Tag: TAPS

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Canyon Creek Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Newsletter – Fall 2019

The Canyon Creek Traffic and Pedestrian Safety (TAPS) Committee has completed a survey of city sidewalks that includes sidewalk issues reported by our community residents. This survey resulted in the documentation of 80 significant city sidewalk safety issues with sidewalk mismatches noted up to 4.5 inches. The survey found significant sidewalk issues on 26 different streets in our community. A list of these documented mismatches was submitted to the City of Austin the week of Nov 11, 2019.

Our committee has been notified that a city official will be coming to our neighborhood in the near future to observe and confirm our noted sidewalk issues. We expect the city to repair these noted issues after an assessment and a written plan is developed to mitigate these issues. Our goal is to make the use of our city sidewalks safe for all pedestrians and to offer a safe alternative to jogging on our city streets, which is not only unsafe but also illegal when a sidewalk is available.

  • The CC HOA board has approved a 2020 budget that includes doubling the frequency of paid deputy constable patrols starting in January 2020 from one patrol every two weeks to one patrol every week. These patrols have been taking place since November 2018. This should result in further traffic calming and should promote awareness that traffic and pedestrian safety is a high priority in our community. These paid deputy constable patrols are in addition to patrols by other law enforcement agencies such as APD and Travis County Sheriff’s Department. On average, 3-4 vehicles are ticketed per patrol for speeding and other moving violations.
  • Many of you may have noticed two new radar speed signs (officially called “Dynamic Speed Display Devices or “DSDD’s”) installed on Chestnut Ridge Rd. These DSDD’s are temporary and will be removed after collecting speed data for around six weeks. After these DSDD’s are removed, Austin Transportation Dept (ATD) personnel will analyze and evaluate the data. Our TAPS committee and the HOA board will be given access to this data and a decision will likely be made by the 1st quarter of 2020 on whether future additional traffic calming measures are justified. The purchase and installation of two permanent DSDD’s on Chestnut Ridge Rd is one possible outcome. However, the TAPS committee and HOA board will solicit feedback from homeowners concerning issues such as acceptance and possible placement locations before proceeding with any additional DSDD’s.

Reminders:

  • Respect the right-of-way of pedestrians in our neighborhood
    Note: it is state law that vehicles must yield the right of way to pedestrians standing at the entrance of or in crosswalks. To yield, vehicles must come to a complete stop and wait while pedestrians enter, cross and exit the crosswalk.
  • Drive within the posted speed limits for safety (trying to save a few extra seconds by speeding is not safe or smart and it can cost you a lot of money). Note speed limits are set based on ideal driving conditions so wet roads, heavy traffic or pedestrian presence warrants reducing speed below the posted limit.
  • If you see someone driving recklessly or if you experience “road rage”, call 911 immediately and report why it was reckless and with as many details of the vehicle as you have such as license plate number, make/model/color of vehicle, location, driver description, etc. Please do not chase or confront the driver.

Page Revision History:

  • 2020-04-23 (jmw): Page moved to WordPress platform.

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Spring 2019 Canyon Creek Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Newsletter

Canyon Creek Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Newsletter Spring 2019

Link to PDF Version

 The Canyon Creek Traffic and Pedestrian Safety (TAPS) Committee is working with the City of Austin to address the numerous sidewalk safety hazards. TAPS needs your help to identify specific uneven, mismatched, or broken sidewalk locations. Please report any specific sidewalk hazards to traffic@canyoncreek.net. Be sure to include the specific street address / location and nature of the hazard. After this list is compiled, the committee will formally request the city to repair the noted hazards. Note: The city will likely make temporary repairs first, followed later by a more permanent fix as city ATD crew schedules allow.

 The Canyon Creek Traffic and Pedestrian Safety (TAPS) Committee is working with the City of Austin to address the numerous sidewalk safety hazards. TAPS needs your help to identify specific uneven, mismatched, or broken sidewalk locations. Please report any specific sidewalk hazards to traffic@canyoncreek.net. Be sure to include the specific street address / location and nature of the hazard. After this list is compiled, the committee will formally request the city to repair the noted hazards. Note: The city will likely make temporary repairs first, followed later by a more permanent fix as city ATD crew schedules allow.

 The Canyon Creek HOA board authorized paid patrols starting last year by off-duty Travis County deputy constables to provide and promote traffic calming and more awareness of traffic and pedestrian safety in our neighborhood. In addition, other law enforcement agencies, such as City of Austin police and Travis County Sheriff’s Department deputies patrol our community (they are not directly paid for by the CC HOA). Here are a few examples of what a traffic citation can cost you from Travis County:

  • +15 mph over posted 35 mph speed limit $257 ($107 court cost + $10/mph over)
  • +10 mph over posted 20 mph speed limit in a school zone $307 ($107 court costs + 20/mph over)
  • Failure to fully stop at a stop sign: $257

 The two radar speed signs (officially called DSDDs) installed on Boulder Lane are indeed calming traffic. There has been a noted general speed reduction according to actual recorded data provided by the city of Austin (ATD). The CC HOA board has allocated money for the possible addition of two new DSDDs to be installed on Chestnut Ridge sometime in 2020. In addition, the TAPS committee has recently made an official request to the Austin Traffic Department (ATD) to add our community to the waiting list for two temporary (mobile) DSDDs on Chestnut Ridge to collect data and determine if Chestnut Ridge is a candidate for future DSDDs. If these temporary mobile DSDDs are approved by ATD, it will likely be several months before actual availability and placement. The TAPS committee and the HOA board will canvas and solicit feedback from homeowners on Chestnut Ridge and surrounding streets concerning the desirability, acceptance, and possible locations of potential permanently installed DSDDs before any final decision is made on the purchase and installation of these additional units.

 The TAPS committee encourages children and adults to cross the streets near Canyon Creek Elementary School only at designated crosswalks whenever possible and specifically only at crosswalks that have crossing guards, when available. Crossing the streets at intersections without a crossing guard, when a guard is available, is discouraged for safety reasons.

 Reminders:

  • Respect the right-of-way of pedestrians in our neighborhood. Note: it is state law that vehicles must yield the right of way to pedestrians standing at the entrance of or in crosswalks. To yield, vehicles must come to a complete stop and wait while pedestrians enter, cross, and exit the crosswalk.
  • Drive within the posted speed limits for safety (trying to save a few extra seconds by speeding is not safe or smart, and it can cost you a lot of money). Note: speed limits are set based on ideal driving conditions, so wet roads, heavy traffic, or pedestrian presence warrants reducing speed below the posted limit.
  • If you see someone driving recklessly or if you experience “road rage”, call 911 immediately and report why the driving was reckless and with as many details of the vehicle as you have, such as license plate number, make/model/color of vehicle, location, driver description, etc. Please do not chase or confront the driver.