But thanks to City of Brownsville commissioner Rose Gowen and past administrations, the city has made sure that well-heeled recreational bicycle riders on the Brownsville’s Historic Battlefield Hike and Bike Trail have it easier and safer to walk and ride through at night.Every Certificate of Obligation issue that includes transportation projects must includes 10 percent of it for hike and bike trails. That has put close to $5 million for Gowen's pet projects.
New rest stops and a glow stone trail project with a budget of $90,000 from the Parks and Recreation Department budget have eased the efforts of recreational cyclists to travel along the city's northern neighborhoods and far from the barrios.
The project was divided into three phases. The first phase is being installed from FM 802 behind the Brownsville EventsCenter. The second phase will be from East Morrison Road to Alta Mesa Boulevard and the final phase will be on Aurora Street.
“In the spots where there’s missing light it will at least have some photoluminescence for seeing the trail,” Parks and Recreation Director Damaris McGlone said.The city’s Parks and Recreation Department is installing the trail. The glow stone product is from Core Landscape Products.
“Looking online and seeing what other cities are doing and more in Europe you see these glow stone trails and so it’s a great way to help light your trail and have a safer way to travel at night, so hopefully, over time all nine miles (of the trail) will get that,” McGlone said.
We wonder, has the city administration and Bus-Metro looked online to see what other cities around the world are doing to shelter its bus riders? How many simple benches and overhangs could be built to protect bus riders like this woman for the $90,000 it cost to build the "glow stone" trail?