On July 11th, after bicycling about the special places associated with Carter Lake, and having noting something newsworthy, the route went south to downtown Omaha, specifically to the Omaha World-Herald building to speak with a reporter.
Since there was no bicycle rack available so my ride was attached to an available handrail at the main entrance.
Later in the morning, an email inquiry was sent to company administrators — especially two top officials as noted by the newspaper's contact information — in regards to there being no place to securely place a bicycle while visiting the building.
The reply was that there was a bike rack at some place nearby the entrance.
Their response didn't work because at the place where there was supposed to be a bicycle rack, there was nothing of the sort, near the vehicle entrance west of the main entry at the south side of the building.
On the morning of my visit, there was no bicycle rack anywhere near the public entrance. It my email response, this was the primary response, with a particular request asking where the rack was located.
Another email response was received from another person at the company. The only rack available would involve asking the security officer to provide access to a "secure" bicycle rack within the confines of the parking garage.
If that was not suitable, then there were racks available at the Union Pacific Center to the west, a half-block or so westward. The racks are within the southern confines of the buildings' plaza.
Why is it that when riding a bicycle to the Omaha World-Herald building, that a bicycle has to be secured at a distance or require some approval for placement within the regulated confines of the building being visited.?
Anyone visiting without knowing these details — and that would include most bicyclists — would be confused and not know where the anchor their ride. Anyone just arriving at the place would not be aware of the requirements and be left searching for a secure place to place their bicycle.
The Omaha World-Herald company appears to be indifferent in promoting green transportation, especially via bicycle, based upon the lack of a rack.
Why can't they provide a public bicycle rack? One prominently placed near their building entrance would obviously be useful. It would convey a corporate interest, as well as be supportive of an alternative means of transportation which is pervasive among some people of the community.
The complete lack of a rack is completely wrong in regards to community concerns and involvement.
The newspaper writes about other green efforts, yet does not itself do anything to conform to the necessities to be a green company. This includes their disregard to bird strikes at windows associated with the company buildings in downtown Omaha.
There could be some changes made to easily present a more attentive perspective in regards to getting actively involved. This newspaper company can do more than just report upon what other's do. This could start with having a readily available bicycle rack.