Unnecessary fight
Star-Telegram
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Mansfield City Councilman Greg Kunasek was on target April 28 when he and his council colleagues debated a Texas Department of Transportation request to lower speed limits on Farm Road 157 and Business 287.
"We've been asking TxDOT to work with us on a variety of issues," said Kunasek. "I would just say, keep that in the back of your mind."
Unfortunately, four council members decided to fight the state rather than compromise. That's a battle that the city is bound to lose.
And it's a fight that Mansfield shouldn't be taking on. The proposed 5 mph reduction is negligible compared to the cost of endangering good will between the city and the Transportation Department.
Ultimately, state transportation officials have all the power on this issue. These are state roads, and the state can change the speed limits without Mansfield's approval. State traffic studies show that 85 percent of vehicles on these roads are already traveling at the slower pace, and Transportation Department officials say that it would be safer to keep all traffic at the same speed.
But Councilmen Larry Broseh, Michael McSpadden, Daryl Haynes and Cory Hoffman would have none of that. They voted against the proposal, saying the state had not proved its case. Kunasek and Councilman Mike Leyman voted for the reduced speeds.
City Attorney Craig Magnuson pointed to potential legal problems if the state moves ahead with the change on its own. The city's speed limit ordinance would then be different from the posted speeds, and it would be easy for speeders to beat traffic citations.
That was fine with McSpadden, who said the city shouldn't enforce the new limits if they come.
Come on, folks. Although it might feel good to stand up and defy the state, City Council members should keep their eyes on the bigger picture. Surely safety is more important. And as Kunasek says, the council has to know that Mansfield will be seeking help from the Transportation Department on many issues in the future.
Fighting now just doesn't make sense.
