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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/12/2021 Traffic Safety Advisory Committee City of Apple Valley May 12, 2021 7:00 p.m. Apple Valley Municipal Center Minutes 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chair Arthur Zimmerman. Members Present: Linda Dolan, Nick Francis, Charles Grawe, Dave McKenzie, Matt Saam, Joe Shaw, Arthur Zimmerman Members Absent: Consultants/Alternates Present: Brandon Anderson Others Present: 2. Approval of Agenda Mr. Grawe requested the addition of the service award to Mr. Shaw and introduction of members. MOTION: Mr. Grawe moved, second by Ms. Dolan, to approve the agenda as amended. Motion passed 7-0. 3. Audience Items There were no audience items. 4. Approval of March 10, 2021 Minutes MOTION: Mr. Grawe moved, second by Mr. Francis, to approve the Minutes of March 10, 2021. Motion passed 6-0 (Mr. McKenzie abstained). 5. Service Award to Joe Shaw The group recognized member Joe Shaw for 10 years of service. 6. Member Introductions The committee members introduced themselves. 7A. Georgia Drive and Upper 136 h Street Blind Intersection Mr. Anderson said the intersection is currently controlled with a two-way stop, with Georgia Drive stopping for traffic on Upper 136 h Street. Upper 136'h Street curves near the intersection. Trees along Upper 136 h Street between the curve and the intersection reduce the sight visibility of on-coming traffic from the intersection. The intersection does not meet warrants for a four-way stop. Engineering staff recommends the Public Works Department trim the trees in the right-of-way in that area to improve sight lines. The group consensus was that the Public Works Department should work with the adjacent property owners to manage the trees overhanging the right-of-way. 8A.Other Traffic Concerns Communicated to the City of Apple Valley Police Concerns Mr. Francis said Public Works would present a common concern for both departments. Public Works Concerns Mr. Anderson said there has been concern from residents about a pedestrian crosswalk at Garden View Drive and the south leg of Baldwin Drive. During the 2020 Street Reconstruction Project, there were meetings with neighboring residents to address the crosswalk design. Valley Middle School had been making changes to its property since 2016 to address building security and parent pick-up parking issues. The outcome of the meetings was to include Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB's) and to add a right-turn lane on southbound Garden View Drive for traffic turning into the School parking lot. In the fall, at the completion of the project, City staff met with School administrators to distribute flyers to students to educate them on how to properly use the RRFB system. Through most of the 2020-2021 school year, the School was either closed or operating on a hybrid learning system with half the students in the building on any given day. On April 20, 2021, the School returned to full-time on-site learning for four days a week. A very large number of parents chose to drive their students to and from school, rather than using the buses. As a result, the number of vehicles trying to access the site during pick-up time increased far above any of the site parking design capacities. Large number of vehicles were stacked in the right-turn lane on Garden View Drive, waiting to turn into the School property. The presence of the parked cars in the turn lane obscured the view of the crosswalk for vehicles in the southbound lane. There were a number of near accidents where vehicles stopped at the last second when a student was in the crosswalk. For the remainder of the school year, the Middle School directed parent pick- up to the north side of the site. While this relieves much of the issue around the crosswalk, it does create vehicle movement issues on Baldwin Drive and may not be a permanent solution. The Engineering Division presented several options to be presented to the City Council on May 13''. The first recommended option was to revise signage at the crosswalk. This included removal and relocation of other street signage that blocked the view of the RRFB's and enhanced signage under the RRFB's alerting drivers of the obligation to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk. The second recommended option was to add flashing LED rings around the pedestrian signs at a cost of about $2,500 per sign. The third option that was not recommended at this time was to install a HAWK crossing. However, this would require State approval and would cost over $100,000 to install. The fourth option that was not recommend at this time was to remove the mid-block crossing entirely and direct students to cross at the controlled intersection of Garden View Drive and Whitney Drive. A fifth option proposed by some nearby residents was to create a four-way stop at Garden View Drive and Baldwin Drive. The intersection does not meet any of the required warrants for a four-way stop and would likely lead to even greater vehicle stacking issues, potentially making the situation even less safe. The group discussed the options and the consensus was that the first two options should be pursued. 8B.Educational Issues and Grant Opportunities Ms. Dolan noted that there will be a virtual Toward Zero Deaths conference on May 131h and encouraged members to attend. 9. Adjourn MOTION: Mr. Grawe moved, second by Mr. Shaw, to adjourn. Motion passed 7-0. Meeting was adjourned at 7:54 p.m.