The staff and parents of IDEA Round Rock Tech, a public charter school located at 3301 Greenlawn Boulevard, Round Rock, TX 78664, have previously reached out on several occasions to request a school zone to be established for the campus. These requests have all been denied due to the lack of residential housing on the north side of Greenlawn Boulevard. However, we believe that an exception should and can be made due to the inherent risk to the staff, students, families, and general public generated by a 45mph road located adjacent to a high traffic school campus.

Statement of facts

• The IDEA Round Rock Tech campus first opened in August of 2020 and has grown from 500 students to nearly 1200 students and will continue to grow to approximately 1500 students by 2026.
• The only entrances to the campus are on Greenlawn Boulevard, which is a 45mph two-lane road.
• Vehicles entering/exiting the campus have close encounters daily, and numerous accidents have already occurred, including one student cycling to school who was hit by a vehicle.
• Numerous students walk or bike to/from the school. The lack of sufficient sidewalks and overgrown trees means that they are walking in grass inches from this 45mph road.
• As early as August 2024, student drivers will be driving to/from the campus, increasing the risk of vehicle accidents on Greenlawn.

Texas Administrative Code Title 43 Part 1 Chapter 25 Subchapter B Rule 25.22 section (d) (1) states that:

“Reduced speed limits should be used for school zones during the hours when children are going to and from school. Usually such school speed zones are only considered for schools located adjacent to highways or visible from highways. Pedestrian crossing activity should be the primary basis for reduced school speed zones. However, irregular traffic and pedestrian movements must also be considered when children are being dropped off and picked up from school. If, for some reason, there is a delay in the installation of a school flasher, other static signs for school zones should be installed as soon as possible after the minute order is approved.” (emphasis added)

Although there is not currently an active pedestrian crosswalk at the school it is clear that:

• The planned “The District” development in the vacant field on the north side of Greenlawn will be bringing 1300 residential units. This development is already clearly intended as evidenced by the crosswalk at the intersection of Greenlawn Boulevard and Pflugerville Parkway.
• There is substantial “irregular traffic” as vehicles navigate to/from the campus. This is exacerbated by the blind curve experienced when heading Northeast on Greenlawn Boulevard, as well as the frequent heavy vehicle traffic which uses Greenlawn Boulevard as a cutover between I35 and I45.
• There is substantial “pedestrian movement” adjacent to Greenlawn Boulevard which is at risk due to the speed of traffic mere inches away.

Given the above information:

We, the undersigned, urge our local and state agencies to establish a reduced speed school zone, and install appropriate signage and flashers, adjacent to the IDEA Round Rock Tech public school located at 3301 Greenlawn Boulevard, Round Rock, TX 78664.