During a city council meeting on March 5, 2024, Frisco council members approved speed limit changes for five streets.
According to city documents, in September 2007, Frisco's City Council introduced ordinance 07-09-45 to set speed limits within the city. These limits are determined through either a speed study or a trial run. Speed studies gauge the 85th percentile speed, a widely used metric for setting speed limits based on the assumption that most drivers are responsible and aim for safe and efficient travel.
Alternatively, trial runs involve driving a roadway at different speeds and applying engineering judgment to ascertain a safe speed. According to the Texas Transportation Code, the default speed limit in urban areas is 30 miles per hour (mph) unless otherwise posted. However, due to recent road construction and updated speed studies, city staff proposed adjusting the speed limit for a specific roadway segment.
The council approved to change Cobb Hill Dr (Frisco St. to end of the road) from 30 mph to 25 mph; Cotton Gin Rd (Dallas Pkwy to Short St.) from 40 mph to 35 mph; Legacy Dr (US 380 to PGA Pkwy) from 50 mph to 45 mph; and Town & Country Blvd (Spring Creek Pkwy to Legacy Dr.) from 35 mph to 40 mph.
Fields Pkwy, which didn’t have an official set limit, will also have a speed limit set. On Fields, from FM 423 to Legacy Dr., the speed limit will be set to 40 mph — from Legacy Dr. to Dallas Pkwy, the limit will be 45 mph.
But Frisco isn’t the only Collin County city changing speed limits this year. In January, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) implemented a modification to the speed limit signs on Preston Road (SH 289) between Legacy Drive and SH 121 in Plano, Texas.
The speed limit was adjusted from 55 mph to 45 mph following a comprehensive engineering study conducted by TxDOT. The prior speed limit of 55 mph was in effect for nearly 35 years, but due to safety concerns, the study recommended the reduction.
Speed limit signs reflecting the new updates in Frisco will be placed along their respective streets on a later occasion.