PRESENTER: Presenter
Carly Farmer, Assistant City Engineer
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SUBJECT: Title
Discuss and consider approval of a traffic calming plan on Deborah Drive.
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation and Construction Services
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COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: 2
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Staff received a request to evaluate Deborah Drive within the Saengerhalle Meadows subdivision for traffic calming due to safety concerns over speeding and high volumes in a residential area. Deborah Drive is an approximately 0.75-mile-long roadway between SH 46 and James Street within the Saengerhalle Meadows subdivision. It provides connectivity between SH 46 and Saengerhalle Road via local street connections in the Saengerhalle Meadows subdivision. Near SH 46, Deborah Drive provides direct access to several commercial and industrial properties. Farias-Spitzer Elementary School also connects to Deborah Drive. In the Saengerhalle Meadows subdivision, Deborah Drive is fronted by single-family homes and has sidewalks with standard curbs along both sides of the street. The pavement width is 30 feet. The posted speed limit on Deborah Drive is 30 miles per hour (mph). There is a 20-mph school zone posted on Deborah Drive on both approaches to the elementary school driveway. The school zone is located outside the residential and commercial/industrial areas. Deborah Drive is signalized at the intersection with SH 46. In Saengerhalle Meadows, it is stop-controlled at the intersection with James Street.
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. Based on the pavement width, presence of sidewalks, and homes fronting the roadway with driveways requiring backing maneuvers, Staff evaluated the study area and determined the target speed and target volume for the roadway 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 May 2026 showed an 85th-percentile speed of 29 mph, which is just shy of 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 1,131 vpd, which surpasses the target volume of 1,000 vpd for a local residential street. There was one reported crash on Deborah Drive within the Saengerhalle Meadows subdivision between August 2023 and August 2026.
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. This suburban study area with typical local street widths, high frequency of direct residential driveway access, parking activity, and pedestrian and vehicle activity associated with single-family homes and an elementary school should prioritize local access over maintaining two-way traffic flow. However, these characteristics combined with higher traffic due to connectivity between two thoroughfares results in higher instances of conflict between road users and increased vulnerability for pedestrians and cyclists on and adjacent to the roadway. Slower speeds and increased conspicuity of vulnerable road users 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 considerations for pedestrian activity associated with the school, city staff drafted a traffic calming plan for Deborah Drive comprising of bulb-outs and crosswalk improvements to enhance key crossings for school pedestrian traffic and neck-downs strategically placed between the crossings. These bulb-outs and neck-downs are to be comprised of pavement markings. City staff aims to present the traffic calming plan and allow the community to provide public comment.
ISSUE:
Residents have requested traffic calming on Deborah Drive 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 Deborah Drive, which will be installed as funding is available.