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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/13/2013 Traffic Safety Advisory Committee City of Apple Valley March 13, 2013 7:00 p.m. Municipal Center Minutes 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Secretary Joe Shaw Members Present: Todd Blomstrom, Linda Dolan, Charles Grawe, Michael Marben, Joe Shaw, Laura Turek Members Absent: Arthur Zimmerman Consultants/Alternates Present: Dave Bennett Others Present: 2. Approval of Agenda Ms. Dolan requested an additional education item on school sports team outreach. MOTION: Mr. Blomstrom moved, second by Mr. Marben, to approve the agenda as amended. Motion passed 6-0. 3. Approval of January 9, 2013 Minutes MOTION: Mr. Marben moved, second by Mr. Grawe, to approve the Minutes of January 9, 2013 as presented. Motion passed 5-0 (Ms. Dolan abstained). 4. Audience Items There were no audience items. 5. Request for Ordinance Amendment to Allow Golf Carts on Pathways and Streets Staff presented the issue. The Committee held discussion and came to consensus on the following findings: 1. When considering the proposed use of golf carts, this committee and the City must consider public safety of all users on the trail system and street system. 2. Existing trail users include walking pedestrians, wheel chair users, visually impaired users, scooters, children/adult bicyclists, and others. 3. Public trails are intended for 2-way traffic, and must provide adequate space to reasonably allow oncoming traffic to pass, without requiring a user (e.g. wheel chair, bicyclist, walker) to deviate off the trail pavement onto the adjacent boulevard. 4. Departure from the pavement surface can create safety issues and space may not be available during the winter months due to snow banks. 5. The existing trails along Flagstaff, Foliage, and Galaxie Avenues extending north from CSAH 46 are a maximum of only 8 feet wide. Sidewalks along Garden View Drive are 5-feet wide. 6. Wheel chairs and other users would typically require approximately 36- inches to trail width, plus approximately one (1) foot clear zone to the right and 1 to 2 feet of clear zone to the left to provide safe passage of oncoming motorized vehicles. 7. Given a typical golf cart with approximately 4-feet width, weighing several hundred pounds, and traveling in excess of 10 mph, the City's existing trail segments noted above do not allow adequate width to accommodate 2-way traffic, while mixing existing users plus golf carts. 8. Modifications of the existing trail segments listed above would require changes that would fundamentally alter the nature of the City's services and infrastructure by requiring potential right-of-way acquisition, reconstruction of trail segments, and significant increase in maintenance costs to expand existing 8-foot wide trails to 11 or 12-ft wide trails. 9. Permitting golf carts on 8-ft wide multi-use trails within the public right- of-way would likely come at the expense of compromising public safety for other users. 10. Flagstaff, Foliage and Galaxie Avenues all have posted speed limits of 40 mph or more and Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) volumes in excess of 3,000 vehicles per day. 11. The TSAC reviewed the memorandum from the City Attorney dated July 12, 2012 titled Use of Golf Cart on Sidewalk and Roadway. 12. Inter-mixing golf carts within these collector road segments could potentially result in significant public safety issues. 13. The City must balance several factors as part of the decision making process, including available funding, staffing, resources and public safety issues. MOTION: Mr. Marben moved, second by Mr. Blomstrom, to not recommend changing the ordinance as requested based on the finding noted above. Motion passed 6-0. 6. Proposed All-Way Stop at Intersection of 153rd Street West and Garrett Avenue Staff presented the issue and the planned pedestrian island design. The Committee held discussion. MOTION: Ms. Dolan moved, second by Mr. Marben, to recommend the City Council authorize the proposed stop and island installation as presented. Motion passed 6-0. 7. Educational Issues Ms. Dolan proposed approaching the School District about introducing drivers safety initiatives through sports teams and through parent meetings in the drivers' education programs. MOTION: Ms. Dolan moved, second by Mr. Marben, for Ms. Dolan and Ms. Turek to explore with School officials other methods to get traffic safety information to students through sports teams and drivers education programs. Staff presented two videos by the Local Road Research Board and the Minnesota Department of Transportation. 8. Garden View Drive Speed and Traffic Update Staff presented the collected data. 9. Other Traffic Concerns Communicated to the City of Apple Valley Police Concerns Mr. Marben reported that a specialized vehicle is being purchased to help simulate the effects of drunk or distracted driving for students. Public Works' Concerns Mr. Blomstrom said there will be an open house on the Highway 77 Improvement Project options on April 24th between 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm at the Western Service Center. 10. Adjourn MOTION: Mr. Grawe moved, second by Mr. Blomstrom, to adjourn. Motion passed 6- 0. Meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.