Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutJune 4, 2018 Minutes OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS COLUMBIA HEIGHTS TRAFFIC COMMISSION MONDAY, June 4, 2018 CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Carlson at 5:30 p.m. ROLL CALL Members present: Commissioners Carlson, Clerkin, Olson, and Schluender Members absent: Commissioner Doty Staff present: Kathy Young, Assistant City Engineer Lenny Austin, Police Chief Sue Schmidtbauer, Public Works Secretary Council Liaison: Connie Buesgens APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Clerkin, seconded by Olson, to approve the minutes of May 7, 2018 as presented. Motion passed unanimously. OLD BUSINESS None OTHER OLD BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS RESIDENTS PRESENT: David Fuhrmann, Blaine (656 46-1/2 Avenue) Greg Teigland, 4630 Jefferson Street Shirley Hartley, 665 46-1/2 Avenue Linda Teigland, 4630 Jefferson Street Rohhol Hamimoune, 659 46-1/2 Avenue No name, 686 46-1/2 Avenue Kim Nixon, 686 46-1/2 Avenue Karen Rolf, 676 46-1/2 Avenue Dave and Karen Rolf, 676 46-1/2 Avenue Dave Rolf, 676 46-1/2 Avenue Nate and Sarah Tkach, 4619 Jefferson Street Bashir Siyad, 685 46-1/2 Avenue Lindsay Hall, 655 46-1/2 Avenue A.PUBLIC HEARING TO DESIGNATE 46 1/2 AVENUE AS ONE-WAY EAST BOUND FROM JEFFERSON STREET TO MONROE STREET On March 19, 2018 a westbound vehicle on 46 1/2 Avenue flew over the Jefferson Street divide and crashed through the entrance of a house on the west side of Jefferson Street. Although this was the most dramatic incident, the guard rail and fence have been hit by westbound vehicles at least annually. In Columbia Heights, 14 households will need to go north on Monroe Street and use one of the other east-west streets to access Jefferson Street. 1.4.3.2. Traffic Commission Minutes – June 4, 2018 Page 2 th Traffic counts were obtained for approximately 48 hours beginning May 14. The counts are shown below and represent vehicles traveling in both directions. Location 48 hour count Avg Daily Traffic (ADT) 46 1/2 Avenue East of Jefferson Street 515 258 46 1/2 Avenue West of Monroe Street 219 110 Monroe Street North of 46 1/2 Avenue 1,185 593 Monroe Street South of 48 th Avenue 1,612 806 Staff is requesting 46 1/2 Avenue be designated as one-way east bound. This will have the least impact on travel and plowing operations. Greg Teigland, 4630 Jefferson Street, stated his house is the one that the car ran into. Luckily no one was hurt. He has lived there eight years. When the car crashed into his house there was no ice or slippery road conditions, the excuse was no brakes. The vehicle went right in-between the guardrails and didn’t hit anything until it landed in the yard and crashed into the house. Mr. Teigland stated there have been at least five cars that have slid down the divide. David Fuhrmann lives in Blaine and is representing his parents. His parents have lived at 656 46-1/2 Avenue for a very long time and this has always been a scare for them. Drivers’ race down the street and there’s no speed limit sign. He would like a 25 mph blinking speed limit sign to slow traffic down. He feels the one-way designation is foolish. Emergency vehicles use the road all day long. States winter is tough going up and down that street and vehicles slide down the hill. He feels the first step would be to have a sign showing how fast vehicles are going. It’s no surprise after all these years that someone hit a house. Carlson advised that there are 30 mph signs wherever you enter Columbia Heights. Mr. Fuhrmann stated many people aren’t aware of that. Lindsay Hall, 655 46-1/2 Avenue, is concerned about accessibility of her house in the winter time. Her car cannot make it up the hill during winter. Feels three out of four vehicles at the bottom will not make it up that hill in winter. When you come up the Jefferson ramp and turn you cannot get enough speed to go up the hill and that worries her. Nate and Sarah Tkach live at 4619 Jefferson Street right before the turn onto 46-1/2 Avenue. They have lived there eight years and have seen a lot of accidents. They feel it’s a dangerous spot. They use the salt and sand that’s available through the City but have seen cars slide down the hill. They agree with the one-way designation but are concerned about emergency vehicles and school buses, as well as accessibility of the houses on that block. They feel the school bus stop should definitely be moved due to the slippery hill in the winter. Linda Teigland, 4630 Jefferson Street, has pictures of the damage the car did to her house. She is currently living in her kitchen and bedroom and won’t have her whole house back until July. The driver did $40,000 worth of damage to her home and had no insurance. She also has small grandchildren that could have been killed. She is in favor of the one-way. Traffic Commission Minutes – June 4, 2018 Page 3 Owner of 686 46-1/2 questioned why other people should pay the consequences of reckless drivers. He cannot get up the hill in the winter. He lives on the “T’ and stated vehicles end up in his yard due to careless driving when coming up the hill. He would like it to stay a two-way because you cannot make it up the hill in the winter. There could be an accident trying to back down the hill as well. Rohhol Hamimoune, 659 46-1/2 Avenue, has lived there 15 years. He does not want 46-1/2 Avenue made a one-way because cars cannot make it up the hill. The guardrail cannot stop cars coming down the hills, need a highway block and flashing lights. Greg Teigland suggested making 46-1/2 Avenue a dead-end disallowing a right turn to go up the street. Karen Rolf, 676 46-1/2 Avenue, would like it to remain a two-way because it is hard to get up the street in the winter. Feels it’s not plowed or salted enough. Suggested signs stating no thoroughfare or speed bumps at the bottom of the hill. Emergency vehicles need the road. Making it one-way is an inconvenience to everyone. Carlson stated speed bumps cause more damage because in winter cars lose control. Olson questioned the ramifications of speed bumps. Young stated the only ones she knows of are on Circle Terrace Boulevard and you cannot get an even clean street when plowing because you have to lift the blade of the plow. Ms. Rolf suggested roughing up the road to wake people up. Carlson also advised that drivers do not slow down in winter or read the signs for speed bumps. Ms. Rolf asked for the street to be no thoroughfare except for people who live on that street, perhaps with a sticker showing permission to drive up and down. Olson advised there are no passes for violating the law. The resident at 686 46-1/2 asked who’s liable if a car can’t get up the hill because it’s not plowed, backs down and hits a car. Is the City liable for not plowing good enough? Bashir Siyad, 685 46-1/2 Avenue, has lived there for almost eight years. He has tried to get up the hill from Jefferson Street and states it is very difficult. He also believes the City should do something to protect the homes. He feels the 30 mph speed limit is too fast, suggested 15 mph. The speed limit needs to be reduced. He does not want to drive two miles around other streets to get to Jefferson Street. His car also cannot make it up the hill in winter. He feels the City can come up with a better solution. Dave Rolf, 676 46-1/2 Avenue, has lived there for 25 years and has seen a lot, including school buses trying to come down the hill and getting hung up at the stop sign. He feels sorry for the house that was hit and feels there is something the City can put there. Xcel Energy has put pipes and cement down around their transformers and they have never been hit. He feels it is ridiculous not being able to go up and down the hill. He does not want to attempt to drive up a snowy hill every time he comes home. There’s also an elderly couple at 686 4-6/12 Avenue who would need to try to make it up the hill. Thinks 5-6 pipes with chains should be used or double chains. Feels there will be more accidents with the one-way due to cars having to back part way or all the way down the hill in the winter and possibly hit another vehicle. Most accidents that have happened have been due to ice and buses. Traffic Commission Minutes – June 4, 2018 Page 4 Mr. Fuhrmann suggested a barrier like Fridley built on Old Central Avenue by the Holiday Gas Station. States it’s like a freeway barrier. Apparently they had a lot of accidents there so built it for that reason. Feels Jefferson Street and 46-1/2 Avenue is a poor design and someone could have gotten killed in that house. A car can hit the roof of some of those houses if it’s coming too fast. States a barrier has been tabled in the past due to the cost but feels will need to spend money to make it safe. thth Mr. Teigland stated because Jefferson is a one way from 46 to 47 Avenue he must go south to get th to his house. He goes to 47 Avenue east of Jefferson because the hill on 46-1/2 Avenue is not easy th to get up. He then uses 49 Avenue and turns right on Jefferson Street. Carlson stated he does the same. Mr. Teigland stated that if the car would have hit his house three minutes earlier his niece and nephew would be dead right now. He does not know how sturdy a barrier would need to be to stop a car or at what speed. Agreed it could be an option. The car that hit his house came through where there was no rail, right through the path, and was going more than 20 mph. Young stated we would have to look at a barrier. This has been discussed but not to the extent of this discussion. Olson stated you’re not going to stop anything unless you put up steel and concrete poles. Mr. Fuhrmann asked how much it cost to put in the walkway and flowers. He feels the City is worried more about the beauty versus the safety of the hill. Ms. Rolf stated she often sees vehicles going the wrong way on the divide. Young advised the group that she also had a resident come into her office today with similar issues regarding 46-1/2 Avenue. Olson stated, on behalf of the Traffic Commission, that they are extremely concerned that this happened. From listening to the residents who have voiced their opinions, designating 46-1/2 Avenue as one-way is not the answer. Feels a barrier may be warranted. If cost is a factor, he thinks the City should take it into consideration. The structure of the road cannot be changed and a one-way designation is not going to help anyone. Ms. Tkach added that we also need to consider that the pathway is used by pedestrians and children walking to school. A speed limit sign or slow down sign is also needed. The Traffic Commission agreed unanimously to consider a barrier and table this issue tonight because a barrier is not part of the public hearing agenda. Ms. Tkach asked if in the interim we could reduce the speed limit coming down the hill. Young advised that vehicles are approaching a stop sign so they should be slowing down. The residents feel 30 mph is too fast coming down that hill. Young advised that the speed limit is set by the MN Traffic Commission Minutes – June 4, 2018 Page 5 Department of Transportation. It is possible to inquire about obtaining a waiver to change the speed limit but the 30 mph is a citywide speed limit. Motion by Olson to disregard the recommended motion to designate 46 ½ Avenue as one-way east bound and instead have the City seriously investigate a barrier. Motion seconded by Clerkin. Addition to motion by Schluender to request a reduced speed limit from MnDOT and post it. Motion passed unanimously. NEW BUSINESS None OTHER NEW BUSINESS None REPORTS CITY ENGINEER 1.The Traffic Commission will continue to meet on the first Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m. th 2.No Parking on the south side of 39 Avenue from the roundabout to Central Avenue was th approved by the City Council at their meeting on May 14. 3. Young advised she has not had time to check with the City of Minneapolis regarding the stop signs. She did print the information they had on their website which basically states that they follow the MUTCD guidelines. POLICE CHIEF None COMMISSIONERS 1.Carlson asked about the red stripes that are put on stop signs. He had another request for them because they draw attention to the stop sign. Young stated we do put them in areas where we need to make a high visibility, high impact statement. Carlson would like to see them on all stop signs. Young advised it would just become ignored, just like everything else. Olson agreed. Spring Lake Park has flashing stop signs and drivers are beginning to ignore them. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Olson, seconded by Schluender to adjourn the meeting at 6:26 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Sue Schmidtbauer Public Works Secretary