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)