Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Speed Limits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Flower Mound speed study finds higher westbound speeds; commissioners decline to change posted limit
Summary
A Town of Flower Mound speed study showed westbound 85th-percentile speeds near 49 mph on Flower Mound Road while eastbound speeds averaged lower; staff said the findings will go to police for enforcement but recommended keeping the posted limit unchanged.
A town speed study for Flower Mound Road found markedly higher speeds for westbound traffic but the Transportation Commission declined to change the posted speed at its June 9 meeting.
Assistant Director (staff) told commissioners the study used pneumatic-tube counters and seven-day samples. "For westbound, May 13 through the 20th, the 85th percentile speed for westbound was 49 miles per hour," the Assistant Director said, and noted the study produced a "roughly 9,700" potentially enforceable violations over the sample week. By contrast, eastbound travel showed an 85th-percentile speed of 43 mph and an average speed near the posted limit, with only about 4% enforceable violations.
Why it matters: the segment studied lies between Native Oak and ClearPoint and passes the Wellington Amenity Center; westbound drivers use the corridor as a downhill shortcut toward FM 1171 and are released in groups from upstream signals, staff said. The Assistant Director said the analysis also produces a pace speed (10-mph band) and recommended enforcement and timing changes rather than altering the posted limit.
Resident/commissioner comments underlined the local context. One resident said the road is a ‘‘shortcut’’ for commuters heading west and that drivers often reach 48–50 mph downhill: "I've lived out there for 25 years…it's substantially become violently fast going westbound." Staff acknowledged site-specific visibility issues near the Native Oak pullout and said engineers would measure sight lines and share the study with the police department for enforcement decisions.
Commission discussion focused on whether the Memorial Day weekend sample could skew results, the proximity of the study area to nearby school zones (staff said the stretch is nearer Liberty Elementary and Wellington is technically the closest school), and whether adding a traffic signal or other capital changes were realistic. The Assistant Director said the east/west differential and the residential setting argued against making the posted limit asymmetric; commissioners did not direct staff to change the posted speed and instead asked that the data be used for enforcement targeting and for further review of sight-line constraints.
Procedural note: the commission took no formal regulatory action on speed limits. Staff said the data and dashboards will be provided to the police department to inform enforcement and that engineering staff would assess the visibility issue near the Native Oak pullout.
The commission moved on to further agenda items and adjourned at 8:01 p.m.
