The city manager, or such officers or employees of the city designated by the city manager, shall, within their discretion, place and maintain traffic-calming devices and measures, and any associated traffic-control signs and other devices on existing roadways, to discourage cut-through traffic and to minimize unsafe travel speeds in residential neighborhoods, as allowed under the provisions of the city’s residential traffic management program. The city may require developers to incorporate and install traffic-calming devices and measures to proactively provide pedestrian safety in new residential development. The traffic management program is described in the city’s Policies Local Area Traffic Management and Procedures Manual.
(Ordinance 2016-16 adopted 9/20/16)
For the purposes of this article, certain terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
Petition.
The document form, provided by the city, for the purpose of formally identifying the number of households within the petition area that support the requested installation of a traffic-calming device(s).
Petition area.
The area along a street or streets having households to which the petition for traffic-calming devices must be presented or the area within a new development where traffic-calming devices are to be placed.
Project developer.
The developer of a new residential subdivision to which traffic-calming measures will be installed.
Project requestor.
The individual or individuals, or property owner association, which submit the initial request to the city for consideration of a traffic-calming device(s).
Project street.
That portion of a particular street, within the right-of-way of which a traffic-calming device is proposed to be constructed under this article.
Property owner.
The owner(s) of any tract or parcel of real property within a neighborhood area.
Property owner association.
Any homeowners association, property owners’ group or civic association, whether incorporated or not, whose membership includes property owners and/or residents of a neighborhood area.
Request for traffic-calming.
A request in writing to the city manager or the city manager’s designee, accompanied by supporting information on city-provided format that identifies the basis for observation of apparent traffic speeds and/or cut-through traffic, the street(s) and extents on which the undesired traffic conditions are known to occur, as well as other contributing factors such as time of day, day of week, and observed vehicular and nonvehicular behaviors.
Resident.
Any person who resides on or owns or operates a home upon any tract or parcel of real property within a neighborhood area.
Residential local street.
A street which has the predominant function to serve local property access within a subdivision comprised mainly of single-family unit dwellings, townhouses, duplexes, condominiums, or apartment complexes.
Residential collector street.
A street which has primary function to circulate traffic within a subdivision comprised mainly of single-family unit dwellings, but with additional function for serving local property access.
Traffic calming.
The combination of mainly physical measures that reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior, and improve conditions for nonmotorized street users in accordance with guidelines and standard practices published by the Institute of Transportation Engineers.
Traffic-calming devices.
A physical design element or movement control, including but not limited to speed humps, lateral shifts, traffic diverters, mini traffic circles, and regulatory access restrictions, in and/or along a street or intersection, having the sole purpose to discourage cut-through traffic and/or to minimize travel speeds.
(Ordinance 2016-16 adopted 9/20/16)
The city’s Policies and Procedures Manual for Local Area Traffic Management (“Traffic-Calming Manual”) is hereby adopted by the city for the purpose of establishing rules and regulations for the approval, design, development, construction, conversion, improvement, use and maintenance of traffic-calming treatments and devices. Such portions that may be hereinafter amended, deleted, or modified by the city shall be the governing document in the design, development, and construction of all improvements within the city limits and ETJ.
(Ordinance 2016-16 adopted 9/20/16)
All of the following criteria shall be satisfied for a street to be considered eligible for traffic-calming devices and/or measures.
(1) 
Meet the application requirements as set forth in the “traffic-calming manual” including the submittal of an application signed by at least four property owners within the petition area. The city may prescribe a fee to cover administrative costs.
(2) 
Only functionally classified “local” and “collector” streets in predominantly residential areas having not more than one travel lane in each direction shall be considered for installation of traffic-calming devices. Unmarked streets are assumed to satisfy this criterion. A continuous two-way left turn lane is not considered a moving lane of traffic for the purpose of this criterion. Any functionally classified street or public street right-of-way identified as parkway or arterial on the currently adopted city’s transportation master plan, or other street which has function to substantially serve through traffic immediately abutting residential subdivisions, shall not qualify.
(3) 
Diverter traffic-calming devices that negate the conveyance of one or more directions of traffic along the street shall not be installed on a functionally classified collector street.
(4) 
The street should have curb and gutter. Consideration may be given to streets without curb and gutter if it is determined that street drainage can be accommodated and that it will be possible to prevent vehicles driving around the traffic-control device.
(5) 
The street shall be approved by each of the police department and the fire marshal for potential installation of traffic-calming devices.
(6) 
The city manager or city manager’s designee shall determine that an equally acceptable and reasonable alternative traffic route of higher functional classification is available to accommodate traffic denied access at any restricted street and would not negatively impact any other residential street.
(7) 
Traffic-calming devices shall not be installed in front of an opponent’s property.
(Ordinance 2016-16 adopted 9/20/16)
(a) 
Traffic-calming treatments shall be constructed in accordance with the standards developed and maintained by the city manager or city manager’s designee, and in a manner consistent with the traffic-calming manual. Variations in design may be allowed by the city manager or city manager’s designee for varying roadway geometry and right-of-way limitations.
(b) 
Design for implementation of traffic-calming and cut-through traffic mitigation measures and related features, such as signs and pavement markings, shall be prepared by a qualified traffic engineer in accordance with the “Traffic Management Manual” and the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic-Control Devices. The cost of the design will be borne as described in the traffic-calming manual.
(c) 
Construction of traffic-calming devices will be administered by the city manager or city manager’s designee for existing streets. The cost of the construction will be borne as described in the traffic-calming manual.
(d) 
The city will maintain the traffic-calming devices and all related features. Landscaping implemented with the traffic-calming device shall be approved by the city manager or city manager’s designee and, if provided, maintained through mutual letter of understanding with the organized neighborhood association or, as applicable, by the project requestor.
(e) 
Traffic-calming devices shall be only at locations where adequate public right-of-way exists for their installation or at locations where the property owners agree to dedicate easements at no cost to the city.
(Ordinance 2016-16 adopted 9/20/16)
(a) 
As further described in the traffic-calming manual, any citizen, group of citizens, or neighborhood association contesting the relative priority compared to other approved traffic-calming projects or disapproval rendered by the city manager or the city manager’s designee for a requested or petitioned traffic-calming project may file an appeal with the city manager or the city manager’s designee on the prescribed appeal form, within ten (10) days after a notice of project rating and related decision regarding the requested or petitioned project has been provided to the requesting citizen, group of citizens, or neighborhood association.
(b) 
In such case of an appeal, a hearing shall be scheduled before the city’s planning and zoning commission in its first available monthly meeting following receipt of the appeal, or contingent on satisfying proper legal notice requirements for posting of the committee’s meeting agenda. Upon conducting the hearing, including any supplemental information the appellant may wish to present, the planning and zoning commission shall make a recommendation to the city council on the appeal.
(c) 
The city manager or the city manager’s designee shall set the date of such hearing before the city council, and the city council will have final authority on the appealed project rating and decision for what traffic-calming devices, if any, will be authorized.
(Ordinance 2016-16 adopted 9/20/16)
(a) 
As further described in the traffic-calming manual, the process for traffic-calming device alteration or removal requested by the residents shall be similar to the process for installation. A petition documenting that at least two-thirds (2/3) of all the households and businesses adjacent to the traffic-calming device are in favor of the devices’ removal or alteration, and as applicable, approval by the neighborhood association, shall be required.
(b) 
In case the city manager or city manager’s designee determines that an unforeseen problem has resulted due to the traffic-calming device, it may be redesigned or removed by the city manager or the city manager’s designee. In such case, the city will bear the full cost of removal and restoration of the street to original condition.
(Ordinance 2016-16 adopted 9/20/16)