Bellaire holds public hearing on petition for speed humps on Braeburn Drive

A public hearing at the May 5 Bellaire City Council meeting drew residents and city staff to discuss a petition from more than 80% of property owners on the 5400 block of Braeburn Drive asking the city to install speed humps on that block.

The petition presentation was led by petitioner Reagan Heiner and by Travis Tanner, the city’s director of development services. Tanner said the police placed a speed trailer on the block between April 2 and April 21. From that period the city’s data showed 71% of vehicles were within the posted 30 mph limit and 29% were speeding; 12.6% were classified as “excessive” (five or more mph over the limit), Tanner said. The city clerk read the public-notice details and identified the enabling ordinance as No. 25-029; 101 mailed notices were sent to properties in the 5300–5400 blocks, the clerk said.

Why it matters: residents described daily foot traffic, children and pets on Braeburn and said physical calming would be more effective than signage or sporadic enforcement. Petitioners must pay the installation cost if the council approves the traffic-calming devices, and the council did not vote at the May 5 hearing; final deliberation is anticipated on June 2, 2025.

What petitioners and neighbors told the council Reagan Heiner, speaking for petitioners, described Braeburn as a mile-long cut-through with heavy pedestrian use and no sidewalks. Heiner said the petitioners initially requested three speed humps (to match a similar block on Valerie), but that some neighbors had suggested four; she told council she did not feel strongly about the exact count and asked neighbors to weigh in. Heiner also urged the city to consider whether the traffic study had been skewed by nearby construction at 5415 Braeburn and asked the city…