2017-068 Denton Red Light Cameras_ISRDate: September 15, 2017 Report No. 2017-066
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT
TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT:
Information regarding the City of Denton’s Red Light Camera Program
BACKGROUND:
A recent investigative news story from KXAN-TV of Austin reported that several cities within the
state were not in compliance with state law regarding their red light enforcement program. The
story explained that several Texas cities had not conducted the required engineering study
prescribed by Senate Bill 1119 (which became Chapter 707, Texas Transportation Code), which
was enacted on September 1, 2007. As a result of this news piece, some concerns were raised at
the September 12, 2017, City Council meeting about whether Denton’s program is in compliance.
A request was made to provide a report of Denton’s red light enforcement program and the
associated engineering studies.
City Staff has confirmed that Denton’s red light enforcement program is in compliance with state
law.
The City of Denton has 13 cameras monitoring 11 intersections. The camera intersections are:
1) Bell Avenue (northbound) at Hickory (installed 2006)
2) W. Oak (westbound) at Carroll (2006)
3) Mayhill (northbound and southbound) at Spencer (2006)
4) Shady Oaks (eastbound) at Woodrow (2006)
5) Ft. Worth (northbound) at I35E Service Road (2011)
6) University (eastbound and westbound) at Mayhill (2011)
7) Ft. Worth (southbound) at I35E Service Road (2013)
8) Loop 288 (northbound) at Spencer (2014)
9) Loop 288 (southbound) at I35E Service Road (2014)
10) Lillian Miller (eastbound) at I35E Service Road (2014)
11) University (westbound) at I35 Service Road (2014)
The City had contracted to install red light cameras at four intersections in 2006 and at that time
there was no requirement to conduct an engineering study and therefore they were never
completed. All other red light cameras since SB 1119’s passage engineering studies have been
completed. Subsequent installations were placed on TXDoT controlled roadways and all data has
been acquired and submitted to TXDOT in accordance to their format.
There is an exception for three of the cameras installed in 2011. When plans began for this these
cameras TXDoT had not created the standard form. As a result, staff gathered the required
information and presented our engineering findings to the Traffic Safety Commission in December
2007 and to the City Council in subsequent meetings. This information was then submitted to the
Dallas TXDOT office. Since that time, all subsequent cameras have used the standard TXDoT
format.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. KXAN News – Red Light Cameras
2. Municipal Maintenance Agreement Red Light
3. Engineering Report – Ft. Worth @ IH35E
4. Engineering Report – University(380) @ Mayhill
5. Engineering Report – Ft. Worth @ I35
6. Engineering Report – Loop 288 @ Spencer
7. Engineering Report – Loop 288 @ I35
8. Engineering Report – Lillian Miller @ I35
9. Engineering Report – 380 wb @ I35
STAFF CONTACT:
Mario Canizares, Assistant City Manager
(940) 349-8535
Mario.Canizares@cityofdenton.com
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Canizares, Mario
Red light cameras across Texas could be
operating illegally
Red light cameras investigation.
By Jody BarrPublished: September 10, 2017, 7:30 pm Updated: September 10, 2017, 9:21 pm
Austin's Red Light Cameras
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- There are nine intersections in Austin, armed with a red light camera. You might not notice
them, but roll through a red light or roll past that white stop bar painted on the ground and you’re likely to end
up with a $75 ticket in the mail.
Austin is one of 60 cities across Texas to have installed red light cameras. Several of those cities have gotten
rid of their cameras; mostly because when voters have a say, they vote the cameras out of town.
But, a KXAN Investigation of how these cities installed the cameras shows most all are not in compliance with
state law—the law that gave cities the right to charge a civil fine for running a red light.
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Before Sept. 1, 2007, there were no rules on how much Texas cities could charge for running a red light. There
were no rules on how cities could contract with camera companies with respect to keeping cameras from being
used to fill quotas and be turned into money makers for cities.
With the passage of Senate Bill 1119 in 2007, that all changed. The new law gave cities the right to charge
drivers civil fines for red light running instead of the criminal penalty. The law became part of Texas
Transportation Code, Section 707.003.
The law had one major requirement before a city could install a red light camera: perform a traffic engineering
study. Those studies required cities to look for other adjustments that could be made to an intersection to
reduce crashes before installing a red light camera—or to help reduce the chances of people running a red
light.
In order to find out which cities complied with the law, KXAN filed public records requests with every city that
we could find records of ever using a red light camera. KXAN received records from 50 cities. Our analysis of
those records shows only three cities appear to have conducted a traffic engineering study that was signed
and sealed by a licensed Texas engineer: Abilene, College Station and Southlake.
“We found—more than once, on multiple, multiple occasions…there’s a lot of cities that just didn’t comply with
this traffic engineering study requirement—at all,” Russell Bowman told KXAN. Bowman is an attorney in Irving
and got a red light ticket in Richardson, Texas in November of 2012. Bowman said he wasn’t driving the car at
the time, but someone in his family was. Bowman still got the ticket and would have to prove it wasn’t him
running the red light.
Bowman chose to fight the $75 ticket. It was nothing more than a fight on principal, Bowman said.
“They ticketed the wrong guy this time,” Bowman told KXAN investigator Jody Barr.
Bowman filed records requests with Richardson’s city hall. The lack of response, he said, caused him to sue
the city.
Knowing the state required cities to perform a traffic engineering study for each red light camera as of Sept. 1,
2007, Bowman wanted to see if Richardson ever performed the study. Richardson officials, Bowman said,
never answered his request to see their study.
"I know why they didn’t respond to my letter because they never did those things,” Bowman said. “When I’m
looking at the statute, it provides that if the traffic engineering study is not done, they can’t impose a red light
camera penalty—they just can’t—the statute prohibits it."
The Lack of an Engineering Study
Our analysis of the 49 cities that responded shows only Abilene , College Station and Southlake hired
professional engineers who signed and sealed those cities' engineering studies.
“We did not want these to become little ATMs along the highway,” State Rep. Jim Murphy, R-Houston, who co-
authored the 2007 red light camera law, along with former Dallas-area State Senator, John Carona. Carona—
who lost his seat in 2015—declined to participate in this report.
Lawmakers took suggestions from the engineering field before writing the red light law so they could clearly
detail that requirement in the bill, Murphy said.
“Part of the engineering study is to say: are there other things you can do because there are measures that are
much easier to do, sometimes they’re less expensive,” Murphy said. “It was to say the conditions merit a red
light camera and there is no other alternative."
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On Aug. 2, the city of Austin sent KXAN a response to a public records request, asking the city for its traffic
engineering study. What we got back was 10 pages titled, “Assessment Sheet: Engineering Countermeasures
to Reduce Red-Light Running.”
We looked for an engineer’s name on each of the pages. There wasn’t one. There also isn’t an engineer’s seal,
identification number or signature on any of the 10 pages.
We showed Austin's study to Rep. Murphy. For comparison, we also showed Murphy a copy of Abilene’s 109-
page engineering study; a study Irving Attorney Russell Bowman calls the “standard” for how these studies
should be done.
“Clearly, these are in two different worlds,” Murphy said as he looked over Austin and Abilene’s studies last
month. “This is not a sealed study. It does not identify the level of detail and it doesn’t seem to have any
options."
Aside from College Station, Abilene, and Southlake, our research shows nearly every other city we got records
from did what Austin did. Those cities performed assessments of each intersection, keyed in figures on the
assessment sheet and provided those to us as their traffic engineering studies.
The only other city with a signed, sealed study that appears to meet the requirements of the engineering study
was the city of Willis. Willis didn’t perform its engineering study until more than five years after installing its red
light cameras and did so amid a lawsuit over its cameras, according to records provided to KXAN by the city.
Austin's Red Light Cameras
Since 2008, Austin’s cameras have issued 81,493 red light tickets, according to records provided by the city’s
municipal court. Find out which cameras have caught the most red light runners.
App users tap here for the interactive map.
Cities Could be Forced To Issue Refunds
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The concern with those fighting cities like Austin in court is that those cities might be forced to repay the money
it has collected one day. According to figures from the Texas Comproller's Office, cities have netted around
$537 million from red light camera tickets since 2008.
We tried for nearly three weeks to have someone from the city of Austin’s Transportation Department interview
with us as part of this investigation. For nearly three weeks, the city would not provide an interview.
The city’s transportation department sent us an email, defending the city’s position on its engineering study
requirement of the red light camera law. Transportation spokeswoman, Cheyenne Krause, wrote in an Aug. 17
email: “The Austin Transportation Department completed a traffic engineering study, as required by state law,
in 2008. Per section 1001.053 of the Texas Engineering Practices Act, a seal is not required if the project is a
public work that does not involve electrical or mechanical engineering if the contemplated expense for the
project is $20,000 or less.”
We wanted to see if the city installed the nine cameras without any sort of electrical or mechanical engineering,
along with the cost of the project. We filed a formal request under the Texas Public Information Act on Aug.
22. On Sept. 6, the city turned over 26 pages to KXAN.
The 26 pages show engineering drawings from REDFLEX Traffic Systems, the company the city contracts with
for its red light cameras. Each page contains an engineer’s seal and signature, indicating engineering work
was performed as part of the design and installation of the city’s red light cameras.
The city told KXAN it did not have any records related to the "total cost of the design, engineering, planning,
materials, equipment installed, labor costs, and construction" for any of the nine red light cameras, Austin
Transportation Department employee Joana Perez wrote in a Sept. 7 email. The city claims it had nothing to
do with the installation of those cameras and Redflex, the private camera company, installed the cameras on
its own.
The documents appear to contradict the city’s Aug. 17 statement indicating that it did not need a signed,
sealed traffic engineering study.
Russell Bowman, the Irving attorney who successfully sued the city of Richardson over its red light cameras,
told KXAN, the city of Austin is “flat out mistaken,” in its interpretation of the Texas Engineering Practices Act.
Krause wrote in her email there’s evidence the city’s engineering assessments looked for alternatives to the
red light cameras because, “…rather than recommend red light cameras at some locations, the study resulted
in design and signal timing changes.”
After the Transportation Department denied our requests for an on camera interview to address the
allegations, KXAN asked for an interview with Interim City Manager Elaine Hart. The city denied each request
to interview Hart, who is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the city.
Many of the cities that did not perform any type of study told KXAN they were “grandfathered” into the state’s
2007 red light camera law and were exempt from the traffic study if they signed a contract with a red light
camera company before Sept. 1, 2007.
“There was no grandfathering of this law,” Rep. Murphy told KXAN. “Every red light camera in the state of
Texas must have this study done."
Murphy explained the section of the law dealing with red light camera contracts is what many cities are
confusing with a grandfather clause. The confusion comes from the section that states, "added by this Act,
applies only to a contract entered into on or after the effective date of this Act.”
The Sept. 1, 2007 "grandfathered" date only applies to contracts, not the implementation of and operation of
red light cameras, Bowman said. “The contracting of a red light camera program has absolutely nothing at all
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to do with how those cameras are operated and used to fine drivers,” Bowman said. “And, those attorneys
those cities are hiring know that."
Bastrop, which once had a red light camera that collected $2.8 million in fines, hired a Fort Worth attorney to
help the city defend itself in a lawsuit filed by people ticketed by red light cameras. The attorney, George
Staples, wrote in an email response to KXAN that Bastrop and cities like it that signed contracts before Sept. 1,
2007 did not have to conduct a traffic engineering study. “I see no point in researching the history and
determining whether 707.003 [the law] was followed or not followed. It is as irrelevant to me as confederate
statues. I see no point to trying legal issues in the news media; my forte is the court room. It also pays better,”
Staples wrote.
But the lack of an official traffic engineering study isn't the only part of the law cities haven't conformed to. The
red light camera law requires that cities compile annual crash data for each intersection with a red light camera
and turn those reports into the Texas Department of Transportation, which are then posted for the public to
see.
We showed Murphy our analysis of TxDOT records that show 29 of the 59 red light camera cities have not
consistently submitted annual reports to the state agency.
TxDOT records show the city of Austin didn’t submit annual reports for 2010 and 2012. KXAN requested those
records but the city did not provide any documents for those years.
TxDOT's web site shows the city of Hutto, for example, never submitted any annual reports after it installed
cameras in November 2009. Round Rock never submitted its 2011 or 2012 annual reports and the city of
Diboll hasn't submitted any reports since 2011, TXDOT's accounting shows.
Even though the law requires the data to be filed with TxDOT, the agency says it doesn't have the authority to
enforce cities to comply. "TxDOT’s role is to provide crash data and publish the red light camera reports," the
agency wrote in an email.
“TxDOT’s supposed to get those reports so we can monitor: were they successful? Good data leads to good
decisions. Right now it appears we’re not getting it on the front end, which makes it really hard to compare on
the back end,” Murphy said.
After considering the results of what we uncovered in this KXAN investigation, Murphy said he’s going to do
something about it in the next legislative session.
“I will suggest the folks in transportation they do some sort of an interim study on this and find out what the
compliance issues are," said Murphy, "and be talking about putting some penalties in, some sanctions in or
some relief in if people aren’t using these cameras as we designed them to be done."
As for the half-billion dollars collected in the last decade with these cameras, Murphy thinks cities could be
facing some trouble for not having the authority to fine drivers this way.
“A lot of cities could potentially be on the hook for millions,” Barr asked the lawmaker.
“I think that could very well be the case,” Murphy said.
FT WORTH DRIVE/US377 AND THE NORTHBOUND IH35E FRONTAGE ROAD
A traffic engineering study for the intersection of Ft Worth Drive/US377 and the northbound IH35E
frontage road for the purposes of the installation of red light running camera(s) and enforcement.
The intersection of IH35E at Ft Worth Drive/US377 is a standard grade separated Texas Diamond
interchange with frontage roads that intersect Ft Worth Drive/US377 at grade and the main lanes of
IH35E crossing over Ft Worth Drive/US377.
Ft Worth Drive/US377 is considered the north/south highway and the IH 35E north/southbound (by
name only herein) IH35 frontages are west/east in this report and therefore all directional references
provided are in relation to this accordingly.
Ft Worth Drive/US377 is a TxDOT maintained highway and constructed of Portland Cement Concrete.
IH35E northbound frontage road is a TxDOT maintained highway and constructed of Portland Cement
Concrete.
The northerly leg (top side of the intersection) is Ft Worth Drive/US377. It is 2-way and a divided
highway with a raised median with curb and gutter; with three approach lanes and three exiting lanes.
Currently the three approach lanes are designated as:
Inside lane – exclusive advance left turn movement that continues under the IH35E overpass
and turns left onto the eastbound IH35E southbound frontage road
Middle lane – exclusive through movement that continues south on Ft Worth Drive/US377
Outside lane – exclusive right turn movement that continues westbound on the IH35E
northbound frontage road.
The southerly leg (bottom side of the intersection and under the IH35E overpass) is Ft worth
Drive/US377. It is 2-way and a divided highway with a painted median, with 3 approach lanes and two
exiting lanes. Currently the three northbound approach lanes are designated as:
Inside lane – exclusive left turn movement to the westbound IH35E northbound frontage road
Middle lane – optional left turn movement to the westbound IH35E northbound frontage road
or through movement that continues northbound on Ft Worth Drive/US377
Outside lane – exclusive through movement that continues northbound on Ft Worth
Drive/US377
Note there is an additional lane width that is marked out and therefore, currently not used.
The easterly leg (right side of the intersection) is the IH 35E northbound frontage road. It is one-way
westbound; with a 3 approach lanes at Ft Worth Drive (note: there is an additional lane just east of the
intersection that serves a Texas U-turn) that are designated as:
Inside lane – exclusive left turn movement to southbound Ft Worth Drive/US377
Middle Lane – exclusive through movement that continues westbound on the IH35 northbound
frontage road
Outside Lane – exclusive right turn movement to northbound Ft Worth Drive/US377
The westerly leg (left side of the intersection) is the IH 35E northbound frontage road. It is one-way
westbound; with 3 exiting lanes (because it is one-way there are no approach lanes) at Ft Worth Drive
(note: there is a Texas U-turn just west of the intersection).
There are no sight restrictions at the intersection due to foliage, buildings or other structures and/or
street furniture.
As one approaches this intersection:
the southbound Ft Worth Drive/US377 signal head(s) can be observed in excess of 725 feet
from the stop bar,
the northbound Ft Worth/US377 signal head(s) can be observed in excess of 500 feet from the
stop bar, understanding that a driver must first pass through the signal for the southbound
service road and so are already acclimated to observing a signal,
The westbound IH35 northbound frontage road signal head(s) can be observed in excess of 900
feet from the stop bar
As one approaches this intersection on:
Ft Worth Drive/US377 from the north(southbound) has no appreciable horizontal curves. It has
at an incline of approximately (-) 2.79% slope towards the intersection with the crest being
approximately 390 feet upstream of the stop bar,
Northbound Ft Worth Drive/US377 has no appreciable horizontal curves. It has at a slight
incline of approximately (+) 2.79% slope towards the intersection (under the IH35N bridge) and
has a negligible slope just south of the IH35 southbound frontage road
Westbound IH35 northbound frontage road has no appreciable horizontal or vertical curves and
only a marginal slope.
Speed limits on both highways are recommended by TxDOT based upon speed studies and established
by ordinance by the City of Denton City Council:
Ft Worth Drive/US377 is 45 MPH
IH 35 northbound service road is 45 MPH
Both the IH 35E northbound and southbound frontage roads at their intersection with Ft Worth
Drive/US380 are signalized and run in the standard 4-phase TTI.
The signal is constructed with TxDOT standard metal poles with mast-arms and the vertical poles being
on the standard right side of the approach lanes and on the far side of the intersecting roadway.
Signal head placement is as follows:
Southbound Ft Worth Drive/US377 – 2, 3-section heads on the mast arm
Northbound Ft Worth Drive/US377 – 2, 3-section heads and 1, 5-section head on the mast arm
Westbound IH35 northbound frontage road- 2, 3-section heads on the mast arms
The number of heads and head placement are typical of a TxDOT designed traffic control signal for this
type of arrangement.
The number of heads and head placement are typical of a TxDOT designed traffic control signal for this
type of arrangement.
Amber times are currently set at 4.5 seconds for all directions, which conforms to the ITE recommended
amber times and are also established for use by TxDOT.
All signing and markings conform to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Controls (MUTCD)
As a result of this investigation, there are no improvements of any significance that could be made to
this intersection that could substantially improve the visibility of the intersection to help reduce the
potential for red light running.
________________________ __________________
Bernard Jerome Vokoun P.E. Date
A sampling of crashes in the area, as reported by the City of Denton Police Department is as follows:
Accident Date Accident Time DOW Address Intersecting Street
03/02/02 4:40:00 AM Sat I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
04/02/02 1:35:00 PM Tue 500 N I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
04/19/02 4:00:00 PM Fri 400 N I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
04/19/02 2:32:00 AM Fri 400 I35E 800 FORT WORTH DR
06/11/02 3:49:00 PM Tue 500 N I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
07/15/02 10:52:00 AM Mon MM 466 I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
11/01/02 12:04:00 AM Fri 400 S I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
10/31/02 10:15:00 PM Thu N I35E FORT WORTH DR
11/27/02 8:20:00 PM Wed N I35E FORT WORTH DR
12/06/02 2:38:00 PM Fri 500 S I35E S/R 900 FORT WORTH DR
12/06/02 6:33:00 PM Fri 500 N IH35E S/R 700 FORT WORTH DR
02/05/03 7:46:00 PM Wed N I35E FORT WORTH DR
02/16/03 10:57:00 PM Sun 500S I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
02/25/03 11:20:00 AM Tue 600 N I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
02/25/03 1:00:00 PM Tue 6400 I35 3950 FORT WORTH DR
03/12/03 1:25:00 PM Wed 600 N I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
05/09/03 11:50:00 AM Fri 500 N I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
09/18/03 11:42:00 AM Thu 200 S I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
10/28/03 7:00:00 AM Tue 300 S I35E 800 FORT WORTH DR
11/29/03 7:49:00 AM Sat 519 N I35E 800 FORT WORTH DR
12/03/03 12:59:00 PM Wed 500 S I35E 800 FORT WORTH DR
01/08/04 10:44:00 PM Thu 400 N I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
01/24/04 10:22:00 AM Sat 600 N I35E 800 FORT WORTH DR
01/31/04 10:47:00 PM Sat 1600 N I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
02/10/04 12:05:00 PM Tue 700 N I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
02/17/04 10:00:00 AM Tue 200 S I35E FORT WORTH DR
05/03/04 5:59:00 PM Mon 500 N I35E 900 FORT WORTH DR
08/04/04 2:00:00 PM Wed 500 S I35E 900 FORT WORTH DR
08/19/04 12:45:00 PM Thu 700 S I35E 800 FORT WORTH DR
09/02/04 3:35:00 PM Thu 500 N I35E 800 FORT WORTH DR
10/07/04 4:21:00 PM Thu 500 S I35E 900 FORT WORTH DR
02/15/05 4:32:00 PM Tue 100 S I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
04/04/05 2:16:00 PM Mon 500 N I35E 800 FORT WORTH DR
06/02/05 12:52:00 PM Thu 600 N I35E FORT WORTH DR
06/26/05 12:37:00 PM Sun 600 N I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
10/01/05 11:03:00 PM Sat 800 FORT WORTH DR 500 N I35E
11/10/05 2:49:00 AM Thu 600 N I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
11/09/05 1:45:00 PM Wed 400 N I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
11/15/05 8:07:00 AM Tue 600 N I35E 800 FORT WORTH DR
12/19/05 8:15:00 PM Mon 800 FORT WORTH DR 600 N I35E
12/27/05 2:12:00 PM Tue 800 FORT WORTH DR 500 N I35E
03/01/06 10:40:00 PM Wed 300 N I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
03/20/06 8:30:00 PM Mon 800 FORT WORTH DR 600 N I35E
03/24/06 12:37:00 AM Fri 600 N I35E 500 FORT WORTH DR
04/12/06 8:38:00 PM Wed 600 N I35E 800 FORT WORTH DR
06/30/06 10:21:00 PM Fri 900 FORT WORTH DR 500 N I35E
01/20/07 6:54:00 PM Sat 400 N I35E 900 FORT WORTH DR
03/28/07 4:35:00 PM Wed N I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
03/30/07 6:37:00 PM Fri 500 N I35E 800 FORT WORTH DR
04/26/07 11:11:00 AM Thu 500 S I35E 900 FORT WORTH DR
06/20/07 8:39:00 AM Wed 500 N I35E 800 FORT WORTH DR
06/22/07 5:40:00 PM Fri 800 FORT WORTH DR 500 N I35E
08/12/07 11:17:00 AM Sun 700 FORT WORTH DR 500 N I35E
08/24/07 4:10:00 PM Fri 900 FORT WORTH DR 500 N I35E
09/22/07 1:28:00 AM Sat 100 N I35E 700 FORT WORTH DR
Arial Map of Location
UNIVERSITY DRIVE/US380 AND MAYHILL ROAD/COOPER CREEK ROAD
A traffic engineering study for the intersection of University Drive/US380 and Mayhill Road/Cooper
Creek Road for the purposes of the installation of red light running camera enforcement.
The intersection of University Drive/US380 and Mayhill Road/Cooper Creek Road is a standard four
legged intersection with each roadway intersecting the other at nearly perpendicular angles to the
other.
Mayhill Road/Cooper Creek Road is considered the north/south roadway and US380/University Drive
the east/west roadway in this report and therefore all directional references provided herein are in
relation to this accordingly.
University Drive/US380 is a TxDOT maintained highway and constructed of Portland Cement Concrete.
Mayhill Road/Cooper Creek Road are City maintained roadways and constructed of Asphaltic Concrete.
The westerly leg (left side of the intersection) is University Drive/US380. It is two-way and an undivided
highway with a continuous 2-way left turn pocket upstream of the intersection which turns into a
dedicated one-directional left turn pocket at the intersection, with four approach lanes and three exiting
lanes. The four approach lanes are designated as:
Inside lane – exclusive left turn movement to northbound Cooper Creek Road
Middle 2 lanes – exclusive through movements continuing eastbound on University Drive/US380
Outside lane – optional through movement continuing eastbound on University Drive/US380
and right turn movement to southbound Mayhill Road and.
The easterly leg (right side of the intersection) is University Drive/US380. It is two-way and an undivided
highway with a continuous 2-way left turn pocket upstream of the intersection which turns into a
dedicated one-directional left run pocket at the intersection, with four approach lanes and three exiting
lanes. The four approach lanes are designated as:
Inside lane – exclusive left turn movement to southbound Mayhill Road
Middle 2 lanes – exclusive through movement continuing westbound on University Drive/US380
Outside lane – optional through movement continuing westbound on University Drive/US380
and right turn movement to northbound Cooper Creek Road.
The southerly leg (bottom side of the intersection) is Mayhill Road. It is two-way and a typical undivided
rural type roadway with borrow ditches on both sides. There is one approach lane and one exiting lane.
Currently the approach lane is designated for all movements including: left turns to westbound
US380/University Lane, through movements continuing northbound to Cooper Creek Road and right
turns to eastbound US380/University Drive.
The northerly leg (top side of the intersection) is Cooper Creek Road. It is two-way and an undivided
roadway for approximately 200ft at which point, partial improvements widen it to a 4lane width with
raised median with curb and gutter for approximately 325ft at which it then tapers back to a two lane
roadway. There are no substantive borrow ditches within this length of roadway. There is one
approach lane and one exiting lane. Currently the approach lane is designated for all movements
including: left turns to eastbound US380/University Lane, through movements continuing southbound
to Mayhill Road and right turns to westbound US380/University Drive.
There are no significant sight restrictions at the intersection due to foliage, buildings or other structures
and/or street furniture.
As one approaches the intersection:
The eastbound US380/University Drive signal head(s) can be observed in excess of 3000 feet
from the stop bar. There is a lack of overhanging vegetation into the street, that could restrict
visibility, within this distance,
The westbound US380/University Drive signal head(s) can be observed in excess of 3500 feet
from the stop bar as a result of the crest vertical curve noted herein. There is a lack of
overhanging vegetation into the street, that could restrict visibility, within this distance,
the northbound Mayhill Road signal head(s) can be observed in excess of 1000 feet from the
stop bar, largely as the result of overhanging vegetation into the street,
the southbound Cooper Creek Road signal head(s) can first be observed in excess of 1600 feet,
however, because of a combination of the horizontal curve noted in this report and trees on the
side of the roadway, the signal heads cannot be observed continuously until approximately 700
feet from the stop bar. It should be noted that the tress indicated herein do not overhang the
street which, if it were the case, could cause additional visibility issues, within both of these
distances.
As one approaches this intersection on:
US380/University Drive from the west (eastbound) has no horizontal or vertical curve(s) of any
significance within any critical distance that restricts visibility of the signal heads.
US380/University Drive from the east (westbound) has no horizontal curve(s) of any significance
within any critical distance that restricts visibility of the signal heads. The crest of a vertical curve
exists approximately 2900ft east of the stop bar.
Mayhill Road from the south (northbound) has no horizontal curves of any significance within
any critical distance that restricts visibility of the signal heads. The crest of a vertical curve exists
approximately 1450 feet south of the stop bar.
Cooper Creek Road from the north (southbound) has a horizontal curve that ends approximately
375feet north of the intersection but, has no vertical curve(s) of any significance within any
critical distance that restricts visibility of the signal heads.
All approaches gently slope to the intersection.
The speed limit on US380/University Drive is 55mph and recommended by TxDOT based upon speed
studies and established by ordinance by the City of Denton City Council:
The speed limit on Mayhill Road is 35mph and established by ordinance by the City of Denton City
Council
The speed limit on Cooper Creek Road is 30mph and established by the state of Texas’ prima fascia law.
This intersection is signalized and runs in a 6-phase, dual lefts with leading left turns in the east/west
(US380/University Drive) directions. The north/south (Mayhill Road/Cooper Creek Road) directions are
2-phase and all movements run at the same time for each direction.
The signal is constructed with TxDOT standard metal poles with mast-arms with the vertical poles being
on the standard right side of the approach lanes and on the far side of the intersecting roadway.
Signal head placement is as follows:
Southbound Cooper Creek Road – 2, 3-section heads on the mast arm for all movements
Northbound Mayhill Road – 2, 3-section heads on the mast arm for all movements
Eastbound US380/University Drive- 2, 3-section heads for the through/right turn movements
and 1, 5-section (protected/permissive) head for the left turn lane, all heads being on the mast
arm
Westbound - 2, 3-section heads for the through/right turn movements and 1, 5-section
(protected/permissive) head for the left turn lane, all heads being on the mast -arm.
The number of heads and head placement are typical of a TxDOT designed traffic control signal
arrangement.
Amber times are currently set at:
5.5 seconds for both directions of US380/University Drive
4.0 seconds for northbound Mayhill Road
4.0 second for southbound Cooper Creek Rd (note: although the speed limit, as noted earlier
for Cooper Creek Road is 30MPH, the City’s policy is to take the worst case scenario of the two
opposing legs, in which case the 35MPH [4.0 seconds] for northbound Mayhill would control),
which conforms to the ITE recommended amber times and are also established for use by TxDOT.
All signing and markings conform to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Controls (MUTCD)
As a result of this investigation, there are no improvements of any significance that could be made to
this intersection that could substantially improve the visibility of the intersection to help reduce the
potential for red light running.
________________________ __________________
Bernard Jerome Vokoun P.E. Date
A sampling of crashes in the area, as reported by the City of Denton Police Department is as follows:
Accident_date Accident_time DOW Block Street_Name Intersecting_Street_RR_Xing
5/4/2005 10:04 AM Wed 1500 N MAYHILL RD 3600 E UNIVERSITY
10/16/2005 7:18 PM Sun 3500
E UNIVERSITY
DR N MAYHILL RD
10/26/2005 9:20 AM Wed 3600
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1500 N MAYHILL RD
11/21/2005 8:30 PM Mon 2500
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1500 N MAYHILL RD
11/21/2005 8:28 PM Mon 2500
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1500 N MAYHILL RD
6/21/2006 6:17 AM Wed 3700
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1500 N MAYHILL RD
7/15/2006 11:50 AM Sat 3500
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1500 N MAYHILL RD
8/17/2006 5:50 PM Thu 3600
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1500 N MAYHILL RD
9/22/2006 11:53 PM Fri 3600
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1599 N MAYHILL RD
2/27/2007 1:40 PM Tue 3500
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1500 N MAYHILL RD
3/5/2007 5:55 PM Mon 3600
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1600 N MAYHILL RD
8/10/2007 6:00 AM Fri 3500
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1500 N MAYHILL RD
9/10/2007 3:55 PM Mon 1500 N MAYHILL RD 3500 E UNIVERSITY
9/15/2007 8:39 PM Sat 1700 N MAYHILL RD 3500 E UNIVERSITY
9/22/2007 12:42 AM Sat 3500
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1900 N MAYHILL RD
Arial Map of Location
UNIVERSITY DRIVE/US380 AND MAYHILL ROAD/COOPER CREEK ROAD
A traffic engineering study for the intersection of University Drive/US380 and Mayhill Road/Cooper
Creek Road for the purposes of the installation of red light running camera enforcement.
The intersection of University Drive/US380 and Mayhill Road/Cooper Creek Road is a standard four
legged intersection with each roadway intersecting the other at nearly perpendicular angles to the
other.
Mayhill Road/Cooper Creek Road is considered the north/south roadway and US380/University Drive
the east/west roadway in this report and therefore all directional references provided herein are in
relation to this accordingly.
University Drive/US380 is a TxDOT maintained highway and constructed of Portland Cement Concrete.
Mayhill Road/Cooper Creek Road are City maintained roadways and constructed of Asphaltic Concrete.
The westerly leg (left side of the intersection) is University Drive/US380. It is two-way and an undivided
highway with a continuous 2-way left turn pocket upstream of the intersection which turns into a
dedicated one-directional left turn pocket at the intersection, with four approach lanes and three exiting
lanes. The four approach lanes are designated as:
Inside lane – exclusive left turn movement to northbound Cooper Creek Road
Middle 2 lanes – exclusive through movements continuing eastbound on University Drive/US380
Outside lane – optional through movement continuing eastbound on University Drive/US380
and right turn movement to southbound Mayhill Road and.
The easterly leg (right side of the intersection) is University Drive/US380. It is two-way and an undivided
highway with a continuous 2-way left turn pocket upstream of the intersection which turns into a
dedicated one-directional left run pocket at the intersection, with four approach lanes and three exiting
lanes. The four approach lanes are designated as:
Inside lane – exclusive left turn movement to southbound Mayhill Road
Middle 2 lanes – exclusive through movement continuing westbound on University Drive/US380
Outside lane – optional through movement continuing westbound on University Drive/US380
and right turn movement to northbound Cooper Creek Road.
The southerly leg (bottom side of the intersection) is Mayhill Road. It is two-way and a typical undivided
rural type roadway with borrow ditches on both sides. There is one approach lane and one exiting lane.
Currently the approach lane is designated for all movements including: left turns to westbound
US380/University Lane, through movements continuing northbound to Cooper Creek Road and right
turns to eastbound US380/University Drive.
The northerly leg (top side of the intersection) is Cooper Creek Road. It is two-way and an undivided
roadway for approximately 200ft at which point, partial improvements widen it to a 4lane width with
raised median with curb and gutter for approximately 325ft at which it then tapers back to a two lane
roadway. There are no substantive borrow ditches within this length of roadway. There is one
approach lane and one exiting lane. Currently the approach lane is designated for all movements
including: left turns to eastbound US380/University Lane, through movements continuing southbound
to Mayhill Road and right turns to westbound US380/University Drive.
There are no significant sight restrictions at the intersection due to foliage, buildings or other structures
and/or street furniture.
As one approaches the intersection:
The eastbound US380/University Drive signal head(s) can be observed in excess of 3000 feet
from the stop bar. There is a lack of overhanging vegetation into the street, that could restrict
visibility, within this distance,
The westbound US380/University Drive signal head(s) can be observed in excess of 3500 feet
from the stop bar as a result of the crest vertical curve noted herein. There is a lack of
overhanging vegetation into the street, that could restrict visibility, within this distance,
the northbound Mayhill Road signal head(s) can be observed in excess of 1000 feet from the
stop bar, largely as the result of overhanging vegetation into the street,
the southbound Cooper Creek Road signal head(s) can first be observed in excess of 1600 feet,
however, because of a combination of the horizontal curve noted in this report and trees on the
side of the roadway, the signal heads cannot be observed continuously until approximately 700
feet from the stop bar. It should be noted that the tress indicated herein do not overhang the
street which, if it were the case, could cause additional visibility issues, within both of these
distances.
As one approaches this intersection on:
US380/University Drive from the west (eastbound) has no horizontal or vertical curve(s) of any
significance within any critical distance that restricts visibility of the signal heads.
US380/University Drive from the east (westbound) has no horizontal curve(s) of any significance
within any critical distance that restricts visibility of the signal heads. The crest of a vertical curve
exists approximately 2900ft east of the stop bar.
Mayhill Road from the south (northbound) has no horizontal curves of any significance within
any critical distance that restricts visibility of the signal heads. The crest of a vertical curve exists
approximately 1450 feet south of the stop bar.
Cooper Creek Road from the north (southbound) has a horizontal curve that ends approximately
375feet north of the intersection but, has no vertical curve(s) of any significance within any
critical distance that restricts visibility of the signal heads.
All approaches gently slope to the intersection.
The speed limit on US380/University Drive is 55mph and recommended by TxDOT based upon speed
studies and established by ordinance by the City of Denton City Council:
The speed limit on Mayhill Road is 35mph and established by ordinance by the City of Denton City
Council
The speed limit on Cooper Creek Road is 30mph and established by the state of Texas’ prima fascia law.
This intersection is signalized and runs in a 6-phase, dual lefts with leading left turns in the east/west
(US380/University Drive) directions. The north/south (Mayhill Road/Cooper Creek Road) directions are
2-phase and all movements run at the same time for each direction.
The signal is constructed with TxDOT standard metal poles with mast-arms with the vertical poles being
on the standard right side of the approach lanes and on the far side of the intersecting roadway.
Signal head placement is as follows:
Southbound Cooper Creek Road – 2, 3-section heads on the mast arm for all movements
Northbound Mayhill Road – 2, 3-section heads on the mast arm for all movements
Eastbound US380/University Drive- 2, 3-section heads for the through/right turn movements
and 1, 5-section (protected/permissive) head for the left turn lane, all heads being on the mast
arm
Westbound - 2, 3-section heads for the through/right turn movements and 1, 5-section
(protected/permissive) head for the left turn lane, all heads being on the mast -arm.
The number of heads and head placement are typical of a TxDOT designed traffic control signal
arrangement.
Amber times are currently set at:
5.5 seconds for both directions of US380/University Drive
4.0 seconds for northbound Mayhill Road
4.0 second for southbound Cooper Creek Rd (note: although the speed limit, as noted earlier
for Cooper Creek Road is 30MPH, the City’s policy is to take the worst case scenario of the two
opposing legs, in which case the 35MPH [4.0 seconds] for northbound Mayhill would control),
which conforms to the ITE recommended amber times and are also established for use by TxDOT.
All signing and markings conform to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Controls (MUTCD)
As a result of this investigation, there are no improvements of any significance that could be made to
this intersection that could substantially improve the visibility of the intersection to help reduce the
potential for red light running.
________________________ __________________
Bernard Jerome Vokoun P.E. Date
A sampling of crashes in the area, as reported by the City of Denton Police Department is as follows:
Accident_date Accident_time DOW Block Street_Name Intersecting_Street_RR_Xing
5/4/2005 10:04 AM Wed 1500 N MAYHILL RD 3600 E UNIVERSITY
10/16/2005 7:18 PM Sun 3500
E UNIVERSITY
DR N MAYHILL RD
10/26/2005 9:20 AM Wed 3600
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1500 N MAYHILL RD
11/21/2005 8:30 PM Mon 2500
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1500 N MAYHILL RD
11/21/2005 8:28 PM Mon 2500
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1500 N MAYHILL RD
6/21/2006 6:17 AM Wed 3700
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1500 N MAYHILL RD
7/15/2006 11:50 AM Sat 3500
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1500 N MAYHILL RD
8/17/2006 5:50 PM Thu 3600
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1500 N MAYHILL RD
9/22/2006 11:53 PM Fri 3600
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1599 N MAYHILL RD
2/27/2007 1:40 PM Tue 3500
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1500 N MAYHILL RD
3/5/2007 5:55 PM Mon 3600
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1600 N MAYHILL RD
8/10/2007 6:00 AM Fri 3500
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1500 N MAYHILL RD
9/10/2007 3:55 PM Mon 1500 N MAYHILL RD 3500 E UNIVERSITY
9/15/2007 8:39 PM Sat 1700 N MAYHILL RD 3500 E UNIVERSITY
9/22/2007 12:42 AM Sat 3500
E UNIVERSITY
DR 1900 N MAYHILL RD
Arial Map of Location