Minutes - 2001/02/26 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mounds View City Council February 26, 2001 Regular Meeting Page 8 Mayor Sonterre told her he would bring that type of signal into the discussions when upgrading the signal crossings is discussed. Mary Harstad from South Dakota told Council kids are still crossing the street where they are not supposed to, a child was almost hit again, and the car stopped to honk at the girls. One girl called her mother and the two of them were hysterical because of the realization of what could have happened if the child was hit. Ms. Harstad tried to get the girl who was in the audience to tell the story but the girl declined to comment. Mayor Sonterre stated new mechanisms need to be found to make the crosswalks as safe as possible and to identify the safest points to cross Highway 10. He also noted the City is faced with the challenge of getting people to the safest areas to cross. Ms. Harstad stated she was concerned that the City would not handle the issue and it would be swept under the table. Mayor Sonterre gave his personal guarantee that the City will continue to work with the County and the State to find funding to get the redevelopment of Highway 10 done as quickly as possible. Ms. Harstad asked if there was a way the City could educate parents to educate their kids on how to stay safe when crossing Highway 10. Mayor Sonterre stated it was not possible to go into every home and insist that parents educate their children on the dangers of crossing Highway 10 but the City could contact the school district and work through community education to provide safety information concerning crossing Highway 10. Ms. Harstad suggested having the police pick up the kids and detain them until their parents come to pick them up at which time the parents should be educated on the dangers of having their children darting out across Highway 10. Mayor Sonterre stated the City is not able to detain children for improperly crossing the streets in an effort to educate their parents. Ms. Harstad asked the City to put up pedestrian crosswalk signs alerting vehicles of an upcoming crosswalk. Mayor Sonterre told her pedestrian crosswalks are also on the list of priorities noting there are State mandates for how many signs can be placed along the roadway and in order to install one sign, there would need to be a study of all signs to determine if adding another sign would be in keeping with the State mandate. Ms. Harstad stated she has never driven through a community that allows a speed limit over 45 m.p.h.