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: 17 1=A!. SEII S'I'. PAUL la 002..001 • rte• • • it �r Eirl 3535 VAONAIS CENTER ORIVS.200 SEH CENTER,ST PAUL.MN 55 t t0 612 490.2000 800 325-0055 ARCHITECTURE • ENGINEERING - ENVIRONMENrAL - TRANSPORTATION March 4, 1994 RE: Moundsview Standard Street Widths SEH No. A-MOI_IND9405.00 Mr. Mike Ulrich City of Moundsview 2466 Bronson Drive Mourulsview, MN 55112 Dear Mike: - I appreciated the opportunity to discuss street widths with you earlier this week. We have had an opportunity to review street widths in conjunction with a number of studies we have done for municipalities. This letter will attempt to document some of the generalizations we have been. able to make in working with the other communities. The width of the street and the amount of street devoted to parking or travel is dependent upon several factors including traffic volumes, street function, available off-street parking, and the environment in which the roadway is built. The width of a traffic lane should be 12 feet with 11 feet as an absolute minimum. Lane width is dictated by vehicle width. In Minnesota, pickup trucks or vans with mirrors require almost 9 feet of width which provides a minimum amount of clearance. With some reaction distance of approximately one or two feet per side, a 12-foot lane is justified. Lane widths also need to accommodate a number of other vehicles,including emergency vehicles such as fire engines and ambulances, trash pick-up vehicles, snow plows and other maintenance vehicles, and delivery vehicles. Parking cart be accommodated in the eight feet next to a curb, under ideal conditions. Since snow removal seldom deans all the way to curbs, and adjacent snow banks often require a vehicle to park a short distance from the edge of the bank, a 10-foot parking lane is desirable in virtually all instances, with nine feet as an absolute minimum_ Where two lanes of traffic are needed (one in each direction), 24 feet minimum is necessary. If parking is permitted on both sides of the street, and the two traffic lanes are needed, two 10-foot parking lanes would be added for a 44 foot minimum street width_ In many areas, parking will not occur continuously on both sides and two lanes of traffic are not needed continuously. In residential areas, one 12-foot travel lane and two 10-foot parking lanes (32 feet total) will provide adequate service. With adequate off-street parking for most residential units, it will only be for special events such as parties or meetings that vehicles will be parked on both sides of the street for any length of that street. With low volume traffic, opposing vehicles cart take turns passing through the parked area. While this involves some inconvenience that may require some vehicles to wait, back up or even pull in the driveways while opposing traffic passes, the number of times this will occur will be relatively small. If s om ELLIOTT MADISON,L:; Fi1=NORlCKSON INC MINNEAPOLIS.MN ,ST.CLOUD.MN CHIPPEWA FALLS,WI