Cyclists line Omaha bike lanes with glued-down plungers

May 17 (UPI) -- A group of Nebraska cyclists glued a series of plungers on the dividing lines of bike lanes in a crash-prone intersection as part of their call for protected lanes.

Stuart Nottingham, one of the cyclists, said the plungers were wrapped in reflective tape and glued to the dividing lines of the bike lanes at a busy intersection in the Aksarben neighborhood of Omaha on Monday morning to raise awareness of the need for protected bike lanes at the crash-heavy intersection and other locations around the city.

"The plan was to leave them out for 36 hours so people could see what a protected bike lane could do," Nottingham told Omaha.com.

Nottingham said protected bike lanes use posts, curbs, planters, and other types of barriers to separate the bike lanes from the motor vehicle lanes. He said such lanes have been installed in other cities, including Lincoln.

He said protected bike lanes have been found to slow the speed of traffic and decrease crashes, but city officials removed the plungers after about four hours, before any effects could be noted.

"You just can't decide one day to go out and do something on a public street, which is owned by the taxpayers, that could create a dangerous situation without at least working with Public Works and getting a permit for it," Todd Pfitzer, deputy director for transportation for the city of Omaha, told KETV.

He said protected bike lanes would cost the city about $1 million per mile.

"There's nothing budgeted for that, and it's not in the [Capital Improvement Program]," Pfitzer said.