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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/08/2010 -'� � � , i Traffic Safety Advisory Committee City of Apple Valley September 8, 2010 7:00 p.m. Municipal Center Minutes I, 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chair Arthur Zimmerman. Members Present: Todd Blomstrom, Linda Dolan, Charles Grawe, Jon Rechtzigel, Arthur Zimmerman Members Absent: Dick Asleson, Harald Eriksen Consultants/Alternates Present: Tom Sohrweide Others Present: � 2. A�proval of A eg nda MOTION: Mr. Blomstrom moved, second by Ms. Dolan, to approve the agenda as proposed. Motion passed 5-0. 3. Approval of Julv 14, 2010 Minutes Mr. Blomstrom requested striking part of a sentence attributed to him. MOTION: Mr. Rechtzigel moved, second by Mr. Blomstrom, to approve the Minutes of July 14, 2010 as amended. Motion passed 4-0 (Mr. Zimmerman � � abstained). � 4. Audience Items There were no audience items. 5. Consider 4-Wav Stop Control Parking Restrictions and Urban District Speed at 153rd Street and Foliage Avenue Mr. Blomstrom said he reviewed several years of accident data on this section of roadway. The City requested that the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) conduct a speed study to determine if the existing 45 mile per hour speed limit is appropriate: MnDOT studied the roadway and recommended no changes to speed limit. More accidents occurred and the . . 4. City appealed the decision and asked MnDOT to reconsider. MnDOT again recommended no changes to the speed limit. The City modified the signage at the intersection, increasing its size and visibility to drivers. Accidents continue to occur. It appears that the divided construction design of 153`d Street causes some drivers to believe that 153`a Street has the right-of-way, rather than stopping at the intersection with Foliage Avenue. Mr. Sohrweide presented several options for possible further action by the City. He noted that the accident data for the intersection meets the necessary warrants to justify a four-way stop. He recommended adding a center median for a center stop sign. He explained that stop signs are not a good means of controlling speed on a roadway,but noted that a speed limit reduction won't necessarily stop accidents from occurring at the intersection. The State Statutes allow the City to create an "Urban District"with a 30 mile per hour speed limit. While the City staff suspects the current MnDOT set limit of 45 miles per hour might be too high, staff also suspects that 30 miles per hour might be too low for this type of collector roadway. When the City requested the stud b MnDOT the staf y y , f belief was a limit of 35 or 40 miles per hour might be more appropriate. Mr. Sohrweide did not recommend establishing an"Urban DistricY'. He recommended implementing the stop sign solution and monitoring the area for speed and accident changes. MOTION: Mr. Grawe moved, second by Ms. Dolan, to implement the recommended stop sign improvements creating a four-way stop at Foliage Avenue and 153rd Street and monitoring the intersection in the future. Motion passed 5-0. 6. Concern for Speeding Traffic alon� 15700 Block of Griffon Path Mr. Blomstrom said a resident called originally requesting speed limit signs and speed bumps. He explained the reasons why the City does not typically install these types of solutions and recommended increasing enforcement activity,providing education through the speed trailer, and distributing an awareness flyer to the neighborhood. 7. T:affic SiQnal Left Turn Phase at 147�' Street and Galaxie�`venue Mr. Blomstrom said he received complaints from drivers having difficulty making left turns onto Galaxie Avenue. The issue is that if only one vehicle is waiting at the light, the sole vehicle will not trigger the signal to activate a dedicated left turn with a green arrow. Instead, for one vehicle, the intersection activates a permissive green light under which left-turning vehicles may turn left only after yielding to any oncoming traffic. Some � � � residents complained of difficulty executing the left-hand turn due to high volumes of oncoming traffic. Mr. Sohrweide said this issue can be addressed with a relatively minor wire modification. He noted that the intersection will not function as efficiently if a turn-arrow phase is added, but the modification would have minimal efficiency impacts. The consensus of the Committee was to proceed with the signal phase modification as described by Mr. Sohrweide. S. Other Traffic Concerns Communicated to the Ci �of A�ple Valley Police Concerns Mr. Rechtzigel reported that the Police Deparhnent conducted a speed study on Fernando Avenue. The survey included 85 vehicles with an average speed of 26 miles per hour. Only 4.7 percent of the vehicles were traveling over the speed limit and all of those were 2 or fewer miles per hour over. He said the Police Department will revisit speeds in this area after school has started session. Mr. Blomstrom said the Public Warks Department took traffic counts along the roadway this summer and will take new counts once school has � started session. Mr. Rechtzigel reported that the Police Department received a compliant about speeding vehicles on Echo Way. A Community Service Officer(CSO) conducted a speed survey over a six-hour period, during which 27 vehicles were surveyed. The highest observed speed was 24 miles per hour. As this street has many curves, there may be a misperception of speeding. The Special Enforcement Team was also assigned to patrol this roadway,but no speeding violations were observed. Mr. Rechtzigel reported that the Police Department conducted a speed study on 135�' Street near Fordham Avenue. The survey included 75 vehicles with an average speed of 30 miles per hour. Of that total, 38 percent were over the speed limit, with 12 vehicles five or more miles per hour over and one vehicle more than 10 miles per hour over. The Department has speed using the speed trailer and car 54 for speed awareness along with increased enforcement efforts. Public Works' Concerns Mr. Blomstrom requested volunteers to evaluate the LED test street lighting. 9. Education Issues There were no new education issues. � , ,�r 10. Adjourn MOTION: Mr. Rechtzigel moved, second by Mr. Blomstrom, to adjourn. Motion passed 5- 0. Meeting was adjourned at 8:02 p.m.