Lincoln Police designate spots for picking-up and dropping-off passengers on O Street

After several near–miss accidents between cars and pedestrians on downtown O street, Lincoln Police have some new rules.

They’ve designated three pick–up or drop–off locations near the bars on O Street.

It comes after police aimed to address a dangerous situation; drivers stopping in the middle of O street to drop-off or pick-up passengers.

“Kids running into the streets to try and find their cars,” Dan Sis, an Uber and Lyft driver said “and the drivers who just don’t care and will drop or pick people up on O street even though it’s so dangerous.”

Sis has driven in Lincoln for the last two years. He said he mainly works bar rush on Fridays and Saturdays.

“I’ve almost rear ended a driver who stopped suddenly,” Sis said. “Kids have run out in front of me.”

It’s a dangerous problem Sergeant Max Hubka with the Lincoln Police Department saw– and wanted to fix.

“I don’t want to have to be the person who goes to talk to parents of a student at UNL who was downtown with their friends and got ran over by a vehicle, and tell them, we knew this was an issue and we didn’t take action,” Hubka said.

LPD designated three new pick–up and drop off locations for rideshare drivers, taxi drivers or any designated driver.

They’re located on the east side of Centennial Mall North and O street, the west side of Centennial Mall South and O street and on 14th street between O and N.

They enforced from 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.

Sgt. Hubka worked with the apps Lyft and Uber.

“If you’re in the area of 13th to Centennial Mall from N to P streets between 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. and you request a ride, you will be snapped to one of those locations,” Hubka said.

You will no longer be able to set a pick up or drop off location along O in that area.

“This should help, this should help a lot, make a really big impact for us,” Sis said.

This applies to all drivers dropping-off or picking–up passengers, even if you’re not driving for Uber or Lyft.

If you don’t abide by the rules– you could get a ticket.

“That’s what we’re down there to do, have as much fun as you want but do it safely,” Hubka said.

Police said they want to get as many drivers in and out of these areas as safely as possible, so when you use one pull as close to the curb as you can, stay with your vehicle the entire time and only stay five minutes.