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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril 7, 2014 Agenda PacketAGENDA COLUMBIA HEIGHTS TRAFFIC COMMISSION CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS MONDAY, APRIL 7,2014; 5:30 P.M. L ROLL CALL IL APPROVAL OF JUNE 3, 2013 MINUTES III. OLD BUSINESS A. REQUEST TO REMOVE YIELD SIGNS AND INSTALL STOP SIGNS ON 6TH STREET AT 48' AVENUE The City received a request on behalf of Mr Joe Berzak to change the YIELD signs to STOP signs, stopping traffic on 6t' Street. The concern is that drivers are running the yield signs and presenting a danger to the kids and vehicles on 48th Avenue. A letter was sent to Mr. Berzak with background information on installation of YIELD signs at this intersection. The information is summarized below: • The City Council authorized installation of YIELD signs on 6th Street in May, 2005, based on the recommendation of the Traffic Commission. • The Police Department reviewed the accident records for the last five years, 2008- 2013. There was one reported accident in 2009. (A memo from Captain Austin is included in your packet.) • Conditions at the intersection have not changed significantly to warrant revising the Traffic Commission and City Council decisions. • Staff will review the hedge at the northwest corner of the intersection for compliance with the City's visibility ordinance. In a subsequent telephone conversation, Mr. Berzak requested the item be placed on the agenda He suggested one option may be swapping the yield /stop signs from this intersection with the intersection at 6r Street and 47th Avenue. Staff recommends denying the request based on MUTCD guideline of using a yield sign at intersections where a full stop is not necessary at all times. The property owner has trimmed the hedge on the northwest corner of the intersection. RECOMMENDED MOTION: Move to deny the request to replace YIELD signs with STOP signs at the intersection of 6th Street and 48th Avenue. IV. OTHER OLD BUSINESS Traffic Commission Agenda April 7, 2014 Page 2 V. NEW BUSINESS A. REQUEST TO INSTALL YIELD OR STOP SIGNS AT 7TH STREET AND 42ND AVENUE The City received two e -mails requesting YIELD or STOP signs at the intersection of 7h Street and 42nd Avenue NE. The concern is the recent number of accidents at the intersection. The Police Department reviewed accident records for the past five years. There were two accidents in 2010, one accident in 2013, and four accidents in 2014 (2 in January and 2 in February). A memo from Captain Austin is attached. On 7d' Street, traffic yields at 41" Avenue and stops at 44d' Avenue. On 42nd Avenue, traffic stops at 5d' Street and Jefferson Street. Visibility at the intersection is good. Westbound vehicles must approach with caution because of the fence near the northwest corner. Extremely cold conditions this past winter resulted in many days of snow /ice covered streets and higher than normal snow banks. Currently the accident record at this intersection is inconclusive concerning the MUTCD guidelines for yield or stop signs ( MUTCD Section 213.4 "Right -of -Way at Intersections ", attached). Staff recommends monitoring the accident record at this intersection to see if a pattern of accidents is developing. RECOMMENDED MOTION: Move to deny the request to install YIELD or STOP signs at the intersection of 7d' Street and 42nd Avenue. VI. OTHER NEW BUSINESS VII. REPORTS A. CITY ENGINEER 1. REQUEST FOR DISABLED PARKING SIGNS Disabled parking signs have been requested by property owners at the locations listed below. Signs were installed last fall or will be installed this spring. A) 3702 Polk St NE, Permit Number D03082 B) 404 40d' Avenue NE, Permit Number 378420 C) 3959 Quincy St NE, Permit Number B21977 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.) CITY OF COLUMBIA HEIGHTS TO: Kathy Young, Assistant City Engineer FROM: Walt Fehst, City Manager DATE: August 20, 2013 RE: Forwarding a Request for STOP Signs to stop cars at 6th Street at the intersection of 48th Street Petitioner: Joe Berzak (phone # 763 - 572 -0412) 47416th Street, Columbia Heights Request: Replace the yield signs on 6th Street with STOP Signs. According to Mr. Berzak, there have been five accidents in 40 years at that intersection, the latest being in the 90's. He is concerned that people are running the yield signs and presenting a danger to the kids and cars running east and west on 48tH Please review his request and place on next available Traffic Commission meeting. Please call Mr. Berzak when this is scheduled! P.S. Coincidentally, he says that there appears to be a line -of -sight problem heading south on 6th Street at the 481h intersection because of the hedges. If these were trimmed, at least one vector of the problem might be resolved in that southbound traffic on 6th might see eastbound traffic on 48th as it approaches the intersection. cj b Cc: Kevin Hansen, Public Works Director COLUMBIA HEIGHTS POLICE DEPARTMENT ���UM9IA HEIG`� MEMORANDUM To: Columbia Heights Traffic Commission Members From: Lenny Austin, Captain Subject: Accidents at 48th Avenue and 6`h Street Date: September 19, 2013 I have reviewed the number of recorded accidents that have occurred over the last five years at the intersection of 48th Avenue and 6th Street. There was only one traffic accident which occurred on 08/27/2009, at 5:26 pm. This was a property damage accident where a vehicle that was traveling southbound on 6th Street failed to yield the right of way to the other vehicle which was traveling eastbound through the intersection. The driver was cited for failure to yield. cc: Scott Nadeau, Chief of Police Kathy Young From: info Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2014 8:23 AM To: Karen Olson Subject: FW: Please put stop signs at my intersection. From: Louisa [mailto:loupgdogmail coml Sent: Tuesday, February 04, 2014 4:19 PM To: info Subject: Please put stop signs at my intersection. Hello, My name is Louisa and I live at 4204 7th Street NE in Columbia Heights. Today marks the third time in about two weeks that there has been a car collision on the corner where I live. The intersection is unmarked and incredibly slippery. There was an accident there today, January 24th and January 25th ... that I know of Who do I need to talk to about having the city install stop signs? I feel unsafe in my own neighborhood and I KNOW that there aren't stop or yield signs at half of the intersections in the area. Please advise, Louisa Louisa Podlich www.weshopamano.com www.louisamarionphotography. com www.louisapodlich.com Kathy Young From: info Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2014 8:23 AM To: Karen Olson Subject: FW: CH resident concern about intersection From: Amber Burnette [mailto:burne018 @umn.edu] Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2014 7:11 AM To: info Subject: CH resident concern about intersection Good morning, I am a homeowner /taxpayer at 4208 7th Street NE. In the last two weeks there have been three accidents at that corner (Jan 24, 25 and last night). The one yesterday involved a two - vehicle crash with several small children as passengers. As you must know, so few intersections have stop or yield signs in the neighborhood. Most people are careful; I will slow down or stop at each one just because the hills make it hard to see if someone is coming. With the high snow piles at each intersection, and the very slippery conditions, it is now even harder to judge speed and presence of oncoming traffic. Would the city please consider stop or yield signs in this intersection of 42nd and 7th? I moved to the city because it is a good neighborhood, but right now it does not feel very safe. Thank you, Amber Burnette Amber Burnette Program Associate The Raptor Center 1920 Fitch Avenue St Paul, MN 55108 P 612 - 624 -3391 F 612 - 624 -8740 www.TheRlptorCenter.org www.facebook.com/TheR.aptorCenter www.TheRaptorCenterNews.blogs op t.com "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." Anne Frank COLUMBIA HEIGHTS POLICE DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM To: Columbia Heights Traffic Commission Members From: Lenny Austin, Captain Subject: Accidents at 42nd and 7th Street and 48th and 6th Street Date: April 2, 2014 I have reviewed the number of recorded accidents that have occurred at the intersection of 42nd Avenue and 7th Street over the last five years. The breakdown is as follows. • 06/04/2010 at 12:30 a.m. Personal injury accident. Driver cited for no insurance. • 07/30/2010 at 1:21 pm. Personal Injury accident (rollover). Other driver cited for fail to yield. • 02/05/2013 at 3:37 pm. Personal injury accident involving a school bus. • 01/24/2014 at 7:41 pm. Property damage. Driver cited for instructional permit violation. • 01/25/2014 at 6:45 pm. Hit and run property damage. Driver cited. • 02/04/2014 at 4:00 pm. Property damage. • 02/07/2014 at 201 pm. Property damage. I have also reviewed the breakdown of accidents that have occurred at 48th Avenue and 6th Street for 2013 and 2014. There were no recorded accidents at this intersection in 2013 or 2014. cc: Scott Nadeau, Chief of Police Kathy Young, Assistant City Engineer Where a regulatory sign, other than a STOP sign, is placed on the left -hand side of a multi-lane roadway in addition to the installation of the same regulatory sign on the right -hand side or the roadway, the size shown in the Single Lane column in Table 213-1 may be used for both the sign on the right -hand side and the sign on the left -hand side of the roadway. sT�vv�.an: A minimum size of 36 x 36 inches shall be used for STOP signs that face multi-lane approaches. Where side roads intersect a multi-lane street or highway that has a speed limit of 45 mph or higher, the minimum size of the STOP signs facing the side road approaches, even if the side road only has one approach lane, shall be 36 x 36 inches. Where side roads intersect a multi -lane street or highway that has a speed limit of 40 MPH or lower, the minimum size of the STOP signs facing the side road approaches shall be as shown in the Single Lane or Multi-lane columns of Table 213-1 based on the number of approach lanes on the side street approach. GUIDANCE: The minimum sizes for regulatory signs facing traffic on exit and entrance ramps should be as shown in the column of Table 213-1 that corresponds to the mainline roadway clas- sification (Expressway or Freeway). If a minimum size is not provided in the Freeway column, the minimum size in the Expressway column should be used. If a minimum size is not provided in the Freeway or Expressway Column, the size in the Oversized column should be used. 211.4 Right -of -Way at Intersections SUPPORI: State or local laws written in accordance with the "Uniform Vehicle Code" (see Section 1A.11) establish the right -of -way rule at intersections with four approaches having no regulatory traffic control signs such that the driver of a vehicle approaching an intersection must yield the right - of -way to any vehicle or pedestrian already in the intersec- tion. When two vehicles approach an intersection with four approaches from different streets or highways at approxi- mately the same time, the right -of -way rule requires the driver of the vehicle on the left to yield the right -of -way to the vehicle on the right. The right -of -way can be modified at through streets or highways by placing YIELD (111 -2) signs (see Sections 213.8 and 2B.9) or STOP (R1 -1) signs (see Sections 213.5 through 2B.7) on one or more approaches. GUIDANCE: Engineering judgment should be used to establish inter- section control. The following factors should be considered: A. Vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic volumes on all approaches; B. Number and angle of approaches; C. Approach speeds; D. Sight distance available on each approach; and E. Reported crash experience. YIELD or STOP signs should be used at an intersection if one or more of the following conditions exist: A.An intersection of a less important road with a main road where application of the normal right -of -way rule would not be expected to provide reasonable compliance with the law; B. A street entering a designated through highway or street; and/or C. An unsignalized intersection in a signalized area. In addition, 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 units 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. YIELD or STOP signs should not be used for speed control. suPPOR1: Section 213.7 contains provisions regarding the application of multi-way STOP control at an intersection. GUIDANCE: Once the decision has been made to control an intersec- tion, the decision regarding the appropriate roadway to control should be based on engineering judgment. In most cases, the roadway carrying the lowest volume of traffic should be controlled. A YIELD or STOP sign should not be installed on the higher volume roadway unless justified by an engineering study. 2B-7 December, 2011