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Parents and residents press council to act after near-miss at West Plains High intersection
Summary
Speakers urged the council to reduce lanes and lower speeds on Loop 335 at West Plains High School after a 15-year-old pedestrian narrowly avoided being hit; TxDOT has begun a traffic study but residents want immediate measures.
Residents and parents told the Amarillo City Council they want faster, concrete safety fixes at the Loop 335 intersection near West Plains High School after a recent near-fatal incident involving a 15-year-old student.
Chris Pittman, who provided handouts to the council, called the intersection an "urgent safety crisis" and urged officials to reduce vehicle lanes from two to one in each direction and lower posted speeds. "This past Monday, a 15‑year‑old high school student was almost that person. It is a miracle that he survived," Pittman said. He said cones and signage already in place could be moved a short distance to improve safety immediately.
Several other speakers, including Chad Lowe, described first‑hand alarm after the collision and said the loop currently allows vehicles to travel as fast as 70 mph in places where students and families cross. Lowe said TxDOT staff told him they were in the final stages of studying a signal at the location but had no time frame for a decision. "I just think something has to be done and something soon because we're really, really, really lucky we're not going to the funeral this week," he said.
Speakers invoked Amarillo's recently adopted Safe Streets for All guidance and urged the council to prioritize school-zone protections even where the road is under TxDOT jurisdiction. Several asked the city to take steps without waiting for TxDOT approval, saying immediate lane reductions or temporary traffic calming would save lives.
City staff told council the county's demolition of an old courthouse temporarily eliminated off‑street parking and created separate juror‑parking issues downtown; staff is piloting a process to waive citations for people serving jury duty. Council members asked staff to continue coordination with TxDOT and Potter County and to explore short‑term measures that would not unduly disrupt traffic.
No ordinance change was adopted at the meeting. Council members and staff said they would continue to work with TxDOT, Potter County and school officials to seek engineering fixes and to evaluate whether temporary lane reductions or other near‑term interventions could be implemented.
Why it matters: parents and school communities identified a repeatable, local risk to students near a major school; residents requested immediate mitigations while longer-term traffic engineering studies proceed.
