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In this episode of Reader Radio, news editor Chris Bowling sits down with Sarah Johnson, former member of Mode Shift Omaha, about the Harney Street protected bike lane and government transparency in Omaha.

Johnson had been part of the 10-year fight to bring a protected bike lane to Omaha when one finally came to Harney Street. Then she found out the two-mile stretch of road, which is common in most U.S. cities, wasn’t permanent and its future wasn’t in the city’s budget. To her, the whole fight — which includes firings, vetoes and city council members calling the police on their own public works department — says less about biking, and more about how decisions are made in Omaha.

This podcast was produced by Chris Bowling.

Music by Jon Rix (https://p0hk.bandcamp.com/)

Read Mode Shift Omaha’s history of the fight to get a bike lane in Omaha.

Read Sarah Johnson’s op-ed in NOISE.

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Subscribe to The Reader Newsletter

Our awesome email newsletter briefing tells you everything you need to know about what’s going on in Omaha. Delivered to your inbox every day at 11:00am.

Become a Supporting Member

Subscribe to thereader.com and become a supporting member to keep locally owned news alive. We need to pay writers, so you can read even more. We won’t waste your time, our news will focus, as it always has, on the stories other media miss and a cultural community — from arts to foods to local independent business — that defines us. Please support your locally-owned news media by becoming a member today.

Chris Bowling

Chris has worked for The Reader since January 2020. As an investigative reporter and news editor he’s taken deep dives into topics such as police transparency, affordable housing and COVID-19. Originally...

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