do.