Concerns over traffic safety in a neighborhood near Tobias Elementary in Kyle led city leaders to enact changes earlier this month.
By a unanimous vote, the Kyle City Council opted to erect a stop sign at the intersection of Arbor Knot Drive and Caddis Cove. In addition, the city approved reducing the speed limit near the intersection by five miles per hour.
Those decisions were made after complaints were levied against speedy drivers in the neighborhood surrounding the elementary school during an Aug. 7 Kyle City Council meeting.
Concerned residents and parents presented the council a list of signatures triggering a series of tests and studies done by the Kyle Public Works Department, police and the city engineer’s office.
“There are lots and lots of pets and children – it’s that kind of neighborhood,” said Nicki Pringle, a teacher and eight-year resident of Kyle, at the Aug. 7 meeting. “Over 300 families will use Arbor Knot as the path of least resistance when traveling home … we want to preserve the safety and quality of the neighborhood.”
Pringle said she collected more than 100 signatures after walking through her neighborhood. She said concerns arose after a car accident occurred in April where a speeding driver “side-swiped” a car and hit a neighbor’s tree.
The school district sends three buses through Pringle’s neighborhood, picking up and dropping off children three times a day. That includes a midday drop-off for pre-school children who must cross the street to get home.
The stop sign is to be placed on the intersection of Arbor Knot Drive and Caddis Cove, but City Engineer Leon Barba said a stop sign in a residential neighborhood may not be the solution for speedy drivers. Instead, Barba said lowering the speed limit is a more effective solution.
“Studies show stop signs don’t actually stop fast traffic,” Barba said. “The average driver will stop or slow down at the sign but then speed up to get to the next one.”
The request for the stop sign was approved by the city because it met criteria by being located close to a school. The street provides an entrance to the neighborhood across from the school and is a main road along the campus.
In an effort to slow that traffic and ease parent concerns, city officials ran two speed tests from June 25 to July 1 along the half-mile stretch of Arbor Knot Drive to determine the average speed of drivers along the road. The results of those tests were considered when voting on the ordinances.
Of the 1,395 vehicles that drove by during the test, officials found the majority of drivers, in the 85th percentile, drove at an average speed of 26 mph.
The posted limit was 30 mph at the time of the test. The 15 percent of drivers outside of the average either drove over the limit or drove well under.
The highest speeds tracked were 48 mph and 88 mph. The new 25 mph speed limit is intended to affect those who sped well over the original posted limit without affecting the average driver in the area.
“The residents of that area came to us with quite a few signatures to request the signs,” said Kyle City Manager Scott Sellers. “There are quite a few vehicles utilizing that road … the residents would like to encourage slower driving.”
