Dallas City Council voted to extend the school zone for Lake Highlands Middle School at the last council meeting before the July recess.
LHMS. Photo by Carol Toler.
Earlier this year, District 10 council member Kathy Stewart told the Advocate she was planning to help push through initiatives designed to reduce traffic hazards near both of Lake Highlands’ middle schools, including the addition of a high-intensity activated crosswalk beacon for LHMS on Walnut Hill Lane. At a June 25 council meeting, Stewart secured a win on that front with the extension of LHMS’s school zone.
The new school zone, which will be effective for the start of the 2025-26 school year, has been extended on its eastern side to cover the intersection of Walnut Hill Lane and Lynbrook Drive. It will now cover a previously unrestricted section of Walnut Hill adjacent to the school’s athletic field. A map can be found here.
Traffic safety near schools has been a topic of concern in Lake Highlands since December, when a multi-vehicle collision left two dead near Forest Meadow Middle School close to the end of the school day. In her June newsletter, Stewart said that she had been in communication with newly minted Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux to increase traffic enforcement on Abrams Road, where the collision occurred. A traffic study is also underway on Abrams, but due to an expansion of scope in response to resident concerns, it has an unclear timeline for completion.
The city, Stewart and Richardson ISD are also in the process of implementing an upgraded pedestrian crossing on Abrams Road for FMMS.
Stewart and the rest of the council will recess for the month of July before returning in August to navigate the city’s budgeting process.
