The Lubbock Metropolitan Planning Organization is seeking public comment ahead of the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan and the 2025-2028 Transportation Improvement Program.
Along with the cities of Lubbock and Wolfforth, Lubbock County, TxDOT, and Citibus, the Lubbock Metropolitan Planning Organization (LMPO) held a public meeting Tuesday to discuss updates to transportation plans and programs in the region, answer questions, and request feedback. Included in the meeting were the Draft 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, the 2025-2028 Transportation Improvement Program, Title VI Compliance, and the Limited English Proficiency Plan.
LMPO’s executive director, David Jones, said people should be involved in the planning process to better understand their community and how they can help fix things they might see as problems.
“We're looking for comments on our transit provider, for example,” Jones said. “We'd like to know what people think about our service, how they think it might be improved. We're looking for comments on our street network. What streets do people think need to be improved, and how do they think we can improve them?”
Jones said the organization is also looking for feedback about the public comment process itself.
The 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP 2050) is the regional transportation plan currently in the draft stage. It is a long-range plan that acts as a blueprint for the next twenty years of the region while accounting for projected population and housing growth, as well as environmental considerations.
The draft goals of MTP 2050 include enhancing mobility, safety, and accessibility, promoting sustainability and economic development, and investing in innovation.
More information on MTP 2050 can be found here.
The 2025-2028 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a series of shorter-term projects in the city and county, for which LMPO is also seeking comment and public response.
Part of the TIP includes goals like seeking funding and grants toward community infrastructure development and improving the city’s access to electric vehicle charging stations. Recently, many states and cities have adopted community charging programs that take advantage of grant incentives to expand infrastructure supporting electric vehicles in urban and rural areas.
Alongside recently incorporating electric and hybrid buses into Lubbock’s mass transit, Citibus is hoping to improve access to that bus system by filling in certain gaps where there are no sidewalks and adding more ramps. This will make access to the bus stops safer and more direct for pedestrians, particularly citizens with disabilities.
All of the street projects are funded mostly through the federal government. According to Jones, the Highway Trust Fund provides money for construction, which he said usually covers 80% of the total cost, and the project sponsors cover the remaining 20%.
The Lubbock Metropolitan Planning Organization is accepting public comment on the plans through July 18, 2024.
The survey link to provide public comment can be found here. Also active from LMPO is the Lubbock Metropolitan Bike Survey, intended to inform the organization’s active transportation program, which focuses on sidewalks and bikeways.
More information on LMPO and the transportation plans and programs can be found on LMPO’s page on the City of Lubbock website, here.