The City of Lubbock released their finalized draft of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, on Friday.
The main parts of the plan included putting in and improving bike lanes throughout the city, and improving sidewalks and crosswalks for pedestrian safety.
Greg Davis, owner of DFC Cycles and Fitness, said the biggest improvement he thinks the city would benefit from are ‘bike boulevards,’ barriers and mechanisms that impede high speed traffic.
“In other words, the auto traffic slows down. You leave the streets accessible to the homeowners on those streets to be able to park on those streets or in front of their homes,” he said. “Auto drivers that want to go faster can chose a different road.”
With the current road infrastructure, Davis said many bicyclists told him they don’t feel safe on the roads. However, he believes the city is changing and the roads need to change with it.
“We have a lot more people wanting to ride. People who have embraced the lifestyle of using a bike as a tool, not a toy,” he said.
Jeff Griffith, mayor pro-tem, has been following the creation of the plan, and believes it will benefit bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists.
“In my opinion, it benefits the city because it truly is a public safety needs. We need to be respectful of people on bicycles. We need to be respectful of people walking throughout our city,” he said.
Currently, Griffith said there is no exact budget set for the project, but he estimated it to be a multi-million dollar investment.
The finalized plan must be approved by city council. Once approved, Griffith said changes should start to take place within the next six months.
Information on the plan can be found at the city’s Metropolitan Planning Organization website.