Traffic safety in the Fort Worth Stockyards is getting a boost after City Council members approved nearly $1 million to install new devices in the popular tourist destination.
The funding approved Tuesday will go toward installing traffic bollards along Exchange Avenue, from North Houston Street to Packers Avenue.
People who work and live in the area said they hope the changes will help address speeding and reckless driving, especially on weekends.
Kali Creekmur, who works in the area, said the traffic can be difficult to navigate.
“It’s horrible. It really is,” Creekmur said. “Once you go further down Exchange on the weekends, you start getting a little bit of crazier drivers that are speeding, they’re driving a little more reckless, that sort of thing.”
Sam Anthony Castillo, who lives near the Stockyards, said the pedestrian activity and the driving behavior do not always mix.
“There’s just people nonstop, just driving, just hauling butt. But just going through, especially,” Castillo said.
A city spokesperson said the vertical posts will help control cars and protect pedestrians during special events. The $860,000 project is currently in the design phase.
Creekmur said the changes could be especially helpful given the Stockyards’ open container policy.
“I think that is what a lot of people love about the Stockyards, is that it feels kind of old-timey. But I do feel like … you do have intoxicated people walking on the sidewalk,” Creekmur said. “There should be a little bit of space between us and the vehicles that are driving on the road or parked on the road.”
For Creekmur, the investment comes down to safety.
“Great idea, 110% worth [the] tax dollars. 100%,” Creekmur said.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.