HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctober 3, 2016 Minutes
OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS TRAFFIC COMMISSION
MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Ed Carlson at 5:30 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Members present: Commissioners Ed Carlson, Brian Clerkin, Kevin Doty, Nick Novitsky and
Leonard Olson
Staff Present: Kathy Young, Assistant City Engineer
Lenny Austin, Police Captain
Sue Schmidtbauer, Public Works Secretary
Council Liaison: Donna Schmitt
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Motion by Doty, seconded by Olson, to approve the minutes of August 1, 2016, as presented. Motion
passed unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS
None
OTHER OLD BUSINESS
None
NEW BUSINESS
A.REQUEST FOR NO PARKING
Ms. Julie Johnson, Business Administrator for First Lutheran Church, has requested NO PARKING
signs be installed on the east side of Tyler Street from the parking lot driveway to 70’ north of
the driveway, across from the properties of 4044 and 4050 Tyler Street. Because of the school,
parents park along the east side of Tyler Street to pick up their children before and after school
making it difficult for the property owners to back out of their driveways.
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Residents and Roger Johnson, First Lutheran Church, 1555 40 Avenue NE
others present: Jane Pemberton, 4050 Tyler Street NE
Howard Wigand, 4044 Tyler Street NE
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Julie Johnson, First Lutheran Church, 1555 40 Avenue NE
Carlson stated some of the driveways are quite narrow. Doty and Clerkin can see the issue; the
way cars are parked does make it hard for residents to get in and out of their driveways.
Novitsky stated it looks like there is still ample room to get in and out. Doty asked who cleans
the snow along the curb. Mr. Johnson stated the church does the parking lot and the driveway,
as well as the full width of the sidewalk. The city does the street. He stated that if a car is
parked between the two driveways of 4044 and 4050 Tyler, where there is barely room for a
small car, it makes it even more difficult to get in and out. Mr. Wigard provided pictures from
earlier this year where Ms. Pemberton was having trouble getting out of her driveway and
someone actually parked across the front of his driveway. Stated this occurs on a daily basis.
Traffic Commission Minutes –October 3, 2016
Page 2
Olson inquired if this is a collaborative request from the neighbors and the church. Ms. Johnson
stated the request is actually from the neighbors but the church initiated the request to the city.
She received a phone call from Ms. Pemberton approximately one year ago. At that time Ms.
Johnson spoke to the school and asked them to advise parents not to park there, but that didn’t
work out and it was suggested that they put up a cone. The church did not feel this was
sufficient, that a No Parking sign would be best because when cars are parked on both sides of
the street, especially in the winter, there’s barely room to get through—its’s very tight. Ms.
Pemberton stated there’s no way an emergency vehicle can get down the road in the winter
when cars are parked on both sides. She’s seen the snow plows having to back up. Young asked
if they are concerned that drivers will just start parking further south. Mr. Johnson stated if they
park further south of the driveway then they may as well park in the parking lot. Olson asked
about parking further north. Ms. Johnson stated the only area they are concerned about is the
grassy area directly across from the driveways. Mr. Johnson feels we could designate No Parking
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all the way to 41 Avenue. Carlson advised the whole side of the street is already No Parking on
Sundays and suggested No Parking along the entire block on one side. The church parking lot is
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not full; parking on the street is just a convenience because the school door is on 41 and Tyler.
The teachers park in the parking lot but volunteers and parents tend to park closer so they don’t
have to walk the kids so far from the parking lot. Some volunteers are there for three hours. On
a normal day there are 4-5 cars parked on the east side and 6-7 on the west side. Mr. Wigand
advised that sometimes there will be a car parked in the very small space between both of their
driveways. Novitsky stated he could see a No Parking sign between the driveways more than
the other side of the street. Doty is okay with the No Parking but states it won’t eliminate
people parking on the west side of the street by the driveways. That’s the only issue he can see.
Clerkin feels people will park wherever no matter what. If they can’t park on the east side of the
street then they’ll park on the west side and possibly partially block the driveways. If No Parking
is posted on the east side, then at least No Parking during the School Year should be posted on
the other side. Hopefully this will help. But, unless it’s enforced, people will park anywhere.
Motion by Olson to call a public hearing at the next Traffic Commission meeting to designate NO
PARKING on the east side of Tyler Street from the First Lutheran Church parking lot driveway to
70’ north of the driveway. Seconded by Doty. Motion passed unanimously.
B.REQUEST FOR SAFETY CHANGES ON STINSON BOULEVARD FROM FAIRWAY DRIVE TO
INNSBRUCK PARKWAY
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Ms. Marlene Steinke has requested several changes along Stinson Boulevard and 5 Street
where it comes in from New Brighton as well as Fairway Drive to Innsbruck Parkway. The
concern is the speed of traffic and distracted/inconsiderate drivers.
Residents present: Thomas Steinke, 4832 Stinson Boulevard
The visibility is good at all of the intersections discussed in the letter. Traffic stops at all of the
cross-streets with Stinson Boulevard. The average daily traffic (ADT) on Fairway Drive is 2,450.
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ADT on Stinson Boulevard between Fairway Drive and 5 Street NW (New Brighton) is 2,000.
Traffic Commission Minutes –October 3, 2016
Page 3
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ADT on 5 Street NW east of Stinson Boulevard is 3,300. A lot of traffic comes from Argonne
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Drive down Stinson Boulevard and then across on 5 Street NW, which is kind of a back way
through the city. Mr. Steinke did bring videos of things he’s observed. The accident record at
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Stinson Boulevard and 5 Street NW showed no vehicle accidents in the last five years.
A three way stop at Stinson Boulevard and Fairway Drive: Fairway Drive and Stinson Boulevard
south of Fairway Drive are Anoka County roads. The City has no jurisdiction at this intersection.
A three way stop at 5th Street NW and Stinson Boulevard: The accident information does not
meet the guidelines for multi-way stop signs.
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Crosswalks at the intersection of 5 Street NW and Stinson Boulevard and Stinson Boulevard
and Fairway Drive; A crosswalk and speed bump at Stinson Boulevard and North Upland Crest
and at Stinson Boulevard and Innsbruck Parkway: Staff does not recommend painted
crosswalks unless there are sidewalks to direct the pedestrians to, otherwise pedestrians are
just being directed to the street in which they’re already walking. Speed humps would not be
permitted on Stinson Boulevard because 1) it’s a boundary street between Columbia Heights
and New Brighton and 2) it’s a collector street, not a local street where speeding is an issue,
and it’s meant to carry a lot of traffic.
Narrow medians with wild grasses planted in them would be beautiful, but we are not sure if
the road is wide enough: Staff checked the street widths to see if they could support medians.
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Stinson Boulevard between Fairway Drive and 5 Street NW is 44’ wide so a median could
potentially be placed there. However, the road narrows to the north, so in lieu of a median
staff would recommend painting the parking lanes. This will make the road look narrower to
the driver and will also give pedestrians a clear indication of where they can walk along the
street. Another item for consideration is bump outs at the intersections. Studies have found
that the only effective technique for reducing speed on city streets is to make the street appear
narrow to the driver’s perception. Installation of curb “bump outs” at the intersection would
need to be discussed with our City Council and the City of New Brighton.
Keep the lanes to one lane in each direction, no turn lanes as this encourages drivers to run the
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stop signs and not look each way: The only striped turn lane is for eastbound traffic on 5
Street. It’s wide enough for a right turn and a left turn. Staff can suggest this to New Brighton.
However, the reality is that drivers make their own turn lanes if the street is wide enough,
whether they are painted or not.
Adding designated parking spots for the New Brighton Farmers Market/or other events along
Stinson Boulevard: Again, we can put in the parking lane stripes, but any designated parking
spots would need to be on private property. Mr. Steinke stated most of the Farmers Market
vendors park in the seminary parking lot. Another concern of the on street parking is that it
limits the visibility of pedestrians crossing the street if they’re not crossing at the corners. If
they’re cutting in between cars then drivers aren’t as apt to see them.
Traffic Commission Minutes –October 3, 2016
Page 4
Providing a school bus stopping area or sign with a crosswalk close by: This area is considered a
walking area for both Highland Elementary and the high school. There is only bus pick up for the
middle school. In regard to the other school districts, the bus stop locations often change from
year-to-year based on the number of students in the area. Staff has talked to the bus
transportation people regarding other intersections in the city and their comment has been
that the bus stop locations are not consistently the same every year.
Updating signs to warn drivers of a bus stop ahead, pedestrians, children playing and to slow
down. A sign warning drivers of cars backing out of driveways (if there ends up being a three-
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way stop at Stinson Boulevard and 5 Street NW there are two houses whose driveways will
back into the intersection): Studies have shown that warning signs are not effective in changing
driver behavior. Good drivers are already driving slowly and paying attention and may see a
warning sign, whereas poor drivers do not look for or always heed warning signs.
Staff is recommending talking to our City Council and the City of New Brighton to construct
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“bump outs” at the intersections at 5 Street NW and Stinson Boulevard. We would need to
approach the county if we want to do something similar on Fairway Drive.
Mr. Steinke also provided photos that were distributed at the meeting. Discussion focused on
the parking situation at the Farmers Market and a school bus drop-off. It was determined that
the bus stop drop-off may be a bus company issue, but still remains a tough situation because
of the busy intersection.
Mr. Steinke thanked both police departments, Columbia Heights and New Brighton, for coming
out and increasing their presence. He understands the difficulty because we are dealing with
two cities, two counties, and a main thoroughfare. However the speed on the road and the
traffic patterns make it very unsafe. Cars drive really fast and there are a lot of pedestrians who
use that road for the Farmers Market as well as for biking.
Commissioners agreed that being on the border of two counties makes this a difficult
thoroughfare. They feel the bus company should be consulted and advised on how to handle a
“T” intersection like this because of the hazard, or choose a different stop. Mr. Steinke stated
they have contacted the bus companies about their speed.
Motion by Olson to deny the request for multi-way stop signs at the intersection of Stinson
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Boulevard and 5 Street NW. Seconded by Novitsky. Motion passed unanimously.
Motion by Olson to direct staff to discuss parking lane striping on Stinson Boulevard and curb
“bump outs” at the intersection of Stinson Boulevard and 5th Street NW with the City of New
Brighton. Seconded by Clerkin. Motion passed unanimously.
A question was raised about drainage issues with the “bump outs”. This would need to be
looked at and discussed with the City of New Brighton.
Mr. Steinke was advised that he will be contacted when this item is brought back to the Traffic
Traffic Commission Minutes –October 3, 2016
Page 5
Commission.
Captain Austin advised that they can obtain speed survey information for Stinson Boulevard. They will
put the speed trailer out this month and next month and get a report.
OTHER NEW BUSINESS
None
REPORTS
A.CITY ENGINEER
None
B.POLICE
None
C.COMMISSIONERS
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Olson brought up 53 and Central Avenue. Young advised they will be taking traffic counts this year
so we will be getting updated information.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion by Olson, seconded by Novitsky, to adjourn the meeting at 6:13 p.m. Motion passed
unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Sue Schmidtbauer
Public Works Secretary