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Council authorizes activation and safety upgrades for pedestrian hybrid beacon at the Pearl
Summary
Staff told council the pedestrian hybrid beacon (PHB) near the Pearl is installed but not connected to the TxDOT signal; council authorized activation with safety improvements including signage repositioning, pavement markings and a study to reduce speed in the area.
Council authorized staff to proceed with revisions and to activate a pedestrian hybrid beacon (PHB) installed near the Pearl multifamily project, contingent on low-cost safety enhancements.
Mr. Baker (speaker 9) explained that the developer installed conduit to the TxDOT signal cabinet but TxDOT declined a direct connection. City Engineer Andy Rook (speaker 15) recommended engineering changes to improve safety: move advance signage further back (current signs are ~120–135 feet from the PHB while 45 mph approaches require about 400 feet), add overhead/advance signs that explicitly note a pedestrian beacon and add pavement markings. Rook also recommended a targeted speed study to evaluate a reduction in the immediate corridor from 45 mph to the 35–40 mph range. Council voted unanimously to authorize staff to pursue the PHB activation and to return with firm engineering-backed plans and timing for the recommended changes.
Council members emphasized driver education and visible signage as primary mitigations given the PHB will be the first in Bee Cave; staff said they would coordinate with the traffic-signal contractor to match TxDOT timing data even without a physical interconnect.
