SAN ANTONIO – Neighbors in Westwood Square have long suspected speeding to be a problem on Castroville Road, and now they have the data to back it.
Speeding is a safety concern KSAT highlighted in our Westwood Square episode of Know My Neighborhood.
In November, San Antonio police installed a radar trailer on Castroville Road near Dahlgren.
Jesusita Rios, a Westwood Square Neighborhood Association member, said the neighborhood had asked for it for eight months.
“It’s like somebody gave us a Christmas gift before Christmas,” said Rios.
The trailer tracked how fast drivers were going and had a sign reminding them of the speed limit.
“They’re not necessarily trapping people,” said San Antonio Police Officer Nick Soliz. “It’s more for the public to see that we’re trying, you know, and hearing their concerns and voices.”
Rios wanted to see the data the trailer collected for herself.
“We wanted to see the written report, and we’ve asked for it several times already,” said Rios. “And so we’ve been waiting quite a while.”
After four months of waiting, she finally saw the survey report this week.
KSAT obtained copies through an open records request and gave them to Rios and Velma Peña, president of Westwood Square’s Neighborhood Association.
“Thanks to KSAT 12, now we’re able to have this report in their hands,” said Peña.
The data, a snapshot of two weeks in November 2023, shows that between 21% and 25% of cars exceeded the 35 mph limit.
“I thought that was a high number,” said Rios. “You know, that is a high number for me. Even 10% to me is a high number.”
The data shows that 2% of cars were excessively speeding, and the report shows that the maximum speed hit was 101 mph.
“The data tells me again that we have high volume, different speeds, different speeds at different times,” said Peña.
The women want to know how school zones and crosswalks play into the data. They hope the report leads to safety improvements.
“Speeding is speeding, you know?” said Rios. “So I’m just looking at the overall picture. So again, I want that conversation to take place with SAPD to see, ‘OK, how do you gauge this exactly?’”
SAPD said the data is just a small part of the conversation about traffic safety in the neighborhood.
They said they’re working on meeting with District 5.