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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Packet AGENDA Traffic Safety Advisory Committee October 10, 2012 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Prior Lake City Hall Wagon Bridge Room 4646 Dakota Street SE Prior Lake, MN 55372 I. Old Business (Review Matrix) II. New Business a. Fish Point Road traffic and speeds due to Eagle Creek Estates development b. “25 MPH When Children are Present” sign request – 160 th and Franklin Trail c. Four way stop sign request at Hawk Ridge and Tahinka Court d. Pedestrian crossing on Hawk Ridge Road on eastern edge of Bluffs of Northwood Meadows e. “No Parking” signage request on Dutch Ave. – Green Heights to Pershing f. “No Parking” signage request on Wilds Parkway by golf course driving range g. No on street parking on Todd Road h. Evaluate Stop signs at 2 intersections (Hampton and Ferndale; Ash and Ferndale) i. “Do Not Block Driveway” signage request for 4517 Pleasant Street III. Updates a. 2013 - CSAH 12 and Sunset Avenue b. 2013 - Ridgemont/Main/TH 13 c. 2013 – Welcome Avenue d. Developments i. Eagle Creek Estates ii. Maple Glen 4 th iii. Jeffers Pond 6 th iv. Hickory Shores 3 rd and 4 th v. Stemmer Ridge e. South Downtown Study IV. Additional Traffic Safety Announcements or Issues V. Future Meeting VI. Adjournment 10/4/2012 RE Q U E S T E D B Y C O N T A C T I N F O R M A T I O N RE Q U E S T TY P E / D A T E RE Q U E S T TS C ME E T I N G DA T E RE S O L U T I O N DA T E A C T I O N CO M P L E T E D COMMENTS Re s i d e n t s a n d l a n d o w n e r s i n t h e Sp r i n g B r o o k n e i g h b o r h o o d Pe t i t i o n b y n e i g h b o r h o o d J e n Ha n s e n 4 9 5 - 4 9 5 5 5/ 1 0 / 2 0 1 2 Re q u e s t n o p a r k i n g s i g n a g e o n Du t c h A v e n u e b e t w e e n G r e e n Ht s a n d P e r s h i n g S t r e e t . Re s i d e n t s b e l i e v e t h a t p a r k i n g is a l l o w e d p r i m a r i l y f o r C a p t a i n Ja c k s R e s t a u r a n t . T h i s h a s cr e a t e d a s a f e t y i s s u e f o r re s i d e n t s t h a t u s e t h e s t r e e t be c a u s e t h e r e a r e n o s i d w a l k s . Th e r e i s n o p a r k i n g o n t h e st r e e t s i n a n y o t h e r a r e a n e a r th e r e s t a u r a n t f o r t h e s a m e re a s o n s . 10 / 1 0 / 2 0 1 2 C C R e s o l u t i o n 0 4 - 6 2 a n d 0 4 - 9 4 Green Heights no parking on both sides of 26' b-b street, Dunkirk no parking on one side of 24' b-b street, Pershing no parking on one side of 26' b-b street, Dutch no parking on one side of 26' b-b street. Po l i c e C h i e f 5/ 2 5 / 2 0 1 2 Re q u e s t n o p a r k i n g s i g n a g e o n Wi l d s P a r k w a y n e a r t h e g o l f co u r s e d r i v i n g r a n g e . T h e cu r v a t u r e o f t h e r o a d w a y co m b i n e d w i t h p a r k i n g c r e a t e s an u n s a f e s i t u a t i o n i n t h i s a r e a . Po l i c e h a v e s i g n e d t e m p o r a r y no p a r k i n g s i g n a g e u n t i l T S C ca n r e v i e w . 10 / 1 0 / 2 0 1 2 To m S c h r o e d e r 16 2 3 0 T a h i n k a C o u r t 61 2 - 9 4 0 - 5 8 7 2 6 / 1 8 / 2 0 1 2 Re q u e s t s t o p s i g n o n H a w k Ri d g e a t T a h i n k a C o u r t f o r a fu l l f o u r w a y i n t e r s e c t i o n . T h e tr a f f i c i s g o i n g t o o f a s t o n t h i s ro a d w a y a n d t h e y h a v e l o t s o f ki d s i n t h e a r e a . T h e c u r v a t u r e of t h e r o a d w a y h e r e a l s o pr o v i d e s n e c e s s i t y f o r a S t o p Si g n 10 / 1 0 / 2 0 1 2 Traffic studies indicate that the 85th percentile speeds are 27.75 and 28.81 mph. Ro n n i e S h r o e d e r 61 2 - 8 7 5 - 3 8 6 6 ro n n i e h @ i n t e g r a . n e t 8/ 8 / 1 2 Re v i e w t h e p e d e s t r i a n c r o s s i n g on H a w k R i d g e R o a d o n ea s t e r n e d g e o f B l u f f s o f No r t h w o o d M e a d o w s . 10 / 1 0 / 2 0 1 2 To d d E b e r t 6 1 2 - 7 1 6 - 3 4 7 6 7 / 3 1 / 2 0 1 2 Re q u e s t s n o o n s t r e e t p a r k i n g on T o d d R o a d . A p e t i t i o n w a s su b m i t t e d f o r t h i s r e q u e s t . 10 / 1 0 / 2 0 1 2 23.5' B-B. No Parking with Trailer signs on one side installed in 2006. The road was previous signed no parking on both sides. TR A F F I C S A F E T Y C O M M I T T E E - N E W R E Q U E S T S G: \ S t r e e t s _ a n d _ T r a n s p o r t a t i o n \ T r a f f i c S a f e t y C o m m i t t e e \ T S C R e q u e s t s _ P a s t & P r e s e n t \ N e w R e q u e s t s 10/4/2012 RE Q U E S T E D B Y C O N T A C T I N F O R M A T I O N RE Q U E S T TY P E / D A T E RE Q U E S T TS C ME E T I N G DA T E RE S O L U T I O N DA T E A C T I O N CO M P L E T E D COMMENTS TR A F F I C S A F E T Y C O M M I T T E E - N E W R E Q U E S T S Le e S h i m e k / S c h o o l D i s t r i c t 8/ 6 / 2 0 1 2 Co n c e r n e d w i t h s p e e d s a n d tr a f f i c o n F i s h P o i n t R o a d o n c e th e E a g l e C r e e k E s t a t e s De v e l o p m e n t c o n n e c t s F i s h Po i n t t o C R 2 1 . 10 / 1 0 / 2 0 1 2 Traffic volumes will increase to 12,000 in 2030 from 1,700 in 2005 on Fish Point Road Ja k e T h i e s e n 4 8 4 - 6 8 4 7 8 / 8 / 2 0 1 2 Ev a l u a t e s t o p s i g n s a t Ha m p t o n a n d F e r n d a l e a n d As h a n d F e r n d a l e 10 / 1 0 / 2 0 1 2 Issue was dealt with in 2006. Input was requested from all surrounding properties. Majority of those that responded were in favor of keeping STOP signs (attached spreadsheet) Ju l i e O b r i e n 6 1 2 - 5 9 8 - 6 4 6 7 8 / 2 0 / 2 0 1 2 Ca r s a t t e n d i n g c h u r c h o r fu n e r a l s b l o c k u n i q u e d r i v e w a y at 4 5 1 7 P l e a s a n t S t r e e t . Ow n e r w o u l d l i k e t o s e e " d o no t b l o c k d r i v e w a y " s i g n a g e in s t a l l e d . 10 / 1 0 / 2 0 1 2 Ad r i e n n e H i l l O f f i c e v i s i t 9 / 5 / 2 0 1 2 Re q u e s t i n g a s i g n f o r s l o w e r sp e e d w h i l e s c h o o l i s i n se s s i o n . S h e w o u l d l i k e t o s e e th e s p e e d l o w e r e d f r o m 4 5 mp h t o 2 5 m p h o n 1 6 0 th & Fr a n k l i n T r a i l w h e n s c h o o l i s i n se s s i o n . 10 / 1 0 / 2 0 1 2 G: \ S t r e e t s _ a n d _ T r a n s p o r t a t i o n \ T r a f f i c S a f e t y C o m m i t t e e \ T S C R e q u e s t s _ P a s t & P r e s e n t \ N e w R e q u e s t s 10/4/2012 RE Q U E S T E D B Y C O N T A C T I N F O R M A T I O N RE Q U E S T TY P E / D A T E RE Q U E S T TS C ME E T I N G DA T E RE S O L U T I O N DA T E A C T I O N CO M P L E T E D COMMENTS We s M a d e r we s m a d e r @ i n t e g r a . n e t e- m a i l J u n e 2 , 2 0 1 1 Su b m i t t e d p e t i t i o n f o r n o pa r k i n g o n S y c a m o r e T r a i l 7/ 2 8 / 1 1 Co m m i t t e e a g r e e d t o s i g n no p a r k i n g o n b o t h s i d e s of S y c a m o r e f r o m K e n t St r e e t t o t h e n o r t h . In s t a l l a t i o n ve r i f i e d 1 0 / 1 / 1 2 Ni c o l e M a r t i n 61 2 - 8 1 7 - 1 2 8 8 a d d r e s s o f 16 4 3 7 S t e m m e r R i d g e R D N E Ph o n e 4 / 8 / 1 1 Th e r e h a v e b e e n m a n y ne a r m i s s e s i n t h i s ne i g h b o r h o o d ( n e a r St e m m e r R i d g e & B e l m o n t ) as c h i l d r e n a r e w a l k i n g t o Ho w a r d L a k e P a r k . Th e y ' v e n o t i c e d n o s p e e d li m i t s i g n s i n t h e ne i g h b o r h o o d . T h e y ' v e al s o n o t i c e d t h a t r e s i d e n t s wi l l s p e e d u p a s t h e y ' r e ap p r o a c h i n g t h e t o p o f t h e hi l l . M a y b e i f t h e r e w a s a te m p o r a r y s t o p s i g n o n St e m m e r R i d g e R o a d a t Be l m o n t , t h i s c o u l d m a y b e th i s c o u l d h e l p . R e q u e s t s 30 m o h s i g n a g e o n St e m m e r R i d g e R o a d 7/ 2 8 / 1 1 Th e T S C a g r e e d t o i n s t a l l a 3 0 m p h s p e e d l i m i t s i g n on n o r t h b o u n d S t e m m e r Ri d g e R o a d n e a r t h e in t e r s e c t i o n o f C R 1 2 . Th e c o m m i t t e e f e l t t h a t th e s i g n s h o u l d b e p l a c e d ne a r t h e i n t e r s e c t i o n a s dr i v e r s e n t e r a d i f f e r e n t st r e e t o f f t h e C o u n t y Ro a d . In s t a l l a t i o n ve r i f i e d 1 0 / 1 / 1 2 Jo h n H i n n e n c a m p 4 5 2 - 4 6 3 4 3 / 2 9 / 2 0 1 2 To r o n t o a t O v e r l o o k i s a n un c o n t r o l l e d i n t e r s e c t i o n wi t h n o s t o p s i g n s i n a n y di r e c t i o n . B e c a u s e n o s t o p si g n s e x i s t , t h e r e i s co n f u s i o n o v e r w h o g o e s fi r s t w h e n p e o p l e a r r i v e a t th e i n t e r s e c t i o n . R e q u e s t s fo u r w a y s t o p f o r s a f e t y a n d as s i g n i n g r i g h t o f w a y . 4/ 4 / 2 0 1 2 Ad d s t o p s i g n s o n s t r e e t s ap p r o a c h i n g T o r o n t o . (O v e r l o o k , P a r k w o o d , e t c ) In s t a l l a t i o n ve r i f i e d 1 0 / 1 / 1 2 The TSC reviewed adding stop signs on Toronto in 2009 but the request was denied. TR A F F I C S A F E T Y C O M M I T T E E - R E Q U E S T S U N D E R R E V I E W G: \ S t r e e t s _ a n d _ T r a n s p o r t a t i o n \ T r a f f i c S a f e t y C o m m i t t e e \ T S C R e q u e s t s _ P a s t & P r e s e n t \ I s s u e s U n d e r R e v i e w 10/4/2012 RE Q U E S T E D B Y C O N T A C T I N F O R M A T I O N RE Q U E S T TY P E / D A T E RE Q U E S T TS C ME E T I N G DA T E RE S O L U T I O N DA T E A C T I O N CO M P L E T E D COMMENTS TR A F F I C S A F E T Y C O M M I T T E E - R E Q U E S T S U N D E R R E V I E W Ju d y M e n d e n ( S t . M i c h a e l s ) 9 5 2 - 4 4 7 - 2 4 9 1 e x t 1 1 0 C a l l o n 1 / 4 / 1 2 Re q u e s t s b r i g h t e r s t r e e t li g h t a t t h e N E C o r n e r o f Pl e a s a n t S t r e e t a n d D u l u t h . Ch i l d r e n u s e t h i s in t e r s e c t i o n t o c r o s s t o g e t to s c h o o l . H e r b e l i e f i s t h a t th e l i g h t i n g o n t h a t c o r n e r is n o t b r i g h t e n o u g h . L o o k at C o l o r a d o S t r e e t a l s o . 4/ 4 / 2 0 1 2 Ci t y t o r e v i e w w i t h X c e l en e r g y r e g a r d i n g p o s i t i o n of t h e e x i s t i n g l i g h t o n t h e cu r r e n t p o l e o r a d d i t i o n a l il l u m i n a t i o n o f t h e e x i s t i n g li g h t . I f t h i s d o e s n ' t pr o v i d e e n o u g h il l u m i n a t i o n , T S C o k a y wi t h a d d i t i o n o f l i g h t s a t th i s i n t e r s e c t i o n . The existing street light projects light down to one leg of the intersection Ge r a l d Z i t k o f s k y 6 1 2 - 3 1 0 - 6 3 0 5 1 / 1 3 / 2 0 1 2 Re q u e s t s b r i g h t e r s t r e e t li g h t a t t h e N E C o r n e r o f Pl e a s a n t S t r e e t a n d D u l u t h . Ch i l d r e n u s e t h i s in t e r s e c t i o n t o c r o s s t o g e t to s c h o o l . H e r b e l i e f i s t h a t th e l i g h t i n g o n t h a t c o r n e r is n o t b r i g h t e n o u g h . L o o k at C o l o r a d o S t r e e t a l s o . 4/ 4 / 2 0 1 2 Ci t y t o r e v i e w w i t h X c e l en e r g y r e g a r d i n g p o s i t i o n of t h e e x i s t i n g l i g h t o n t h e cu r r e n t p o l e o r a d d i t i o n a l il l u m i n a t i o n o f t h e e x i s t i n g li g h t . I f t h i s d o e s n ' t pr o v i d e e n o u g h il l u m i n a t i o n , T S C o k a y wi t h a d d i t i o n o f l i g h t s a t th i s i n t e r s e c t i o n . Pu b l i c W o r k s In p e r s o n 1 2 / 2 1 / 1 1 Re q u e s t s n o p a r k i n g si g n a g e o n W a t e r s e d g e Tr a i l n e a r t h e l i f t s t a t i o n . Ic e f i s h e r m e n a r e b l o c k i n g ac c e s s t o l i f t s t a t i o n a n d c u l - de - s a c . 4/ 4 / 2 0 1 2 Ad d n o p a r k i n g s i g n a g e fo r t h e l i f t s t a t i o n . Temporary signage was installed over the course of winter. G: \ S t r e e t s _ a n d _ T r a n s p o r t a t i o n \ T r a f f i c S a f e t y C o m m i t t e e \ T S C R e q u e s t s _ P a s t & P r e s e n t \ I s s u e s U n d e r R e v i e w 10/4/2012 RE Q U E S T E D B Y C O N T A C T I N F O R M A T I O N RE Q U E S T TY P E / D A T E RE Q U E S T TS C ME E T I N G DA T E RE S O L U T I O N DA T E A C T I O N CO M P L E T E D COMMENTS TR A F F I C S A F E T Y C O M M I T T E E - R E Q U E S T S U N D E R R E V I E W Ca t h y P e t e r s o n 27 9 1 S o u t h S h o r e D r i v e Pr i o r L a k e , M N 5 5 3 7 2 Ca t h y N e l s o n w. p e t e r s o n @ m c h s i . c o m e- m a i l 9 / 1 9 / 1 1 Th e e n t r a n c e t o t h e V i l l a g e Ma r k e t / W e l l s F a r g o o f f Du l u t h S t r e e t i s co n s i s t e n t l y b a c k e d u p b y tr a f f i c t h a t w a n t s t o m a k e a le f t - h a n d t u r n w h e n t h e y ar e h e a d i n g s o u t h o n Du l u t h S t r e e t i n t o t h e pa r k i n g l o t b y t h o s e p e o p l e wh o d o n o t k n o w h o w t o st o p b e f o r e t h i s e n t r a n c e . Th i s b a c k s u p c a r s o n t o 1 3 an d h a s a l m o s t c a u s e d ma n y r e a r - e n d c o l l i s i o n s . Ca n a s i g n b e p l a c e d o n no r t h b o u n d D u l u t h S t t h a t sa y s " D o n o t b l o c k in t e r s e c t i o n ? 4/ 4 / 2 0 1 2 Ad d " D O N O T B L O C K EN T R A N C E " s i g n a g e o n Du l u t h o n a 6 m o n t h t r i a l ba s i s . T S C w i l l r e v i e w t h i s is s u e a f t e r t h e 6 m o n t h pe r i o d . Re v i e w e d o n 10 / 1 / 1 2 Issue was visible during site visit. G: \ S t r e e t s _ a n d _ T r a n s p o r t a t i o n \ T r a f f i c S a f e t y C o m m i t t e e \ T S C R e q u e s t s _ P a s t & P r e s e n t \ I s s u e s U n d e r R e v i e w TR A F F I C S A F E T Y C O M M I T T E E TR A F F I C S A F E T Y C O M M I T T E E TR A F F I C S A F E T Y C O M M I T T E E TR A F F I C S A F E T Y C O M M I T T E E ME E T I N G ME E T I N G ME E T I N G ME E T I N G Oc t o b e r 1 0 , 2 0 1 2 Ne w B u s i n e s s Fi s h P o i n t R o a d t r a f f i c a n d s p e e d c o n c e r n s d u e to d e v e l o p m e n t “2 5 M P H W h e n C h i l d r e n a r e P r e s e n t ” r e q u e s t – 16 0 th an d F r a n k l i n T r a i l Fo u r w a y s t o p r e q u e s t a t H a w k R i d g e a n d Ta h i n k a C o u r t Pe d e s t r i a n c r o s s i n g o n H a w k R i d g e “N o P a r k i n g ” r e q u e s t o n D u t c h A v e . – G r e e n He i g h t s t o P e r s h i n g “N o P a r k i n g ” r e q u e s t o n W i l d s P a r k w a y No o n s t r e e t p a r k i n g o n T o d d R o a d Fe r n d a l e A v e n u e S t o p s i g n s “D o N o t B l o c k D r i v e w a y ” r e q u e s t 4 5 1 7 P l e a s a n t St r e e t FI S H P O I N T R O A D FI S H P O I N T R O A D FI S H P O I N T R O A D FI S H P O I N T R O A D 16 0 TH AN D F R A N K L I N T R A I L 16 0 TH AN D F R A N K L I N TR A I L HA W K R I D G E R E Q U E S T S HA W K R I D G E R O A D IN T E R S E C T I O N HA W K R I D G E R O A D CR O S S I N G DU T C H A V E N U E DU T C H A V E N U E WI L D S P A R K W A Y WI L D S P A R K W A Y TO D D R O A D TO D D R O A D FE R N D A L E A V E N U E FE R N D A L E A V E N U E PL E A S A N T S T R E E T PL E A S A N T S T R E E T DU L U T H A V E N U E PR O J E C T S UP D A T E S 20 1 3 C S A H 1 2 A N D S U N S E T A V E 20 1 3 R I D G E M O N T / M A I N / T H 1 3 WE L C O M E A V E N U E DE V E L O P M E N T S SO U T H D O W N T O W N S T U D Y DU C K S O N D U T C H MEETINGDATEAGENDAPREPAREDBYREVIEWEDBYAGENDAITEMDISCUSSION512200416200EagleCreekAtYeeouNCILAGENDAREPORTPriorLakeMN553721714MAY17200410BMAKENZIEMCCORMICKPUBLICWORKSCOORDINATORBUDOSMUNDSONDIRECTOROFPUBLICWORKSCONSIDERAPPROVALOFARESOLUTIONAUTHORIZINGTHEREMOVALOFNOPARKINGSIGNSONGREENHEIGHTSTRAILANDDUTCHAVENUEANDADDRESSINGOTHERONANDOFFSTREETPARKINGISSUESWITHRESPECTTOCAPTAINJACKSHistorvInearly2004theownersofCaptainJacksapproachedCitystaffaboutoptionstoprovideadditionalparkingfortheirpatronsThenewlyformedTrafficSafetyCommitteeTSChasresearchedthisrequestTheTSChasthoroughlyresearchedtheareaseeattachedreportandhavemetwithtwooftheownerswhoprovidedtheTSCwithalistofoptionstheyhaveresearchedseeattachedreportThepurposeofthisagendaitemistorecommendtotheCouncilvariousactionsthatwouldprovideonandoffstreetparkingtogetherwithothersafetyimprovementsintheareaCurrentCffcumsmncesOnApril26ththeTSCmetwithSteveSammisandChrisRooneyownersofCaptainJackstodiscusstheoptionstheyhaveresearchedforadditionalparkingTheattachedreportshowsanumberofoptionstheyhavelookedatmostarecostprohibitivefromabusinessstandpointTwoviableoptionsthatwerediscussedaretoprovideadditionalonstreetparkingclosertotherestaurantandprovideatemporaryparkinglottotherestaurantinthevacantlotacrossGreenHeightsTrailThelotwouldbesurfacedclass5gravelandwouldonlybeaseasonaluselotfromMay1slOctober15thTheTSCdiscussedtheseoptionsandbelowareourrecommendationsOffStreetParkingAttheApril5thCouncilmeetingResolution0462wasadoptedwhichestablishedpoliciestohelpdirecttheTSCwithtrafficsafetyrequestsThepolicystatestheprimaryobjectiveistoobtainoffstreetparkingratherthanonstreetparkingifreasonablypossibleToremainconsistentwithResolution0462theTSChasrequiredtheCaptainJacksownerstoprovidetheCitywithsolutionsforoffstreetparkingTheownershiphasresearchedseveraloptionstoalleviatetheparkingissuesThemostviableoptionfromthebusinessstandpointistocreateanoffstreetparkinglotonthevacantlotacrossfromtherestaurantTheparkinglotwouldbegradedandaClass5surfacewouldbeinstalledwwwcityofpriorlakecomPhone9524474230IFax9524474245 TheTSChasmetwiththeplanningdepartmentwhohasdeterminedthataconditionalusepermitisneededforthisrequestThestaffbelievestheZoningOrdinanceallowsenoughdiscretionespeciallythroughtheCUPprocesstoallowtheClass5surfaceonatemporarybasisACUPapplicationhasbeensubmittedbytheownersofCaptainJacksfortheparkinglotCitystaffwillfollowthenecessarystepstocompletetheCUPStaffintendstorecommendthatoneconditionshouldrequireanagreementbetweentheCityandownersregardingthedurationoftheCUPandvestedrightsnoneissuesDuringthisprocessthehomeownersintheimmediateareawillbenotifiedoftheplansandwillhaveachancetoreviewthechangestotheoffstreetparkingaswellastheonstreetparkingchangesseebelowAtthattimethetemporaryonstreetparkingchangeswillbereevaluatedOnStreetParkingTheTSCisworkingwithCaptainJacksownerstoprovideonstreetparkingaswellTheTSCdoesrealizethereisaparkingproblemduringthesummerfortherestaurantTheTSCisrecommendingonatemporarybasistoallowonstreetparkingadjacenttothevacantlotacrossfromCaptainJacksonbothGreenHeightsTrailandDutchAvenueThiswouldresultincitystaffremovingtheexistingIINoParkingsignsThechangesinparkingwouldminimizetheimpactstothecurrenthomeownersintheareanochangesarerecommendedinfrontofanyhomesThesechangeswouldbeimmediateToencouragegreatersafetyintheareatheTSCrecommendsprohibitingparkingononesideofDunkirkAvenueandPershingAvenuewherecurrentlyparkingisallowedonbothsidesofthesestreetsPershingis24feetwideandDunkirkis22feetwideTheTSCrecommendscompletingthesechangesfollowingtheCUPprocesssothecurrenthomeownershaveachancetorespondtotheseimpactsISSUESInmostcasestheCityCoderequiresapavedparkinglotHowevertheCodedoesallowconcreteblacktoporequivalentmaterialsasapprovedythePlanningDepartmentTheCodealsoprovidesaddedflexibilityforlessthanfulltimelotsInthiscasetheproposedoffstreetlotwouldnotbeusedduringthewintermonthsOctober16thtoApril30thsincethereisnodemandforparkingatthattimeofyearSimilarlytheonstreetparkingonGreenHeightsandDutchwouldbelimitedtoMay1stthroughOctober15thThiswillavoidconflictswithCitysnowandicecontroloperationsTheadditionorremovalofNoParkingsignsistypicallyaccomplishedthroughpetitionofaffectedresidentsInthiscasenopetitionhasbeensubmittedTofacilitateresidentinputtheparkingchangesonPershingandDunkirkwouldnotbemadebeforethepublichearingprocessfortheoffstreetparkingconditionalusepermitisconsideredResidentsoftheareawillreceiveappropriatenotificationofboththeCUPprocessandthepossibleNoParkingsignremovalinorderthattheycansubmittheirinputbeforeanychangesaremadeSincenooneisimpactedbytheGreenHeightsandDutchparkingchangethosestepscantakeplaceuponadoptionoftheattachedresolution5122004 16200EagleCreekAvenueSEPriorLakeMN553721714RESOLUTION04xxRESOLUTIONAUTHORIZINGTHEREMOVALOFNOPARKINGSIGNSONGREENHEIGHTSTRAILANDDUTCHAVENUEFORADDITIONALOFFSTREETPARKINGFORTHERESTAURANTMOTIONBYSECONDBYWHEREASTheownersofCaptainJacksrestauranthaverequestedadditionalparkingfortheircustomersandWHEREASStaffwillremovetheexistingNoParkingsignsalongthevacantlotonGreenHeightsTrail75ftWestofDutchAvenueandDutchAvenue75ftSouthofGreenHeightsTrailpendingaCUPapplicationhasbeenfiledbytheCaptainJackownershipandWHEREASThehomeownersintheareaofCaptainJackswillhaveanopportunitytoreviewproposedonstreetparkingchangesonPershingandDunkirkthroughtheCUPprocessNOWTHEREFOREBEITRESOLVEDBYTHECITYCOUNCILOFPRIORLAKEMINNESOTAthat1Therecitalssetforthaboveareincorporatedherein2CitystaffisdirectedtoremovetheexistingNoParkingsignsadjacenttothevacantlotonGreenHeightsTrailandDutchAvenue3UsingtheConditionalUsePermitprocesstoconsidertheoffstreetparkingandonstreetparkingremovalononesideofPershingandDunkirkisherebyapprovedPassedthis17thdayofMay2004YESNOHaugenHauQenPetersenPetersenZieskaZieskaLeMairLeMairBlombergBlomberQSealFrankBoylesCityManager5122004wwwcityofpriorlakecomPhone9524474230IFax9524474245 MemoToFrankBoylesCityManagerFromJaneKansierPlanningCoordinatorReUseofClass5forSeasonalParkingLotDateMay112004CCDRCMembersTheownersofCaptainJacksrestauranthaveaskedaboutthepossibilityofusingClass5materialtosurfaceaseasonaloffsiteparkingareaTheCityCouncilrecentlyadoptedOrdinance0413allowingfreestandingaccessoryparkinglotsinRUsedistrictssubjecttocertainconditionsandapprovalofaconditionalusepermitOneoftheconditionsrequirestheparkinglottomeettherequirementsofSection1107204Section11072045liststherequirementsforsurfacingThissectionstatesAlldrivewaysandalloftheareaintendedtobeutilizedforparkingshallbesurfacedwithaminimumof112ofbituminouspavingonasuitablebaseor6inchesofnonreinforcedconcreteorequivalentmaterialapprovedbytheCityDecorativeconcreteinterlockingpaversmayalsobeusedinparkinglotsInareaswhereparkingspacesareusedonanaverageoftwoorfewerdaysperweekgrassroadpaversRitterringsorothersuchpaversmaybeusedwhichpermitthegrowthofgroundcoversandtheinfiltrationofsurfacewaterSuchperviouspavingmaterialshallbeapprovedbytheCityEngineerInmyopinionthissectiongivestheCitythediscretiontodeterminewhatthesurfacematerialcanbeAspartoftheConditionalUsePermittheCitycanplaceconditionsontheuseincludinglimitingtheuseofthesitetocertaintimesoftheyearandsurfacematerialsIfeelcomfortablewiththisinterpretationduetothefactthatthisdecisionismadebythePlanningCommissionwithpublicinputcdocumentsandsettingskellymJocalsettingstemporaryinternetfilesolkdsurfacememodoc1 001IoUcoSrJccoSo1olJ0ocoS10coS1ujo1oEjlJQcSt10c0cdE5coScotZl00scjccj91coStl4g10oU2008sgs8QoOicQIscecdolJQlJccoScClJCdsoClJgQIt0dtcjtZlQc0aed0ttgj00CaclJotEeC5s8coSlJ001101du0clJEg01OtCISos88rJQElJQa0coSoCQa01coSrJo8QQtQc58oe8oOO00coSca5E05rJ19oQe0otZlsIorJQolJdooo0dcoS0oaQrJcjco6bErJIotZlCcj1QcalJdu9Qcod00rdo80tZlcSE138stZlgCIrocdcacjaOOcoSsut8sSooQfi5ItZltZltii8tZl0tZl80ccoS80Igf505cccoSlI00001coSto8tJd0o0NocoSI0E2on1QQc00aIIQYucl0012clQQ00ooro0lJrJorJcjooolJlJcoSQ3rJrJlJEo1oS0lJErJrJQcc3lJcjoonosoQCsd5JcS15lJlJoolJ0acjsucj00dufrQoosecaonElJlJQQoQlJcfi Captain Jack s TSC Report Page 1 of2 2 25 2004 Investigation of Request To change the parking regulations to permit parking on the south side of Green Heights Trail west side of Dutch Avenue north side of Pershing and no parking on Dunkirk February 25 2004 Prepared by Makenzie McCormick Public Works Coordinator Introduction The request was submitted by Steve Sammis part of the Captain Jack s ownership group The request is to allow additional parking for Captain Jack s patrons The information contained in this report was gathered from site investigations standard engineering practices planning department and police and fire regulations Existing Conditions Captain Jack s is located at 3950 Green Heights Trail SW in Prior Lake The restaurant has spaces for a total of 65 parking stalls which includes one handicap space one VIP space and parking for the dock owners The planning requirement for commercial zoning parking lots is one space for every 50 square feet of building Captain Jack s has a total of 4024 square feet according to City records which would equate to 80 5 spaces The number of parking stalls at Captain Jack s does not conform to the current requirements Site Investigation During the site investigation No Parking signs were found on both sides of Green Heights Trail from Park Avenue continuing west to Dunkirk Avenue Green Heights Trail from Dunkirk to the west end is signed No Parking by Order of Fire Chief posted on the Dead End sign Dutch Avenue has No Parking signs on both sides from Green Heights Trail to Roanoke Street and Park Avenue has No Parking signs on both sides from Green Heights Trail to Cates Street The rest of the neighborhood streets currently have no signage See attached map Additionally street widths were collected during the site investigation Green Heights Trail from Dunkirk Avenue to Park Avenue Park Avenue Dutch Avenue and Pershing Street from Dunkirk Avenue to Dutch Avenue are 24 feet wide face to face Dunkirk Avenue Spring Avenue and Roanoke Street are all 22 feet wide face to face Green Heights Trail west of Dunkirk Avenue and Roosevelt Street which is a private street are both 12 feet wide no curb Cates Street is 30 feet wide no curb There are no sidewalks or trails along these neighborhood streets Captain Jack s TSC Report Page 2 of2 2 25 2004 Standard Engineering Practices The typical street width is 28 32 feet for residential roads within Prior Lake In accordance with the subdivision ordinance new roads are required to be 32 feet in width with parking allowed on both sides 28 foot wide streets are allowed but only with parking along one side of the street Police and Fire Regulations The Police department requested that one side of the street remain no parking This is needed to provide access and enough turning radius for emergency vehicles servicing the area The Fire department typically requires a 20 foot driving lane for their equipment A parking lane is approximately 6 feet wide On a 24 foot wide street with parking on one side an 18 foot driving lane would result While not the typical 20 feet desired the fire department would allow parking on one side of a 24 foot wide road However the 24 foot wide street is the absolute minimum the fire department does not find the 22 foot wide street adequate for their equipment and one parking lane Public Works Maintenance Issues The Streets and Utilities Supervisor is concerned snow removal with vehicles parking along the neighborhood streets in a snowfall event Therefore the vehicles parked along these streets would have to follow the City Code 901 207 Winter Parking Restrictions This includes no Vehicles on any Street within the City between the hours of two o clock 2 00 A M and six o clock 6 00 A M from November 1 until March 31 of the following year At all other times of the year it is unlawful for any Vehicle to stand on any public Street within the City between the hours of two o clock 2 00 A M and six 0 clock 6 00 A M after a continuous or intermittent snowfall during which there has been an accumulation of two inches 2 or more of snow on any Street and until the snow has been plowed or removed to the full width of the Street Any Vehicle parked in violation of this subsection may be towed pursuant to Minnesota Statutes section 169 041 Conclusion Based on the information gathered for this report staff recommends to not allow parking along either side of the street in the neighborhood near Captain Jack s that are not at least 28 feet in width The No Parking signs already in place on Green Heights Trail Roanoke Street Dutch Avenue and Park Avenue are recommended to stay for the reasons mentioned in the above report oUz00UNCN OJQoQQ1ouCSCIUCSQ14oto00ootouOcdNONCSucoI00cdEo8oo0ucE0CISd00a8sd9S00o3aN0UocNCS00S00do0octUQo0ccd00oc14doos0000g0t14oSo000cdI01010Q00odcdoSac5jd14IS8CS0Qdaci0c01oEQuoQ140cd00FAQ0to00d0001Qgu0s140OIcdoO00CS1I4CijUcdloISCSuOosaonoscS2ucd8s0Ol88rJu00008Q14aQ14ot000oPCSocti0oNtot140000Q00g8011o0jEu58u80QdvoScd0cd0CI59do14SQcdd0t1oo0000s6b2uddQQ00000l140cdusuost14rOQNQO00dd000tcdQdgtlldUOSEOIQdO00c00Q000CS14d00oSgo8gasgpilo0asS0Iol00dQgd00Q14d00oOJCSoCSQctCS801I1CliSojee00llgp2osgcil5u000t0tc00aQ0Iol0U14cQ0001QgOJgjOSIllgpgToll0itl000k01400Q0dO00rgdd0000vI0000sojoleeoooojJ0r0z0aoscEuzzoEQoE51rJuQ00uoosS00o00ooocd00o14oc0o00cdUcduo0Ss00aslij140ooSso8B9cdous00sod6b05bao0ooc00oCS000aQ0CSSoQoc005sQ8d01ssoo000CSiQ14OMcOo0en00o00auo0000oonen00scdu0000os00tocoso140Q0000oso1 bls011111oUu1oocotIouONooSNocouQJeJllllllJQJeJJCJeJllllllurtJeaouo00o10UtIocd9tIoZrtJoUoOJ0000stI00ooEo1000a0sotI011c1a0t10u00gdtl1OOu3rtJobls01300g0o00b1aoUOoooOJs0tsu0a01a9eblEss1c8rUjOCU0sotItI1000111n8ts080u00001@o00o1U100oU1900oZ0o1aOso01scastI00tI3100000c8000Ut5a040st5est08c1S0ts3s001su3ublsos00o1j1g3011aQ1000Uu1bl1sJjtI0oSOJoS180Uussl8008010u8ctssSos8oS90Oo3c800OP023rnBs300go00r00Otl0tOJ0030oga0080agpcoblsa0oss035os0J2ca 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 001Q1otoUlZuEt1loCort1d00sNCUrfJaaou00QQ5h3o0rnCCdotioto00180oo30u000ssFrnrklr000rnQ3ccEtEtUrfJoUctSOoCutocE0Ur100Qou11i4Cc90en00sO1rn0Ools8Qlr0Cp00303o0B0r0udocrnU00lolo10ISccj05ouguo911crc0rnc0ooa9CS10co00rc0uc0ocjdrnrnOlOsz85n0010ooc1rnrnEEto1r11OJjrnrncQoc0IrnJs0c0rn1Prn0uooOllZuc000050aJjo0rnOO100000513tt10attlt0CrnUlaOcu000rn0Cu0o00Q000000108Q001300ac1uCSrn0001os0ernQ0aurnUecuOorfJooio0Ua0gQJjurnU0S5rnrnlr1rnrnc0rnbEOot0000tL01rnrnc81caOOOOC1s8E8Ba1000oornorn11arnlcl0Cdt10poJN0rn0rornbc1o01t05ctc1ro8oocrnrnso501Jj3urra800o1ct1ornc01coJjrnIdo0ca0o80ClStd00JooI002000g3ClS0fJ0E0dou0Oc3s3orni4dorn9JjceCS0rnlEe8Et1iiCdct RESOLUTION046216200EagleCreekAvenueSEPriorLakeMN553721714ARESOLUTIONESTABLISHINGPOLICIESTODIRECTTHETRAFFICSAFETYCOMMITTEEMotionByLEMAIRSecondByZIESKAWHEREAStheCityofPriorLakeisexperiencingrapidurbanizationwhichaffectstheCitystransportationsystemandWHEREASthePriorLakeCityCouncilplacesahighpriorityontransportationandrelatedsafetyissuesandWHEREASinanefforttoestablishaconsistentprocesstoreviewtrafficsafetyrequeststheCityCouncilhasestablishedaTrafficSafetyCommitteeandWHEREAStheTrafficSafetyCommitteehasrequestedthattheCityCouncilconsiderpolicieswhichwillhelpdirectthedeliberationsoftheTrafficSafetyCommitteeNOWTHEREFOREBEITRESOLVEDBYTHECITYCOUNCILOFPRIORLAKEMINNESOTAthat1Therecitalssetforthaboveareincorporatedherein2TheGeneralProceduresFlowChartidentifiedasExhibitItothisresolutionsetsforththegeneralprocesstobefollowedbytheTrafficSafetyCommitteeinconsideringTrafficSafetyrequests3OffStreetParkinqTheprimaryobjectiveoftheTrafficSafetyCommitteeistoencouragetotheextentreasonablypossibleoffstreetratherthanonstreetparkingOnlywhenapetitionerhasdemonstratedreasonableeffortstosolveparkingproblemsoffstreetwilltheCommitteeconsideronstreetparkingrequests4UnderStateStatuteafireroadmustbeaminimumof20feetwideAccordinglythisisconsideredtheminimumdriveaislerequiredtoallowpublicsafetyaccessforresidentialroadwaysThereforethefollowinggeneralstandardsareestablishedtoachieveconsistencyinonstreetparkingforvariousresidentialstreetwidthsStreetWidthinFeetOnStreetParkingAlloweds24none2831oneside32twosides5TheCommitteemayconsiderotherfactorsaffeictingresidentialonstreetparkingsuchasbutnotlimitedtocurrentandorfutureaveragetraffiicvolumegeneraltopographyofthearearoadconditionsincludingvisualobstructionsverticalandhorizontalroadcurvesnumberandlocationofresidentialaccessesdensityofdevelopmentoftheneighborhoodandanyotherfactorswhichtheTrafficSafetyCommitteedeemsappropriateinmakingtheirrecommendations6NoparkingrequestsfornonresidentialroadwaysshallbeconsideredonacasebycasebasiswwwcityofpriorlakecomPhone9524474230Fax9524474245 PASSEDANDADOPTEDTHIS5THDAYOFAPRIL2004YESNOHaugenXHaugenBlombergXBlombergLeMairXLeMairPetersenXPetersenZieskaXZieskaJCityManagerityPnorLakeRRESOLUTIADMINRES20040462DOC 16200EagleCreekAvenueSEPriorLakeMN553721714RESOLUTION0494ARESOLUTIONAUTHORIZINGTHEREMOVALOFNOPARKINGSIGNSONGREENHEIGHTSTRAILANDDUTCHAVENUEFORADDITIONALOFFSTREETPARKINGFORTHERESTAURANTMotionByZIESKASecondByPETERSENWHEREAStheownersofCaptainJacksrestauranthaveindicatedthattheyhaveaneedforadditionalparkingfortheircustomersandWHEREAStheownershaveproposedtotheCityvariousoptionstoaddresstheparkinglimitationsandWHEREAStheCitysTransportationSafetyCommitteehasmettoconsiderthevariousparkingoptionsandtomakearecommendationtotheCityCouncilNOWTHEREFOREBEITRESOLVEDBYTHECITYCOUNCilOFPRIORlAKEMINNESOTAthat1Therecitalssetforthaboveareincorporatedherein2AsoneoptiontoaddresstheparkinglimitationsatCaptainJacksCitystaffareherebyauthorizedtoremoveonlyfortheperiodbetweenJune12004andOctober152004theNoParkingsignsalongthevacantlotonGreenHeightsTrail75feetwestofDutchAvenueandDutchAvenue75feetsouthofGreenHeightsTrail3NothinginthisresolutionisintendedtoobligatetheCitytoaauthorizetheremovalofNoParkingsignsinsubsequentyearsorbidentifyandapproveotheroptionstoaddresstheparkinglimitationsatCaptainJacksPASSEDANDADOPTEDTHIS7THDAYOFJUNE2004YESNOHaugenXHaugenBlombergXBlombergleMairXleMairPetersenXPetersenZieskaXZieskaCityriorLakewwwcityofpriorlakecomPhone9524474230Fax9524474245 AGAINST REMOVAL IN FAVOR OF REMOVAL AGAINST REMOVAL IN FAVOR OF REMOVAL BRADLEY & SANDRA HAYCRAFT 14156 ASH CIR NE X X JOSEPH G & DIANE M ZIESKA 5316 HAMPTON ST NE KEITH R & ANNETTE DICKIE 5336 HAMPTON ST NE X JAMES G & BRENDA S RASMUSSEN 5356 HAMPTON ST NE GEORGE SENGPHANLAYA 5376 HAMPTON ST RODGER E & ELAINE D OLSON 5396 HAMPTON ST NE X DAVID T & KATHLEEN M SANDVIK 5410 HAMPTON ST NE CHRISTOPHER T HEID 14093 FISHER AVE NE JULIUS G & GAIL TADEVICH 5375 HAMPTON ST NE LEAH PALMER 5357 HAMPTON AVE NE CHAD A & KRISTIE J NIKLASON 5313 HAMPTON ST NE GREG & JEAN JOHNSON 5295 HAMPTON ST NE CHAD V LEMAIR 5524 HIGHPOINTE CT CHAD A & KRISTIE J NIKLASON 5313 HAMPTON ST NE TIM G & FUMOKO CONNORS 14113 ASH CIR NE X X SHAWN K & JENNIFER S GARVEY 14149 ASH CIR NE RICHARD G & SARA J KROHN 14179 ASH CIR NE X X No Parking on Ash request. PATRICK & SUZANNE C WALL 14209 ASH CIR NE JUDITH R ALESSIO 14251 ASH CIR NE DARRELL V HASTINGS 14114 ASH CIR NE GREGORY G & ROBERT FARRELL 14128 ASH CIR NE X X Would like to see Ash Circle sign stay. TERRANCE A & TONI L HANSON 14142 ASH CIR NE X X DANIEL E STEIN 3032 BOBCAT TRL NW KARL D TURNLUND 14184 ASH CIR NE RYAN A NELSON 14198 ASH CIR NE KEITH W & BONITA K PLATH 14212 ASH CIR NE X X JAMES K SPIEKER 14226 ASH CIR NE X X EVE EASTERLY-GILDER 14240 ASH CIR NE X X ROBERT D & LINDA L SCHEELER 14254 ASH CIR NE CITY OF PRIOR LAKE 16200 EAGLE CREEK AVE SE EARL W & DIA BLAKE 14119 FISHER AVE NE EARL W & DIA BLAKE 14119 FISHER AVE NE ARTHUR F & IONE P LAFOND,II 14143 FISHER AVE NE MARK D HALLQUIST 14169 FISHER AVE NE KELVAN ROOPNARINE 14191 FISHER AVE NE LARRY S & SEVERSON 9885 OAK SHORE DR PATRICIA A SOUKUP 14231 FISHER AVE NE DAVID W & JOANNE F DALBY 14251 FISHER AVE NE X X Ash sign not as important to Joanne. PATRICK M & CATHERINE KELLY 14120 FISHER AVE NE MATTHEW R & KIMBERLY D LITFIN 14146 FISHER AVE NE THOMAS B GROTE 14174 FISCHER AVE NE BRADLEY P PLUNKETT 1431 BEACH PARK BLVD THOMAS & JOANNE SCHERER 14210 FISHER NE SCOTT G HENNEN 14271 FISHER ST DIANE M WELLS 14283 FISHER AVE NE THADDEUS J & KIM M HAHN 14299 FISHER AVE NE LYNN TORNEY ET AL 5286 HAMPTON ST AARON G BARCLAY 5298 HAMPTON ST NE X Final as of 8/11/06 TOTALS 7293 STOP SIGN REMOVALS RESIDENT ADDRESS ASH CIRCLE SIGN HAMPTON SIGN COMMENTS G:\Safety_and_Certifications\Traffic Safety Committee\Ash Circle Stop Removal AA GuideGuide to to EstablishingEstablishing Speed LimitsSpeed Limits in School Zonesin School Zones Prepared by the Office of Traffic, Safety, and Technology Minnesota Department of Transportation 2012 http://www.dot.state.mn.us/ A Guide to Establishing Speed Limits in School Zones TABLE OF CONTENTS page Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii Introduction and Legislation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 The Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Definitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 School Child Crash Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The Traffic and Engineering Investigation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 School Route Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 School Zone Hazard Evaluation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Traffic Calming Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Safety Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Special Situations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Photo Credits and Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 FIGURES Figure 1 - Sample School Route Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Figure 2 - Tabular Listing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Figure 3 - Road Log A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Figure 4 - Road Log B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Figure 5 - Sign Placement Diagram. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 i PREFACE The purpose of this document is to assist in conducting the traffic investigation, identifying haz- ards and eliminating or reducing them. THIS INVESTIGATION IS REQUIRED FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A LEGAL SCHOOL SPEED ZONE ACCORDING TO MINNESOTA STATUTES, SECTION 169.14, SUBDIVISION 5a. The school zone investigation set forth in this document constitutes the prescribed engineering and traffic investigation. As discussed above, this is a coordinated effort requiring several disci- plines to accurately perform some of the duties described within this document. ii 1 INTRODUCTION Ensuring the safety of students on public streets and highways is the responsibility of parents, law enforcement, school and government officials. Parents must provide day to day education and supervision in order to develop safe behavior by their children. Roadway engineers must provide a safe environment that minimizes vehicular-pedestrian crash probability. Enforcement officials must provide regular patrols to discourage unlawful behavior and provide training for crossing guards. School district personnel must communicate and coordinate safety programs (such as school patrols or safety education) with children and their parents. Typically the road authority provides the oversight in performing the traffic investigation described in these guidelines. The responsibility to achieve pedestrian safety must be faced with the knowledge that, despite our best efforts, children and drivers will make mistakes bearing tragic consequences. When this occurs, conflicts between parents and officials may follow concerning the appropriate course of action to avoid reoccurrence of a similar tragedy. In order to provide a safe environment for children, a traffic investigation should be conducted along school routes and in school zones. The desired results of such an investigation are effective pedestrian and traffic controls, and the creation of a sound school route plan. SPEED LIMIT LEGISLATION In 1975, the Legislature changed Minnesota Statutes by adding Subd. 5a to Section 169.14. This change enables local authorities to establish speed limits in school zones, an authority pre- viously granted in 1937 solely to the Commissioner of Highways. Revisions to the legislation have been made through the years. This law gives additional responsibility and control of school zone safety to local authorities on those streets within their jurisdiction. In exercising this prerogative, it is important that local authorities not permit pressures and emotions to out- weigh reason and judgment, since improper speed zones can actually decrease safety. 2 THE LAW Definitions for some of the terms used within the law are on the next page. Minnesota Statutes, Section 169.14, reads in part: Subd. 5a. Speed zoning in school zone; surcharge. (a) Local authorities may establish a school speed limit within a school zone of a public or non-public school upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation as prescribed by the commissioner of transportation. The establishment of a school speed limit on any trunk highway shall be with the consent of the commissioner of transportation. Such school speed limits shall be in effect when children are present, going to or leaving school during opening or closing hours or during school recess periods. The school speed limit shall not be lower than 15 miles per hour and shall not be more than 30 miles per hour below the established speed limit on an affected street or highway. (b) The school speed limit shall be effective upon the erection of appropriate signs designat- ing the speed and indicating the beginning and end of the reduced speed zone. Any speed in excess of such posted school speed limit is unlawful. All such signs shall be erected by the local authorities on those streets and highways under their respective jurisdictions and by the commissioner of transportation on trunk highways. (c) For the purpose of this subdivision, "school zone" means that section of a street or high- way which abuts the grounds of a school where children have access to the street or highway from the school property or where an established school crossing is located provided the school advance sign prescribed by the manual on uniform traffic control devices adopted by the commissioner of transportation pursuant to section 169.06 is in place. All signs erected by local authorities to designate speed limits in school zones shall conform to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. (d) Notwithstanding section 609.0331 or 609.101 or other law to the contrary, a person who violates a speed limit established under this subdivision is assessed an additional surcharge equal to the amount of the fine imposed for the violation, but not less than $25. 3 DEFINITIONS ". . . local authorities . . ." as defined in Section 169.011 Subd 38 means "every county, munici- pal and other local board or body having authority to adopt local police regulations under the constitution and laws of this state, . . ."School zone speed limits must be established by the appro- priate city council or county board action, and cannot be established by school boards. ". . . upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation . . ." This document presents guidance on the preparation of the necessary engineering and traffic investigation. ". . . as prescribed by the commissioner of transportation. . ." is meant to ensure that motorists will encounter speed zones determined by valid methods applied uniformly statewide. ". . . the establishment of a school speed limit on any trunk highway shall be with the con- sent of the commissioner of transportation. . ." The commissioner retains authority on trunk highways that may be located in a school zone. If a school zone speed limit is desired on a trunk highway, the appropriate Minnesota Department of Transportation District Office should be con- tacted to coordinate the traffic investigation and provide guidance. If the school speed limit is on a local road but a trunk highway is part of a school route plan, the District Office will provide pertinent data to the local road authority as requested, in order for the local road authority to com- plete their investigation. ". . . Such school speed limits shall be in effect when children are present, going to or leav- ing school during opening or closing hours during school recess periods.. ." Because the reduced speed may only be necessary during these times, it is unreasonable to require drivers to reduce speeds during other times. The school zone limit is "part-time" and must be identified accordingly. Non-school time speed limits must be determined in accordance with Minnesota Statutes 169.14. ". . . the school speed limit shall not be lower than 15 MPH and shall not be more than 30 MPH below the established speed limit on the affected street or highway. . ." Limitations on the speed zone reductions are meant to preclude creation of hazardous conditions. "…school zone…" This is defined in MN statute 169.14 subd 5a and means the same in this doc- ument including any maximum distances defined in the MN Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices1 (MN MUTCD). 4 SCHOOL CHILD CRASH EXPERIENCE Crashes on public roads cause billions of dollars in economic loses, sometimes tragic conse- quences for those injured and grief caused by fatal crashes. Statewide data summarized for three years (2005-2007) from MN Department of Public Safety Crash Facts2 , showed that there was a total 248,063 crashes of which 5739 involved pedestrians and bicyclists. 21 children, ages 5-19, died and 2817 were injured in vehicle/pedestrian crashes. The same 3 year records for that age group revealed that 7 children died and 2839 were injured in vehicle/bicycle crashes. For 10 years from 1998 to 2007 the range of pedestrian fatalities (all ages annually) has a wide fluctuation from a low of 33 to a high of 56. Social and economic factors fluctuate, which impacts the number and exposure of pedestrians but what doesn't change is the vulnerability of this group. For 2007, near- ly 4% of pedestrian crashes resulted in a death, compared to about one-half of 1% for all traffic crashes. Identification of the locations, the hazards, and nature of the child related crashes is nec- essary in dealing with the prevention of these traumatic crashes. WHERE AND WHEN CRASHES OCCUR MN crash data was filtered using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, for crashes that involved school age pedestrians, occurred on a weekday, during school year times, and occurred on MN trunk highways from 1998 to 2000. There were 89 plotted crashes meeting this criteria. Of the 89, only 10 crashes occurred within 1,000 feet of a school. The data indicates that many crashes are happening on the streets that may be leading to school but fewer crashes close to the school. Although crash data is subject to variability, such as busing or walking distance, it is apparent that a program designed to improve safety for the total school trip should emphasize factors that will also carry over to all streets used by the children. WHO AND WHY CRASHES OCCUR Further insights can be gathered from an analysis of circumstances contributing to school child/vehicle crashes. A review of comments made by witnesses and officers investigating the Minnesota crashes found that: - many crashes occurred when the child dashed from behind or between parked cars. - many occurred even though the vehicle was moving very slowly because of traffic delays, control devices or obstructed views. Previous reports3 involved the determination of who was involved and found that: - the typical pedestrian involved in a crash was young (K- 3rd grade) and had considerable difficulty understanding and properly using traffic control devices. - the typical driver in the school area is a local resident driving to (or from) work. Further, "the driver has a child between the ages of five and nine and is aware of the school area - not because of signing, but because of familiarity with the area. " 5 SPEED LIMIT INFLUENCE Often, people's first answer to hazard reduction is to reduce the speed limit. However, lower speed zones are not the only solution to hazard reduction. It may not be an answer at all. Numerous stud- ies show that the passive posting of a speed limit sign does not reduce the actual operating speed of drivers and can actually increase the risk of crashes. The increase in crash risk stems from a mismatch between the posted speed limit and the operat- ing speed. The speed limit sign has a legal value on it but most drivers are basing their travel speed on lane width, traffic volume, environment, etc. and reflects the driver's choice of what is safe and reasonable. Some motorists may travel at the posted value while others are choosing a different operating speed and this creates a large variation in travel speeds. The variation in these travel speeds makes it difficult for pedestrians to accurately gauge safe crossings. The pedestrian may perceive a safe crossing time based on the speed of one vehicle and not anticipate the high- er speed of another approaching vehicle causing a misjudgment on the safe time to cross. Similar misjudgments happen to vehicle drivers trying to cross or enter the road. The larger the range of vehicle speeds, the more likely this will occur. When posted speed limits correspond more close- ly to operating speeds, the consistent vehicle travel speeds permit better judgment calls thereby improving the safety. A 1990 Transportation Research Board(TRB) Record4 summarized that "on streets with normal speed limits of 35 mph, the 85th percentile speeds in zones with 25-mph school speed limits were lower than those in zones with 15- or 20-mph limits. Therefore, it was concluded that school speed limits lower than 25 mph should probably not be used on these streets."Minnesota has studied speed trends after changing posted speed limits and discovered similar results, that passive sign- ing by itself does not achieve the desired speed reduction. The legislation granting authority to establish school zone speed limits to local officials is not intended as an endorsement of blanket zoning or maximum reductions. Rather, many techniques should be considered. Other solutions include, but are not limited to: sidewalk construction, park- ing restrictions, crossing guard utilization, stop sign or signal placement and pedestrian re-rout- ing. These measures are almost always more effective in reducing a pedestrian hazard. Effective safety results from the careful consideration of all possible solutions to a hazard. The school zone hazard inventory and the school route plan are of great value in determining appropriate actions in particular situations. 6 THE TRAFFIC AND ENGINEERING INVESTIGATION The engineering and traffic investigation consists of: 1) Preparing a school route plan. See Figure 1 2) Conducting a school zone hazard evaluation 3) All hazards should be placed in a tabular listing with a recommended corrective action. See Figure 2. SCHOOL ROUTE PLAN The school route plan is most effective for schools serving kindergarten, elementary and middle school students. High school students generally have better skills in judging traffic hazards but a school route plan is still useful by encouraging those students to use protected crossings. The plan, developed jointly by the school, enforcement and traffic officials responsible for school pedestri- an safety, consists of a map showing streets, the school, existing traffic controls, established school routes and established school crossings. An additional benefit of having a plan, is that it can be used to identify areas that may qualify for special grant money that is sometimes available for safety improvements. The plan permits the orderly review of school area traffic control needs, and the coordination of school pedestrian safety education and engineer- ing activities. The preparation of such a plan is vital to the effective analysis of a school zone, and is necessary in determining an appropriate solu- tion to a hazardous school zone situation. The school route plan is the primary tool in this effort. Engineering officials can use the plan to prioritize maintenance of painting crosswalks, prioritize infrastructure improvements such as sidewalks, or prioritize sign replacement programs. Families can use the plan to ensure their children are using a safe route and can escort children to provide additional safety. School officials can use the plan to schedule locations for crossing guards. Police can use the plan to schedule locations at criti- cal crosswalks where additional enforcement may be needed for pedestrian or traffic control. The main objective in creating a school route plan is to minimize the number of streets crossed, maximize the safety of crossings and routes used by school children and utilize existing protect- ed crossings. The number of crossings is minimized by concentrating students into larger groups as they approach the school. Students are directed along common routes which merge with other common routes until, near the school, all of the students are on very few routes. The safety of the crossings is maximized by the effective use of vehicular and pedestrian controls. Often the simplest and most efficient way to reduce a pedestrian hazard is to utilize existing pedestrian facilities and vehicular traffic controls. The school route plan is the primary tool in this effort. Crossings can be chosen in such a way that existing stop signs, signals, crosswalks, and other traffic controls are used as much as possible. See Figure 1 for a sample school route plan taken from the MN MUTCD.1 7 SCHOOL ZONE HAZARD EVALUATION Since the preparation of a safe school route plan considers many factors, the hazards along alter- native routes must be evaluated in light of what is present as well as what can be changed. The first step is to determine what hazards exist in the "informal" route established by the children. Next is a comparative evaluation of each route and all alternatives. Identified deficiencies or rec- ommended improvements need to be documented and listed. Asample tabular listing is shown in Figure 2. Finally, the "formal" designation of the routes is made, with route changes being made to better utilize existing protections and with engineering changes being made to enhance the safety of the planned routes. The following information must be gathered and analyzed: 1) Roadway Information Needed Abasic feature of a hazard evaluation is an analysis of the roadway features which may cause or contribute to a hazardous situation. The width of the road, the width of the shoulders and the number of traffic lanes should be determined and entered on a road log, see Figures 3 and 4 for examples. In the lower section of the road log, the roadway should be sketched and the dimensions clearly marked. When sketching the roadway, leave plenty of room to include fencing, sidewalks, bushes that restrict sight, etc. on your drawing. Other roadway features which should be considered are the existence of curves, hills and near- by buildings which may cause a shortened sight distance. These features should also be recorded on the road log form. What to do: After reviewing the above characteristics, look at them critically to determine possible prob- lems. Are the lanes narrow with no shoulders? Is the shoulder so narrow that children nor- mally walking off the roadway are within a few feet of traffic? Is the street so wide that cross- ing the lanes of traffic will require a large time gap to cross? If such problems exist they may be corrected by sidewalk construction, shoulder widening, median safety refuge or the rerouting of children away from that area. Other solutions may be discovered as each particular situation is analyzed. Occasionally a sight distance restriction can be corrected by cutting back brush or leveling hills; but usually rerouting children to an area where they are seen better by motorists is a more effective method of correction. Any identified hazard should be put on the tabular list- ing form, with a recommended course of action. 2) Traffic Volumes Information Needed Traffic volumes should be determined by manually counting vehicles during peak hours (tabulated by 5 or 15 minute periods) on an average school day, when children are going to and from school. Another acceptable but less accurate method would involve contacting the appropriate road authority and asking them for the traffic volumes on particu- lar roads. What to do: Rerouting may be used to effectively increase vehicular control by directing children to intersec- tions where control devices are already in place. This sort of solution works well and yet involves no substantial expense. A hazard due to children crossing high volume streets then may be corrected through the use of crossing guards or additional vehicular control. School routes should be crossing the lowest volume streets wherever possible. Any identified high volume roads that require the children to cross and need additional control should be put on the tabular listing form, with a recommended course of action. 3) Pedestrian Volumes Information Needed Pedestrian volumes may be obtained either by counting pedestrians on an average school day, or by contacting school authorities who may have pedestrian volume information. Pedestrian volumes should be collected at critical intersections. The simplest method of counting pedestrians is to count them at a crossing, writing down the number in each group that crosses, along with the time of each crossing. The general age range of the pedestrians should also be recorded. Jaywalking or other unsafe behaviors should also be recorded since visible enforcement can encourage them to act more responsibly. If very wide roads need to be crossed, a more detailed pedestrian useable gap study5 may need to be conducted to determine an appropriate traffic control measure. What to do: High pedestrian volumes alone are not a problem. Research has shown that it is high traffic volumes that are more dangerous than high pedestrian volumes at crossings. It is safer, how- ever, for a large pedestrian volume to be concentrated with an appropriate crossing treatment than to be spread out over an area. The primary method of concentrating pedestrians is the school route plan. Studies have shown that drivers respond favorably with increased care in driving when child pedestrians are visibly present; and if the school route plan is properly devised, children will be increasingly concentrated as they approach the school. Any identi- fied high pedestrian volumes that are required to cross a road with no crossing treatment or crossing guards, should be put on the tabular listing form, with a recommended course of action. 8 4) Parking and Loading Zones Information Needed Locations of parking and loading zones should be noted on the road log, map or sketch. Off street loading areas are desirable but even they should be evaluated by the transportation director for the school district. In loading and unloading zones, 2/3 of the fatal crashes are caused by the school bus striking the child. 6 What to do: School bus loading zones and parking or stopping zones near entrances must be given careful atten- tion. One of the greatest causes of child pedestrian crashes is children crossing between parked cars. Parking is a major sight distance limitation at crosswalks and intersections. In areas where children are not readily seen by motorists, no parking zones are an important feature of child safety. To improve both driver and pedestrian visibility, parking should be banned for at least 100 feet on the street where a hazardous situation has been noted. Where possible, loading zones should be off the street. Any identified sight restrictions caused by stopped cars or buses should be put on the tabular listing form with a recommended course of action. 5) Traffic Control Devices Information Needed All traffic control devices such as school crossing signs, pavement markings, signals, school patrol locations, school zone warning signs, and speed limit signs should be precisely located on the road log for use in developing the school route plan. The condition and visibility of these control devices should be determined by driving through the area. A night time review should also be performed to determine the retroreflectivity of signs and condi- tion of pavement markings. Minnesota winter nights are very long and may extend into the morn- ing school start times or extracurricular activities after school. A night review is a good practice to evaluate if street lights would improve the visibility of major pedestrian crossings. What to do: Just as schools have rule books, traffic engineers have rules also. All traffic control devices must conform to the requirements of the current Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices(MN MUTCD). A typical sign placement diagram from Chapter 7 for a school area is shown on Figure 5. Signs which are hidden by vegetation or poles should be made visible. Sign placement locations and minimum sign panel heights should be checked with the specifications listed in the MN MUTCD. Pavement markings and signs should be replaced if worn out. Once the route plan has been developed, locations needing new or addi- tional controls will be apparent. Locations that have crossing guards should have signs and crosswalk pavement markings.Intersections can also have supplemental stop bars if stop signs or signals are present. Pedestrian walk signals should be checked for adequate crossing time based upon the pedestrian counts in Step 3 above and the crossing length. If any night time pedestrian crashes have occurred, additional lower level street lights (not the typical high mast mounted type) should be considered. Non compliant devices, signs or locations should be put on the tabular listing form, with a recommended course of action. 9 6) Sidewalk Information Needed Like the previous items, sidewalks should be marked on the road log and on the school route plan. Width and condition of the sidewalk should also be noted. What to do: Drivers need a safe place to drive and children need a safe place to walk. The installation of sidewalks along streets creates this safe area and can reduce the crash possibility. Intermittent gaps or broken sections in the sidewalk pathway system cause children to enter the road at unexpected locations. Sometimes construction of relative- ly little sidewalk can greatly improve safety. Proper maintenance of sidewalks in the winter is also important. If this is not feasible it may be better to reroute students to a route with better pedestrian facilities. Thus, sidewalks play an important part in devising a school route plan. Identified missing sections of sidewalk, poor condition, or new path locations should be put on the tabular listing form, with a recommended course of action. 7) Fencing Information Needed Fencing should be shown on the road log. What to do: Like sidewalk, relatively little fencing can drastical- ly alter walking patterns. Used along school grounds it can effectively prevent children from crossing mid-block. It also prevents bouncing balls from entering the street, with children focused on pursuit of the ball instead of crossing the street safe- ly. Therefore, adding fencing along selected school routes and school playgrounds can be an important part of pedestrian protection and control. Proposed fence locations should be put on the tab- ular listing form. 8) Crash History Information Needed If the area studied includes high crash locations, they should be identified with an indication of types of crashes and crash rates, such as crashes per year and/or severity rates. What to do: High crash locations demand intensive study and positive action. The nature and time of the crashes should be considered to determine whether they are school related and whether these crashes are truly impacting the pedestrian safety. Crashes should be analyzed in light of the previously mentioned items in this investigation so that possible solutions such as sidewalk or fencing placement, traffic control device installations, etc. may be discovered to prevent reoc- 10 11 curring type crashes. If hazards cannot be eliminated by proper use of standard control devices, reroute children away from the area. If a pattern of crashes is discovered, a recom- mended course of action should be put on the tabular listing form. While vehicle-to-vehicle type crashes don't directly impact pedestrian safety, if they are occurring at the school entrance they can be disrupting to traffic and pedestrians. The road authority should become involved for appropriate solutions. 9) Speed Zones Information needed In place speed limit signs should be recorded on the area map or road log. If normal zones other than the typical 30 or 55 are inplace, verification should be made that these were author- ized by the Mn/DOT Commissioner and are legally established speed limits. What to do: Determination of appropriate school speed limits should be made after all of the inventory data have been analyzed and appropriate corrective measures have been taken. If possible, a speed check should be performed to check current operating speeds of motorists to determine the present compliance rates for the normal speed limit and verify if the normal speed limit is correct. Stopping sight distance calculations should be made by a qualified engineering professional. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) road design guidelines recommend using an object height of 2 feet and a driver eye height of 3.5 feet for calculating the stopping sight distance. If a sight restriction exists, and the stopping sight distance will be used as the determining factor in setting the school speed limit, a tighter specification may be appropriate. A small object such as a base- ball should be placed on the centerline and distances calculated using the normal driver eye height of 3.5 feet. Speed values calculated by using this more restrictive object height, would justify a lower school speed limit thereby giving drivers improved reaction times for hazards such as children chasing a ball. For other cases, if all the hazards have been identified and cor- rected, and a lower speed limit is still necessary to improve sight distance or reaction times, then a slower school speed limit may be warranted. Proper speed zoning can reduce vehicular speed differentials, provide basis for enforcement, increase driver respect for speed zoning, and decrease the crash potential. TRB research7 yielded some information about placement of the speed zone. The minimum speed in a school zone typically occurred between the initial15 and 30 percent of the school zone length. Regardless of the length of the school zone or the school speed limit, drivers tended to achieve their minimum speed within the first 350 feet for low-speed sites and within 800 feet for high- er-speed sites. The minimum speed in a speed zone always occurred in the first half of the school zone but was rarely maintained into the second half of the zone. Even though law permits as much as a 30 MPH reduction in school zones, this data and sim- ilar research confirms that effective school zone speed limits should only be approximately 10 to 15 MPH below the normal value unless very unusual conditions are present. Also the zone should be equally spaced on either side of a marked crosswalk if there is one. The speed limit selected must be based on a common sense evaluation of the hazard potential and must be rea- sonable to gain voluntary driver acceptance. If larger reductions in speed are absolutely required, then a serious commitment from enforcement should be obtained to ensure compli- ance. Improper speed zoning may increase crash potential by increasing the vehicular speed differ- entials, decreasing driver's respect for speed limits, misleading pedestrians as to true vehicu- lar speed, leaving the actual speed virtually unchanged, making the majority of drivers 'speed- ers', and creating enforcement problems. After these guidelines have been followed, the school speed limit signs can be erected by the local road authority on local roads or by the commissioner of transportation on trunk highways. Signs shall be erected in accordance with the MN MUTCD. A courtesy copy of the enabling resolution and backup data can be sent to the State Traffic Engineer at Mn/DOT if desired. Summary The hazard evaluation process enables you to determine which routes can be made the safest with the least cost and most assurance that they will be used. The school route plan should be reeval- uated whenever changes in traffic or pedestrian patterns occur, when control devices change or when the route environment changes. If the physical hazards cannot be eliminated or minimized, alternatives such as busing, hired police control, intelligent transportation system or another inno- vative solution should be considered. Providing a safe environment for walking students is a key first step in establishing safety but it still requires educating the student pedestrians about safe and responsible actions and this is discussed later. 12 13 TRAFFIC CALMING METHODS As indicated before, the erection of passive signs may not achieve the desired speed reductions. Recent technological and innovative design improvements have resulted in methods and devices that are more effective in increasing the driver's awareness, improving pedestrian safety, gaining compliance to reduced speed limits and providing proactive safety solutions. This collection of new tools is collectively called traffic calming and is functional in both residential settings and school areas. One of the innovative designs is nicknamed a "bump out ". This design bumps out the curb section towards the centerline at the intersection, thus eliminating park- ing near the intersection. It narrows the road down to the normal thru lanes. This has some positive impacts to safety. It aids the driver in his sight lines of waiting pedestrians who desire to cross and it provides a short- er distance for the pedestrian to cross, thus reducing their exposure time on the street. It also gives the per- ception of a narrower road which causes the driver to slow down. Several different designs exist and it is important to coordinate with maintenance forces to develop a compatible bump out for the region. Technology has produced changeable message signs which can change speed limit values based upon time of day or remote activation. These signs can display normal speed limits for the usual conditions and then display a new value for the planned event such as school release. This caus- es less confusion to the driver about what value he should be driving since only one value will be displayed at a time. Police are more confident about strict enforcement since there is no confu- sion. Another new technology is radar activated speed mes- sage signs. As drivers approach these signs, a radar unit activates the display on the sign giving the driver his approach speed. This is immediate information about the driver's compliance to the desired speed limit. Several studies confirm that drivers slow down in an attempt to reach the posted speed as they pass the sign. As mentioned before, reasonable values must be used in the reduced zone or even these devices will not have the desired effect. Other traffic calming techniques exist such as raised pedestrian crossings, speed tables (or bench- es), and median planters and each has its pros and cons. Bump outs and speed tables can have negative consequences for bicycle traffic so each road needs to be evaluated for its function. The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) maintains a library of traffic calming solutions at http://www.ite.org/traffic/. Passive speed signs may not achieve the desired effect but combined with a traffic calming technique, speed reductions can improve. The road authority should ana- lyze the appropriate treatment for its effectiveness on the proposed roadway. SAFETY EDUCATION Once the hazard inventory has been conducted and the route plan has been created, recommend- ed changes in pedestrian and traffic control should be implemented. The implementation of the recommendations involves not only practical activity such as constructing sidewalks or installing signs, but also the educational activity of teaching students safety consciousness. It was noted earlier in this report that children are rarely involved in crashes while crossing prop- erly at an intersection. Rather, most child pedestrian crashes occur when the child is crossing mid- block or running from behind parked cars. Physical changes in the child's walking environment will provide a safe route but they need to be accompanied by an effective educational effort to prevent erratic or unsafe behavior by the child. Children must be aware of the routes they should take to and from school, and a simplified school route plan (see Figure 1) should be sent home with each child. Crossing guards should inform transportation directors or school officials of children seen disregarding their route. All schools have a fire plan of which the students are carefully informed and allowed to practice, yet stu- dents are involved in crashes every year because their walking routes are ill-defined or poorly controlled. Certainly traffic safety deserves a good deal of educa- tional time - time that will benefit the students not only when they going to or from school, but whenever they are near a roadway. A good deal of general traffic safety should be taught, as well as information on proper routes. The internet contains curriculum guides, lesson plans, bike rodeo planning, walking school buses, school safety patrols and much more information on pedestrian safety. These are sponsored by national, state, local agencies and auto clubs such as AAA and are meant so that children, espe- cially those in the earlier grades, are given the advantage of traffic safety knowledge. Such instruction is an integral part of a pedestrian hazard reduction program. 14 SPECIAL SITUATIONS The language in the law specifically states that the school speed limits shall be in effect when chil- dren are present. The reduced school zone speed limits improve the reaction time for the driver and reduce the speed of vehicles so that children have time to make better judgments about cross- ing. Sometimes though, reduced speed limits near a school entrance can provide additional safe- ty even though no children may be walking to school. Schools in rural locations may not have a walking population but they do experience traffic conflicts caused by buses and parents all arriv- ing in a short time frame to drop off or pick up children. These entrances may be on high speed arterial type roads and the intense traffic at an isolated location may be unexpected by the driver. Typically, these traffic problems can be resolved by traditional traffic engineering solutions such as turn lanes, advance signing or a traffic control device. Very high volumes of traffic may even warrant a signal. It is imperative to involve engineering professionals to evaluate the alternatives at these unique locations and determine the correct solution. Reducing the speed limit is only one of many tools available. Since children are not present, and these roads may be high speed, a flashing beacon with the sup- plemental plaque WHEN FLASHING (S4-4P) is an appropriate treatment for the school speed limit. The beacon should only flash during the intense traffic periods at the beginning and end of the school day. Experienced engineering professionals should evaluate the traffic pattern and determine these time frames. 15 16 Figure 1 G G Legend G School Marked Crosswalk Crossing Guard S S Signalized Intersection STOP or YIELD Sign Approach Pedestrian Route SHEAWOOD CT. GATESHEAD DR. GATESHEAD DR. COLORADO CT. MO O N L I G H T C T . KE Y S T O N E C T . JULIETTE ST. DEENA C T . BROCKTON DR. MAYLEAR LN. C O U R T N E Y S T . G A T E S H E A D D R . COPPERFIELD CT. HAWLEY CT. ELM CT. TIFFANY CT.EM I L Y S T . AL Y S S A A V . SIERR A A V . SIERRA CT.LINCOLN CT. N E W P O R T D R . ANDREW RD. 95TH ST.95TH ST. PUEBLO ST.SHARI ST. STACEY ST. SAN LUIS CT. KATHLEEN CT. DE LASALLE AV. AM A N D A ME S A D R . WEND Y D R . WE N D Y DR . WI N T E R P A R K D R . BR E C K E N R I D G E L N . GL E N E A G L E D R . ME A G H A N A V . NE W P O R T D R . R D . WE D G E W O O D D R . SP I N N E R C T . JO N C T . CO P P E R F I E L D D R . NOTTINGHAM LN. N MN MUTCD, Figure 7A-1. Example of School Route Plan Map Figure 2 Problem Number : #1 Location: On Ford St. between Lincoln Rd.and Victoria Rd. Description: Sidewalk broken with missing sections Extent: 440 feet, children walking in the street Posted Speed: 30 MPH Traffic Volume: 150 vph during school walking time - 7-8 AM : 3-4 PM Number of Students Affected: 30 students, elementary age Recommended Action: Advise city public works to replace sidewalk. Problem Number : #2 Location: Chrysler Ave. intersection with Ford St. Description: Chrysler Ave. is a 5-lane road Extent: Very wide, 66 feet. with no supervision. Posted Speed: 35 MPH Traffic Volume: 400 vph during school opening and closing hours Number of Students Affected: 50 Elementary children crossing Recommended Action: School District needs to provide adult crossing guard Problem Number : #3 Location: State Trunk Highway Route 66 Description: School Advance Sign S1-1 is completely dark at night Extent: MN MUTCD requires sign to be reflective at night Posted Speed: 40 MPH Traffic Volume: AADT 3000 Number of Students Affected: Many - This is primary bus entrance and student pick up area for extracur- ricular activities. Recommended Action: Advise state transportation department to replace non-retroreflective sign to improve drivers’ awareness of approaching school bus and student loading zone. Problem Number : #4 Location: County Road 77 and Ford St. Description: Crosswalk at intersection. Extent: Crosswalk markings are nearly worn off where there are student crossing guards Posted Speed: 30 MPH Traffic Volume: 300 vph during school opening and closing hours Number of Students Affected: 80 elementary and middle school students Recommended Action: Contact the county engineer to repaint crosswalk or consider more durable pave- ment markings. 17 Sample Tabular Listing of Safety Issues for Obama Elementary School 18 Figure 3 FIGURE 3 S C H O O L ZEALANDS T.N . ZEALANDS T.N . BOONE ST.N . ROAD LOG (A)EX AMPL E TO CSAH8( W .Broadway)‘FROM CSAH1 8 ‘ SHEET 1 of4SHEETSCOUNTYBlueEarth‘ PROCESSED BY E. Brown ‘CITY New Hills ‘ DATE 5-3-2005 `ROAD 62nd Ave North ` BOONE ST.N . XYLON ST.N . VIRGINIAS T.N . SUNNYS T.N . 0.725 ENTRANCE R RESIDENCE SIGN LEGEND: 1.125 R R R R R R R R R R 6’ BITUMINOUSSHOULDER WITH CURB&GUTTER N OS I G H TR E ST R I CT I O N S 6’ BITUMINOUSSHOULDER WITH CURB&GUTTER 0.855 0.865 0.925 0.9750.970 0.9650.960 1.030 1.040 1.050 1.060 1.080 1.105 0.762 0.762 0.795 0.805 0.695 0.855 0.900 0.995 1.085 0.875 6’GRAVELSHOULDER 0.838 19 Figure 4 FIGURE 4 ROAD LOG (B)EX AMPL E PRESENTS PEEDLIMIT 30 mph ‘ WIDTH8 ’’WIDTH2 4 ’’ TYPEB ituminous ’TYPEB ituminous ’ SHOULDER:ROADWAY: CONDITION Good ’CONDITIONFair ’ APPROX.LENGTH OFZONE 0.3 miles ‘ROAD 62nd Ave North ‘ SIGHTDISTANCE RESTRICTIONS None SIDEWALK __3 ft___________CONDITION___Good_________ PROCESSED BY E. Brown ‘DATE 5-3-2008 ` PEDESTRIANVOLUMES 125 school children cross at school crossing.’ VEHICULAR VOLUMES 2575 AADT ’ ’ NUMBEROF PEDESTRIAN CRASHES 0 ’ NUMBEROF CRASHES 6 ’ STUDY PERIOD 2002-2004 ’ ACCIDENT EXPERIENCE: CROSS TRAFFICa tZealand St.AADT 500, Boone St.AADT 350, Xylon St AADT 200,Sunny St AADT 250, VirginiaS t.AADT 300 ’ General Comments: Recommend restricting parking adjacent to school on both sides of6 2nd Ave North. LAND USE Residential,School ’ 20 Figure 5 NOTE:The use of a School Advance Crossing Assembly is optional within a signed school zone (see Section 7B.11) SCHOOL OR O R S C H O O L W H E N A R E P R E S E N T C H I L D R E N 2 0 S P E E D L I M I T SCHOOL WHEN ARE PRESENT CHILDREN 20 SPEED LIMIT AHEAD AHEAD A H E A D (optional) (see note) OR ( o p t i o n a l ) (optional) ( o p t i o n a l ) (optional) ( o p t i o n a l ) 200 FT A H E A D ( s e e n o t e ) O R 45 SPEED LIMIT 4 5 S P E E D L I M I T 45 SPEED LIMIT 4 5 S P E E D L I M I T END SCHOOL SPEED LIMIT E N D S C H O O L S P E E D L I M I T END Z O NE SCHOOL E N D Z O N E S C H O O L 5 0 0 F E E T MN MUTCD, Figure 7B-5. Examples of Signing for a School Zone with a School Speed Limit and a School Croosing PHOTO CREDITS Speed Display Sign picture - from www.walkinginfo.org - photographer Dan Burden, downloaded Aug 1, 2009 Route Plan, Traffic Volume, School Patrol and Pedestrian Waiting pictures from http://www.pedbikeimages.org - photographer Dan Burden, downloaded Aug 1, 2009 Pavement Marking, Broken Sidewalk and Parked Car pictures from www.safekids.org/walk/usa.html - photographer names not listed for security, downloaded Aug 1, 2009 Fenced Playground, Police Car by Sign, and Bump Out pictures -photographer Dan Brannan, Mn/DOT, Oct., 2009. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1) Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, Mn/DOT Office of Traffic, Safety, and Technology, http://www.dot.state.mn.us/trafficeng/otepubl/mutcd/index.html 2) Minnesota Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety, http://www.dps.state.mn.us/OTS/crashdata/crash_facts.asp 3) School Trip Safety & the Traffic Engineer, Compendium of Technical Papers presented at 1975 Annual Meeting, Institute of Traffic Engineers. Reiss, M.L. and Robertson, H.D. 4) School Speed Limits and Speed in School Zones, TRB Record # 1254, McCoy,P T, Heimann, J E, 1990 5) Manual of Transportation Engineering Studies, Institute of Transportation Engineers, Jan 2000 6) School Safety Planning, prepared by Goodell-Grivas, Inc., for the Michigan State Univ., distribution by Michigan Resource Center, Sept. 1996 7) Operating Speed Characteristics in School Speed Zones in Texas, TRB Report Paper #09-3031, Brewer, Marcus A. and Fitzpatrick, Kay, 2009 TRB Annual Meeting. 21