HomeMy WebLinkAboutDECEMBER 5, 2011
OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS TRAFFIC COMMISSION
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER
MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2011; 5:30 P.M.
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Carlson at 5:31 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Members present: Carlson, Doty, Goodman, Olson, Tyler
Staff present: Kathy Young, Assistant City Engineer
Ted Fischer, Police Sergeant
Sue Schmidtbauer, Public Works Secretary
Council Liaison: Donna Schmitt
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Motioned by Doty, seconded by Olson to approve the minutes of November 7, as presented. Motion
carried unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS
The MUTCD guidelines for installing STOP or YIELD signs at intersections on local streets
were provided to the Commissioners.
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A.REQUEST TO INSTALL “STOP” SIGNS AT THE INTERSECTION OF 6 STREET
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AND 43 AVENUE
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Ms. Dorothy LaHoud of 4209 6 Street requested stop signs at 43 Avenue and 6
Street. The concern is a blind spot at the intersection.
At the November meeting, the Commission reviewed this intersection as well as the
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accident records for the intersection of 7 Street and 43 Avenue. The Commission
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tabled this request in order to obtain additional information concerning the 7 Street
intersection.
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43 Avenue and 6 Street
The visibility at the intersection is somewhat limited on the south side of the intersection
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because of the higher ground elevations. Sidewalks are available on 6 Street. On 6
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Street, traffic stops at 42 Avenue and 44 Avenue. On 43 Avenue, traffic stops at 5
Street and Jefferson Street. There have been two reported traffic accidents in the last five
years, one in 2008 and one in 2007.
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43 Avenue and 7 Street
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The intersection is at the crest of a hill limiting visibility. On 7 Street, traffic yields at
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41 Avenue and stops at 44 Avenue. On 43 Avenue, traffic stops at 5 Street and
Jefferson Street. There have been five reported accidents in the last five years; one in
2011, one in 2010, and three in 2007. One of the accidents in 2007 was caused by an
underage driver. This accident should not be included when reviewing the guidelines for
Traffic Commission Agenda
December 5, 2011
Page 2
yield or stop sign placement.
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Traffic counts were done for 48 hours on 43 Avenue and 7 Street. The average daily
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traffic was approximately 315 on 43 Avenue and 210 on 7 Street. This is considered
normal traffic for a residential street.
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Ms. LaHoud stated her family is afraid to drive down 6 Street because it is dangerous,
especially due to the blind spot. She sees a lot of stop signs in Columbia Heights and
wonders why they are there; there are stop signs where there are no blind spots. Carlson
stated there are already too many stop signs in Columbia Heights. Ms. LaHoud stated
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only one stop sign is needed on 6 Street. Carlson stated if cars would yield like they are
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supposed to there would be no problem. Ms. LaHoud asked if 43 Street is supposed to
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be a “through” street, at 6 and 43. Carlson stated vehicles are to yield to the right no
matter what direction they are heading. Olson said they could be considered
“neighborhood” streets; none of them are “through” streets. Olson stated that none of the
criteria has been met for a stop or yield sign at this intersection, per the MN guidelines.
Tyler, Doty and Goodman all agreed. Carlson advised Ms. LaHoud that the MN
guidelines state we cannot recommend what she is asking.
Ms. LaHoud brought up another matter. She was at Savers on Tuesday and the parking
lot was packed. The handicap parking notice is on the ground, there is no sign. She has a
handicap license plate but she couldn’t find a place to park so she parked at edge of the
lot and shopped. She heard her car mentioned over the speaker and she was asked to
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move her car. She had to park at a different spot on 49. There is no handicap parking in
the new area of the lot, only in the old area. They need more handicap spots. Young will
contact the City planner and find out if Savers has the correct number of handicap spots
for that size lot. Sergeant Fischer advised there is a city ordinance regarding the required
number of handicap spots.
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Motioned by Olson, seconded by Doty to deny the request to install stop signs at 43
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Avenue and 6 Street. Motion carried.
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Young stated the Commission should discuss 43 Avenue and 7Street. It is difficult to
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see oncoming traffic at the crest of the hill. There is more of a visibility problem on 43
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Avenue. Traffic on 43 Avenue should yield to traffic on 7 Street. Olson questioned
the value of a yield sign. Young stated it assigns the right of way. States is it difficult to
see traffic. Carlson feels the only benefit of yield signs is that they mean slow down to
most people. Goodman agreed. Olson stated this is similar to what we just turned down
and that the yield law is in effect anyway. Goodman stated with a stop sign on the hill
traffic could not stop on a bad winter day as you would not be able to get going. Tyler
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stated the difference between 6 Street and 7 Street is visibility but he does not think
this justifies a yield sign. If it can be demonstrated that placing a sign can significantly
reduce accidents then he would be all for it, otherwise there are already too many signs.
Olson would be swayed more if he had more pertinent data. These are just basic
accidents that happen all over the city. Schmitt agreed. The difference would be
visibility but if drivers are not paying attention it doesn’t matter if there is a yield sign or
not.
Motioned by Olson, seconded by Goodman to move to deny a yield sign at the
Traffic Commission Agenda
December 5, 2011
Page 3
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intersection of 43 Avenue and 7 Street. Motion carried.
OTHER OLD BUSINESS
None
NEW BUSINESS
None.
OTHER NEW BUSINESS
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Carlson received a call from Virgil Percing complaining of speed going through the area of 2205 40
Avenue. He claims to have brought this up with someone from the City. Carlson asked him to write a
letter to Kathy Young. No letter was received by the City. Carlson requested the Police Department to
go over and take a look once in a while. Carlson sees nothing out of the ordinary. Cars may be
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speeding to get up the hill from 40 and Central to Reservoir. Goodman stated Captain Roddy once had
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a radar gun down there. Young will check if we have any reports or data. Olson stated that 40 Avenue
should be a through street. Carlson stated citizens are not good at estimating speeds; speeds seem faster
when a person is standing on the street. Sergeant Fischer will set up the speed trailer to obtain some
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data but there are a lot of stop signs on 40 so will see. Schmitt questioned the speed trailer on 40
between Arthur and Stinson Boulevard.
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MnDOT is still looking at the entire corridor regarding traffic signals. Olson asked about 53 Avenue
again.
REPORTS
None
ADJOURNMENT
Motioned by Olson, seconded by Tyler to adjourn the meeting at 6:00 p.m. Motion carried
unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Sue Schmidtbauer
Public Works Secretary