San Marcos City Council approved on the first of two readings to reduce the speed limit from 30 miles per hour to 25 mph on portions of multiple roads in the Wallace Addition neighborhood at their April 15 meeting. The council also authorized the installation of signs and traffic devices to reflect the change.

The details

The proposal follows a Jan. 27 neighborhood meeting attended by the Public Works Department, during which residents voiced concerns about speeding.

A petition was circulated after the meeting, gathering 77 responses, 70 of which supported the speed limit reduction. The neighborhood includes 172 developed parcels.

A speed study conducted across the neighborhood recorded the following 85th percentile speeds—the speed at or below which 85% of drivers travel:

• Durango Street: 29.4 mph (recorded October 2024)
• Juarez Street: 25.7 mph (recorded November 2024)
• Luciano Flores Boulevard: 32.6 mph (recorded January 2022)

The overall 85th percentile speed for the neighborhood was 29.9 mph. Under Texas law, speed limits can be set within 5 mph of the 85th percentile speed.

The agenda item noted that Wallace Addition is a single-family residential neighborhood with street widths ranging from 32 to 35 feet. With on-street parking and regular pedestrian activity, maintaining the current 30 mph speed limit was deemed unreasonable or unsafe.