Agenda Packets - 2008/09/02 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mounds View, Minnesota Project No: 435-08132-0 Red Oak Dr. (Long Lake Rd. to Hillview Rd.) Traffic Calming Page 2 x Significant speed reduction doesn’t occur until significant narrowing occurs (18 to 20-foot widths), which we can’t do and still meet State Aid requirements Also from our research, we found some material available on choker design recommendations. It is very apparent that chokers do not work in all situations at reducing speed and/or volume of traffic. For chokers to be the most effective, the material was fairly consistent in the following recommendations: x Spaced 200 to 300 feet apart x The width between the curbs is 18 to 20 feet x Used in conjunction with other methods of traffic calming x Accompanied with a sharp vertical element x Used at midblock instead of at intersections Many of the items listed above will not be able to be implemented along Red Oak Drive. Spacing the chokers 200 to 300 feet apart may be difficult due to the number of driveways along Red Oak Drive. The minimum width of Red Oak Drive is 26 feet since it is a Municipal State Aid route. Also, many other forms of traffic calming are not approved for use on MSA streets including speed bumps. Vertical elements will need to be placed a minimum of 1.5 feet behind the curb as required by MSA standards. With the addition of sidewalk in the choker areas, finding a place for vertical elements may be difficult. “NO RIGHT TURN” SIGN In an effort to minimize the amount of cut-thru traffic on Red Oak Drive, a “no right turn” sign (R3-1) along with a time restriction sign, such as “Mon – Fri, 7-9 am and 4-7 pm” (R10-20a) are being considered. Attached are excerpts from the Minnesota Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MMUTCD) showing the proposed sign types and sizes (see highlighted signs). The sign would be installed on Long Lake Road, just west of Red Oak Drive. The purpose of the sign would be to prevent eastbound traffic on Long Lake Road from cutting through on Red Oak Drive. State Aid would allow the sign as long as it is acceptable to Ramsey County. I spoke with Erin Laberee, Ramsey County Traffic Engineer, about this issue. She said the County would allow these signs to be installed in their right-of-way of Long Lake Road. She is not worried about the minor increases in traffic on Long Lake Road that the signs might generate. The proposed signs are regulatory in nature and therefore can be enforced by the police. Violators could be ticketed. If local residents are prohibited from taking a right onto their block, they may be opposed to the signs. TRAFFIC CIRCLES Traffic circles are another form of traffic calming not mentioned in the attached traffic calming techniques memo. Traffic circles are raised islands (approximately 20-foot diameter) located in the center of unsignalized intersections. All traffic must negotiate the circle in a counterclockwise direction. They are most effective in reducing speeds when several are used in a series. Some disadvantages are additional maintenance, delays for emergency vehicles, and difficult left turning movements for trucks, buses, etc. Estimated costs are $4,000 to $7,000 per traffic circle. CONCLUSIONS Construction of chokers or traffic circles at the various intersections on Red Oak Drive would have little impact to the traffic speeds due to the fact that they are all stop sign controlled intersections, except for Laport Drive. However, chokers would provide some benefit to pedestrian safety as well as parking.