City Updates: Bicycle-Auto Collision on Oak at Carroll, Sidewalks on Riney Road, DCTA Priorities
The Denton Friday Staff Report for February 17 included information about a collision at the intersection of Oak Street and Carroll Boulevard, Riney Road sidewalks, and Denton City Council priorities for DCTA.
Driver Collides with Bicyclist on Oak Street at Carroll Boulevard
W Oak Street at Carroll Boulevard.
The bike lane on Oak Street at Carroll Boulevard has perplexed both people driving and bicycling. The bike lane is to the right of right-turning motorists. Bicyclists heading straight and motorists turning right are given a green light at the same time, creating a conflict.
Motorists may turn right without detecting someone in the bike lane or may misunderstand who has the right-of-way, resulting in a right-hook collision.
On page six of the Friday Staff Report, staff responded to an inquiry from Council Member Brian Beck about a collision at this location.
“On Feb. 15, Mayor Pro Tem Beck asked staff to assess the intersection of Oak Street and Carroll Boulevard, citing safety concerns after a bicyclist was hit by a vehicle using the bike lane as a turn lane.
Staff evaluated the intersection and found that the intersection is correctly striped; however, the striping appeared significantly faded.
Staff will refresh the striping to highlight the bike lane and will continue to monitor the intersection, while also evaluating other solutions for the intersection.”
One way cities reduce the risk of right-hook collisions is by installing a bicycle-specific traffic signal to separate when right turning motorists and bicyclists heading straight may proceed.
Riney Road Sidewalks
Riney Road is a two-lane street that connects Bonnie Brae Street and N Elm St / US 77.
Google Maps image with Riney Road highlighted.
Riney Road also connects to Bronco Way, which runs along the north side of the new Denton High School. The portion of Riney Road near Bonnie Brae lacks sidewalks, forcing students to walk in the narrow street with motor vehicles.
Three students walking to the new Denton High School on Riney Road in August, 2022. (Photo source: Facebook, Charles W. Scott)
Denton ISD plans to build a new elementary school on the south side of Riney Road near Bonnie Brae, which will further increase demand for safe routes for students heading to school.
Planned location of new elementary school. (Image source: Denton Planning & Zoning Commission, 02/15/2023 agenda item PP23-0001, Exhibit 3)
Staff responded to an inquiry from Council Member Jesse Davis regarding sidewalks on Riney Road on pages six and seven of the Friday Staff Report.
“On Feb. 15, Council Member Davis asked several questions related to Riney Road, including project phasing, funding sources, and right-of-way acquisition.
Council Member Davis also inquired whether the sidewalk portion of the project could be moved to the first part of the construction timeline.
The eastern portion of Riney Road from the Denton ISD property to US 77/Elm Street has completed the planning phase; however, no funding has been identified for this project.
Once design funding is provided, Capital Projects can move this project into the design phase. Staff estimates a 6-month design timeframe with a 10-to-12-month construction timeframe.
Additional right-of-way along the south side of Riney Road between the Denton ISD property and G. Roland Vela Soccer Complex would need to be acquired from two property owners on the south side of Riney Road to allow for continuous sidewalk connectivity and uniform street width along Riney Road.
During Bonnie Brae phase 6, a sidewalk will be installed along the south side of Riney Road, ending construction on the west side of the Denton ISD property identified as the new elementary school site.
The elementary school project will include the installation of a sidewalk along their frontage during the construction of the school.
Bonnie Brae Phase 6 will also install a sidewalk along the north side of Riney Road and will connect to the existing sidewalk that was installed by development projects.
Bonnie Brae Phase 6 is estimated to be advertised for bid next month with construction anticipated to start in Q2 of 2023, pending one parcel acquisition.
Moving the construction of sidewalks to the beginning of construction is not advisable as sidewalks are easily damaged by construction equipment.
Directing the contractor to construct them first will open the city up to the risk and extra costs of replacement should
they be damaged.
An alternative option would be to install a temporary sidewalk with temporary construction materials, but this option would not be ADA-compliant and would be difficult for those on bicycles.”
Denton City Council’s Priorities for DCTA
During a work session on February 7, the Denton City Council identified priorities they want Denton representation to the DCTA Board to pursue.
Denton City Manager, Sara Hensley, drafted a formal letter to DCTA with the city council’s priorities. Staff shared the letter with council members on page 10 of the Friday Staff Report.
“Dear Board Member Maguire,
On Feb. 7, 2023, the Denton City Council held a work session discussion to provide direction regarding its transit-related policy priorities and what policies it desires the City’s Denton County Transit Authority (DCTA) board representative to advance while serving on the DCTA Board of Directors.
This message is to formally communicate to you those policy priorities determined by the City Council at the Feb. 7 meeting.
The Denton City Council would like its board representative to advocate for:
1. Information on the use of technology, such as geofencing, and related strategies to ensure that GoZone usage at the UNT campus does not adversely impact availability in other areas of the City;
2. Services to the industrial areas of the City of Denton, particularly those west of I-35W;
3. Maximizing service usage per dollars spent;
4. Implementation of a”no-fare” structure; and
5. The provision of standby, on-call, or”hot shot” services to ensure timely and consistent GoZone rides, particularly for vulnerable populations.
The Council discuss can be viewed on the City of Denton website at www.cityofdenton.com/publicmeetings.
Thank you for your service on behalf of the City of Denton.
Sincerely,
Sara Hensley
City Manager”
Friday Staff Reports are released almost every Friday on the city’s Friday Staff Reports to City Council webpage.
