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Council removes ‘No turn on red’ entry for Bel Air Blvd & Newcastle; staff to add pedestrian-yield signage
Summary
After a traffic study, the council voted to remove a no-turn-on-red designation at Bel Air Boulevard and Newcastle Drive and directed staff to install pedestrian-yield signage instead; the vote was unanimous.
The Bellaire City Council on March 17 amended its traffic ordinance to remove the No Turn on Red designation for the intersection of Bel Air Boulevard and Newcastle Drive and directed public-works staff to install "Yield to Pedestrians" signs and other low-cost safety measures instead.
Council members asked for a traffic study after residents reported pedestrian conflicts and queuing issues. The city hired Clarity Engineering to study the intersection. Colby Wright of Clarity told the council engineers collected 13-hour counts on multiple days and performed level-of-service and crash-pattern analyses. He said the intersection operates at roughly level-of-service D on weekends and E during the Thursday evening vehicle peak; modeling showed that making the restriction permanent would degrade several movements by only three to four seconds but would have the most impact on the dedicated right-turn lane for Bel Air Boulevard.
Wright said the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) did not clearly mandate a full-time No Turn on Red at that location and recommended installing yield-to-pedestrian signs at marked crosswalks rather than deploying more costly blank-out signs. Council members also discussed adding targeted signage and asked staff to remove other, older no-turn-on-red entries in the city code at a future meeting.
Council member Lewis moved to pass the ordinance amendment relating to the Bel Air Boulevard/Newcastle Drive intersection; Mayor Pro Tem Rotem Frazier seconded. The council voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance and gave staff authority to procure and install pedestrian-yield signage.
Why it matters: the city sought engineering analysis before setting a traffic prohibition that affects vehicle flow and pedestrian safety. The chosen approach aims to balance traffic operations with pedestrian safety without creating excessive driver confusion or costly signage.
Votes at a glance: Ordinance amending Chapter 30 (Traffic & Vehicles) regarding the Bel Air Boulevard/Newcastle Drive intersection — outcome: approved unanimously.
