Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Road Safety Pilot Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Court directs pilots on Lime Creek and Cameron roads to curb weekend street‑racing and speeding
Summary
After sheriff's office testimony and resident complaints, commissioners directed staff to run traffic‑calming pilots on Lime Creek Road and Cameron Road and to identify other county hot spots for similar interventions.
Travis County Commissioners on Tuesday directed staff to implement pilot traffic‑calming measures on Lime Creek Road (north end near 1431/Williamson County border) and on Cameron Road (between East Pecan and Fuchs Grove) to address organized weekend speeding and chronic high speeds, and to identify additional county hot spots for similar pilots.
Captain Scott Crow of the Travis County Sheriff’s Office told the court deputies have observed organized racing and high speeds — particularly on weekends — and said enforcement is made harder by narrow lanes and the near absence of paved shoulders: "The biggest problem... is the lack of shoulders, which provides inadequate officer safety for traffic stops," Crow said. TCSO advised county staff that weekend racing groups have made the problem persistent and that traffic data collected over a recent 10‑day period in one Lime Creek segment recorded more than 8,000 vehicles and an average speed of about 43 mph where the posted speed limit is 40 mph.
Transportation and Natural Resources County Executive Cynthia McDonald told the court staff propose pilots using a range of non‑enforcement tools — speed tables (similar to work Valente ESD has installed), rumble strips, high‑visibility feedback signs, delineators and in some locations road grooving — to reduce vehicle speeds where shoulders are lacking and enforcement is unsafe. McDonald said Cameron Road also remains a good pilot candidate because it currently experiences dangerous conditions and is included in the county’s 2023 bond projects for future widening, so pilot results could inform long‑term design.
Staff estimated pilot durations of roughly six months, with options to adjust measures during the pilot. Commissioners noted similar problems on other unincorporated roads and directed staff to propose criteria and additional candidate locations; the court also directed staff to convene a task group with the Sheriff’s Office, emergency services and local precinct staff to develop and evaluate pilot designs. Commissioner Howard moved the directive; Commissioner Trevillian seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
