No Tour de Tech Terrace This Weekend

Tour de Tech Terrace has been postponed until further notice.  The following is a letter from tour organizer Jeff Bynum, reprinted with permission.


Good morning all,

First, I wanted to thank everyone for being so helpful and understanding with the Tour. I am sorry that I have not replied to all of your emails sooner, I was sick this weekend. I know most of you do not know me, but I have been running the Tour for the past 2 ½ years. During this time I have been working closely with Susan Tomilson to try and make the tour successful. The biggest initiative that I have right now is to make the Tour an event that is not only a great time to the participants, but is enjoyable by the Home Owners as well. I know with 100% confidence that the Tour will not happen again, if we do not forge a solid, long lasting relationship between the organizers and the Home Owners Association. I have been trying my hardest for the past 2 years to make it an event where everyone can enjoy it, but we cannot continue the way that we are. It has become a situation where there is only one party that is benefiting, and lets be honest, it is not the home owners. I AM GOING TO TRY MY HARDEST TO MAKE THIS A THING OF THE PAST. At the end of the day, you, the home owners, are the ones that live there, and YA’LL are the ones that we need to please, not the students. I believe that if we build up this relationship and have everyone’s questions and concerns addressed than we will have a successful Tour. I think that the best way to do this is to have a representative from the Tour attend the home owners meetings. This way everyone will know where we are with the Tour and what our plan of action is. I have found that open and honest communication is not only beneficial, but a NECESSITY to be able to build a relationship. You all have my contact information, and I will include it again for your records. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CALL OR EMAIL ME WITH YOUR QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS.

So the big question/ concern on everyone mind is about the Tour being this weekend. THERE WILL BE NO TOUR THIS WEEKEND! I know that there is a Facebook post out there that says the Tour will be this weekend. I have posted on the Facebook page that there will be no Tour this weekend. Since we are doing some “re-construction” of the Tour, I have made the decision to postpone it until NEXT SEMESTER. I believe that if we take the time to work with the Home Owners Association, and the Lubbock Police Department than the Tour will end up better than ever. I have talked to Sgt. Hook from the Lubbock Dept. this morning and assured him there will be no Tour this weekend. I also told him about the fact that some people think that there will be one. I let him know that the riders that might be there this weekend are NOT Tour sanctioned, so are able to prosecuted for anything that they may do i.e. Public Intoxication, indecent exposure, Drinking and Driving, etc. He has assured me that he will treat them as individual cases. If you have any problems with riders, please either inform them that the tour has been postponed, or you can contact the Police Dept. I apologize for any inconvenience to ya’ll, I know that most all of you have been very helpful, understanding, and supportive of the Tour.

I am completely open to any suggestions on how to make the Tour a better event than it has been in the past. I believe that the time of the Tour being just for the students is behind us. I want this to be a Tech Terrace event, and more importantly one you can be proud of. One thing that I would like to start is a childrens event. I do know that I WILL need help with this because there is a lot of work that will need to go into it. If there is anyone on this email string, or anyone that you know who would be interested please get me in contact with the. A children’s event is something that I have been wanting to do for a while, but need some help getting it organized.

I am sorry about the novel of an email, but I wanted to get everything in one email since I am not in Lubbock to speak with you. like I said, if you need anything please feel free to reach out to me. Have a great day!

Wreck Em’

Kindest Regards,

Jeff Bynum
jbynum@teksystems.com

Tour de Tech Terrace this Satuday

The Fall 2011 Tour de Tech Terrace will take place this Saturday.  The following news release was sent to UNIT News:

The community of Tech Terrace will host the 16th bi-annual Tour De Tech Terrace at 3 p.m. on Oct. 1.

Just as in the spring, canned goods will take the place of an entrance fee. The most recent TDTT garnered more than 1,500 pounds of canned goods that were donated to the South Plains Food Bank. The fall TDTT is hopeful to double this amount and will challenge each participant to do his or her part in reaching this goal.

The fall TDTT will include a designated stopping point and provided brief entertainment hosted by Red Bull. The Lubbock Police Department has agreed to provide a supervised escort of the Tour, as well as patrol supervision to insure the safety of the riders, as well as order within the community.

As in previous Tours, the organizers have not lost sight of their devotion to giving back to the Tech Terrace community, as well as to the city of Lubbock through the associated canned food drive and look to advance further in the development of future philanthropic efforts.

The Tour begins at 3019 33rd Street.  There are five scheduled stops:
2512 27th Street
3304 30th Street
2808 23rd Street
3010 31st Street
20th and Akron (Lutheran Student Ministries Parking Lot)
Note:  Enter the Lutheran Student Ministries church parking lot from 20th Street.  Do not use the Cafe J Parking Lot.

The Tour is scheduled to wrap up around 7:00 pm.

Be aware of partcipants in these areas.

Wrangler Bike Safety Rodeo

The Wrangler Bike Safety Rodeo is a fun, interactive event that teaches basic safety skills, providing a foundation for riding independently in our community.

Date: September 24th, 2011

Time:
9:00-11:00 (Rodeo) Kids and parents learn about bicycle maintenance, Texas bike laws, and safe biking practices

11:00-12:00 (Neighborhood Roll) Kids and parents apply their learning on a supervised neighborhood ride (20 persons per group).

Location: Roscoe-Wilson Elementary School Playground and Tech Terrace neighborhood (for the Neighborhood Roll.)

Participants: Roscoe-Wilson Elementary students and their families

Requirements: Bring your bike and helmet and bike riding clothes. Drinks and snacks provided. Participants must sign a Release Form http://www.biketexas.org/en/component/docman/doc_download/80-release-form-template

Riders and families will learn, as they go through the course (maybe even more than once) the basics of: bike rules, helmet fitting, bike maintenance, basic riding skills and decision making on a course. Riders can then apply what they’ve learned on a supervised neighborhood roll. In groups of 20 or so (3 leaders per group on an identified course) students will use their new skills.

Bicycle vs. Car at 22nd and Elgin

At approximately 10:00 PM Saturday night, a SUV struck a female bicyclist at the intersection of 22nd and Elgin.  UNIT News was unable to obtain any details other than the bicyclist was not seriously injured. Fire and police responded to the incident.

Bike Ride This Weekend at Tech Terrace Park

Roll Beyond Coal Bike Ride sponsored by the Sierra Club will kick off at 1:00 this Sunday at Tech Terrace Park.  The ride should be about two miles.  This event is open to everyone.

Bicycle Accident at 22nd and Flint

Tuesday night I was westbound at the stop sign at 22^nd & Flint right after dark.   A Lexus sedan was  eastbound at the stop sign.  I noticed a bicycle light heading south on the EAST SIDE of Flint (wrong side).  I waited for it but the Lexus proceeded through the intersection and hit  the bike.  The bicyclist slid into the front of car.  She got up and moved to the sidewalk.  I exited the truck  and offered to render assistance but was declined.  The Lexus driver  was visibly upset.  The bicyclist was upset.  But the facts of the matter  are  the bicyclist  was wearing dark clothing at night and riding on the wrong side of the street.  I would not have seen her if she had not had a small light on the front of the bike.  She was wearing a helmet.   I would never ride a bike on Flint or on any street after dark in Lubbock.  

Kids Bike and Safety Tour on Thursday May 27th at Wagner Park

Please join school-aged students in celebrating the beginning of summer with a picnic, bike safety seminar, a short ride through the neighborhood and fun in the park!

12:30  Bring your own picnic to Wagner Park

  1:00  Bike Safety Seminar                             

  1:10  Bike Ride Through Tech Terrace        

  1:30  Live Music in Wagner Park