MCCANN/THRUSHWOOD TRAFFIC MEETING SUMMARY
FEB. 3, 2016 7-8:30 PM AT WATERLOO ICEHOUSE
NSNCA President Amelia Cobb announced that the 2012 request filed by Evelin Nunes for traffic calming along Primrose has been funded. City Council Member Leslie Pool’s office included the project in a list of improvements to be funded from District 7’s share of Cap Metro money recently distributed among Austin’s council districts.
It will be a Local Area Traffic Management Program (LATM) project and will be subject to the procedures of that program. For more info on the City’s LATM Program, please follow this link: http://www.austintexas.gov/department/local-area-traffic-management
Evelin Nunes and Tomas Rodriguez, chair of NSCNA’s Traffic Committee, spoke about North Shoal Creek’s experience with traffic calming. Tomas described the speed cushions and traffic circle that will soon be installed on Rockwood north of Steck. This project is also funded with LATM Program money.
Sharon Justice, NSCNA’s Media Chair, distributed handouts describing several ways to calm traffic and listing sites and documents that provide clear and concise introductions to traffic calming techniques. She urged neighbors to educate themselves about traffic calming so they’ll be better prepared to take part in the LATM planning process. These handouts can be viewed at the following links:
ity Council Member Leslie Pool’s Policy Advisor on Zoning and Land Use, Louisa Brinsmade, spoke about the neighborhood’s traffic problem and answered questions about mitigating it. She also brought handouts showing examples of safely integrating pedestrians, bikers, and traffic.
It was clear from the questions and comments that people living along these streets are frustrated and angry with the traffic situation and that they see McCann as the source of the problem. One suggestion for mitigating the problem was to speed up traffic by making two lanes of the eastbound frontage road right turns onto Burnet. The most popular suggestion was to keep drivers from turning from McCann onto Thrushwood; drivers could still access the businesses on McCann from 183 but southbound access to Thrushwood would be blocked. Speakers also stressed the need for additional enforcement of traffic laws and more police presence.
Additional comments and suggestions were 1) need for sidewalks; 2) remind Town North Nissan about not test driving cars through the neighborhood; 3) add signs for residential street parking; and 4) use neighborhood association money if city funding isn’t available.
A sign-up sheet for a committee to work with the City’s Transportation Dept. during the LATM project was passed around. Evelin Nunes will chair that committee because she filed the LATM request and therefore is the City’s contact person for the project.
Louisa Brinsmade said the possibility of partially closing McCann can’t be part of the LATM project, but the neighborhood can pursue it as a goal if they want to. There is a precedent for a similar closure on MoPac at Palma Plaza and Newfield Lane (near Enfield and MoPac).
The meeting adjourned about 8:15. The restaurant was noisy, which made it difficult to hear what speakers said. Future meetings will be held in a quieter location.
