06-01-2020 Council Work Session Packet

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Jane Rose, Anoka County CSAH 34 (Birch St) Pedestrian Crossing Review and Analysis May 18, 2020 Page 6 School Crossing: Rice Lake Elementary School is located north of CSAH 34 (Birch Street) between West Tomahawk Trail and West Shadow Lake Drive. The primary area that children walk to the school is between Ware Road on west and Deerwood Lane on the east. The majority of the walkers to and from the school are coming from the south side and need to cross CSAH 34 (Birch Street). Currently, the school uses crossing guards at the existing crossing of CSAH 34 (Birch Street) at the West School Entrance. A figure showing the current walking areas is included in Appendix B. The safety of children getting to and from school is a special consideration in determining if marked crosswalk are needed. Based on review of the walking areas and the location of the existing pedestrian underpass located west of West Shadow Lake Drive , the school crossing should be provided at the School Entrance/Tomahawk Trail intersection and not at West Shadow Lake Drive. In addition, additional crosswalk treatments should be considered to help make the crossing use more noticeable to motorists on CSAH 34 (Birch Street). Additional Treatment Analysis: A marked, and signed crosswalk alone may not be enough to facilitate safe and efficient pedestrian movements. Pedestrian crossing enhancements have been shown to significantly improve motorist yielding behavior. The Pedestrian Facility Treatments table from the “MnDOT Traffic Engineering Manual, Chapter 13 – Non-Motorized Facilities, June 2015” shown in Appendix B provides guidance on when and what type of treatment is appropriate for specific roadway configurations. For each of the proposed crossing locations the following was assumed: • Two-lane roadway • ADT between 11,975 (existing) and 14,000 (2040) • Speed Limit of less than 30mph at the roundabouts. Based on the guidance it can be concluded that only marked and signed crosswalk be considered at any of the proposed crossing locations. Although, additional crossing treatments are not recommended, since the crossings at the School Entrance / Tomahawk Trail is a school crossing, additional treatments were reviewed and analyzed. Two additional crossing treatments could be considered, each is reviewed and discussed below: Warning Sign with Edge Mounted LEDs These are enhanced standard crosswalk signs with flashing LED lights around the boarder. This type of sign is designed to alert the driver that a pedestrian is crossing the roadway. They are pedestrian activated and blink for a period of time to allow the pedestrian to cross. Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons (RRFB) System Another option to enhance the pedestrian crossing is the use of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) system to supplement the existing standard pedestrian crossing signing. They provide a higher driver awareness when a pedestrian is present increasing the percentage of vehicles yielding. They are pedestrian activated and flash for a period of time to allow the pedestrian to cross. Completing the level of service and delay analysis assuming the installation of the signs or RRFB’s, the crossing would have an improved operation. Table 2 below shows a summary of the level of service and delays compared to the crossings with just signing and markings. The capacity analysis worksheets are included in Appendix C.