About 50 people gathered for the community meeting that was held by Councilman Pelaez at Brandeis HS on Thursday night (9/13/18).

Among the participants were families who have been affected by auto accidents on Kyle Seale Parkway.

And there were many who have been pressing for weeks or months for something to be done to make the road safer. Some have been in conversation with school leaders, others with district leaders, others with the councilman’s office, some with SAPD and others with city officials.

Now, we are coming together with a common voice and had a valuable opportunity last night to talk through different options before us.

Also at the meeting were our SAFE officers, the NISD Chief of Police, Principal Dr. Berger, Superintendent Dr. Woods, the BHS PTSA president, public affairs staff from NISD and SAPD and many members of the councilman’s staff.

Councilman Pelaez led the meeting, making it clear that he wanted to make sure the city was doing what it needs to do so that school leaders can focus on running the school, rather than the school having to work around issues because the city wasn’t doing its job.

He invited Arthur Reinhardt, Assistant Director of SA Transportation and Capital Improvements, up front to discuss possible road and signage options. The dialog gave him a chance to get feedback and get a better idea of who uses the parking lot when.

Councilman Pelaez first reported on the budget action that the city council had just taken earlier in the day. The budget has $10 million for the city to take care of streets and sidewalks that need attention. And it adds more SAPD officers. It also includes money for a new stoplight in front of the school (see detail below), which was proposed following a traffic study that was conducted at the request of BHS and NISD.

The long, long range plan for Kyle Seale Parkway in front of the school is for it to be a four-lane road. The land is already accounted for. Some of the previous decisions about the original school zone speed limit of 30 mpg, etc., are based on that plan.

Following are highlights of the different strategies and ideas we discussed.

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Main Entrance – Possibilities:

– Long Term: The city will fast-track the installation of the stop light. The process usually takes 18 months, but it will be ready in early 2019. “Design will start tomorrow,” Reinhardt said.

– Interim: The city can install stop signs (which of course will be in effect 24/7 rather than just during peak traffic times).

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North “Band” Entrance – Possibilities:

► The city can move the crosswalk to the other side of the driveway and extend the sidewalk, which will prevent students from having to cross the driveway traffic (without a crosswalk) in order to get the crosswalk.

► The city can install vertical delineators in the center of the road pretty quickly. This would prevent left turns in and out of the parking lot at the “band entrance.” Mr. Reinhardt acknowledged that this could potentially impact school operations. There was consensus that this would cause new problems. For example, traffic flow in the parking lot would be even more congested before and after school.

► The city can install a flashing crosswalk sign, called a HAWK beacon. These lights are used to stop road traffic and allow pedestrians to cross safely. The group liked this idea, since it would finally give students a protected way to cross the street.

► The city is already in conversations with the owner of the property at Kyle Seale and Hausman. The recently were able to get the vegetation trimmed back. The property is now for sale, which could open up some options for the city to be able to straighten out the road, create a turn lane or at a minimum install a sidewalk (actually the sidewalk may still be possible depending on the property line).

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Kyle Seale Parkway – Possibilities:

► The city can reduce the school zone speed limit to 20 mph. City ordinance sets school zones at 20, 25 or 30 mph based on the size of the road, etc. Since Kyle Seale is not yet four-lanes, it makes sense to lower the limit. (Note that the school and district got the speed limit reduced from 30 to 25 earlier.) The consensus in the room last night was that going to 20 mph is a no-brainer.

► At the group’s request, SAPD will patrol the area more often, especially in the next few weeks, to watch out for speeders and drivers who run the red light at Hausman and Kyle Seale Parkway (thus, more tickets to enforce the safety laws).

► SAPD does not have the personnel available to have an officer direct traffic. Off-duty officers may be available, but the district would be responsible for hiring someone. (Note that crossing guards cannot direct traffic.) Dr. Woods stated that if the city takes some actions, the district will commit to hiring an off-duty officer (no timeline for this was discussed).

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Other Discussion Points

► Red light cameras are not an option. San Antonio does not have any, and the Governor just announced his intention to ban them anyway.

► Regarding the stop light at Hausman and Kyle Seale and having to sit through several cycles when there’s no traffic coming the other way, this is a maintenance issue with the default timing system. You can call 311 (or use the city’s new app) to let them know, and they’ll fix it.

► Adding another exit from the parking lot onto Champions Gate isn’t a workable option for a variety of reasons.

► The SAPD representative clarified the law regarding driver responsibilities at crosswalks.

• When a pedestrian is on the curb, waiting to cross, the car is not required to have to stop (which surprised folk, including the officer).
• When a pedestrian is on the crosswalk in a different lane than the car, the car is not required to have to stop (crazy right?).
• When a pedestrian is on the crosswalk in the same lane than the car, the car IS required to have to stop.

► Dr. Berger took a moment to share just some of the ways the school has been pro-actively working to protect the students. In the first week of school, juniors and seniors are brought together to review the being a responsible of teen driver. Student parking permits are suspended when there is a concern. Working with the PTSA and booster organizations. She is communicating with teachers, meeting with safety ambassadors, and working with the councilman’s office and with NISD (see post on September 11).

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Stay Up to Date

► Councilman Pelaez will provide updates by email. Contact his office to get on his email list or to ask questions: 210.207.0943 or laura.garza@sanantonio.gov.

► Brandeis HS will post news on the school website.

► I will continue to post news on this blog. If you have news, please comment on this or upcoming posts.