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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/14/2015 08 Meeting Location: Municipal Center City of W.49 7100 147th Street West Wiley Apple Valley, Minnesota 55124 Y TRAFFIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING AGENDA JANUARY 14, 2015 - 7:00 P.M. 1. Called Meeting to Order 2. Approved Agenda 3. Audience —No items raised. 4. Approved Minutes of November 12, 2014 Regular Meeting 5. Regular Agenda Items: A. Reviewed Southview Elementary traffic concerns and recommended staff install intersection lighting and modify sign location. B. Approved 2014 Annual Report of Accomplishments C. Elected Arthur Zimmerman as Chair and Laura Turek as Secretary. 6. Informational Items A. Other Traffic Concerns Communicated to the City: 1. Police—No Concerns Reported 2. Public Works—No Concerns Reported B. Educational Issues—Heard Update on TZD Speaker for Next Meeting 7. Adjourned Meeting. NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETINGS: Wednesday March 11, 2015 7:00 p.m. (Regular) Welcome to the Apple Valley Traffic Safety Advisory Committee meeting. The Committee is a forum to hear citizen concerns regarding traffic and parking on City streets, as well as pedestrian and bicycle safety issues. The Committee also evaluates proposals for traffic control devices, signage, and striping and considers citywide traffic education and communication programs. The Committee encourages residents to bring their concerns forward and appreciates your efforts to help make our City a safer community. Specific traffic solutions may also have unintended and potentially dangerous consequences as there are often engineering and liability issues involved with traffic controls and roadway designs to consider. When evaluating resident concerns, the Committee follows a process that looks broadly at multiple possible solutions and utilizes the City's engineering resources to help determine the most appropriate solution for identified problems: 1) The concern is received. 2) Options are identified to address the concern. 3) Additional analysis of the options to determine engineering, legal liability, and financial constraints or issues may be necessary. 4) A recommendation is made. We appreciate your participation in exploring the most appropriate solution for the problem in your area. 08 Meeting Location: Municipal Center City of W.49 7100 147th Street West Wiley Apple Valley, Minnesota 55124 Y TRAFFIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING TENTATIVE AGENDA JANUARY 14, 2015 - 7:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order 2. Approval of Agenda 3. Audience - 10 Minutes Total Time Limit - For Items NOT on this Agenda 4. Approval of Minutes of November 12, 2014 Regular Meeting 5. Regular Agenda Items: A. Southview Elementary Traffic Concerns B. Approve 2014 Annual Report of Accomplishments C. Election of Officers 6. Informational Items A. Other Traffic Concerns Communicated to the City: 1. Police 2. Public Works B. Educational Issues 7. Adjourn. NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETINGS: Wednesday March 11, 2015 7:00 p.m. (Regular) Welcome to the Apple Valley Traffic Safety Advisory Committee meeting. The Committee is a forum to hear citizen concerns regarding traffic and parking on City streets, as well as pedestrian and bicycle safety issues. The Committee also evaluates proposals for traffic control devices, signage, and striping and considers citywide traffic education and communication programs. The Committee encourages residents to bring their concerns forward and appreciates your efforts to help make our City a safer community. Specific traffic solutions may also have unintended and potentially dangerous consequences as there are often engineering and liability issues involved with traffic controls and roadway designs to consider. When evaluating resident concerns, the Committee follows a process that looks broadly at multiple possible solutions and utilizes the City's engineering resources to help determine the most appropriate solution for identified problems: 1) The concern is received. 2) Options are identified to address the concern. 3) Additional analysis of the options to determine engineering, legal liability, and financial constraints or issues may be necessary. 4) A recommendation is made. We appreciate your participation in exploring the most appropriate solution for the problem in your area. Traffic Safety Advisory Committee City of Apple Valley November 12, 2014 7:00 p.m. Municipal Center Minutes 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chair Arthur Zimmerman Members Present: John Bermel, Todd Blomstrom, Linda Dolan, Charles Grawe, Arthur Zimmerman Members Absent: Joe Shaw, Laura Turek Consultants/Alternates Present: Dave Bennett Others Present: Jennifer Brustad, Ben Glaser, Glen Glaser, Laura Glaser, Marty Glaser, Christine Heilman, Kelly Kausel 2. Approval of Agenda Mr. Bennett asked that Request for Parking Prohibitions on 146th Street Near Galaxie Avenue be added to the agenda. He also requested that Item 5E be addressed second on the regular agenda. MOTION: Mr. Blomstrom moved, second by Mr. Bermel to approve the agenda as amended. Motion passed 6-0. 3. Approval of September 10, 2014 Minutes MOTION: Mr. Bermel moved, second by Mr. Grawe, to approve the Minutes of September 10, 2014 as presented. Motion passed 6-0. 4. Audience Items The Glasers expressed their appreciation for the modifications to the fence line that improved visibility at Johnny Cake Ridge Road and 144th Street. An unidentified resident expressed concern over lighting and visibility of a crosswalk at Garden View Drive and Baldwin Drive. There were also concerns about crosswalk violation. Mr. Blomstrom said he would evaluate the street lighting at the site. Mr. Bermel said the Police Department Special Enforcement Team would conduct some enforcement efforts. 5A.Resident Concern about Cut-Through Traffic on 144th Street and Everest WaY Mr. Bennett reviewed the traffic data collected when studying the earlier concerns about possible cut-through traffic on 144th Street and Everest Way. The traffic volumes in the study area were all under 300 ADT, which is a very low volume for a residential street. The 85th percentile speeds were between 29 and 32 miles per hours, which is very typical for a residential street. Ms. Kausel urged the Committee to look at other ways to help ensure the safety of children along that stretch of roadway. 5B.Southview Elementary Traffic Concerns Principal Heilman described concerns for the crosswalk at Whitney Drive and Garden View Drive. The issue is caused by parents coming to pick up students after school. The school parking lot is limited in size and there is a long stack of vehicles trying to make right turns into the parking lot. As a result, exiting traffic generally turns to the south, causing stacking at the crosswalk at Whitney Drive and Garden View Drive. The Committee encouraged the School to consider modifications to its parking lot to better accommodate waiting parents within the School site and eliminate the stacking on the public street. 5C.Request for Right Turn Lane Markings on Eastbound 155th Street at Embry Path Mr. Bennett reported on the study of the intersection. Staff found that the current confusion of the lane transition can be eliminated by moving the transition out of the intersection and moving the lane merge further east by a few hundred yards. MOTION: Mr. Grawe moved, second by Ms. Dolan, to recommend staff add markings for a right turn lane and extend the lane markings to the east as recommended by staff. Motion passed 6—0. 5D.Reguest for"Cross Traffic Does Not Stop" Sign at Cobblestone Lake Parkway and Elmhurst Lane Mr. Bennett said a resident expressed concern about the intersection because the marked crosswalks create the visual impression that it is a four-way stop. Staff noted that there have been similar concerns at other similar intersections with the marked crosswalks. The Committee consensus was to add the "Cross Traffic Does Not Stop" signs at these types of intersections. 5E.Request for Signs on Garden View Drive Mr. Bennett reported that a resident requested "Check Speed" signs in association with the speed advisory signs. Staff noted that such signage was intended to be used with the advisory signs and will verify that the intended signage is still in place. 5F.Adopt 2015 Meeting Schedule Regular meetings are scheduled for January 14th, March 11th, May 13th, July 8th, and September 9th. Since the Veteran's Day Holiday falls on the normal meeting date for the November meeting, a special meeting date will need to be scheduled for a November meeting. MOTION: Mr. Blomstrom moved, second by Ms. Dolan, to approve the2015 meeting schedule as presented. Motion passed 6-0. 5G.Reguest for Parking Restrictions on the North Side of 146th Street North of the Apple Valley Medical Center Mr. Bennett said there have been parking issues on 146th Street from Medical Center staff choosing not to park on the Medical Center site. He recommended extending the parking prohibitions a few hundred feet west of the intersection, subject to the agreement by the neighboring townhome properties. MOTION: Mr. Bermel moved, second by Mr. Blomstrom, to recommend installation of parking prohibitions as recommended subject to agreement by the adjoining townhome properties. 6A.Other Traffic Concerns Communicated to the City of Apple Valley Police Concerns Mr. Bermel reported no new concerns. Public Works Concerns Mr. Blomstrom reported that Dakota County is currently studying the intersections on County Road 42 and has proposed potentially closing the median at Redwood Drive and removing the signal at Elm Drive. He noted on a related issue, residents in Burnsville continue to request re-installation of a "No Through Traffic" sign along Kelley Lake Drive to discourage cut-through traffic into Burnsville. Staff is currently working with the County to model traffic impacts to the proposed intersection changes and will report back to the Committee. 6B.Educational Issues Ms. Dolan summarized the Toward Zero Deaths Conference. She also noted a new law requiring parents of student drivers to attend a class or increase required behind the wheel time for students. 7. Adjourn MOTION: Mr. Grawe moved, second by Mr. Blomstrom, to adjourn. Motion passed 6- 0. Meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m. 000 G 00000 0000 000 City of Apple Valley MEMO Administration TO: Mayor, City Council, and City Administrator FROM: Traffic Safety Advisory Committee DATE: January 14, 2015 SUBJECT: 2014 ACCOMPLISHMENTS The Traffic Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC) held six meetings in 2014. The members of the Committee throughout 2014 were: John Bermel, Todd Blomstrom, Linda Dolan, Charles Grawe, Mitch Scott, Joe Shaw, Laura Turek, and Arthur Zimmerman. Mr. Bermel replaced Mr. Scott as the Police Department representative during the year. Arthur Zimmerman served as Chair and Joe Shaw served as Secretary. Major accomplishments and/or undertakings by TSAC during its fourteenth year include: • Resident Concern with Sight Lines at Johnny Cake Ridge Road and 144th Street: Several residents expressed concern that a hedge and a privacy fence located directly adjacent to the pedestrian pathway obscures the presence of pedestrians and bicyclists from motorists stopped at the intersection. The Committee found that there were no setback violations, but the distance of the pathway from the roadway places the pathway against the lot line. The Committee asked staff to work with the property owners on a voluntary basis to see if modifications could be made to their property that would improve the situation. The property owners agreed and the sight lines were improved by relocating a portion of the existing fence. • Resident Request for Parking Restrictions on Exley Avenue Cul-de-sac: The residents near the cul-de-sac expressed concern over vehicle parking in the cul-de-sac effectively blocking access and use of the cul-de-sac. Staff studied the area and found two independent issues at the site adjoining the Falcon Ridge Middle School property. Parents were parking in the cul-de-sac during the school year as a faster way to pick-up their students. The other issue was parents parking in the cul-de-sac during the summer to access the athletic fields. There were also reports of parents driving from the cul-de-sac onto a large sidewalk leading to the school parking lot. The Committee recommended restricting parking on the inside of the cul-de-sac and to install a post at the intersection of the sidewalk to discourage vehicles from driving on the sidewalk. City installed parking restrictions along the northerly portion of Exley Avenue. • Establishment of School Speed Zone on Flagstaff Avenue near Eastview High School: The Minnesota Department of Transportation studied the speed limits on various segments of 153rd Street and Flagstaff Avenue. The Department determined that a 40 mile per hour limit would be appropriate on the segment adjoining Eastview High School. The Committee did not agree with the State's determination and recommended the City establish a school speed zone of 30 miles per hour Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.. School speed zone was established by the City Council as recommended. • Resident Vehicle Speed and Parking Concerns along Hayes Road: Several residents expressed concern over vehicle speeds and parking along Hayes Road near the Apple Valley Community Center. During the summer months, overflow parking from athletic fields spills over onto Hayes Road and the residents have difficulty backing out of their driveways because of the reduced slight lines. The Committee asked staff to increase enforcement activity and to work with the Parks Department on avoiding over-scheduling of the complex. City installed additional pavement markings at the crosswalk near Hayes Road and Haven Drive. • Resident Concern about Pedestrian Crossing at 157th Street and France Way: Several residents expressed concern about a bus stop on the north side of 157th Street in a mid-block area. The stop serves about 3 0 children on the north side of the street and an additional 10 from the south side. Parents are concerned about the safety of children crossing 157th to reach the stop. The Committee asked the Police Department to work with the bus company on a solution and a second stop to the south was added to eliminate the need for children to cross the street. Bus company indicated that they would modify the bus route to minimize the need for students to cross the street at this location. • Resident Concern about Speeding and Cut-Through Traffic on 144th Street and Everest Way: A resident expressed concern for her child when near 144th Street and Everest Avenue. The two streets joint end-to-end to form a circular pathway between Johnny Cake Ridge Road and 142nd Street. The Committee requested a study of the traffic volumes. Results of the study indicated very low traffic counts with 85th percentile speeds very close to 30 miles per hour. • Resident Concern about Speeding Traffic on 132nd Street: A resident expressed concern over potential vehicle speeds once the roadway has been reconstructed. Staff proposed using the speed advisory sign and increased enforcement activity as possible countermeasures. Portable driver feedback signs were installed along 132nd Street for a period of approximately three weeks upon completion of the road reconstruction project. • Garden View Drive Traffic Concerns: The Committee continued to monitor traffic speeds and volumes on Garden View Drive. The Committee recommended ensuring the "Check Speed" signage associated with the two permanent speed advisory signs is in place. • Resident Concerns with Traffic near Diamond Path Elementary School: There were concerns from the neighborhood about new traffic generated by a new school facility north of Diamond Path. One neighborhood suggestion was restricting parking on 144th Street. However, the parking issues on 144th Street with summer athletic use of the fields, not the school-year activities by the school. The Committee recommended painting yellow parking prohibition colors on either side of the pedestrian crosswalk bump-out, but not on the remainder of 144th Street at this time. Additional markings were installed at this location. Potable driver feedback sign was installed for approximately three weeks. • Southview Elementary Traffic Concerns: The Committee heard concerns about traffic stacking on Garden View Drive. This stacking is caused by the lack of space on the School site to accommodate the growing number of parents driving to pick-up their students. The overflow traffic is then pushed onto the street. The Committee noted that the trend for parents to pick-up students after school is overwhelming many of the elementary and middle school parking lots and causing traffic issues during pick-up time around the city. The Committee encouraged the school district to recognize this trend and provide facility planning resources to address this problem district-wide. • Request for Right Turn Lane Markings on Eastbound 155th Street at Embry Path: The Committee heard a concern about traffic flow at the intersection where 155th transitions from two lanes to one lane. The Committee studied the intersection and found that the problem could be better addressed by extending the lane merge further to the east so that the transition did not occur in the intersection. The Committee recommended modifications to the lane configuration, but acknowledged that this work would require resurfacing the roadway to eliminate the existing lane markings. Staff will attempt to include this segment of 155th Street in the 2015 Microsurfacing Project. • Request for "Cross Traffic Does Not Stop" Sign at Cobblestone Lake Parkway and Elmhurst Lane: The Committee heard a concern about the intersection where the marked crosswalks create a visual impression that it is a four-way stop when it is not. The Committee noted a few similar intersections elsewhere in the City and similar types of confusion at those locations. The Committee recommended staff install "Cross Traffic Does Not Stop" signs at this and other similar intersections where the crosswalk markings create a visual impression of a four-way stop. Signs were installed by Street Maintenance staff. • Resident Request for Parking Restrictions on the North Side of 146th Street North of the Apple Valley Medical Center: The Committee heard concerns about on-street parking by Medical Center employees who do not wish to park in the lot. The Committee recommended extending parking restrictions on the street to points further west, subject to agreement by the neighboring property owners. Staff is seeking comments from adjacent property owners. • Portable Driver Feedback Sign Program: The City acquired two solar-powered driver feedback signs that could be erected on a temporary basis to address traffic concerns in specific neighborhoods. The signs were installed along a number of roadways during 2014. • Reviewed Traffic Concerns Communicated to City: At each meeting, TSAC reviewed traffic concerns/issues brought to the Police and Public Works Departments during the month. • There was a concern over possible cut-through traffic and vehicle speed on Dundee Avenue between County Road 42 and Dodd Boulevard. • The Committee received concerns about a vehicle parked on the grass boulevard on the south side of 138 th Street near Cedar Avenue. Some neighbors were concerned it may have been a park and ride participant using the boulevard for daytime parking. The Committee recommended possible daytime parking restrictions conditioned on agreement by the affected property owners on the north side of the street. Staff was not able to get agreement from the property owners on the north side. • The Committee received a request for a pedestrian crosswalk at Cobblestone Lake Parkway and Eagle Stone Road. The resident did not request the crosswalk for any particular section. After reviewing the site, the Committee found that there are many places along the Cobblestone Lake Parkway that are equally likely spots for pedestrians to attempt to cross and no single location would have enough pedestrian volumes to meet the threshold for a crosswalk. The Committee asked staff to monitor the area to determine if one location might generate enough pedestrian volume for further study. • The Committee received a concern about crosswalk lighting and violations at the intersection of Garden View Drive and Baldwin Drive. Staff will collect light level measurements at this location. • The Committee received a concern from Burnsville residents who want to discourage traffic into Burnsville via Keller Lake Drive. This issue continues to be studied under a joint effort by Apple Valley, Burnsville and Dakota County. • Educational Outreach Efforts: In its fourteenth year, TSAC continued to focus on its educational outreach efforts. Some educational outreach efforts included the following: • Several members attended to Toward Zero Death's Conference to learn about new and emerging strategies to increase traffic safety. The Traffic Safety Advisory Committee welcomes direction from the City Council as well as any recommendations, questions, or concerns.