Buddy Holly crosswalk to be removed following order on roadway artwork

2 days ago 7

Fans of the Buddy Holly crosswalk successful his hometown of Lubbock, Texas, with a painted depiction of the stone and rotation legend's iconic glasses, volition soon person to accidental goodbye to it. That'll beryllium a time that volition perchance marque them cry.

Lubbock City Council members said this week they person nary prime but to region it, to comply with a directive from the Trump medication and Republicans to escaped the nationalist roadways of immoderate governmental messages oregon artwork.

Over the summer, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced stricter enforcement of a 2013 rule of the Federal Highway Administration that said immoderate creation successful crosswalks – isolated from definite patterns successful world tones – degraded pedestrian safety.

In July, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent letters to governors across the state informing them that national roadworthy backing would beryllium astatine hazard if states, counties and cities were not successful compliance.

"Roads are for safety, not governmental messages oregon artwork," Duffy's connection said.

Last month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a directive to the Texas Department of Transportation, ordering the bureau to "ensure counties and cities are successful compliance with roadway safety."

"Texans expect their payer dollars to beryllium utilized wisely, not beforehand governmental agendas connected Texas roadways," Abbott said successful a statement.

Laredo, successful South Texas, removed a mural successful October that protested the borderline partition on the confederate borderline with Mexico. In August, Florida officials removed a rainbow-colored crosswalk extracurricular the Pulse nightclub where 49 radical were gunned down.

Lubbock's crosswalk was archetypal installed successful 2020 and is adjacent the Buddy Holly Center, a downtown depository with exhibits honoring Lubbock's astir celebrated autochthonal son.

"It's specified a tasteful transverse conception and radical similar it. But what bash you do?" said City Council Member Christy Martinez-Garcia, who was among those questioning wherefore it had to go.

Lubbock received a missive from the Texas Department of Transportation with "some harsh wording" that threatened the imaginable nonaccomplishment of authorities oregon national backing for roadworthy projects if specified artwork was not removed, David Bragg, Lubbock's interim part manager of nationalist works, told assembly members connected Tuesday.

"This was precise wide letter. I don't deliberation it was intended to spell after, say, the Buddy Holly glasses. Unfortunately, it did," Bragg said.

Mayor Mark McBrayer said the metropolis had nary prime but to comply.

"Probably everybody present got immoderate connection from radical wanting that not to beryllium the case," McBrayer said. "But I don't truly consciousness similar we person the wherewithal to bash thing astir that without trying to litigate it and I don't deliberation there's immoderate appetite present anyway." Bragg said the removal volition hap during mean attraction adjacent year.

Holly was calved and raised successful Lubbock, located successful northwest Texas. He decided to play stone and rotation euphony aft seeing Elvis Presley execute successful 1955. His champion known songs see "That'll Be the Day," ''Rave On" and " Peggy Sue."

Holly was lone 22 erstwhile helium died successful a Feb. 3, 1959, level clang adjacent Clear Lake, Iowa, that besides killed Ritchie Valens and J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson. The 3 rockers' deaths were immortalized successful Don McLean's 1971 opus "American Pie," and became known arsenic "the time the euphony died."

Read Entire Article