PRESENTER: Presenter
Carly Farmer, Assistant City Engineer
Body
SUBJECT: Title
Discuss and consider approval of a traffic calming plan on Pahmeyer Road.
Header
DEPARTMENT: Transportation and Construction Services
Body
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: 2
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Staff received a request to evaluate Pahmeyer Road within the Preston Estates subdivision for traffic calming due to safety concerns over speeding and high volumes in a residential area. Pahmeyer Road is an approximately 3-mile-long roadway in the southern region of the city limits between Old Marion Road and Old Zipp Road. Pahmeyer Road is identified on the City of New Braunfels Thoroughfare Plan as a minor collector between Old Marion Road and Zipp Road and a major collector south of Zipp Road where it meets Old Zipp Road and terminates at Union Wine Road. Because the extension of Zipp Road is incomplete, Pahmeyer Road provides access to Klein Road from the newer subdivisions south of Zipp Road.
Preston Estates is a single-family home subdivision located between Klein Road and Zipp Road. Pahmeyer Road is the main thoroughfare for the subdivision and has a posted speed of 30 miles per hour (mph). The majority of Pahmeyer Road does not provide direct access to any residential driveways except for the five homes that front Pahmeyer Road between Red Barn Bend and Farmers Dell. This subdivision was constructed before code amendments were passed to prohibit driveway access that requires backing maneuvers on streets classified as collectors and higher.
In Preston Estates, Pahmeyer Road is stop-controlled at the intersection with Klein Rd. There is an all-way stop at the intersection with Zipp Road and the intersection with Rain Dance. The all-way stop at Pahmeyer Road and Rain Dance was installed in 2022 after City Council approval due to resident concerns about speeding near the subdivision’s community pool. The intersection did not meet warrants for an all-way stop per the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (TMUTCD).
A stop sign is an effective traffic control device when used at the proper place under appropriate conditions. A stop sign is used at an intersection to assist drivers and pedestrians in determining who has the right-of-way. Multiway stops shall not be used for speed control per the 2026 update of the TMUTCD. When stop signs are installed at locations where they are not warranted, there is a high incidence of motorists disregarding the traffic control devices which increases the likelihood of crashes.
The City of New Braunfels Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy requires a petition to be submitted with signatures from two-thirds of the properties adjacent to the street segment on which speed humps are requested. A petition was received and verified to meet the two-thirds requirement. An evaluation of the study area was performed to determine the target speed and volume. Although Pahmeyer Road is classified as a minor collector, the homes fronting the roadway, with driveways that require backing maneuvers, necessitate slower speeds and volumes than are acceptable for that street classification.
Staff evaluated the study area and determined the target speed and target volume between Red Barn Bend and Farmers Dell to be 25 mph and 1,000 vehicles per day (vpd), respectively. An operational requirement of the policy is that the 85th-percentile speed be at least 5 miles per hour above the target speed. Traffic data collected over 24 hours in November 2024 showed an 85th-percentile speed of 30 mph, which meets the speed criteria in the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy. Additionally, the volume requirement in the approved Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy is a daily traffic volume exceeding the target traffic volume. The traffic data collected measured 780 vpd, which does not surpass the target volume of 1,000 vpd for a local residential street but demonstrates elevated volumes on the minor collector, which have likely grown in the last two years. Based on the evaluation of the study area and analysis of the collected data, it was determined that traffic calming would be beneficial to the safety of road users.
Pahmeyer Road, a minor collector, is fronted by single-family homes between Red Barn Bend and Farmers Dell, which is no longer acceptable in subdivision design due to traffic and parking operations, traffic safety, and neighborhood livability. The pedestrian and vehicle activity associated with single-family homes, combined with higher traffic of a minor collector that provides area connectivity, results in higher instances of conflict between road users and increased vulnerability for pedestrians and cyclists on and adjacent to the roadway. In addition, the installation of the all-way stop at Pahmeyer Road and Rain Dance did not reduce speeds and has resulted in multiple complaints about noncompliance and safety concerns for pedestrians walking to the community pool and the school bus stop. Slower speeds in both these areas along Pahmeyer Road will result in better outcomes should a crash occur.
Based on the documented traffic volumes, the elevated 85th-percentile speed compared to the target speed, and the compliance concerns, city staff drafted a traffic calming plan for Pahmeyer Road comprising of bulb-outs targeting the portion of Pahmeyer Road with homes fronting and the all-way stop at Rain Dance. These bulb-outs are to be hardscaped using stamped colored concrete. City staff aims to present the traffic calming plan and allow the community to provide public comment.
ISSUE:
Residents have requested traffic calming on Pahmeyer Road due to speeding and safety concerns due to cut-through traffic in a residential area.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The City has specific funding for the installation of traffic calming. Approved traffic calming plans are ranked for funding according to the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy prioritization process. The highest-scoring projects will be funded through the FY 2027 budget. Remaining projects will be considered for funding in subsequent budget years.
Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the traffic calming plan on Pahmeyer Road, which will be installed as funding is available.