Traffic Problems within the Bryker Woods Neighborhood
Update! (Spring 2008)
The city of Austin has selected the BrykerWoods and Pemberton Heights neighborhoods as a Neighborhood Traffic Calming Project Area for 2008. The goal of the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program is to enhance the quality of neighborhoods through the implementation of techniques that will reduce speeding and cut-through traffic problems on residential streets.
Learn more at a website devoted exclusively to this important initiative!
http://www.trafficcalmingproject.org
The
quality of life within the Bryker Woods neighborhood
continues to erode each year because of excessive
traffic volume and speed. Our neighborhood streets
are narrow and most lack side walks. The BWNA is
currently working with the City of Austin and TxDOT
to help control and improve the existing traffic
problems. See article
below on
how you can help. The installation of stop signs
at the Westover/ Northwood MoPAC interchange is the
most recent effort to help improve
safety at one of the most dangerous neighborhood
intersections. Below is correspondence with a well
published University of Texas civil
engineering professor
regarding the new "all way" stop signs.
Dear
Professor Kockelman,
You present some very good observations and arguments.
Yes the “all-way” stop signs are inconvenient. Furthermore,
these signs introduce some new complexities (and
some would argue hazards) to the Westover/Northwood-MoPac
interchange. The stop signs however
do SLOW a good portion of the traffic which is
good for cyclists and pedestrians making use
of the underpass. It has also been noted by
several residents west of MoPAc that the stop signs
actually help them make a left turn onto Westover
when approaching from the northbound
exit ramp.
Please note that BrykerWoods (east of MoPAC) still
has a very serious problem with traffic making
use of the curved ramps to exit and enter MoPAC.
The new stop signs do
nothing to DECREASE
THE SPEED of the exit ramp (and entrance ramp)
traffic dumped into the BrykerWoods neighborhood.
These ramps literally slingshot
traffic
at high rates of speed into & out of the neighborhood, directly
across designated pedestrian/bicycle lanes. And
as you know, it is these bicycle lanes that children
from Pemberton Heights
use when riding
to Casis Elementary. Argument can be made that
the Westover/Northwood-MoPac interchange is a poorly
designed highway interchange.
I would be willing
to guess that such an interchange would not be
built today for reasons of safety, efficiency ect.
With regard to the installation of street lights/signals
at this particular neighborhood & highway interchange: Like you,
BrykerWoods DOES NOT support the decision to install “street
signal lights” at the Westover/Northwood Loop1 interchange
(at least on the east side of MoPAC). Primarily,
because the signal lights will encourage traffic to race
down Northwood and Westover just to
make the light. Essentially treating the underpass
as a chicane. It is precisely this reason that
the stop signs were installed in the
first place!
Yes Tarrytown & BrykerWoods “share” the Westover/Northwood-MoPac
interchange, however let me take this opportunity
to explain to you that the problems the BrykerWoods
neighborhood have with the this particular
interchange are different compared to those of
the Tarrytown neighborhood. The curved ramps on
the east side of MoPAC literally slingshot traffic
at high rates of speed into & out of the neighborhood,
directly across designated pedestrian/bicycle lanes.
Northwood Road on the east side of MoPAC does not
have traffic claming devices to slow traffic as
does Westover west of MoPAC. The commuter cut-through
traffic exiting/entering MOPAC hammers the neighborhoods
east of MoPAC.
BrykerWoods has been VERY tolerant of the commuter
cut-through traffic exiting/entering MOPAC, however
each year the traffic gets worse and worse. And the problem the neighborhood
has with this
type of traffic is NOT that commuters are using
our streets. The problem is the IRRESPONSIBLE use of our streets
(i.e. SPEEDING). When the neighborhood
streets are not packed with rush hour traffic,
the cut-through traffic frequently travels at high rates of speed
directly through the heart
of the neighborhood.
BrykerWoods is working with both TxDOT and the
city of Austin to address the speeding problems
within our neighborhood. The BrykerWoods neighborhood
was a final candidate last year in the
city’s list of neighborhoods eligible for traffic calming initiatives.
BrykerWoods finished 2nd place (behind the CherryWood
neighborhood). As a traffic engineer, I think that
you would probably agree that the
BrykerWoods neighborhood is long over due for a
traffic-calming program.
Finally, my solution? Excluding the option of closing
the ramps (for which I think there is some very
good argument), a better solution in my opinion
would involve the use of
traffic calming devices
to SLOW traffic (similar to what has been done
on Westover) and the installation of signage and/or
lights placed in the
pavement to EXPLICITLY
notify traffic of high pedestrian activity. Similar
to what has been done to increase pedestrian safety
on Cross Park Drive at the TCAD
facility and on Barton Springs road at the Austin
Energy building pedestrian crossing. I am not quite
so sure what could be done about the cars “cue
jumping” MoPAC’s rush hour traffic via the Westover and
Northwood ramps. This will continue to be a problem
given the existing layout of the interchange.
Thank you for taking the time to present your observations
and expertise. Although I disagree with you on
the “effectiveness” of
the new stop signs, I share your concerns for neighborhood
safety. Please feel free to contact me and the
BrykerWoods Neighborhood Association for further discussion
and I encourage you to attend the WANG meeting
Monday night October 4th where TxDOT will
be speaking directly on the Westover/Northwood
Loop1 interchange!
Current Traffic problems within the Bryker Woods Neighborhood:
Action we can take now includes contacting
the city of Austin Traffic Calming department
and expressing concern about the excessive volume of
commuter traffic
using our neighborhood streets. The city has a process of determining
which neighborhoods receive attention for traffic calming projects and the
neighborhood that has the highest number of individual
traffic complaints receives attention.
In other words, the raw number of complaints count. A letter from the neighborhood
association carries the exact same weight as a letter from a resident. Note,
the traffic calming department will determine which neighborhoods are to
receive attention early in the summer. Bryker Woods residents
are encourage to contact
the city of Austin Traffic Calming department (see links below).
Residents of Bryker Woods will have to take lead
if any action is to be made to improve the traffic
situation
on our streets. Our neighborhood streets and the access
ramps on MoPAC (the root of Bryker Wood's
traffic problem) are undoubtedly a convenience for
many commuters. However for those who do not live
in Bryker Woods, the traffic problem we face every
day is not an issue - they simply pass through the neighborhood
frequently at high rates of speed. By directly expressing
to the City of Austin Traffic Calming Department
our concerns, it will make our long overlooked
traffic problem more difficult for the city and others
to ignore.
The
future of MoPAC?
In
2001 the Texas
Department of Transportation (TxDOT) was planning "improvements" scheduled
for MoPac. The changes were being made to improve
flow and reduce congestion along the highway.
The construction is scheduled to begin
in about 5 to 7 years. At this time several plans
are being considered (more information may be
found at http://www.mopac183.com.
Of the several plans being discussed, there are
several issues that will directly effect the
Bryker Woods Neighborhood.
- possible widening of MoPac (the addition of highway lanes)
- 35th Street interchange modifications (rerouting 35th Street under MoPac)
- modification or closing of the Westover/Northwood access ramps
- noise and aesthetic concerns (upper level HOV lanes)
Also see Stateman article Panel unveils MoPac ideas (September 29, 2001)
The initial TxDOT proposal.
TxDOT initially presented the Bryker Woods Neighborhood Association (BWNA) a plan for MoPac that called for 2 to 4 lanes of expansion. The interchange at 35th street was to be drastically modified. Plans showed 35th street going under MoPac and the access ramps at 35th street being streamlined. The plans presented to the BWNA board also showed the Westover/Northwood access ramps as being closed. The ramp closure was proposed for the following reasons: 1) reduce congestion on MoPac between Windsor and 35th Street and 2) permit safer and more efficient access ramps at the Windsor and the 35th street interchanges.
Since
the TxDOT presentation to the BWNA board, the plans
initially presented for MoPac are being reexamined
and the closing of the Westover/Northwood
ramps is now being reconsidered. This change quite
possibly effects BrykerWoods the greatest on account
that the modification of the Westover/Northwood
access ramps will require re-engineering should the
ramps remian open. Learn the latest regarding
TxDOT's plans for MoPAC by visiting the "MoPAC
Improvement Study" webpage.
What this means for the Bryker Woods neighborhood.
A lead engineer on the MoPac project has indicated that if the Northwood/Westover MoPac access ramps are to remain open, homes will have to be removed. Furthermore, if the Westover/Northwood ramps are to remain open the ramps will be re-engineered for greater efficiency. Therefore placing even more "cut-through" traffic on our neighborhood streets by making the ramps capable of delivering more commuter traffic through our neighborhood.
The removal of homes within the neighborhood is of dire concern. The issue "cut-though" traffic is also extremely important to the quality of life in BrykerWoods. At this time Northwood, 29th and Jefferson are all officially classified as "neighborhood" streets and not "arterial" streets. The re-engineering and reconstruction of the Westover/Northwood access ramps will clearly jeopardize the classification and "official" use of the BrykerWoods neighborhood streets. It is crucial that we do not permit the destruction of neighborhood homes and the reclassification of our neighborhood streets.
What can Bryker Woods residents do?
Express your concerns directly to TxDOT, CAMPO and the city council. Letters and faxes are most effective, email and calls are documented as well. And the number of concerns directly expressed by neighborhood residents will be used in the decision process. Below is contact information for TxDOT, CAMPO and the city of Austin Council members' contact information may be found on the Neighborhood Hyperlinks file.
You can also attend the BWNA annual meeting scheduled for Fall 2001. Come back to BrykerWoods.org for meeting dat, time and location.
The expansion of MoPac poses serious threat to the quality of life within our neighborhood. BrykerWoods must inform TxDOT, CAMPO and the City Council that we are very concerned about the effects the expansion and changes of MoPac will have on our neighborhood. Unless we as residents of BrykerWoods express our voice, other neighborhoods will determine how the land and streets in our neighborhood will be used.
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