Hobbs proposes faster, discretionary review for traffic calming near schools and parks

City Engineer Anthony Henry presented proposed revisions to the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program that would let the city manager authorize a discretionary variance for traffic-calming measures on streets adjacent to schools or parks even if the program’s numeric speed-and-volume thresholds are not met. Henry said the change is intended to recognize "vulnerable, high, foot traffic around those areas" and to speed responses where children and other pedestrians are at risk.

Henry told the commission the program uses a 100-point scoring system based on factors including traffic volumes, 85th-percentile speeds and five years of crash history, and that staff deploys 14-day traffic counters to inform decisions. "We do what's called a speed study," Henry said, describing the technical basis for scoring and how sites are evaluated.

Commissioner Duane Penick, who had requested attention to neighborhood corridors, pressed staff on posted limits and enforcement. "I personally feel like 30 miles an hour in a residential is way too fast," Penick said, arguing that speed thresholds make a practical difference for safety and that an ordinance change would likely be required to alter default speed limits.

Henry said engineers have begun a citywide evaluation of posted speed limits to map where reductions might be feasible, and warned that reducing default limits would involve legal and signage work and likely require an ordinance change. He also noted that certain arterials and collectors, such as the stretches by Hobbs High School, would remain ineligible for speed humps under the proposed variance because of their classification.

The changes Henry proposed include automatically routing school- or park-adjacent requests for review to the city manager, establishing a policy (policy number 10) to outline the variance process, and retaining coordination with Hobbs Police Department for enforcement and crash-history review. Commissioners discussed typical unit costs (Henry said the most recent speed hump/installation used in 2022 cost roughly $7,000) and the need to avoid adverse drainage impacts when adding devices.

The commission did not take a formal vote on an ordinance change at the meeting; members asked staff to continue the evaluation, produce implementation details and return with recommendations. Henry said speed counters are already in place around Hobbs High School to gather initial data.

Next steps: staff will develop implementation details for the proposed variance and return to the commission with an action item and any recommended ordinance language.