Durwood Mayfield, TBC Local Outreach Manager, and Sherman Phillips, TBC Local Outreach Coordinator, participated in Lubbock’s Safety City Kids Health Fair on Saturday, May 12. Approximately 300 kids and their parents visited the Texas Bicycle Coalition Safe Routes to School booth. There, they received information on the importance of wearing a helmet while bicycling, the seven laws that pertain to cycling, and how to repair and maintain a bicycle. After the kids received a free helmet from the Texas Medical Association booth and signed a statement promising to wear it, they returned to the Safe Routes to School booth to have their helmets properly sized and fitted. The weather in Lubbock was perfect that day, and attendance was even greater than expected.
Safe Routes reaches 2000 Students in Lubbock this May
As part of the Safe Routes to School initiative, Durwood Mayfield, TBC Local Outreach Manager, and Sherman Phillips, TBC Local Outreach Coordinator, taught bicycle and pedestrian safety to students in kindergarten through 5th grade at four elementary schools in Lubbock this month. Students were taught the importance of wearing a helmet by describing what could happen if different parts of the brain were affected by a severe crash without a helmet.
They also witnessed the “egg drop” demonstration in which an egg was placed inside a manikin’s head and dropped with and without a helmet. The helmet protected the egg and prevented it from breaking approximately 85% of the time. Obviously the students were impressed by this demonstration. In addition, students were told that a bicycle is actually their first vehicle, and they had to operate their bicycle as if it were a vehicle.
The seven laws that apply to bicycle riding were explained to them, and it was impressed upon them that the reason for the laws was their own protection. Subsequently, the various parts of the bicycle were pointed out to them, and the function of each part was described.
Approximately 2,000 students were reached during these four days. All grade levels appeared interested and willing to learn. We think that through these efforts, more young kids will be wearing helmets, and their riding and walking to school will be safer and more predictable.
"Stage Two” of Safe Routes to School Infrastructure Project Nearing Completion
"Stage Two" of the large TxDOTTexas Safe Routes to School infrastructure project in Lubbock is scheduled for completion during the third week of November. This portion of the nearly $300,000 project includes new sidewalks and the repair and replacement of old, broken sidewalks and driveways in what is known as the Tech Terrace Neighborhood. All new sidewalks, and all other existing walk approaches were brought into compliance with “ADA Standards”. These improvements will enable children to more safely cycle and walk to Roscoe Wilson Elementary School, one of the target schools of and a major participant in the BikeTexas Safe Routes to School Program.
Local Outreach Coordinators attend Lubbock MPO meeting
Durwood Mayfield and Sherman Phillips attended the October meeting of the Lubbock Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (LMPO) Transportation Advisory Committee. Also in attendance were representatives from Texas Department of Transportation, the City of Wolfforth, the City of Lubbock, Lubbock County Commissioners, Lubbock CitiBus, representative from Texas Tech University, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Mr. Kirk Fauver from the Federal Highway Administration. Sam Woods, Transportation Planning Director of LMPO, gave recognition to Durwood and Sherman of the Texas Bicycle Coalition and welcomed them to the meeting.
Thursday, April 27, dawned cool and brisk in Lubbock, the temperature dipping to near 40. Not the best of conditions for the inaugural Texas Bike & Walk to School Day; however, Coalition staffers Durwood Mayfield and Sherman Phillips still optimistically approached Bowie Elementary to find children already arriving on their bikes.
They were met at the office by Principal Anita Rangel and assistant Principal Robert Bolton, who advised them as to which children could be photographed. They set up a table as volunteer team leader Karla Kimmel-Mathis arrived. Karla brought bracelets donated by Bowie PTA for all walkers and cyclists, and these were added to the bookmarks and workbooks Mayfield and Phillips brought for the students.
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