Council authorizes up to $5,000 for safe-routes study at Cibolo Valley Drive; approves striping changes at Green Valley Road

The City Council on April 28 voted to fund a professional evaluation — up to $5,000 — to identify traffic-control or crossing improvements that would create safer routes to school near the Cibolo Valley Drive/Cove Lane area. Councilmember Sanchez Stevens had pressed for crosswalks or a three-way stop after residents reported children and pedestrians crossing in locations with limited sight distance and drainage issues.

Staff said engineering input was needed because of road curvature and limited sight distance at the site; the study will first solicit a professional opinion and options brief and then recommend whether a full warrant study or additional measures are required. Council asked staff to coordinate with the school district about providing crossing guards or other mitigation should a crosswalk be placed near a school entrance.

Council debated whether to place a crosswalk without an agreement from the school to staff it; staff cautioned that a crosswalk without a crossing guard can create a false sense of security for young children and that the traffic engineer should include mitigation options that do not rely solely on unsupervised crossings.

Separately, council approved a staff-recommended striping and traffic-control change at Green Valley Road near Schlather Intermediate School to reduce a bottleneck and remove a problematic left-turn movement. Staff said the striping is contracted work (estimated ~$16,575 in the packet) and will be coordinated with the school so that circulation for drop-off/pick-up is maintained.

Next steps: Staff will hire or consult the traffic engineer (budget up to $5,000), return with options and any recommendation for a warrant study, and proceed with contracted striping work once school coordination is finalized.