The overview
At an Aug. 5 meeting, Fulshear City Council passed an ordinance to prohibit stopping, standing and parking on streets within a quarter mile of a school during school pickup and drop-off times.
The new ordinance, which was brought forward after City Council members and law enforcement saw safety concerns, aims to reduce congestion and enhance student safety, said Cliff Brouhard, interim public works director and city engineer.
“Over the many years, we’ve had [residents] parking in residential sections and along our thoroughfare roads in school zones for people to drop off and pick up their children, circumventing the school pickup line,” he said. “It does cause traffic congestion, causes danger to the children who are actively moving about trying to get their parent’s vehicles and reduces lane widths for emergencies.”
The details
The ordinance applies to all residential and nonresidential streets from 6-9 a.m. and 2-5 p.m. on school days, although residents and their guests are exempt, Brouhard said.
Residents who violate the ordinance can be charged with a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500, per agenda documents. Additional fines can be added up to $4,000 if public health or safety is affected.
To enforce the new rules, the city will purchase new signage displaying the ordinance, Brouhard said. The new signage is expected to cost $5,000.
Looking ahead
The ordinance became effective immediately upon its Aug. 5 passage ahead of the first days of school for Lamar Consolidated and Katy ISDs on Aug. 11 and Aug. 13.
