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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJune 3, 2020 Minutes OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS COLUMBIA HEIGHTS TRAFFIC COMMISSION MONDAY, JUNE 3, 2019 CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Olson at 5:30 p.m. ROLL CALL Members present: Commissioners Olson, Doty, Nekora, and Schluender Members absent: Commissioner Clerkin Staff present: Kathy Young, Assistant City Engineer Erik Johnston, Police Captain Sue Schmidtbauer, Administrative Assistant Council Liaison: Robert Williams APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Doty, seconded by Schluender, to approve the minutes of March 4, 2019 as presented. Motion passed unanimously. OLD BUSINESS None OTHER OLD BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS ST A. REQUEST FOR 4-WAY STOP SIGN AT TYLER STREET AND 41 AVENUE st Ms. Amanda Kruse lives near the intersection of Tyler Street and 41 Avenue. She has requested the 2-way stop signed at this intersection be changed to a 4-way stop. The concern is unsafe conditions created by the speed of traffic on Tyler Street. thth At this intersection traffic on Tyler Street currently stops at 40 Avenue and 44 Avenue. Traffic on stst 41 Avenue stops at Reservoir Boulevard and Arthur Street and cross-traffic along 41 Avenue stops on Polk Street and Hayes Street. When approaching the intersection visibility is somewhat limited by the topography and landscaping st on the south side of 41 Avenue. Once stopped at the stop sign, visibility of traffic on Tyler Street is st good. It is necessary to ease out into the intersection to see traffic on 41 Avenue. However, as vehicles are already stopped and moving out, this is to be expected. According to Police Department records there have been no reported accidents at this intersection for the past five years. Schluender asked about traffic counts. Young stated the normal traffic count for residential streets is 300-400 cars per day. This street may have a little higher count because of the school and church, and possible activities during the week. Traffic Commission Minutes – June 3, 2019 Page 2 Schluender stated this intersection clearly doesn’t meet the criteria for a 4-way stop and asked if this would be an opportunity to test out a neighborhood-size roundabout. There are a few in Minneapolis and this street is wide enough. A neighborhood roundabout covers approximately 60% of the street width and is basically a traffic calmer that forces vehicles to slow down as they approach the roundabout. He knows Columbia Heights currently does not have any and asked if this has come up before, as a calming method for drivers on neighborhood streets. Young advised that up to this point the City Engineer has elected not to install the mini roundabouts. Olson commented that it’s basically an obstacle right in the middle of the intersection. Schluender stated that’s correct, there’s signage and it’s meant to get people to slow down and go around. He advised there are temporary roundabouts such as a ring of bollards or a potted plant and some arrow signs to use as a pilot before installing a permanent roundabout. He suggested we could use the data collector box to see if it’s effective. Olson inquired if the speed trailers have been placed on Tyler and Polk Streets. Captain Johnston advised speed trailers have been set up on Reservoir Boulevard with speeds averaging approximately 29 mph; however, he feels Arthur Street would be busier. There is also a school near that intersection so there are bus stops. He does not know how this would affect the bus service. Olson suggested placing the speed trailer somewhere on the 4100 block of Tyler Street. He is opposed to more stop signs as they can cause more problems for neighborhoods. Schleunder agrees there are compliance issues with stop signs versus just slowing traffic down. Doty agrees with setting up the speed trailer, this usually shows speeds slower than expectedCaptain Johnston advised the speed trailer can be set . up as early as next week; the data collector may take a little more time. The data collector also collects speed but is not as visible as the speed trailer. st Motion by Doty to deny the request for 4-way stop signs at 41 Avenue and Tyler Street based on the MMUTCD guidelines, seconded by Nekora. Motion passed unanimously. OTHER OLD BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS None OTHER NEW BUSINESS None REPORTS CITY ENGINEER None POLICE CHIEF In reference to the speed trailer, the Police Department received three new devices last fall. Now that the snow is finally gone they are putting them into service. Because the trailers are solar powered, they never need to be brought back in to be charged. The plan is to move them around the City every Monday and put them in a spot for a week at a time. The data collector is going to be used as more of a special use device. Traffic Commission Minutes – June 3, 2019 Page 3 It is also a little more labor-intensive to set up. Doty asked the earliest the speed trailer could be set up on st 41 Avenue. Captain Johnston stated the trailer can be set up tomorrow but the data collector may take a while. Schleunder suggested, if possible, they could put the data collector out before and after the speed trailer to compare if the speed trailer has any bearing on slowing traffic down. Captain Johnston stated that if the Traffic Commission has ideas as to where the speed trailer should be placed to please email him. They have a calendar for the speed trailers and will just keep moving them around. Olson stated that if st they can put the trailer on 41 Avenue tomorrow and around the neighborhood in the next few days that would be great. Captain Johnston advised that they’ve had some speeding complaints on the east side of town due to construction detours so they’re currently using both the speed trailers to try to slow that down. COMMISSIONERS None ADJOURNMENT Motion by Schluender, seconded by Doty to adjourn the meeting at 5:45 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Sue Schmidtbauer Administrative Assistant