OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new Omaha initiative is urging people in five of the city’s neighborhoods to try alternative transportation so residents can improve their health and the environment.

Midtown on the Move wants residents in the selected neighborhoods to experiment one day a week from Friday through June by traveling on buses, bikes, on foot or by shared car rides.

Daniel Lawse, one of the organizers behind the initiative, hopes that at least 1,000 of the 12,000 people living in the neighborhoods will participate. He says almost 300 people have signed up in advance of a launch party that will be held Thursday.

According to Lawse, Midtown on the Move chose the Midtown area because of the population’s diversity in age and income.