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<br />Regular Meeting <br /> <br />November 21, 2006 <br /> <br />Page 5 <br /> <br />A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN MARCOS, TEXAS, <br />I ADOPTING A REVISED INVESTMENT POLICY; AND DECLARING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. <br /> <br />Mayor Narvaiz introduced Item 33, a discussion regarding traffic diverters <br />and traffic problems in the Hughson Heights neighborhood and direction to <br />Staff. Mr. O'Leary stated in 2004, the Council was made aware of a cut <br />through traffic on Hughson Heights. In May of 2004 passed an Ordinance to <br />restrict use in the area and make improvements on Craddock. He stated the <br />Council also gave directions to bring back this issue once the improvements <br />were made, to whether the diverters would be removed or permanent. Jane <br />Hughson, Chair of the Transportation Advisory Board, stated the diverters <br />were intended to be temporary until the improvements in the light and a <br />protected left turn was completed. She stated the Transportation Advisory <br />Board discussed waiting to take down diverters until people were used to <br />the lights. She stated the Board also reviewed traffic counts. She stated <br />they recommended the removal of the diverters and to do counts again <br />without the diverters. Mr. Jones inquired to other mechanisms that could <br />be used to calm traffic. Sabas Avila, Assistant Director of Engineering, <br />stated there are different options available. He stated there are traffic <br />calming options such as speed humps and chicanes, which creates a weave to <br />reduce speeders. He stated there are three problems 1) Trafficj 2) <br />Speeding; 3) Concern about students making left on to RR12 without a <br />I signal. He stated he feels diverters addressed all of these issues. Mr. <br />Thomaides stated he served on the Transportation Advisory Board when the <br />original diverters were discussed. He stated the vote was to put the <br />diverters in and to bring this subject back each year and look at the <br />problem. He stated he feels if you hit a speed bump on a narrow street it <br />can be dangerous. He stated he feels there is a higher percentage of <br />citizens who want to keep the diverters. He stated he supports the <br />diverters and making them look nicer. Mr. Bose inquired to the differences <br />in the speed limits. Mr. Avila stated Sierra Circle is 20 mph and Hughson <br />is 30 mph. He stated there is a new law which allows Cities to reduce <br />speed limits to 25 mph without an engineering study, and the streets must <br />be 35 feet wide or less. He stated Chaparral and Algarita are less than <br />the 35 feet, but Hughson is not. Mr. Guerrero stated he feels the <br />diverters are in place and a good number of people like the structures. <br />Mr. Jones inquired to whether there is a way to make these diverters look <br />more permanent. Mr. Avila stated a curb island with landscaping in the <br />middle is the more popular permanent structure. Mr. Thomaides inquired to <br />whether the City can improve the section in front of Hughson. Mr. Avila <br />stated the improvement could be considered as a CIP. Mr. Bose stated he <br />supports the idea of taking the diverter off of Hughson but not the other <br />streets. The Council agreed by consensus to leave the diverters in until <br />I we have another solution. The Council also agreed by consensus to consider <br />making the diverters permanent and to also address safety issues. The <br />Council also asked the Board to review different streets for humps. Mayor <br />Narvaiz asked citizens to take issues to Transportation Advisory Board so <br />they can discuss them and then bring the issues to the Council. The <br />