The traffic patterns switched on Farnam Street Wednesday, just as it has during every evening commute for decades. The head-to-head neighborhood street changes to one-way traffic in and out of downtown Omaha in the mornings and evenings Monday through Friday.
Residents have pushed for changes that would eliminate the one-way changes. But this week Omaha engineers released a report saying that was not feasible.
The announcement has not quieted neighborhood concerns. Speed is among them.
“If we could just keep the speed down on the road, I think it would help everyone with that one way dynamic,” said Dan Schuchart, as he biked through the neighborhood this week.
KMTV tested the speeders—from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. as they headed west on Farnam out of downtown Omaha. Many did drive within about 5 mph of the posted 30 mph speed limit. But we found drivers who traveled as fast as 15 mph over the limit.
The report released from city engineers earlier this week said speed was not a big issue.
City council member Chris Jerram said he intended to test that finding, along with other assertions, such as that eliminating the one-ways would put stress on other routes like Dodge Street.
“[We can use] signs that capture speeds of vehicles and report it. There's other ways of doing it with radar enforcement,” Jerram said.
Click the video link to watch the speed test.
