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Council votes 7–3 to cut Blanton Road speed limit to 25 mph over staff objections
Summary
After a councilmember pulled the consent item, staff explained policy and technical reasons to deny a local petition; council debated transparency and process and ultimately voted 7–3 to reduce Blanton Road’s speed limit from 35 to 25 mph.
Councilmember McMillan (S10) pulled a consent item asking the council to approve a speed‑limit reduction on Blanton Road. City traffic staff (Brian McGill, S11) explained the staff recommendation against reducing the limit, citing Council policy 1 60.3, MUTCD ball‑bank testing showing curves can be navigated at the existing limit, and before/after studies from other roads that did not reduce speeding after a limit change.
"The recommendation not to reduce the speed limit on Blanton Road was made for five reasons," Brian McGill told council during the staff presentation (S11). Councilmembers who supported the reduction emphasized neighborhood safety and local knowledge. Councilmember (S5) moved to adopt an ordinance reducing Blanton Road’s speed limit from 35 to 25 mph; the motion carried 7–3 with McMillan, Green and Ferguson recorded in opposition.
Council debate focused as much on process as on safety: opponents said the council had skipped the petition/public‑hearing steps embedded in policy 160.3 and risked eroding public trust; supporters said council members must respond to constituents’ immediate safety concerns. The ordinance change was adopted and will take effect per the normal ordinance schedule.
