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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/11/2007 � � Traffic Safety Advisory Committee City of Apple Valley July 11, 2007 7:00 p.m. Municipal Center Minutes 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. by Chair Arthur Zimmerman. Members Present: Dick Asleson(arrived approx 7:30 p.m.), Linda Dolan (arrived approx 7:25 p.m.), Harald Eriksen, Charles Grawe, Neal Heuer, Arthur Zimmerman Members Absent: Michael Marben Consultants/Alternates Present: Tom Sohrweide Others Present: Jon Rechtzigel, Jack Fenton 2. Approval of Agenda Mr. Grawe requested that the Committee begin with the"Other Traffic Concerns"and follow with the Speed Study Update until the two members who notified the group they would be a few minutes late had arrived. MOTION: Mr. Grawe moved, second by Mr. Eriksen, to approve the agenda as amended. Motion passed 4-0 3. Approval of Mav 9, 2007 Minutes MOTION: Mr. Grawe moved, Mr. Zimmerman seconded,to approve the Minutes of May 9, 2007. Motion passed 4-0 4. Audience Items � There were no audience items presented. 5. Other Traffic Concerns Communicated to the City of Apple Valley Public Works' Concerns Mr. Heuer reported that he received a complaint about vehicle speeds on Redwood Drive south of County Road 42. The resident also requested speed • • , bumps. Mr. Heuer said he would use Car 54 in an attempt to encourage slower speeds. Mr. Heuer said he received an anonymous complaint about the new chevrons installed on Palomino Drive. He noted that the complainant also thanked the City for its use of Car 54 in that area. Mr. Heuer said he received a complaint regarding the parking near Wildwood Park. The resident also requested parking restrictions. Mr. Heuer noted that the Committee has visited the issue of parking near City parks at a number of prior meetings. Many of the City's parks rely on off-street parking and do not have paxking lots. Whatever policy the City would adopt for this park would likely be viewed as a precedent for other parks. He noted that there were no unusual or special circumstances that would separate parking near Wildwood from other park areas. Mr. Heuer copied the Committee on several other responses to residents with traffic concerns. 6. Update on Speed Studv for Traffic Concerns Around Alima�net Park Mr. Heuer reported that the Public Works Department has been taking traffic counts throughout the summer. Residents had previously reported Monday evenings as having the most traffic volume. As a result, Public Works took two 24-hour counts between noon on Monday and noon on Tuesday during the weeks of June 18th and July 2°a. During the count around June 18th, 218 total vehicle trips into and out of the park were recorded. During the count around July 2na, 419 total trips into and out of the park were recorded. He noted that the roadway was designed to handle those traffic volumes. In addition to the traffic counts, Public Works also conducted a manual vehicle speed study on June 18th between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. While the highest speed recorded for east-west traffic on Walnut Lane was 41 miles per hour, the 85th percentile of speed for east-west traffic was between 30 and 32 miles per hour. This 85th percentile speed is lower than many other City streets. For traffic turning onto Ridgeview Drive, the highest recorded speed was 32 miles per hour and the 85th percentile speed was 29 miles per hour. For traffic turning onto Walnut Lane, the highest recorded speed was 28 miles per hour. Ms. Dolan arrived at 7:25 p.m. Mr. Heuer said the Public Works Department will continue to collect data over the next month and one half. He said he would report the results to the Committee at its September meeting. . • ! 7. Resident Request far Guard Rails Alon�Palomino Drive Mr. Heuer explained that at the previous meeting, he and the Traffic Engineer had conducted an initial study of the Palomino section. This study showed that a sign indicating a curve ahead with an advisory speed of 35 miles per hour would be appropriate. The study also showed that the existing signage was not appropriate for the actual roadway condition. As a result, the Committee recommended the installation of chevrons around the curve and the installation of appropriate signage with the advisory speed limit. These improvements were made and Public Works has been monitoring the situation. The Committee also asked for further study for the appropriateness of guard rails as requested by several residents. Mr. Asleson arrived at 7:30 p.m. Mr. Sohrweide explained the study in greater detail and said that prior to the study, the only speed signage was the 45 miles per hour limit. In addition, when approaching the curve section, it is difficult to see the curve because of the crest of the hi1L When Mr. Sohrweide drive the curve at the posted 45 miles per hour,the curve did not feel comfortable. He followed with a second test, driving the curve using a ball bank indicator. The ball bank indicator showed the appropriate speed during the curve was 35 miles per hour. Mr. Sol�rweide said there are no established standards or requirements for guard rails in this type of situation. The guidelines for guard rails generally relate to clear zones along roadways. Clear zone need to be clear of trees, rocks,ponds, etc. Guard rails are used when the clear zone includes some of these items or an irrecoverable slope. The depth of the clear zone varies with the speed limit. This situation does not involve a clear zone. Further; the slope is not irrecoverable. Thus, this is not a situation where guard rails would be used to protect the motorist from a hazard. Mr. Sohrweide said that guard rails themselves can be a hazard as they are designed to deflect a vehicle to lessen the severity of an impact, thus preventing a harder impact with an immovable object or causing a rollover. However, the deflection can take the vehicle into an oncoming lane of traffic,posing a new danger. Ms. Dolan said she was pleased with the engineer's recommendation and asked if signage was appropriate for both directions of traffic. Mr. Sohrweide said the speed advisory was not necessary for the traffic going uphill because the slope acts as a built-in speed control measure. Mr. Grawe asked if there had been any new accidents since the recommendation was implemented. Staff was not aware of any new accidents. Ms. Dolan asked Mr. Fenton if the neighboring residents had expressed any opinions. He said it is an improvement, but he wanted to know the use of guard rails to protect private property and pedestrians, not for protection of drivers. Mr. Sohrweide responded that the drivers must be considered because the guard rails could . � ' deflect vehicles into oncoming traffic. Mr. Fenton asked if a post and cable system could be used instead of the metal guard rails. Mr. Sohrweide noted that to install such a system, it would have to be located behind the sidewalk and would offer no protection for pedestrians. Mr. Fenton asked if the chevrons could be enlarged. Mr. Heuer said he would need to investigate that question. Mr. Heuer said the Committee needs to take into consideration the safety of all parties, including private property owners, pedestrians, and vehicle occupants traveling in both directions and lanes of traffic. The Committee's challenge is to find a solution that best protects all of these groups. Mr. Grawe said that part of the difficulty in this particular resident request is that the residents are requesting investment of public tax dollars in a manner that would only serve to protect private property and could endanger the public using the public roadways. He noted that the private property owners can choose to invest in various measures that could offer further protection to their property. Mr. Eriksen said he believes there is a similar situation in Burnsville where guard rails have been provided. Mr. Sohrweide said there is no mandate to provide guard rails for the benefit of private property and it is a judgment call. Mr. Asleson said there is no perfect answer to some problems. The Committee needs to look at the facts and make a judgment. Ms. Dolan asked if rumble strips could be an effective solution. Mr. Sohrweide said they can be a hazard for bicyclists and often create noise problems for adjoining property owners. Mr. Heuer said he would further investigate the size of the chevrons and would continue to monitor events on this stretch of roadway into the future. 8. Resident Concerns over Traffic near Falcon Ridge Middle School Mr. Sohrweide said there are several Safe Ride to School grants available, including a$175,000 grant for physical improvements and a$25,000 education or soft improvement grant. The City looked at two locations for possible grant funding—Galaxie Avenue near Greenleaf Elementary School and Johnny Cake Ridge Road near Falcon Ridge Middle SchooL Mr. Sohrweide said he conducted a pedestrian gap study at Falcon Ridge. He is looking for ways to provide an adequate crossing gap for pedestrians by providing a refuge mid-way across the street. The area does not allow for the road to be widened and there are further concerns due to left-turn movements into the School lot. One option was to covert the road to a three-lane design. A three-lane design could accommodate the projected future traffic volumes on Johnny Cake Ridge Road. He created two options shown in handouts distributed at the meeting. � • The Principal of Falcon Ridge supports the City in an effort to win the grant: The grant application is due in August. 1VIr. Sohrweide estimated the cost to construct a pedestrian median and re-mark the street to be around$30,000. He recommended that the City submit the grant application with a letter of support from the School District. Mr. Asleson questioned if the proposed improvement would invite the potential for accidents given the traffic volurnes on the roadway. Mr. Heuer responded that he is in favor if the three-lane design as it serves as a traffic calming measure. There was general discussion about the merits of the proposed plans and the need for a pedestrian crossing. Mr. Rechtzigel said he believes the students currently cross at the location and the proposed crossing improvements would improve the situation for the students. Mr. Asleson said be believes the improvements to the roadway and the revised lane markings would be good, but he questioned if encouraging pedestrians to cross mid- block, not at a controlled intersection, is a good idea. He noted that the grant funding is contingent on including the pedestrian crossing. There was discussion about which of the two options was a better location for the crossing. Mr. Heuer noted that the surrounding street designs would probably lead more pedestrians to cross at Falcon Ridge Trail (Option B). MOTION: Mr. Grawe moved, second by Mr. Heuer, to recommend the City Council authorize staff to submit a grant application to the Safe Route to School grant program to fund the improvements presented in Option B. Ms.Dolan asked what would happen if the grant was denied. Mr. Heuer said the City would pursue the three-lane design without a crossing median. Mr. Sohrweide estimated the cost of the project without the median to be around $18,000 and the cost of the median to be around$12,000. Motion passed 6—0. 9. Education Issues Ms. Dolan said there is an opportunity for schools to submif proj ects to the- Safety Council for funding. Mr. Grawe noted the traffic safety video clip is also on the web site. 10. Adj ourn MOTION: Mr. Grawe moved,Mr. Zimmerman seconded, to adjourn. Motion passed 6 - 0. Meeting was adjourned at 9:13.