Canyon Creek Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Newsletter Spring 2019
The Canyon Creek Traffic and Pedestrian Safety (TAPS) Committee is working with the City of Austin to address the numerous sidewalk safety hazards. TAPS needs your help to identify specific uneven, mismatched, or broken sidewalk locations. Please report any specific sidewalk hazards to traffic@canyoncreek.net. Be sure to include the specific street address / location and nature of the hazard. After this list is compiled, the committee will formally request the city to repair the noted hazards. Note: The city will likely make temporary repairs first, followed later by a more permanent fix as city ATD crew schedules allow.
The Canyon Creek HOA board authorized paid patrols starting last year by off-duty Travis County deputy constables to provide and promote traffic calming and more awareness of traffic and pedestrian safety in our neighborhood. In addition, other law enforcement agencies, such as City of Austin police and Travis County Sheriff’s Department deputies patrol our community (they are not directly paid for by the CC HOA). Here are a few examples of what a traffic citation can cost you from Travis County:
+15 mph over posted 35 mph speed limit $257 ($107 court cost + $10/mph over)
+10 mph over posted 20 mph speed limit in a school zone $307 ($107 court costs + 20/mph over)
Failure to fully stop at a stop sign: $257
The two radar speed signs (officially called DSDDs) installed on Boulder Lane are indeed calming traffic. There has been a noted general speed reduction according to actual recorded data provided by the city of Austin (ATD). The CC HOA board has allocated money for the possible addition of two new DSDDs to be installed on Chestnut Ridge sometime in 2020. In addition, the TAPS committee has recently made an official request to the Austin Traffic Department (ATD) to add our community to the waiting list for two temporary (mobile) DSDDs on Chestnut Ridge to collect data and determine if Chestnut Ridge is a candidate for future DSDDs. If these temporary mobile DSDDs are approved by ATD, it will likely be several months before actual availability and placement. The TAPS committee and the HOA board will canvas and solicit feedback from homeowners on Chestnut Ridge and surrounding streets concerning the desirability, acceptance, and possible locations of potential permanently installed DSDDs before any final decision is made on the purchase and installation of these additional units.
The TAPS committee encourages children and adults to cross the streets near Canyon Creek Elementary School only at designated crosswalks whenever possible and specifically only at crosswalks that have crossing guards, when available. Crossing the streets at intersections without a crossing guard, when a guard is available, is discouraged for safety reasons.
Reminders:
Respect the right-of-way of pedestrians in our neighborhood. Note: it is state law that vehicles must yield the right of way to pedestrians standing at the entrance of or in crosswalks. To yield, vehicles must come to a complete stop and wait while pedestrians enter, cross, and exit the crosswalk.
Drive within the posted speed limits for safety (trying to save a few extra seconds by speeding is not safe or smart, and it can cost you a lot of money). Note: speed limits are set based on ideal driving conditions, so wet roads, heavy traffic, or pedestrian presence warrants reducing speed below the posted limit.
If you see someone driving recklessly or if you experience “road rage”, call 911 immediately and report why the driving was reckless and with as many details of the vehicle as you have, such as license plate number, make/model/color of vehicle, location, driver description, etc. Please do not chase or confront the driver.