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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNovember 7, 2011AGENDA COLUMBIA HEIGHTS TRAFFIC COMMISSION CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7,2011; 5:30 P.M. ROLL CALL II. APPROVAL OF AUGUST 1, 2011 MINUTES III. OLD BUSINESS None. IV. OTHER OLD BUSINESS V. NEW BUSINESS The MUTCD guidelines for installing STOP or YIELD signs at intersections on local streets are listed below: The use of YIELD or STOP signs should be considered at the intersection of two minor streets or local roads where the intersection has more than three approaches and where one or more of the following conditions exist: A. The combined vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian volume entering the intersection from all approaches averages more than 2, 000 vehicles per day. B. The ability to see conflicting traffic on an approach is not sufficient to allow a road user to stop or yield in compliance with the normal right -of -way rule if such stopping or yielding is necessary; and /or C. Crash records indicate that five or more crashes that involve the failure to yield the right -of -way at the intersection under the normal right -of -way rule have been reported within a 3 year period, or that three or more such crashes have been reported within a 2- year period. A. REQUEST TO INSTALL "YIELD" OR "STOP" SIGNS AT THE INTERSECTION OF WASHINGTON STREET AND 42" AVENUE Ms. Grace Lee of Washington Street and her neighbors have submitted a petition for yield or stop signs at the intersection of Washington Street and 42 Avenue. The neighborhood's concern is the speed of traffic and safety of children on the block. Ms. Lee's letter and the petition are included in your packet. The visibility at the intersection is good. There are sidewalks on both sides of Washington Street. On Washington Street, traffic yields at 41 Avenue and stops at 43 Avenue; on 42 Avenue, traffic stops at 5 th Street and Jefferson Street. Police Department staff researched the accident records and found three accidents within the last five years. There was one accident in each year of 2009, 2010, and 2011, as shown on the table below. Traffic Commission Agenda November 7, 2011 Page 2 The Database Search Engine Anoka County Central Records Advanced Search Results Accident Reports 10/21/2007 thru 10/21/2011 CASE # DEPT LOCATION OF INCIDENT DATE OF OFFENSE OFFICER(S) INCIDENT RECORD COUNT: 3 Break Down of Accidents Case 11- 154517 Unit one was east bound Unit two was north bound. Driver of #1 was cited for driving after suspension. Unit two ended up in the yard of 4206 Washington. Case 10- 179091: This was a personal injury accident with one person being sent to the hospital. Another had a small head wound that did not need hospitalization. Unit one was north bound Unit two was east bound. Unit one went off the road and hit 4201 Washington Ave NE. Unit two ended up in the front yard of 4201 Washington Ave. Driver of Unit one was cited for no DL, no insurance, and child safety seat violation. Case 09- 190344: This was a minor property damage accident, no state report was done. Unit #1 was west bound Unit two was south bound. No citations were issued. Based on the combination of the serious accident record and the topography, it is staff's recommendation to install YIELD signs, yielding traffic on Washington Street. RECOMMENDED MOTION: Move to call a public hearing at the next Traffic Commission meeting to install YIELD signs at the intersection of Washington Street and 42 Avenue, yielding traffic on Washington Street. 09440 42 AVE ACCIDENT - 11154517 CH 7/11/11 M BERANEK NE/WASHINGTON ST NE MV PD 09420 ACCIDENT - 4201 WASHINGTON ST 10179091 CH 8/3/10 MV PI M BERANEK NE 09450 WASHINGTON ST NE /42 T 09190344 CH 8/12/09 AVE ACCIDENT - NE NIGHTINGALE MV HR PD RECORD COUNT: 3 Break Down of Accidents Case 11- 154517 Unit one was east bound Unit two was north bound. Driver of #1 was cited for driving after suspension. Unit two ended up in the yard of 4206 Washington. Case 10- 179091: This was a personal injury accident with one person being sent to the hospital. Another had a small head wound that did not need hospitalization. Unit one was north bound Unit two was east bound. Unit one went off the road and hit 4201 Washington Ave NE. Unit two ended up in the front yard of 4201 Washington Ave. Driver of Unit one was cited for no DL, no insurance, and child safety seat violation. Case 09- 190344: This was a minor property damage accident, no state report was done. Unit #1 was west bound Unit two was south bound. No citations were issued. Based on the combination of the serious accident record and the topography, it is staff's recommendation to install YIELD signs, yielding traffic on Washington Street. RECOMMENDED MOTION: Move to call a public hearing at the next Traffic Commission meeting to install YIELD signs at the intersection of Washington Street and 42 Avenue, yielding traffic on Washington Street. Traffic Commission Agenda November 7, 2011 Page 3 B. REQUEST TO INSTALL "STOP" SIGNS AT THE INTERSECTION OF 6 TH STREET AND 43 AVENUE Ms. Dorothy LaHoud of 4209 6th Street has requested stop signs at 43' Avenue and 6 t ' Street. The concern is the blind spot at the intersection. The visibility at the intersection is somewhat limited on the south side of the intersection because of the higher ground elevations. Sidewalks are available on 6th Street. On 6 Street, traffic stops at 42 Avenue and 44 Avenue; on 43' Avenue, traffic stops at 5 Street and Jefferson Street. Accident information at this intersection may be available at the meeting. Based on the topography, it is staff's recommendation to install YIELD signs, yielding traffic on 43 Avenue. RECOMMENDED MOTION: Move to call a public hearing at the next Traffic Commission meeting to install YIELD signs at the intersection of 6 th Street and 43' Avenue, yielding traffic on 43' Avenue. C. CHANGE MEETING TIME TO 5:30 PM RECOMMENDED MOTION: The regular Traffic Commission meeting will be held on the first Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m. VI. OTHER NEW BUSINESS VII. REPORTS A. CITY ENGINEER A parking sign for persons with disabilities was installed in front of 4914 5 Street NE at the request of the property owner, Terry Vincent. His disability parking permit number is 210906. 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.) no UNAPPROVED OFFICAL PROCEEDINGS COLUMBIA HEIGHTS TRAFFIC COMMISSION MONDAY, AUGUST 1, 2011 CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Carlson at 6:00 p.m. Motioned by Carlson, seconded by Olson to appoint Kathy Young as Secretary Pro -Tem. Motion carried unanimously. ROLL CALL Members present: Carlson, Doty, Olson, Tyler (Goodman — Absent) Staff present: Kathy Young, Assistant City Engineer Lenny Austin, Police Captain Council Liaison: Donna Schmitt APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motioned by Doty, seconded by Olson to approve the minutes of June 6, 2011, as presented. Motion carried unanimously. OLD BUSINESS None. OTHER OLD BUSINESS None. NEW BUSINESS A. REQUEST TO INSTALL 4 -WAY STOP SIGNS AT THE INTERSECTION OF 45 AVENUE AND 6 TH STREET OR 7 TH STREET Young provided the background information: Mr. Cory Mattson of 4500 Washington Street has requested 4 -way stop signs at the intersection of 45 Avenue at either 6th Street or 7 th Street. Mr. Mattson's concern and the concern of his neighbors is the speed of traffic on 45 Avenue. There are no stop signs to stop traffic on 45 Avenue between Jefferson Street and University Avenue Service Drive. Traffic currently stops at each north -south street along 45 Avenue, except University Avenue Service Drive. Mr. Mattson stated that the stop sign should be at 7 th Street. He commented that new drivers are driving fast compared to older drivers and that there are excessive speeds on 45 Avenue. Stop signs will help motorists slow down on side streets; there's been an increase of traffic /speed on side streets. There is a lot of concern for children in the area. Captain Austin summarized the traffic counts and speeds and the traffic accidents. There have been five reported accidents over the last three years: 45 Avenue at University Avenue Service Drive (4/11/10), 45 Avenue at Washington Street (4/16/08), Traffic Commission Minutes - August 1, 2011 Page 2 45 Avenue between Washington and Jefferson Streets (12/22/10), 45 Avenue at Jefferson Street (12/16/10), and 45 Avenue at Central Avenue (1/27/11). A total of 9,547 vehicles traveled through the area during the speed trailer survey from July 21 to July 29. The average vehicle speed was 22.17 miles per hour. The maximum speeds varied from 40 to 51 mph. Mr. Mattson stated that there was a hit and run in front of his home; his dog was seriously injured. Drivers see the speed meter and slow down. It was only out during the day. Carlson related a previous request for a stop sign at 5 th Street, but the gentleman drove carelessly up 5 th Street. Olson stated he understood the concerns. When there are signs that aren't needed, people don't stop, they roll through them. The information from the Police Department doesn't support the need for stop signs. Tyler said the State of Minnesota does not recommend stop signs be used for speed control. Schmitt observed that the accident with the dog was not on the list. She stressed the importance that neighbors should report all accidents. Carlson stated the intersection does not meet the requirements for 4 way stop signs and can't recommend putting one in. Mr. Mattson said that a lot of common sense has been lost over the last 20 years with older people moving out of houses. The duplexes in the neighborhood also cause problems. He said that he has a vested interest in Columbia Heights, has built a home, and is a member of the Fire Department. Motioned by Carlson, seconded by Tyler to deny the request to install 4 way stop signs on 45 Avenue at 7 th Street. Motion carried unanimously. OTHER NEW BUSINESS None. REPORTS A. CITY ENGINEER A parking sign for persons with disabilities is being installed in front of 4535 Taylor Street NE at the request of the property owner, Hussein Musse. His disability parking permit number is 7472HL. B. POLICE CHIEF None. C. COMMISSIONERS Tyler suggested the Commission look at where stop signs are installed. Doty discussed the flooding at 49 Avenue and Central Avenue. ADJOURNMENT Motioned by Olson, seconded by Tyler to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried unanimously. m To: The City of Columbia Heights Traffic Commission From: The residents of 4200 Washington St. NE, Columbia Heights, MN 55421 Point of contact: Grace Lee, 4209 Washington St. NE 763 - 300 -0609 glee1010 @hotmail.com Date: October 12, 2011 Subject: Petition for Yield or Stop sign at Washington St. NE & 42 Dear Traffic Commission, The residents of the 4200 block of Washington St. NE are requesting a yield or stop sign on Washington St. NE at 42 St. A majority of the residents on our block (15 of 20) have signed the attached petition. We were unable to catch the other five residents while they were home. Given more time, we could likely get 100% of our residents to sign the petition. Ten out of the twenty houses on our block have children under the age of 10 years old. Also, one of our neighbors runs an in -home day care, so there are even more kids on our block during the day. Our kids like to play outside, however, cars zoom down our street on a regular basis. What is more dangerous is that our street is on a hill, which impairs vision. In the past year alone, there have been three accidents (one, I believe, was not reported). The evening of National Night Out in 2010, the house at 4201 Washington St. NE was even hit by a car. During this past winter, a car hit a snow bank. Further, some months ago, there was another accident, where a car went up on the sidewalk and hit the tree in front of 4206. For the safety of our children and residents, we are requesting a yield sign or stop sign to be installed on Washington St. NE at 42 St. Thank you for your time and attention to this very important issue. Grace Lee Block Captain 4209 Washington St. NE c) 763 - 300 -0609 cv ��etriz� �It� c� yi�� �- Gov y� "`� �- in1�;li� }�,� a ?l I )c /7 Ir EAST SIDE House # Names signature phone 4201 Becky & Jim Spensley 763-781-8374 4209 Joo Kim & Grace Lee 763-300-0609 4215 Paul Stem per 77 763-267-9812 4217 Tom & Rosemary Lei ht i 1 763-438-5934 4227 Evelyn Karn 4 763-788-8093 4235 vacant lot/ community garden Not n/a 4239 Theresa Lund 763-788-4757 4243 v And 612-802-8995 4251 Cooper Finseth 763-781-5821 4257 Rob Simers 612-867-9914 WEST SIDE 4206 Jodi Lon 763-571-0783 4208 Jeff & Becky Chudek 651-334-3189 4212 newl asedAl 4216 Dave & Sheila 763-439-2955 4224 John Chudek 763-788-5006 4228 Brandon n/a 4236 v Lori Kaplan 12-418-8907 .6 4240 James Ostley & Sarah Klein 651-283-6695 4244 ✓ Mohammed & Faduma 612-310-2843 4248 Melanie Stewart & Fabio Manuci 612-250-9020 4252 1 newly purchased 4i 79.1 cv rcq �w UL - g S-all r"UBLIG L4 j.L.-L -4n 'rl -j— Li • oily- ov� The Database Search Engine Anoka County Central Records Advanced Search Results CASE # DEPT LOCATION OF DATE OF OFFENSE OFFICER(S) INCIDENT INCIDENT 09440 11020221 CH 43 AVE NE /7 ST NE 1/28/11 ACCIDENT - E HANSON MV PD 09431 10145098 CH 800 BLOCK 43 AVE NE 6/26/10 ACCIDENT - A CARIGIET MVHRPI- MV 09440 G 10041567 CH 7 ST NE /43 AVE NE 2/26/10 ACCIDENT - KALLESTAD MV PD 09440 L 08306676 CH 43 AVE NE /5 ST NE 12/24/08 ACCIDENT - OKERSTROM MV PD 09499 08201054 CH 6 ST NE /43 AVE NE 8/21/08 ACCIDENT - R HARVEY MV PD - NON R 09440 07310380 CH 4 ST NE /43 AVE NE 12/27/07 ACCIDENT - D HANLY MV PD 09440 07303972 CH 7 ST NE /43 AVE NE 12/19/07 ACCIDENT - T JOHNSON MV PD 09420 07185559 CH 7 ST NE /43 AVE NE 8/5/07 ACCIDENT - E JOHNSTON MV PI 09440 L 07152736 CH 43 AVE NE /7 ST NE 7/1/07 ACCIDENT - OKERSTROM MV PD 09430 07003172 CH 43 AVE NE /6 ST NE 1/5/07 ACCIDENT - E JOHNSTON MV HR PI Analysis 2011 One accident- Driver said they slipped on slush 2010 Two accidents- #1 Hit and Run Injury accident pedestrian hit by a car. The pedestrian suffered serious injuries. Anoka County is the lead investigative agency. Case is inactive. #2 Minor accident 2009 No accidents reported 2008 Two accidents #I Driver said they skidded on ice went off road and hit a parked car. #2 Property damage accident both cars were towed. 2007 Five accidents: #1 Vehicle backed out of his driveway into the alley and lightly struck another vehicle. #2 Minor property damage accident. #3 Minor property damage accident. #4 Minor property damage accident. One vehicle was driven by a 15 year old driver with no permit or license. He was cited. #5 Minor personal injury accident the injured party refused to go to the hospital. Vehicle swerved to avoid another vehicle and went off road striking a tree. The second vehicle did not stop and did not collide with the first vehicle.