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14 <br />Step 2: Roadway Geometric Treatment Assessment <br />Marking a crosswalk is one of many tools that can be used to improve pedestrian conditions. <br />Before considering additional signage, markings/striping, signals, etc., staff should evaluate the <br />feasibility of roadway geometric improvements. Minimizing the time that multimodal users are <br />crossing in the travel lane(s) is important as it reduces crossing width/distance, as well as helps <br />manage vehicle speeds by narrowing the cross-section and tightening curb radii. <br />In some cases, moving a crossing away from an intersection to a mid-block location can <br />significantly reduce the number of conflict points between vehicles and multimodal users thereby <br />improving overall safety. <br />The following process reviews opportunities to slow speeds, reduce crossing distance, and improve <br />visibility of people crossing the roadway. <br />1. Narrow Travel Lanes: MnDOT identifies the following lane width best practices per the <br />Performance-Based Practical Design – Process and Design Guidance. These are superseded <br />by MnDOT’s own design standards though used as an example for consideration by the <br />City of Eagan. Studies have credited tighter lane widths by neutrally or positively impacting <br />safety without affecting traffic operations. <br />▪ Rural Roadways: 11- or 12-foot-wide lanes <br />▪ Urban and Suburban Roadways: 10-foot-wide lanes (≤35 mph and turn lanes), 11-foot- <br />wide lanes (suitable for all other typologies), 12-foot-wide lanes (≥50 mph and/or non- <br />motorized traffic is absent). <br />2. Reduce Conflict Points: Consider moving the crossing to a location with the least number of <br />conflict points depending upon engineering judgement. This could include an intersection <br />leg with lower turning vehicles or overall traffic, as well as moving a crossing entirely out of <br />an intersection and to a mid-block location.