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Staff reports low crash counts on priority trail links; residents press for safety features and engagement
Summary
City staff presented crash-and-response counts for trail-priority areas, reported no crashes in some corridors and a small number in others, and fielded resident concerns about trail-to-road separation, scooter classification, and potential parking changes on DoubleTree Drive.
City staff presented crash- and call-response data for priority trail areas and answered resident questions about safety. Staff said police data are available from 2020 and fire-service data from 2022; for the specific priority locations the reported pedestrian/cyclist-related crash counts were: Briar Hill Boulevard — 3; Barnett Boulevard (trail connection to District Trail) — 0; Highland Village Road (Unity Park connection) — 3; DoubleTree Drive (on-street bicycle lane) — 0.
A resident said her main safety concern is trail users inadvertently entering FM 407 and asked whether the design would include visual or physical barriers. Phil (city staff) said design standards and consultant work will address those questions and that the consultant team is experienced in trail design across the region. Phil confirmed the consultant will be asked to respond to specific safety and signing questions when their work advances.
On DoubleTree Drive, staff reported they had discussed the bike-lane option with Scott Christian, who “would not recommend adding any parking restrictions” because doing so could upset the neighborhood. A board member and other attendees noted Selmire’s striping provides a useful visual cue and that similar visual aids could help on other streets.
When asked whether recorded incidents coincided with known crossing light problems, staff said the available crash report data do not include that level of detail and that the city had requested only the counts that police and fire could provide. One commenter suggested community workshops and citizen involvement in plan markups; staff said several public meetings are already planned for the FM 407 work and that staff would share details.
The board also discussed scheduling a trail tour; staff said members absent that night should be included and proposed a fall tour using city-operated utility vehicles or golf carts to traverse the system. No formal decision was made; staff will follow up on tour timing and logistics.
