- Ridgewood Road
“People aren’t going the right speed [on Ridgewood Road] and there has been a lot of volume there in the morning and afternoons,” Council Member Brian Plunkett said.
On Ridgewood Road, three speed cushions will be placed between Gentry Drive and the West Lake Hills city limits as well as striping to create 11-foot lanes throughout the road, he said.
- Redbud Trail, Yaupon Valley Road and Laurel Valley Road
Projects on Redbud Trail, Yaupon Valley Road and Laurel Valley Road were packaged together in a motion approved by council.
After conducting a traffic study on two different sections of the road, the city was able to determine the majority of speeding took place between Yaupon Valley Road and Old Stonehedge Street, Council Member Darren Walker said.
According to the approved traffic-calming plan, four speed cushions will be placed along the road’s straightaway. Heading east, the first cushion will be located after Old Wagon Road, followed by one after Little Bend Road, one approaching Wren Valley Cove and one between Kennan Road and Old Stonehedge Street.
A combined 11 speed cushions will be placed on Yaupon Valley Road and Laurel Valley Road, which have both seen increased traffic and speeds since Bee Caves Road construction began, Mayor Pro Tem Stan Graham said.
The council will revisit the roads on which the traffic-calming measures have been installed to assure the changes are beneficial, Anthony said. This will take place over the next 12-18 months, she said. The speed cushions installed are removable and could be relocated if they are not effective at slowing traffic, she said. City Administrator Robert Wood said it usually takes three to four months for calming measures to be put in place. Installation of traffic calming measures approved for North Peak Road in December will begin next week, he said. Forest View Drive, Rocky River Road and West Spring Drive have had measures put in over the past two years, he said. Increased police presence “Public safety has been an ongoing area of concern for our residents and [Chief Scott Gerdes] has taken a number of steps to improve areas [of the city],” Anthony said. “I know everyone has seen an increased police presence on our streets.” In August, the West Lake Hills Police Department created a list detailing specific areas of public safety concern around the city, Gerdes said. The list is based on resident complaints of speeding, traffic issues and other violations, he said. Officers were assigned to rotate through the list to enforce traffic laws, run speed radars, answer calls and increase visibility he said. “Speeding is the big one,” Gerdes said. “Things like running stop signs that are hazards to the public at large—those are the tickets we’re trying to write to make it safer for residents who are walking.” Police have also begun to crack down on motorists who violate new turn bans and adjusted speed limits that had been put in place by the council as a result of the Bee Caves Road construction project, he said. Although the majority of citations are written on Bee Caves Road and Westlake Drive, Redbud Trail, Yaupon Valley Road and Laurel Valley Road have seen an increase in traffic and stops as well, Gerdes said. Since September 2016, the department has had more than 1,500 traffic stops, he said. “Citations have gone up and crashes have gone down a little bit,” Gerdes said.