City Council Approves 2019 Pedestrian & Bicycle Master Plan
The Lubbock City Council met Tuesday, July 23rd, for a regular meeting and among other things approved the 2019 Pedestrian & Bicycle Master Plan.
The 2019 Pedestrian & Bicycle Master Plan is essentially concerned with three different types of improvements; bike routes and bike boulevards, bike lanes, and sidepaths. The plan says it is mostly focused on improving the bicycle and pedestrian network around and outside Loop 289, which is in contrast with Lubbock's 1994 Bicycle Master Plan that improved the network inside the loop.
As explained in a presentation given to the Lubbock City Council on Tuesday, the 2019 plan has a goal of adding over 680 new lane-miles for bicycles and pedestrians, and it breaks down like this:
- 32 miles of new bike routes (5%)
- 121 miles of bike lanes (18%)
- 526 miles of sidepaths (77%)
The 129 page plan details specific improvements that can be made to Lubbock’s bicycle and pedestrian system, such as adding more bike lanes and bicycle boulevards where vehicles share the road equally with cyclists.
The plan also suggests constructing more sidepaths, which are essentially sidewalks that can be used by pedestrians, cyclists and skateboards. It also outlines improvements to the current pedestrian network of sidewalks which it describes as having poor surface conditions, non-accessible bus stops, and various sidewalks that are discontinuous.
Overall, these improvements are worth $145 million, which makes up a vast majority of overall projects costs.
Most notably, the plan recommends the City of Lubbock construct a bridge over Loop 289 at Memphis Avenue so that pedestrians and cyclists can safely cross Loop 289 without going through traffic. That project would cost approximately $3 million.
In addition to the bridge, the 2019 Pedestrian & Bicycle Master Plan insists that the city coordinate with the Texas Department of Public Safety to ensure that future Loop 88 adequately accommodates bikes and pedestrians.