Transportation report handed off to city, county officials

After three years of discussions, the future of transportation improvements is now up to local leaders after the chairs of a countywide transportation committee formally handed off their comprehensive report.

The heads of the Kendall County, Boerne and Fair Oaks Transportation Committee presented the nearly 200-page document Nov. 8 to City Council and Nov. 14 to the Kendall County Commissioners Court.

The committee’s comprehensive recommendation is aimed at solving traffic woes across the county, ranging from micro-mobility and interconnected sidewalks to short- and longterm solutions for congested intersections, all while retaining the Hill Country’s charm.

“The committee is crystal clear that it wants to avoid stimulating the kind of growth that destroys the character and ambiance that we have here in Kendall County,” transportation committee Co-chairman Don Durden said. “The kind of growth that jeopardizes our water supply and our environmental resources.”

Durden urged municipal leaders to direct more taxpayer dollars toward mobility improvements, but he also noted foot-friendly incentives could play a role in promoting voter support.

“As you go about seeking voter approval of the bonds and the tax rates and the things that give you the money you need to play a larger role in transportation planning, your credibility and success will likely be enhanced by the prudent inclusion of pedestrian facilities in those plans,” Durden said.

He highlighted the work of committee members including Pam Hodges and Ben Eldredge, who created a trails vision for the county’s future.

Co-chairman Bob Manning noted the volume of community input during the committee’s work, praising the varied municipal leaders, generational Kendall County residents and involved newcomers who comprised the team.

“Conducting such a study without consultants guiding us, without (the Texas Department of Transportation) even in the room and without city staff applying any pressure whatsoever was a highly unusual approach,” Manning said.

He gave kudos to Boerne’s Director of Development Services Jeff Carroll for providing substantive, fact-based answers to the committee’s many questions.

Boerne Mayor Tim Handren thanked the chairs for their hard work, adding that the committee’s website will remain online for at least two more years.

The website is at kcbfotc. com.

When making the presentation to county commissioners, Durden noted the intrinsic relationship between population growth and transportation improvements.

Durden is the Precinct 4 county commissioner.

“Typical growth congestion cycles follow this pattern: The population in an area grows, people move there and they start driving. Pretty soon, the roads get congested,” Durden said. “So, the next thing that happens is someone comes in and finds a way to widen those roads and improve those roads and maybe even add capacity. So, the congestion goes away, the mobility returns and then people say, ‘Hey, what a great place to move to.’People come in, and you get more growth.”

Durden said old-school methods of transportation improvement often lead to population booms, which then require the same improvements.

During the give and take of debates and discussions during the last three years, talks led to final recommendations for transportation solutions in the committee’s report such as roundabouts, public-transit stations and other outcomes.