Preston Road speed limit drop in place for Plano stretch

Plano, citing safety concerns, has lowered the speed limit on the north end of Preston Road from 55 mph to 45 mph, so drivers should take notice.

The change, which is between Legacy Drive and State Highway 121, came after the city requested a speed study in which TxDOT found most drivers were already going at a slower rate of speed than what is posted on that stretch, according to Madison Schein, public information officer for TxDOT.

Schein said safety concerns can mean various things, from the construction of major new developments or new driveways being installed along the road, to making the speed limit consistent throughout Plano and Frisco.

“The study was requested by the city of Plano and it found that the majority of drivers were driving about 45 mph, so that recommendation was presented to the city,” Schein said.

The previous speed limit has been in place for almost 35 years, set at 55 mph via a city ordinance passed in February 1989, according to a Plano City Council memo. In September, Plano City Council approved the ordinance.

As of Wednesday, TxDOT had changed out three signs on the segment of roadway with the fourth and final sign to be swapped out soon, according to Plano police.

“Once the signs are all changed, officers will be giving warning notices for about a week,” said Jennifer Chapman, Plano Police Department’s public information officer. “After that it will be up to the officer’s discretion.”

Schein said the speed study was conducted using the 85th percentile, the method that most states use to set speed limits.

“This means 85% of motorists are driving at or below the 85th percentile speed. The remaining 15% are considered to be exceeding a reasonable speed,” according to the speed study response. “To ensure a true reflection of the normal traffic situation, speed checks are made on average weekdays at off-peak hours, under favorable weather conditions. The goal of TXDOT has always been to set speed limits that maximize safety, but which are respected and obeyed by motorists.”

On that stretch of roadway last year, there were 20 speed-related crashes including one with serious injuries, according to data from TxDOT. In 2022, there were 28 speed-related crashes with no serious injuries reported.

No fatalities were included in those speed-related crashes, but at the intersection of Preston Road and SH 121 there were two fatal crashes reported in 2022, according to the latest data available TxDOT’s crash query tool. Speed was not listed as a factor in those two crashes — one was alcohol-related and the other was a distracted driver.

Data by the North Central Texas Council of Governments shows a 51% increase of traffic fatalities in Collin County in 2022, with speeding being the main factor for those crashes, and in every year since the analysis started in 2010.

Collin County Commissioner Duncan Webb, in an address to Collin County Commissioners Court in September, said a 51% increase in fatalities is “mind-boggling.”

“That is a huge issue,” Webb said. “Most of those fatalities occurred on U.S. 75, U.S. 380 and Preston Road.”

Preston Road had five traffic fatalities in 2022, joining U.S. 75 (six), U.S. 380 (seven) and State Highway 121 (six) as roadways that contributed to the county’s 77 roadway deaths in 2022.