One Way To Get Rid of that Pesky Traffic: Take Away the Streets

ONE WAY TO GET RID OF THAT PESKY TRAFFIC: TAKE AWAY THE STREETS Sign, Kimberley Ln., Frostwood, HoustonSigns are up around the Memorial City Apartments at 872 Bettina Ln., immediately south of the Memorial City Mall and adjacent to Frostwood, announcing a request that the city abandon portions of Bettina Ct., Strey Ln., and Kimberley Ln. (where the above photo was taken). The request was submitted by the limited partnership that owns the apartments. Its purpose, according to the city’s public works department, is “to reduce the amount of cut-through traffic in the neighborhood.” If granted, the complex would grant the city utility easements over the existing right-of-way. There’s more to it, according to the public works department: “Right-of-way will also be conveyed back to the City for a cul-de-sac to be constructed at the new terminus of Kimberley Lane, which will provide a connection to the driveway in to Bunker Hill Elementary. The cul-de-sac will also contain a 911 emergency gate to allow emergency vehicles to access the apartment complex from Kimberley Lane. Access to Bettina Court and Strey Lane will remain open from Barryknoll Lane, but any traffic turning on to these streets after the abandonment will only be able to access the apartment complex. Signs notifying the public of the subject request were posted April 3, 2015 and will remain up for 30 days.” So is everyone on board with this? So far, only 9 calls have been made to the city in response to the signs, with just one objecting to the deal. Photo: Swamplot inbox

3 Comment

  • The purpose of this request (I assume) is to keep people from taking a shortcut through the apartments in order to avoid stopping at the light at Barryknoll and Plantation when either heading north on Plantation and turning right onto Barryknoll or when heading west on Barryknoll and turning left onto Plantation. As one who has made that turn in both directions literally thousands of times, the amount of time one can save avoiding this light by cutting through the apartments can at best be measured in seconds. You might be able to maximize this time-saving by really booking down Kimberley at high speed, but since this street borders an elementary school and a public playground, such behavior would be, well, bad citizenship at the very least.

    In other words, I think this is a perfectly reasonable idea.

  • This same sign is posed in the Heights at the corner of Studewood and Usener

    https://www.facebook.com/TheHeightsLife/posts/943385052367753

  • If they do not abandon the street, then when Metronational tears down the apartments in a few years and puts up retail/living/ dining spaces there (which they have stated is their intention), the traffic through all of memorial forest will get even worse than it currently is. BHE families wil lstill have access to the school via Kimberley, just not strey.