Denton mobility committee weighs bollard, concrete-separator and striping options for bike and pedestrian lanes

Denton City Mobility Committee members on June 25 heard a presentation from Farhan, Deputy Director of the Transportation Services Division, on the economic benefits and trade-offs of bollards and other lane separators for pedestrian and bicycle facilities.

Farhan said the treatments are selected on a “case by case” basis and described three primary approaches being considered in Denton: stick-type (candle) bollards, concrete block separators, and relying on striping alone. “These bollards are case by case, are installed on case by case basis depending on what the context of the location is,” Farhan said.

Committee members pressed staff for more detailed, numeric cost-benefit information. Council Member Beck said she wanted corridor-level estimates so council could judge whether additional upfront cost on a particular treatment would “pencil out” compared with the expected economic or safety benefits. “I still would like to see those sort of cost benefit structures that would go into some future planning,” Beck said, requesting numbers such as per-unit installation costs and projected benefits for each of the three corridors staff previously recommended.

Staff told the committee an updated project presentation already includes total project costs for the three preferred corridors and that staff will circulate that presentation again. Farhan and other staff said they will provide reworked corridor-specific analyses that attempt to quantify benefits where feasible and will include comparisons to treatments used in other cities of similar size as context.

On technical trade-offs, staff said concrete blocks can deter vehicle encroachment and parking in separated lanes but are quasi‑permanent, so they should be used where permanence is desired. Stick or candle bollards are less expensive but raise maintenance and aesthetic concerns and, when spaced widely, can allow some vehicles to park in separated zones. Staff also said rubber or flexible delineators were considered but highlighted maintenance, spacing and misuse as common issues in other jurisdictions.

Committee members also requested that staff incorporate business-owner outreach for corridors where economic benefits are being measured. Staff said that if a project is included in an approved budget, they will coordinate with the economic development team to solicit input from business operators in affected corridors.

Next steps: staff will circulate the updated presentation with corridor cost figures, prepare corridor-specific cost-benefit estimates for the three preferred projects, and continue community engagement and stakeholder outreach prior to installations. The committee did not take any binding installation decisions at the meeting.

Ending — Items to watch: staff will return with the corridor-specific analyses and example comparisons from similarly sized cities; community engagement and business-owner outreach will be included for projects that advance to budget or design phases.