Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 128, No. 18, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 1, 2014 Page: 3 of 25
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Hondo Anvil Herald • Thursday, May 1, 2014 • 3A
Safety concerning CR 341
dominates public hearing
By Jamie Kindred
Anvil Herald Staff
A public hearing to con-
sider reducing the speed
limit on all or portions of
County Roads 4631, 4632
and 4634 and establish a
uniform speed limit on
CR 341, located in Pre-
cinct 1, had residents fill-
ing the seats during Mon-
day’s Commissioners Court
meeting.
Several Medina County
residents who all reside
along CR 341 were present
and requested time to ad-
dress the court.
Before beginning the
hearing, County Judge Jim
Barden reminded the par-
ticipants they would have
three minutes to speak.
CR 341 resident Mark
Matthews declared, “I’m
opposed to a uniform
speed limit on CR 341. I’m
for commercial trucks be-
ing limited to 30 mph and
light duty/passenger ve-
hicles limited to 45 mph.”
Fourteen-year landown-
er Peggy Smith was vis-
ibly upset, saying, “I am
also opposed to a uniform
speed limit. I am demand-
ing Hondo Creek cross-
ing be widened to no less
than 20 feet. I am afraid for
myself, my friends and my
family. I have been run off
the road to avoid collisions,
tailgated and intimidated.
“It is my obvious opin-
ion that a 50,000 pound
commercial truck and a
passenger vehicle have
different safe speeds,” she
added. “I’m angry and I’m
frustrated that my com-
missioner has been unco-
operative and unrespon-
sive to my complaints. Our
plea is for help. It is my
opinion that if no action
is taken, serious injury or
death will occur.”
Patricia McGill reiterated
the concerns of many pres-
ent. “(The truck drivers) are
very aggressive. They will
tailgate you, they will drive
you into the ditch. My wind-
shield is broken. I know
one (rock) hit me hard and
the driver knew what hap-
pened, but didn’t stop.
“There is no room for
a school bus and those
18-wheelers to pass each
other on that road. I wish
somebody would just talk to
them. I don’t think they care.”
Resident Jamie Watts,
pleaded with commission-
ers. “I live at the end of CR
341. My husband is a fire-
fighter in San Antonio and
I teach at the junior college
in Uvalde, so we each have
about a one-hour com-
mute to work.
“The most dangerous
part of our drive is the road
we live on. That is uncon-
scionable to me. I believe it
is the responsibility of our
elected officials to do ev-
erything in their power to
keep us safe.
“I believe a 30 mph com-
mercial speed limit would
be a step to that end, be-
cause these trucks are too
large for our road. This is
the first step that needs to
be taken. Please, do your
part to keep my family
safe,” she concluded.
Several other residents
along CR 341 agreed and
had similar opinions. Byron
Watts added, “I am opposed
to uniform speed limit. That
road was not built for com-
mercial vehicles carrying
50,000 pounds; it’s obvious,
because of brake marks
all up and down the road.
Nothing has been done and
I am frustrated. Our com-
missioner has been unre-
sponsive.”
Robert Moore voiced
concerns regarding the
water crossing on CR 341.
He said he understood that
the entire road would be
widened. “People used to
ride their bikes and jog on
that road. They don’t any-
more because they’ll be
run over.”
Barden interrupted, “Let
me clarify. The widen-
ing of the road comment
(at a previous CC meet-
ing) was meant to be ad-
dressed to widening the
low water crossing, not the
road. We would not con-
sider acquiring additional
property to widen the road
- we are simply working
towards widening the low
water crossing.”
Nunley Firm Attorney
Grady Jolley, a former resi-
dent of Medina County,
now residing in Boerne,
brought forth an idea com-
missioners might use as
solution. “I haven’t been
paid to be here, I was just
asked and consulted.
“One of the reasons I
came is because we faced
a similar situation in Ken-
dall County a few years ago
where we had a new sub-
division being constructed
at end of a county road.
Kendall County was able
to draft an ordinance that
not only helped control
speed, but also governed
weight and axle limit on
that road. I think there are
some options available
under specific provisions
of the transportation code
you could look at that can
help,” he continued.
“Politically, it seems very
simple to me. You’ve got a
number of very concerned
citizens and you’re going
to need to do something to
help the situation. I’m sure
you don’t doubt the veraci-
ty of what these people are
saying. They’ve got a prob-
lem. I sent a simple draft
based on the ordinance
we used in Kendall County
and it cites the sections of
the Transportation Code
that give you that author-
ity, so I don’t see why you
wouldn’t do it. Your voters
want help. You have the
ability to help them.”
Jolley also looked at the
incentive of the truck driv-
ers. “The only people that
are really going to com-
plain about it are some
non-county resident truck
drivers who are probably
paid by the load rather than
the hour or mile. They’ve
got every incentive in the
world to go as fast as they
can and make as many
trips a day as they can.
“You’re going to have to
give them an incentive to
open another road over to
State Highway 173. If you
slow them down enough,
they will find the materi-
als, they’ll find road grad-
ers and bulldozers and
they’ll find another access
to Hwy. 173, because this
will become too inconve-
nient for them, and that
would be the ultimate so-
lution. You don’t have the
power to order them to do
that, but you can certainly
make it inconvenient and
uncomfortable for them to
continue to use CR 341,”
the attorney concluded.
Barden requested a copy
of the ordinance Kendall
County passed so he could
take it before the county’s
attorney.
Jolley explained the or-
dinance defines commer-
cial vehicles by number
of axles. Jolley advised the
court, “This defines the
truck traffic as trucks with
more than two axles used
to deliver supplies for con-
struction or mining or oth-
er lawful purposes to and
from property. This would
exclude delivery vans and
pickup trucks.”
Precinct 1 Commissioner
Richard Saathoff addressed
the court and the residents
of CR 341. “I appreciate
everyone coming out and
voicing their opinion and
concerns and I think it’s a
fair statement. The court
is very familiar with it also,
and I’ve had my concerns
as well regarding the traffic
on CR 341.
“I can also understand
and see that it looks like
I have totally ignored it. I
think the rest of the court
is aware of things I have
brought forth regarding
341, and I recently got
an opinion from Austin,
which I have copied to the
rest of the court, as to what
can legally be done in a
situation such as this, so I
have not totally ignored it.
“As far as widening the
creek crossing, the county
has applied for a grant,”
Saathoff continued, “so we
are following the steps of
grant application to move
forward. In this case, we
may have to back off the
grant and address the safe-
ty situation on CR 341 and
move forward.
“As far as the speed limit
is concerned, I have lis-
tened to the citizens, I have
listened to the truckers,
and I have listened to law
enforcement personnel
and I hear all kinds of state-
ments,” the commissioner
continued. “My intention
was to try and make this
road as safe as possible
for everyone. My intention
was a uniform speed of 35
mph for everyone.
“From (FM) 462 to the
Hondo Creek, this has
been the speed limit, even
before my time as com-
missioner. We changed
that with recommenda-
tion from citizens to 45
mph up north to the creek.
I have no problem if we
feel considering 30 mph is
a solution for commercial
vehicles and 45 mph for
passenger vehicles.”
Barden advised the court
and its constituents that
he would like to look over
the ordinance Jolley pro-
vided and discuss it with
the county attorney.
Saathoff wholeheartedly
agreed with Barden, say-
ing, “I have no problem
with that, if we can do that.
I want to make it as safe as
we possibly can, as quickly
as we can.”
Because the agenda item
called for establishing a
“uniform” speed limit, an-
other public hearing will
need to be set. “I would
like to set another hearing
as soon as possible, so we
can make this road safe,”
Saathoff added.
Barden concluded the
hearing by suspending ac-
tion. “We will postpone ac-
tion today and set another
public hearing as soon as
possible. We will make the
agenda item as broad as pos-
sible so that action can be
taken at the next hearing.”
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Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 128, No. 18, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 1, 2014, newspaper, May 1, 2014; Hondo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth739776/m1/3/: accessed July 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hondo Public Library.