HomeMy WebLinkAboutAugust 6, 2018 Minutes
OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS TRAFFIC COMMISSION
MONDAY, August 6, 2018
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Carlson at 5:30 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Members present: Commissioners Carlson, Doty, Olson, and Schluender
Members absent: Commissioners Clerkin
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 Doty, seconded by Olson, to approve the minutes of June 4, 2018 as presented. Motion passed
unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS
A.CONSTRUCT BARRIER ALONG JEFFERSON STREET AND LOWER SPEED LIMIT ON 46½ AVENUE
The City Engineer met with a consulting engineer to discuss options for constructing a barrier along
Jefferson Street across from 46½ Avenue. The barrier must be designed to stop a vehicle from
continuing westbound, but not seriously injure the driver or passengers when hitting it head on.
Doty stated cars do pick up momentum going downhill and asked how many cars have hit the
barrier. Young advised the barrier is struck at least 1-2X a year at different times, but winter is
when the hill is slipperiest and vehicles tend to slide through the intersection.
Carlson inquired about a CAUTION sign designating 20 mph. Staff did research lowering the speed
limit on 46½ Avenue. According to State Statute, a residential roadway of less than one-half mile in
total length can be designated as 25 miles per hour if adopted by the road authority having
jurisdiction over the residential roadway. The 25 mph designation would need to be adopted by
both the Columbia Heights and Hilltop City Councils. Also, a study conducted by MnDOT clearly
shows drivers’ behavior does not change simply by reducing the posted speed limit. Therefore, staff
does not recommend lowering the speed limit on 46½ Avenue. Doty asked about a traffic count as
well as checking the speed on 46½ Avenue. A traffic count was done in May and showed an average
of 368 cars in 48 hours on 46½ Avenue. Austin stated the speed trailer would be ineffective in that
short of a distance. Young advised we could do something temporarily and then decide on a more
permanent solution at a later date.
Motion by Olson to deny the request to lower the speed limit on 46½ Avenue. Motion seconded by
Carlson. Motion passed unanimously.
Traffic Commission Minutes – August 6, 2018
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OTHER OLD BUSINESS
None
NEW BUSINESS
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A.REQUEST FOR STOP SIGNS AT THE INTERSECTION OF 4 STREET AND 43 AVENUE
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Mr. Gregory Johnson has requested STOP signs stopping traffic on 4 Street at 43 Avenue. His
concern is traffic speed.
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This is a T-intersection. Visibility is good. Traffic on 4 Street stops at 42 Avenue and at 44
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Avenue. Traffic on 43 Avenue must turn either north or south onto 4 Street.
There was one reported accident at this intersection during the previous five years. The accident
was on May 20, 2016 and damaged City property.
Carlson stated he drives through this intersection frequently and sees absolutely no need for a stop
sign. Schluender thinks drivers feel safe at the “T” and that’s why they speed. Olson feels if you add
stop signs drivers will disregard them all.
Schluender asked what the manual for streets allows regarding design to slow traffic, can we
account for this when re-engineering. Young advised we have looked at this on some of our wider
streets; however, this street is narrow.
Buesgens asked if residential roundabouts, the small ones, have been considered. Young states we
do have 60’ right-of-ways so could possibly reconstruct the curb and gutter for cars to go around.
Roundabouts do force drivers to slow down. Doty advised roundabouts make winter plowing very
difficult.
Austin asked when the complaint was received. Young advised it was the end of June. Austin stated
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this may have stemmed from a lot of traffic being detoured along 4 Street during the construction.
Police did have some speed issues to address at that time. Also, some trucks were using
unauthorized detour routes.
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Motion by Olson to deny the request for stop signs at the intersection of 4 Street and 43 Avenue.
Motion seconded by Doty. Motion passed unanimously.
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Carlson added that westbound traffic is also stopped on 41 Avenue and 4 Street. There’s only
one intersection without stop signs.
RESIDENTS PRESENT:
Marsha Stroik, 3938 Polk Street
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B.REQUEST FOR STOP SIGNS AT THE INTERSECTION OF POLK STREET AND 42 AVENUE
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Ms. Stephanie Stroik has requested two-way STOP signs at the intersection of Polk Street and 42
Avenue. Her concerns are that drivers are either not aware or do not care that this is an
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Page 3
uncontrolled intersection and speed right through. During the winter the snow banks are so high
that it makes it difficult to see traffic on the cross streets. And, she is concerned about the many
children that ride their bikes in this area.
The intersection is skewed at an angle. Visibility at the intersection is fair. Traffic on Polk Street
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stops at 41 Avenue and Arthur Street. Traffic on 42 Avenue stops at Reservoir Boulevard and
Arthur Street. There have been no reported accidents at this intersection within the last five years.
Stephanie Stroik was unable to attend the meeting tonight. Marsha Stroik is Stephanie’s mother-in-
law and lives two blocks from Stephanie on Polk Street. She stated there is a lot of traffic on Polk
Street. Last Friday, in the few seconds it took her to get out of her vehicle, three cars sped past and
no one stopped, slowed down or looked. There are no sidewalks but lots of children, a daycare, and
traffic from the church and Ostrander Park. There’s continuously a lot of foot traffic coming down
Polk Street. She stops at the intersection for safety reasons because the cross traffic does not stop
or slow down. She feels that just because there have been no accidents does not mean it’s not a
dangerous intersection.
Carlson advised this intersection has been before the Traffic Commission before but he does not
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feel it merits a stop sign. Ms. Stroik stated she is requesting stop signs on 42 Avenue because
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there’s less traffic on 42 Avenue. Schluender looked at the intersection and feels visibility is fair.
There is a hill with some additional landscaping on top as you’re coming south on Polk Street.
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Approaching 42 Avenue without a stop sign and waiting to see if you can see cross traffic puts a
vehicle pretty far into the intersection, which may account for squealing brakes and stopping
quickly. Because of the diagonal, there’s also a lot of space in the intersection, making it easier to
proceed with less caution as it feels like you have more room.
Ms. Stroik advised this is also used as a shortcut to get to Highland Elementary and the high school
so there’s a lot of traffic during the school year. Then there’s the playground and activities at First
Lutheran Church and Ostrander Park. There’s always a lot of pedestrian activity.
Olson advised the Traffic Commission needs to follow certain guidelines designated by the State of
Minnesota that help decide where to put traffic control. This intersection does not meet any of the
criteria. Drivers need to drive defensively, especially through uncontrolled intersections.
Ms. Stroik feels the bigger concern is pedestrians and children. Olson advised there are many other
uncontrolled intersections in town that are the same or similar and there haven’t been any issues.
We need to follow the state guidelines. Doty agrees the intersection is wide open which may cause
drivers to not slow down. Austin also stated that because of snowbanks, you do learn to drive
defensively. Stop signs may solve some concerns but will generally bring on more issues.
Approximately only 20% of traffic actually stops for stop signs. Stop signs significantly disrupt traffic
flow and that’s why there are state guidelines to help with some of these decisions. Young advised
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that if traffic does have a stop sign on 42 Avenue, it will increase the speed of traffic on Polk Street
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because drivers know traffic is required to stop on 42 Avenue. It provides more of a thoroughfare.
Again, Ms. Stroik stated her concern is all the children walking to the park.
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Buesgens advised that residents can possibly request a sidewalk to be placed on either side of the
street. If the neighbors are in agreement, Ms. Stroik can generate a petition and then request the
sidewalk from Public Works for her block. There would be assessments but this is a possibility.
Doty stated they petitioned a sidewalk where he grew up in Columbia Heights. Ms. Stroik stated it
just seems like a lot of traffic and it’s traveling too fast.
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Motion by Olson to deny the request for stop signs at the intersection of Polk Street and 42
Avenue. Motion seconded by Doty. Motion passed unanimously.
Carlson advised Ms. Stroik that the route of appeal it to go to the City Council, but this intersection
does not meet any of the state guidelines. Olson also re-iterated about petitioning for a sidewalk.
OTHER NEW BUSINESS
None
REPORTS
CITY ENGINEER
At the request of the residents, disabled parking signs have been installed at the following locations:
4256 Van Buren Street, Permit number 814664,
4419 Jefferson Street, Permit number 044166806, and
3708 2½ Street, Permit number E83939
POLICE CHIEF
The Police Department is looking into purchasing new speed equipment. This will be brought up to the
Traffic Commission when everything is final.
COMMISSIONERS
Doty asked if in the future we could also obtain information 1-2 blocks from the requested intersection to
compare accidents where there are stop signs vs. uncontrolled intersections. Austin advised we can
provide that information but the results could go either way. However, he would also be curious to see the
results, but also advised that we do not always receive reports of accidents. Doty stated it seems like
drivers roll through stop signs all the time. Austin agreed--they do. The 20% compliance rate is
nationwide—the reality is that most drivers do not stop completely at stop signs based on what the statute
rules. Doty stated drivers are continuously running red lights on Central Avenue. Austin does not know the
current traffic count on Central Avenue but it does seem busier. The number of red light runners has
increased and driver behavior has changed over the years. We can include the extra intersections
requested and make a comparison but part of the problem is location. Example: Arthur Street is a main
thoroughfare and has more traffic than Polk Street, but if you put stop signs up it would increase traffic
somewhere else. Stop signs solve some issues but tend to create others, especially when it comes to traffic
flow. Young stated she is currently working with a property owner on Arthur Street where the concern is
speeding and all of the cross streets have stop signs.
Schluender asked if the crash data is public data. Austin advised it is public, but if he wanted to look at
actual police reports they may contain redaction. Austin reiterated that information is just for reported
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accidents; a lot of accidents are not reported.
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Carlson inquired about the intersection at 44 and Central Avenue. Austin advised we’ve had crashes there
but he’s unsure if they’ve been significant lately. States Central Avenue is busy with approximately 26,000
vehicles a day; crashes are up there but not at a critical number. Winter is a different story. Buesgens
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stated things may change if we get the two grants we’re applying for at 43 and 47 Avenues on Central.
Due to HyVee that whole area may change.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion by Olson, seconded by Doty to adjourn the meeting at 6:15 p.m. Motion passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Sue Schmidtbauer
Public Works Secretary