New Braunfels staff recommends against speed humps on Walnut Heights Boulevard after a neighborhood petition met the city's signature threshold but May traffic counts fell short of its policy tests.
Residents along Walnut Heights Boulevard between Broadmoor Drive and McQueeney Road face an Oct. 8 appeal before the Transportation and Traffic Advisory Board; a favorable recommendation would still require City Council's final decision.
The city's May 2026 count measured 454 vehicles per day and an 85th-percentile speed of 26 mph. Its evaluation marked traffic calming unwarranted, even though the petition, contact verification and neighborhood association endorsement all met the application requirements.
Why the petition fell short
The street's posted speed limit is 30 mph; the city set a 25 mph target and a 1,000-vehicle daily target for this review.
Under the city policy described in the staff report, traffic volume must exceed the 1,000-vehicle target, and the 85th-percentile speed must reach at least 5 mph above the 25 mph target. Walnut Heights measured less than half the target daily volume, while its 85th-percentile speed was 1 mph above the target. Staff therefore recommends denying the traffic-calming request.
The city scored the project at three points under its prioritization table: one for peak-hour volume and two for nearby schools and other pedestrian destinations. The staff report says approved traffic-calming plans would be ranked for funding, with the highest-scoring projects funded through the fiscal 2027 budget. That ranking would matter only if the appeal ultimately succeeds.
The request came from a resident concerned about speeding and cut-through traffic on a residential street lined with single-family homes and sidewalks. The traffic study's measurements address the city's policy tests; the board must decide whether to recommend an exception through the appeal process.
The advisory board is scheduled to consider the appeal at 6 p.m. Oct. 8 in the Tejas Room at 550 Landa Street, and any recommendation in favor would go to City Council for a final decision.
Residents can inspect the city's item 26-1187 and its evaluation tables to see the proposed recommendation and the measured speeds. The posted agenda also sets aside a citizens' communications period for issues outside the agenda. The board's recommendation, if any, will determine whether the request proceeds to City Council.