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Home My WebLink AboutCC WORKSESSION PACKET 03272017 Work Session Agenda Monday, March 27, 2017 7:00 p.m. 1. Intersection Control Policy. Mark Casey, City Manager presenting 2. Adjournment City of St. Anthony CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION City Council Chambers Minutes March 6, 2017 Present: Mayor & Council. Jerry Faust, Mayor; Hal Gray, Councilmember; Randy Stille, Councilmember; Jan Jenson, Councilmember; and Bonnie Brever, Councilmember. Absent: None Staff: Mark Casey, City Manager, Charlie Yunker, Assistant to the City Manager, Mike Larson, Liquor Operations Manager and Mark Sitarz, Fire Chief Guest: Stephanie Johnson, MWMO Call to Order: Meeting called to order by Mayor Faust at 7:00 p.m. Government Alliance on Race & Equity: Cohort members Brever, Yunker, Larson, Johnson, and Casey talked about their experience so far. Staff presented a draft “Our Racial Equity Story” and by consensus of the Mayor and Council, besides a slight change in the quote section, the document was approved. Water Restrictions: Stephanie Johnson, Projects and Outreach Director for the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization discussed watering tips and referred to an enclosed Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) document. By consensus of the Mayor and Council, staff will bring forward a resolution at a future City Council meeting to have the water restriction move from temporary to permanent. LED Street Lighting: Staff presented a memo stating that the Silver Lake Road street light project is a qualified Tax Increment Financing (TIF) pooling expenditure. By consensus of the Mayor and Council, the project will be funded by existing pooling revenue. Fire Truck: Staff presented a memo for the 1985 Ford Engine replacement and spreadsheets showing the impact on the capital improvement budget. By consensus of the Mayor and Council, staff will include the new engine in the 2017 call for sale bonding. Comp Plan Update: Staff review what the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee has done so far and anticipate coming up in the future. Adjourn: The meeting adjourned at 8:43 p.m. Minutes respectfully submitted by Mark Casey, City Manager. 1. In t e r s e c t i o n C o n t r o l P o l i c y 1 | Page INTERSECTION CONTROL POLICY PURPOSE This document outlines policies for determining the location and type of intersection control signage on roadways owned and maintained by the City of St. Anthony Village. The City of St. Anthony Village is implementing this policy for several reasons: Effective traffic control is achieved by exercising the least intrusive control to achieve safe traffic flow. When excessive control or unnecessary control is used, motorists feel imposed upon and frequently will ignore the traffic control device. This can lead to severe consequences involving collisions and possibly personal injury. Consistent application of intersection control devices increases safety to both motorists and pedestrians within the community. Research conducted by the Federal Highway Administration shows that adding stop signs are not effective in addressing the issue of speed. The purpose of stop signs is to assign right-of-way at an intersection, not to control speeding. The Federal Highway Administration also concluded that adding stop signs do not necessarily improve safety at an intersection. A common misconception is that stop signs at an intersection are needed because an accident has occurred there recently. It is important to keep in mind that accidents are random events. Many collisions are the result of driver error and are not the fault of poor design or insufficient traffic control. Public understanding of the function of stop signs is one of the most critical elements in reducing speeding and traffic accidents. A consistent application of the policy serves both the motorist and resident within the City. Stop signs can be an effective safety measure if properly warranted. However, they should not be installed inappropriately where they may be ignored by drivers, needlessly interrupt traffic flow, and negatively affect fuel consumption, the environment, or cause needless noise. The traffic control at an intersection is critical to the operation of both intersecting roadways. If incorrect traffic control is installed for the existing traffic conditions and topographic characteristics of the intersection, undue delays and even unnecessary accidents could occur. The traveling public, especially persons not familiar with the area, typically drive based on instinct. Drivers subconsciously evaluate their surroundings to determine if a stop sign should or should not be located on an intersection approach. PROCESS City staff will formalize the traffic safety concern or request. City staff will assist concerned residents to complete a “Traffic Study Request Form” (appendix A) and gather the pertinent facts to help clearly define the problem and seek a possible solution. Traffic Study Request forms will be reviewed by the City Manager (or designee), Public Works Director, Police Chief and City Engineer. City staff will complete an “Intersection Control Justification Worksheet” (appendix B) and share the results with all interested parties. If a disagreement with the decision or additional information and/or facts that are persuasive as related to the City warrants/policies for the requested sign, interested parties may appear at a City Council meeting and present viewpoint. Any subsequent review of the same or similar request is at the discretion of the City Council. 2 | Page The City Council is the final authority on traffic safety matters, in all cases of traffic control changes to intersections under City of St. Anthony Village jurisdiction, approval by resolution by Council shall be required. Requests for removal of a sign will follow the same process. POLICY The following information explains St. Anthony Village’s policies on intersection traffic control and the correct use of stop signs. LOCAL STREET “RESIDENTIAL” STOP SIGNS The purpose of the local street stop sign policy is to provide fair and uniform treatment of all requests for stop signs in residential areas. 1. The provisions of the Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) shall be followed. Relevant speed, volumes, accident records and sight obstructions shall be reviewed when considering the installation of a stop sign. The following MUTCD standards will be applied: a. If an intersection experiences five (5) or more right angle accidents in a three (3) year period, stop signs should be considered. b. If the presence of a sight obstruction is contributing to accidents at an intersection, removal of the sight obstruction should be sought before considering a stop sign. c. If the 85th percentile speed on any leg of an intersection is more than five (5) MPH over the posted speed limit, a stop sign should be considered for the intersecting street. d. If traffic volumes exceed 500 vehicles per day on each of the intersecting streets, stop signs should be considered. 2. Absent traffic data which clearly indicates the need for a stop sign, a residential intersection should be left uncontrolled. 3. Residential stop signs shall not be installed in an attempt to control speed. 4. Residential stop signs shall not be installed in an attempt to control volume. 5. Residential stop sign appropriateness will be reviewed as part of any street reconstruction. COLLECTOR STREET STOP SIGNS The purpose of the collector street stop sign policy is to provide fair and uniform treatment of all requests for multiway, all way, and 4-way stop signs. 1. The provisions of the Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) shall be followed. Relevant speed, volumes, accident records and sight obstructions shall be reviewed by City Staff when considering the installation of a stop sign. 2. Any of the following conditions may warrant a multiway stop sign installation: a. An accident problem, as indicated by five or more reported accidents in a 12-month period of a type susceptible to correction by a multiway stop installation. Such accidents include right- and left-turn collisions as well as right angle collisions. b. Minimum traffic volumes: 1) The total vehicular volume entering the intersection from all approaches must average at least 500 vehicles per hour for any 8 hours of an average day, and 2) The combined vehicular and pedestrian volume from the minor street or highway must average at least 200 units per hour for the same 8 hours, with an average delay to minor street vehicular traffic of at least 30 seconds per vehicle during the maximum hours, but 3) When the 85-percentile approach speed of the major street traffic exceeds 40 miles per hour, the minimum vehicular volume warrant is 70 percent of the above requirements. 3 | Page 3. Multiway stop signs shall not be installed in an attempt to control speed. 4. Multiway stop signs shall not be installed in an attempt to control volume. 5. Absent traffic data, which clearly indicates the need for a multiway stop sign, control devices at an intersection will remain unchanged. 6. Multiway stop sign appropriateness will be reviewed as part of any street reconstruction. Appendix A 3301 Silver Lake Road, St. Anthony, Minnesota 55418-1699 • www.ci.saint-anthony.mn.us •(612) 782-3301 Fax (612) 782-3302 Our mission is to be a progressive and livable community, a walkable village which is sustainable, safe and secure. Traffic Study Request Form Date:__________________ Requested by (Name, Address, & Phone Number): _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Description of the Problem: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Time of Day Problem Occurs: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Requested Action of the City: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Sketch intersection of roadway segment showing where the problem occurs: Return form to City Hall 3301 Silver Lake Rd NE St. Anthony, MN 55418 Appendix B RESIDENTIAL STREET ALL-WAY STOP CONTROL JUSTIFICATION WORKSHEET INTERSECTION LOCATION: ___________________________________________________________ EXISTING TRAFFIC CONTROL: _________________________________ DATE: ____________________ This Residential Street Stop Control Justification Worksheet is applicable only to intersections of residential streets with speed limits of 30 miles per hour. This procedure is “not” to be applied to the intersection of a local residential street with a major collector or arterial street as identified in the City’s Transportation Plan. APPROACH SPEEDS 1 2 Uncontrolled approach speed. Check two boxes, one for the 30 miles per hour or less 0 points 100' 1 0 0 ' Figure 1 Stop Sign Policy - Sight Distance Requirements D a t e P r i n t e d : W S B F i l e n a m e : 3 / 1 7 / 2 0 1 7 C : \ U s e r s \ j m e s s n e r \ D e s k t o p \ S i t e D i s t a n c e . d g n BUILDING / OBSTRUCTION