The Oklahoma University-Texas Tech game weekend was a big one in Lubbock. It had many areas around the stadium buzzing, including that strip of restaurants and bars along Broadway, just east of University. However, with all that foot-traffic, some business owners are nervous, saying we need to watch out when walking!
"First of all, you hope that it's not one of your customers and that they weren't just not paying attention,” says Adam Lunsford, Manager at Chimy’s, a restaurant and bar on Broadway. Adam is paying attention to business and foot-traffic. He says with big games, like the Oklahoma University-Tech game this pat weekend, there can be a lot of people walking, and driving, on Broadway, just east of University. "We've had a couple of people hit by cars out in the front on Broadway. It usually ends up to be nobody's fault other than just not paying attention to what they're doing,” says Adam.
"It could be solved very easily with this permit process,” says Lubbock City Council Member Linda DeLeon. She says businesses can apply for a permit that could block off this area of Broadway from drivers during some events. That’s an idea that she and some business owners think may be worthwhile.
“I think that it's an opportunity to see what it would take to have it get done with the barricades and block off the block for the people that come to have a good time. And that's why, and we want them to be safe, so, I would encourage them to do it,” says DeLeon.
“It's always been talked about to block the streets in the evenings to pedestrian traffic,” says Don Caldwell, General Manager of the Cactus Theatre. Caldwell says they have been thinking the same thing down in the Depot District. He says although official steps to close down streets haven't gone through yet, with Downtown Redevelopment on the table, you may see this issue come up. “You don't have vehicular traffic coming through at the night time. And it really makes it a lot safer, and really a lot more fun too," says Caldwell.
Regardless of how big a deal this pedestrian traffic has become, some business owners say they're going to do all they can to take care of those that are so good to them. "We have some really good regular customers that we really enjoy seeing on a regular basis. And they take care of us, and we take care of them,” says Adam Lunsford.
The Lubbock Police Department says there haven't been any fatality calls to that area in years. Meanwhile, the city says the permit to block off streets is for single events only. Officials say you won't likely see the street closed-off on a regular basis.
