HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-21-2022 Traffic Commission Minutes
TRAFFIC COMMISSION
City Hall—Council Chambers, 590 40th Ave NE
Tuesday, June 21, 2022
6:00 PM
MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Davis at 6:02 p.m.
Members present: Commissioners Ciesynski, Davis, Finkelson, Nekora
Absent: Commissioner Schluender
Staff present: Kathy Young, Assistant City Engineer
Captain Markham, Police
Sue Chapman, Administrative Assistant
Council Liaison: Amáda Márquez Simula (absent)
APPROVE MINUTES
1. Motioned by Finkelson, seconded by Ciesynski, to approve the minutes of May 17, 2022 as presented.
Motion passed unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS
2. Request for NO PARKING on North Side of 41st Avenue from Monroe Street to Jefferson Street
Residents Present:
Kt Jacobs, 4104 Monroe St
Dan Spriggs, 3331 Stinson Blvd
Kt Jacobs has requested No Parking on the north side of 41st Ave from Monroe St to Jefferson St. The
concern is that the width of the street cannot accommodate two-way traffic with parking on both sides.
41st Ave is a primary route for emergency vehicles from approximately Jackson St to Jefferson St. The
following No Parking restrictions are in place on 41st Avenue:
Monroe St to Quincy St – No Parking on the north side.
Quincy St to Jackson St – No Parking on the north side next to the Public Safety Building. No parking
on the south side, except for funerals.
Jackson St to Van Buren St – No Parking on either side of 41st Ave.
Van Buren St to Central Ave – No Parking on either side, except for a short distance next to Wargo
Park.
41st Ave is 30’ wide from Monroe St to Jefferson St, which is typical for residential streets in Columbia
Heights. It is 36’ to 37’ wide east of Monroe St.
Kt Jacobs, 4104 Monroe St, stated she has nothing more to add to her request except that she did meet with
Lenny Austin, Chief of Police, and Dan O’Brien, Assistant Fire Chief, to get their input. They were both quick
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to point out that they are used to making the zigzag across the city. They would not request the no parking
but would not be unhappy if it was implemented. There is an impairment of view coming up the hill on 41st
Ave and if cars are parked on the north side they obstruct the view of the alley. At the end of Jefferson St
people do tend to park close to the corner. Both chiefs did agree there should be no parking signs from the
corner. When coming around that corner at night you are committed to making the turn wide and into the
other lane before being able to see if cars are coming. No one is losing any parking with this request; the
homes all have driveways as well as street parking on the north-south streets. Davis agrees this makes
sense, there’s already no parking to the east and the road does narrow, plus it’s used as a main thoroughfare
for safety personnel.
Finkelson stated that the pictures show few parked cars or congested parking. He feels that in this case the
parked cars provide traffic calming and removing parking may have the effect of widening the road which
increases reckless driving. He understood that per state statute it’s prohibitive to park near the corner.
Young advised the red car in the photo is parked legally. Per state statute you can park up to 20’ from an
intersection except where there is a marked crosswalk or traffic signal. Finkelson thought it’s any crosswalk
not just a marked crosswalk. Young will need to seek clarification, it’s her understanding that it’s 20’ from
a marked crosswalk not any intersection. Kt stated there are areas in the city that have posted no parking
from here to corner signs and that is what she would request. In response to the photos of parked cars, the
amount of traffic is not consistent throughout the day, it just depends. These photos were taken in the
middle of the day, traffic and parking are heavier in the evening. She agrees narrower roads can help restrict
speeding, but this street is not wide enough to accommodate two vehicles forcing drivers to drive in the
middle of the street to get through. If there are two cars parked across from each other drivers it may force
you to slow down but you still don’t know what’s coming up the hill, it’s unsafe. Eastbound traffic on 41st
Ave has a better view of what’s coming up the hill but it’s not uncommon for drivers to stop when cars are
parked on both sides of the street before continuing.
Finkelson stated eastbound traffic would still need to cross the centerline due to parked cars. Kt advised
eastbound drivers have a better view of what’s ahead of them—that’s the difference. Westbound traffic
needs to come up the hill. She feels parking should be on the south side not the north side because of the
hill. She’s had a couple of calls on this from neighbors. There are also a lot more walkers and dog walkers
in the neighborhood, which is another reason to increase safety. Davis questioned moving the centerline.
Young advised it’s something that can be looked at, unfortunately this type of striping needs to be ground
off in order to cover it which is quite expensive but shifting the centerline would be the best alternative.
This would be an administrative decision that could be done at a future date.
Nekora lives on 40th Ave and Washington St so frequently uses this road a lot coming off Central Ave. The
only issue she’s run into is north-south vehicles not stopping or barely stopping. She’s also noticed several
cars at 41st Ave and Quincy St that have been parked in the no parking zone a couple days in a row. Kt
advised she also sees many drivers going the wrong way on a one way. The sign on Monroe St is only a red
yield sign. There’s a litany of issues in this area but she feels this one would be the best to fix.
Motion by Davis to hold a public hearing to request No Parking on the north side of 41st Avenue from Monroe
Street to Jefferson Street and no parking 30 feet from the southeast corner of Jefferson Street. Roll call
vote: Ciesynski Aye, Davis Aye, Finkelson Nay, Nekora Aye. Motion passes.
A public hearing will take place in July.
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OLD BUSINESS
3. Traffic Speed Update for Reservoir Boulevard from 37th Avenue to 40th Avenue
In 2021 the Traffic Commission requested a speed comparison be obtained for Reservoir Blvd from 37th Ave to
39th Ave before and after restriping to add bike lanes and narrow the travel lanes.
Traffic patterns were obtained by the Police Department from May 18-22, 2021 with radar and from May 25-28,
2022 after Reservoir Blvd was restriped with bike lanes and narrower traffic lanes.
Comparison between the two data sets shows the 85th percentile speeds, which is the speed that 85% of
motorists drive, were within 1 mile of each other. In 2021 it was 35 mph and in 2022 it was 36 mph. The
average speed in 2021 is unavailable due to an equipment malfunction. The average speed in 2022 is 30 mph.
Finkelson stated it seems the bicycle path has had zero effect on traffic speed. Finkelson feels if we do bicycle
paths in the future we may want to use the plastic sticks to add a buffer. Bicyclists he spoke with stated that just
painting bicycle lanes does not provide any safer feeling.
Young also handed out another set of data at the meeting that showed the speeds on Reservoir Blvd near 40th
Ave are a little slower. The 85% percentile speed was 34 mph and the average speed was 24.5 mph.
REPORTS
City Engineer
Young advised that she included the simplified version of the Roberts Rules of Orders provided by the City
Clerk in the agenda packet.
She received three emails concerning traffic issues and these were all handled administratively as follows:
Request for 4-way stop signs at 50th Avenue and Jefferson Street
The concern is traffic not stopping at the stop signs at 49th Ave and Jefferson St (4-way stop) as well
as the signs stopping traffic on 50th Ave at Jefferson St (2-way stop) and the speed of traffic.
Currently traffic stops on 50th Ave at Jefferson St. There is a flashing light on the stop sign. The
threshold to put in a 4-way stop sign per the MMUTCD guidelines is “Five or more reported crashes
in a 12-month period that are susceptible to correction by a multi-way stop installation.”
The Police Department reviewed the accident records for th is intersection and there have been five
reported accidents since 2018. One reported accident in 2020, one in 2019 and three in 2018, with
one being due to snow and the other alcohol. Davis asked if there are any other options for a multi-
stop traffic light such as high traffic counts or pedestrian counts. Young stated the answer is yes,
these can also contribute. The Police Department did obtain some traffic counts but they were not
high enough. She also advised the purpose of a stop sign is to establish right-of-way at an
intersection and that’s already being done with the 2-way stop.
The resident was informed that the intersection at Jefferson St and 50 th Ave did not meet guidelines
for multi-way stop.
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Request for flashing pedestrian crossing at Columbia Middle School
A parent has requested a flashing pedestrian light at the crossing by the middle school. Staff passed
this request on to Anoka County. They will study the crossing in the fall to determine if it meets the
criteria to install a pedestrian light. The light would only activate when the button is pushed, it would
not flash continuously.
Request for speed humps on St. Moritz Drive
The concern was traffic speed. Resident was informed that speed humps are not an option as St.
Moritz Dr is shared by both the cities of Columbia Heights and Fridley.
Police Chief
None
Commissioners
None
ADJOURNMENT
Motioned by Finkelson, seconded by Ciesynski to adjourn the meeting at 6:39 p.m. Motion passed
unanimously.