Lubbock Mayor Marc McDougal met with BikeTexas LOCs Sherman Phillips and Durwood Mayfield last Friday morning. During the meeting, Sherman and Durwood gave Mayor McDougal an overview of the BikeTexas Safe Routes to School Program. Mayor McDougal was advised that the program would help identify the need for improvements such as cross walks, flashing lights, sidewalks and/or signal lights, and that TxDOT SR2S engineering grant money may be available for these improvements to applicant schools. In addition, Jere Hart, the City Engineer, and his department have been very successful in securing and utilizing these types of grants in the past..

All agreed that the number of bike lanes in and around Lubbock schools should be increased. Mayor McDougal also stated that the North Overton Project, which is the largest privately funded revitalization project in the nation, would include bike lanes. These lanes will join the newly striped and marked bike lanes already on the Texas Tech University campus. McDougal Realty is also developing two other large housing developments and both will include hiking/biking paths or lanes.

Mayor McDougal was excited to learn that the BikeTexas Safe Routes to School Program is being introduced to Lubbock schools this year. The meeting was productive, and the Mayor offered his full support for of the program. In addition, he was helpful in providing BikeTexas with names of other civic leaders to contact, both within city government and within the Lubbock Independent School District. At the end of the meeting one of the Lance Armstrong Commemorative Souvenir License plates was presented to him, and his response was, “When I leave office this goes with me. But for now it will go on my shelf of special gifts.”