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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril 4, 2011 AGENDA COLUMBIA HEIGHTS TRAFFIC COMMISSION CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2011; 6:00 P.M. I. ROLL CALL II. APPROVAL OF DECEMBER 6, 2010 MINUTES III. OLD BUSINESS None. IV. OTHER OLD BUSINESS V. NEW BUSINESS A. REQUEST TO INSTALL 4-WAY STOP SIGNS AT THE INTERSECTION OF TH JACKSON STREET AND 39 AVENUE Mr Shannon Tuttle of 3857 Quincy Street has requested 4-way stop signs at the th intersection of Jackson Street and 39 Avenue. Mr Tuttle’s concern is the speed of traffic th on 39 Avenue. He is especially concerned for the children who are dropped off by the school bus at that location. At the City’s request, Bill Strep with the School District observed the bus drop-off procedure for the elementary school bus. The bus drives south on Jackson Street from thth 40 Avenue to 39 Avenue and stops on the north side of the intersection. Several th students go north on Jackson Street and a few students cross 39 Avenue and go south on Jackson Street. The bus driver reported that the traffic does tend to go fast from Central Avenue down the hill toward Jackson Street. When trucks are parked near the intersection, the bus and students beginning to cross the intersection can be hard to see. Bus routes and bus stop locations are reviewed annually and change based on the number of students in the area. Traffic currently stops on Jackson Street. There have been 4 accidents at that intersection since 2007. A memo from Police Captain Austin is attached in your packet. In 2008, the th AADT (adjusted average daily traffic) on this section of 39 Avenue was 1400 vehicles. ADT on Jackson Street is not available. The MUTCD guidelines for installing 4-way stop signs are included in your packet. The traffic and pedestrian volume, accident record and the intersection configuration do not meet the requirements for installing 4-way stop signs. The Traffic Commission may want to request the Police Department set the speed trailer th on 39 Avenue this spring and again in September after school starts. RECOMMENDED MOTION: Move to deny the request to install 4-way stop signs at th the intersection of Jackson Street and 39 Avenue. Traffic Commission Agenda April 4, 2011 Page 2 VI. OTHER NEW BUSINESS VII. REPORTS A.CITY ENGINEER 1.ALDI ALDI has purchased the Cafe Donuts, 5001 Central Ave and the Crosstown Eatery, 5025 Central Ave properties. The proposed plat for the development is on the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting agenda Tuesday night. The ingress thst and egress from both 50 Avenue and Central Avenue/51 Court will essentially remain the same. The frontage road (which is partially on private property) will be th removed. The plat includes increased right of way on the north side of 50 Avenue for a future right turn lane onto Central Avenue. TH 2.49 AVENUE th Anoka County has tentatively scheduled construction on 49 Avenue (CSAH 4) from Central to Fairway Drive. The bituminous curb will be replaced with concrete curb and gutter. The remaining bituminous pavement will be milled and resurfaced with an overlay. City staff met with Anoka County Engineers and the School District concerning the project. The crosswalk near Chatham Road will be eliminated. During the meeting, the ideas of a three lane road with a dedicated center turn lane and restricting parking near the crosswalks was discussed. The County Engineers felt that it is safer for pedestrians to have to cross just one lane of traffic in each direction. Also, the concern with a dedicated center turn lane is that within the limited area of the schools, the number of turning movements in opposite directions would actually result in more vehicle conflicts. The School District wants to minimize parking restrictions near the cross-walks. Parking is th not allowed on 49 Avenue from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. during the school day. 3.2011 STREET REHABILITATION PROJECTS Proposed street rehabilitation projects under consideration by the City Council are shown on the attached map. B. POLICE CHIEF C. COMMISSIONERS VIII. ADJOURNMENT The City of Columbia Heights does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its services, programs, or activities. Upon request, accommodation will be provided to allow individuals with disabilities to participate in all City of Columbia Heights' services, programs, and activities. Auxiliary aids for handicapped persons are available upon request when the request is made at least 96 hours in advance. Please call the City Council Secretary at 763/706-3611 to make arrangements. (TDD/763-706-3692 for deaf only.) U N A P P R O V E D OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS COLUMBIA HEIGHTS TRAFFIC COMMISSION MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2010 CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Carlson at 5:32 p.m. ROLL CALL Members present: Carlson, Doty, Goodman, Tyler Staff present: Kathy Young, Assistant City Engineer Lee Okerstrom, Police Corporal Sue Schmidtbauer, Public Works Secretary Council Liaison: Bruce Kelzenberg APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motioned by Goodman, seconded by Doty, to approve the minutes of June 7, 2010, as presented. Motion carried unanimously. OLD BUSINESS None. OTHER OLD BUSINESS None. NEW BUSINESS TH A.REQUEST TO INSTALL 4 WAY STOP SIGNS AT THE INTERSECTION OF 7 STREET AND ST 41 AVENUE th Mr Elhshik is representing the Islamic Center of Minnesota at 4056 7 Street. The concern is the potential for thst vehicle and personal injury accidents at the uncontrolled intersection of 7 Street and 41 Avenue. Mr. Elhshik is caretaker of the building and was present at the meeting. Officer Okerstrom stated that there have been two accidents at the intersection, one in 2008 and one in 2010. Both accidents resulted in property damage only and no injuries. Goodman checked the intersection today. He saw only eight cars and no need for stop signs, but possibly a yield sign on the north side would be beneficial. All members agreed that there is much more traffic during church and mosque activities. However, everyone is more careful due to the increased traffic, which is slow moving. Currently a stop sign would not meet Federal guidelines. However, Mr Elhshik stated that the mosque is very busy and has services five times per day. Mr. Elhshik was advised that studies have shown that stop signs tend to give pedestrians a false sense of security while crossing streets. Studies also show that if a stop sign is not needed, drivers tend to ignore it making the stop sign more of a detriment than a plus. Young reviewed the guidelines with Mr. Elhshik. Commission members all agreed that people are more careful and traffic is st slow during activities at the mosque and the church. Carlson motioned that we deny the stop sign at 41 and Traffic Commission Minutes – December 6, 2010 Page 2 th 7. Motion seconded by Tyler. All ayes. Motion carried. Young advised Mr. Elhshik that he could appeal to the City Council but that the Traffic Commission does advise the City Council. She told Mr. Elhshik he could call her and she would help him with the process if needed. REPORTS CITY ENGINEER None POLICE CHIEF None COMMISSIONERS th Carlson stated he would like the Police Department to give more attention to jaywalkers at 40 and Central Avenue. Corporal Okerstrom stated that jaywalking is one of their top priorities and they do have an active th jaywalker detail. However, lately they have been trying to stay on 49 and Central to encourage pedestrians to use the new bridge. Goodman asked if the police can tag bicycles as there have been a lot of violations by people on bikes. Okerstrom said yes. Doty has a concern regarding parking on the street rather than the parking lot at the high school, especially during events. He stated that students park on the street and then walk in the street and in-between cars rather than using the parking lot. Often there are 4-6 kids hanging around the cars. There are also a lot of cars stopping. There used to be no parking on the street, when did this change? Corporal Okerstrom will pass this information on to the school liaison. There is also a security guard at the school. He does not know when the no parking was changed. st Goodman stated he gets a lot of complaints regarding the length of the stoplight at 41 and Central Avenue. Young informed him that the state will be looking into the longevity of the traffic lights in 2012. It was also noted that this is the last Traffic Commission meeting for Bruce Kelzenberg. ADJOURNMENT Motioned by Doty, seconded by Goodman to adjourn the meeting at 6:05 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Sue Schmidtbauer Public Works Secretary QD GROUP One firm -'tart to rmi'h° ARCNRECFS • ENWNEERS• EIANIIII • IAND SORYET@S • SCIENTISTS Fanbault, Minnesota: 507- 331 -1500 Mankato, Minnesota: 507- 387 -fi651 Web: www.is -grp.- 4201 Bagley Ave. N Far ib,ult, MN 55021 Tel: 507/333 -9460 Fax: 507/333 -9485 aa�a KEY PLAN I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS PUN, SPECIFICATION OR REPORT WAS PREPARED BY ME OR UNDER MY DIRECT SUPERV6ION AND THAT I AM A DULY LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA DATE LIC. NO. I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS PLAN, SPECIFICATION OR REPORT WAS PREPARED BY ME OR UNDER MY DIRECT SUPERJISION AND THAT I AM A DULY LICENSED ARCHITECT UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA DATE LIC. N0. THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF &S CROUP, INC. 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