Flower Mound: Riverwalk at Central Park

[Alex Rodriguez]

Many years delayed, they finally had a grand opening last night.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/2 ... nd-Opening

Not sure why they decided to have a "Grand Opening" now, except for the fact that the "River" is fully operational. There are no restaurants or retail along the river, all of that is along the main roads on the perimeter of the property. There is a Courtyard by Marriott that is near completion, and of course a ton of apartments and some townhomes. There is also a hospital on the perimeter that has been open for a few years.

Until they get started on the riverside retail and restaurants, its way incomplete. Here is an aerial overview from last month if you have 4 minutes...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGGybzPqmHo

[muncien]

Somewhat, but not directly related to this development...
I came down FM2499 this morning on our way back from camping for the weekend. We passed this development around 7:55am and got a real-world commuter experience from these parts. I honestly felt like the recent improvements along this corridor meant capacity wouldn't be an issue. I was totally wrong... This drive was hell this morning, and with no accidents or construction, it just seems to be the case always. Add to it that you have some of these mega developments going in along it, plus lots of undeveloped land in south Flower Mound ready to go, I really feel sorry for the folks that live out this way. Sure, they most likely have a boat load of cash and the area up towards Lake Highlands is quite nice, but man... life is too short to sit in traffic.
I really fear for what this area will be like in 15 years. It's not like you could (or would want to) build a freeway here. Hurtin...

[Alex Rodriguez]

The drive on 2499 between 407 and 3040 is awful. Flower Mound is the absolute worst about the timing of lights, and they have installed lights seemingly every 50 feet on that stretch, virtually every one of them is geared to trip when a single car approaches the intersection from the side street. Its a joke.

Flower Mound could mitigate a huge part of the problem by timing their lights but they apparently have no one capable of doing it for them. They have top dollar signal lights, and signal cameras, but don't know how to use them at all.

[tamtagon]

Flower Mound and more so Roanoke are in a sweet spot, would be such a shame if decision makers let traffic ruin it.

[Alex Rodriguez]

I went ahead and poked the bear since I was all worked up about Flower Mounds terrible lights. Thought you guys might find this interesting if you have 5-10 minutes. Email thread starts at bottom....

So tiring to hear "traffic studies" and "its so hard." Pretty much the same answer I got 4-5 years ago, the last time I ruffled feathers over at Town Hall. Other towns seem to be able to do it, but apparently Flower Mound is special...LOL

----------------------------------------

Alex Rodriguez Today at 2:53 PM
To Matthew Hotelling
CC Mayor - Tom Hayden Place1 - Jason Webb Place2 - Bryan Webb Place3 - Kevin Bryant Place4 - Don McDaniel and 4 more...

Thanks Matthew for the information and the detail. Whatever you can do to improve it would be beneficial.

My biggest issue isn't so much at the big intersections, but the fact that the lights in between the big intersections aren't synchronized either. Going South on 2499 from 1171 to 3040 for instance, it is a normal occurrence to be stopped at Churchill, Sagebrush, Firewheel and Forest Vista. When there are 14 lights in a 5 mile stretch of road, at the least, could the Town figure out timing for a stretch like this? My earlier email, its not exaggerating that if I'm travelling on 2499 between 1171 and 407, I'll be stopped at Windsor, West Windsor, Waketon, and Dixon.

I understand that a emergency vehicle can throw off sequencing, that cannot be avoided. But I also regularly travel along 1171 in Lewisville, and for instance, if you get stopped at Old Orchard heading East, it is very common from that point to hit green lights at Civic, Valley, Civic again, Summit and Wal-Mart. Sometimes all the way through Edmonds and I-35. Coming back east bound, its the same thing. Usually one stop and then its green all the way through. This is day in, day out. An emergency vehicle does throw the sequencing off for sure, but that is the exception, not the rule.

It should be an attainable goal to greatly reduce the stops between major intersections.

Thanks for your time, appreciate the information, and your timely, thoughtful responses to my email. Hopefully you guys can get this optimized asap.

Regards,


Alex


From: Matthew Hotelling <matthew.hotelling@flower-mound.com>
To: 'Alex Rodriguez'
Cc: Mayor - Tom Hayden <Mayor@flower-mound.com>; Place1 - Jason Webb <PLACE1@flower-mound.com>; Place2 - Bryan Webb <PLACE2@flower-mound.com>; Place3 - Kevin Bryant <PLACE3@flower-mound.com>; Place4 - Don McDaniel <Place4@flower-mound.com>; Place5 - Itamar Gelbman <PLACE5@flower-mound.com>; Jimmy Stathatos <jimmy.stathatos@flower-mound.com>; Debra Wallace <debra.wallace@flower-mound.com>; Kenneth Parr <kenneth.parr@flower-mound.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 9, 2017 11:44 AM
Subject: RE: 2499 and 1171 in DESPERATE need of signal light timing

Mr. Rodriguez,

First of all thank you for your concerns with the traffic conditions of our town. We are currently working on two projects to improve both of those corridors. The FM 1171 is nearing completion through a North Central Texas Council of Governments grant. We’ve recently completed our traffic study on FM 2499 and currently working through that information and updating the timing plans through that area. Information received through our Traffic Operations Manager who is looking at the data has indicated that we are seeing about a 20% increase in the numbers since that last study was done approximately 4 years ago.

With that said, we will not be able to retime our way out of the congestion. Improve, yes. Eliminate, no. It’s not as simple as using a stopwatch. Delay at intersection needs to be taken into consideration for all of the drivers involved, including the side streets. The general purpose of signals is to allow a safer entry for the side street into the main street flow. Traffic signal inhibit main street flow simply by being in operation. Just to put into perspective the amount of traffic that is being accommodated through, for instance, the FM 1711 and FM 2499 intersection during the peak hours is 6,092 and 6,772 during the AM and PM peak hour respectively. Equivalent of the entire population of either Decatur or Bridgeport in a single occupant vehicle during the peak hour. The best laid plans can get thwarted if a fire truck, EMS, PD is traveling through the intersection on an emergency call or a pedestrian crosses any intersection along the corridor during the peak hours. Any of these can cause the sequencing of the traffic lights to be out of sync for upwards of 10 minutes. During those 10 minutes, traffic does not flow efficiently and causes more congestion that hopefully the system can recover from during the remaining peak hour. Major intersections like FM 2499 and FM 1171 are unlikely to recover very well. If there is a particular intersection along the corridor that you are having issues with, please let me know the intersection and the time of day that you are traveling through.

Matt

Matthew J. Hotelling, P.E., PTOE
Traffic Engineer
Town of Flower Mound
Ofc: 972-874-6303
Fax: 972-874-6472

FourColor-Square

One Text or Call could Wreck it All
.................................................................................
Don't Drive Distracted by talking on the phone or texting.
See this site for more information:
http://www.distraction.gov/
.................................................................................

From: Alex Rodriguez
Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2017 11:09 AM
To: Place3 - Kevin Bryant; Jimmy Stathatos; Matthew Hotelling
Subject: Re: 2499 and 1171 in DESPERATE need to signal light timing

Thank you very much for your quick response. While I understand not wanting to re do traffic studies, I'm trying to understand why some type of traffic study / professional services engagement is needed.

Get someone with a stopwatch and someone who knows how to program your existing traffic management system and get it done, the citizens of this Town shouldn't have to wait for possibly years for a new traffic study.

Again, thanks.

Alex

From: Place3 - Kevin Bryant <PLACE3@flower-mound.com>
To: Alex Rodriguez; Jimmy Stathatos <jimmy.stathatos@flower-mound.com>; Matthew Hotelling <matthew.hotelling@flower-mound.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 9, 2017 10:28 AM
Subject: Re: 2499 and 1171 in DESPERATE need of signal light timing

Thank you for contacting us. We are aware of the traffic issues in our town and we are working on resolutions. We have requested a traffic study on each of the main roadways to have the signals optimised to the best setting for traffic flow. We are waiting on all the recent construction projects to be finished so we won't have to re do these studies again.

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

-------- Original message --------
From: Alex Rodriguez
Date: 5/9/17 10:20 AM (GMT-06:00)
To: Mayor - Tom Hayden <Mayor@flower-mound.com>, Place1 - Jason Webb <PLACE1@flower-mound.com>, Place2 - Bryan Webb <PLACE2@flower-mound.com>, Place3 - Kevin Bryant <PLACE3@flower-mound.com>, Place4 - Don McDaniel <Place4@flower-mound.com>, Place5 - Itamar Gelbman <PLACE5@flower-mound.com>, Heather Garner <heather.garner@flower-mound.com>
Subject: 2499 and 1171 in DESPERATE need of signal light timing

Hello, my name is Alex Rodriguez, I'm a resident of Flower Mound for the past 15 years. I live at xxxx xxxxxxx Dr.

First of all, thank you for your service. Congrats to those of you who won your races in the recent election. The topic of this email is something I'm sure most of you have at least heard about from other citizens, or have familiarity with with driving on 2499 or 1171.

2499 between 3040 Lakeside and 407 is possibly one of the least efficient corridors in all of DFW from a traffic management perspective. There are, by my count 14 lights in that stretch, and there are plans to add at least 1 more at College Parkway. And most days, you will likely be stopped by 12 or 13 lights in that stretch. I would be happy to record a typical commute on the stretch, either northbound or southbound, and bring the video into a town council meeting for review. If so, please pack a lunch as the video will likely take the entire length of the Town Council meeting to play from beginning to end.

I've heard similar feedback from multiple friends in Flower Mound, and others that live in the periphery or Flower Mound who have had the misfortune of having to take 2499 to Grapevine Mills or DFW airport. Not only is it inconvenient for residents to sit in light after light, but the amount of pollution that is created from cars idling at intersections is not something a Town so concerned with the environment and the Master Plan should be happy about.

All the signals at the locations in question appear to have Traffic Management capabilities. Why can't the Town of Flower Mound synchronize the lights in either direction during rush hour? Synchronize southbound in the mornings, northbound in the evenings? Obviously would be difficult at the major intersections, but between 1171 and 407, you shouldn't have to stop 5 times (soon to be 6) at Windsor, West Windsor, Waketon, Dixon, and then 3040. Same between 3040 and 1171. Why do the lights seemingly give priority to side street traffic at those locations?

Lewisville does a much better job of light timing on 1171 between Garden Ridge and I35E, eastbound during the mornings, westbound in the evenings.

Sadly 1171 in Flower Mound doesn't benefit from the traffic management setup that Lewisville has, but I won't bore you with another paragraph describing that mess and tangle of lights all the way to Bridlewood.

This should be an easy win for someone in Traffic Management, and the Town. Figure it out! Many other towns in the area have.

Thanks!

Alex Rodriguez
214-999-9999

[Alex Rodriguez]

http://www.crosstimbersgazette.com/2018 ... th-or-two/

Once this parking garage is finally done, the Restaurant Row will come out of the ground. Will be nice when it's not just a large apartment and townhome complex with a river running through it.