The setup
Town Manager Brandon Wright presented a final report with recommendations to Town Council members regarding the addition of new traffic management elements to Bobcat Boulevard during a Sept. 23 meeting. The report follows a council debriefing held in July, when installation of several traffic elements was recommended.
Town officials then took those ideas and gathered feedback from the public about the elements recommended by Lee Engineering. Traffic elements included a roundabout, a traffic signal and an additional crossing guard.
“These were the recommendations that were then put out to the community to see what was it that the community thought about these particular solutions,” Town Manager Brandon Wright said.
What they’re saying
Officials held hour-long input sessions with 24 individuals and posted an online survey that received 735 responses, Wright said. Through feedback, officials found significant support for maintaining or adding more crossing guards along Bobcat Boulevard instead of more permanent solutions, according to a staff report.
The survey results can be viewed online on the council meeting agenda.
- More than 46% of respondents disagreed with installing a traffic signal at the intersection of Bobcat Boulevard and Trophy Club Drive. More than half of the respondents said they believed it would improve pedestrian safety
- More than 60% of respondents agreed with installing a roundabout at the intersection of Bobcat Boulevard and Marshall Creek, but more than 43% thought it would not improve pedestrian safety
- More than 81% of respondents agreed with placing a traffic guard at the high school entrance along Bobcat Boulevard. More than 84% of respondents believed it would improve pedestrian safety
After receiving feedback, town officials worked with Lee Engineering officials to change its recommendations to council for improving Bobcat Boulevard. Lee Engineering is recommending the following elements be added to Bobcat Boulevard:
- Bobcat Boulevard and Marshall Creek Road: install a roundabout
- Bobcat Boulevard and Trophy Club Drive: no traffic signal or roundabout recommended. Maintain the current presence of a crossing guard during school zone hours
- Byron Nelson High School’s entrance No. 4 and Bobcat Boulevard: post a new crossing guard during school hours and install a new right-turn lane from the entrance onto Bobcat Boulevard. Install a left-turn lane from Bobcat Boulevard into the shopping center
- Mid-block between Marshall Creek and Parkview Drive: no mid-block pedestrian crossing recommended. Maintain the current crossing guard to manage pedestrian traffic
Town staff are expected to seek an engineering firm that will determine the scope of work and eventually complete construction design, Wright said. The engineering contract would be completed in phases.
Mayor Jeanette Tiffany said the council has an obligation to move forward with the recommendations.
“The longer we delay doing anything, we won’t ever get that roundabout built,” she said.
