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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-11-19 Meeting Packet_ Ni\.; \(c, 1\,\J ((,,, ))1 _ EDINA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION The regular schedule meeting for November 19, 2009, is cancelled. The next regular meeting is scheduled for December 17, 2009. All meetings are open to the public and interested citizens are invited to attend. Debra Mangen City Clerk Dated: November 13, 2009 LYNN T. OLSON Y PUBLIC - MINNESOTA My Commission Expkes Jen. 31, 2010 , STATE OF MINNESOTA ) COUNTY OF HENNEPIN )SS CITY OF EDINA CERTIFICATE OF POSTING NOTICE I, the undersigned duly appointed and acting C C-) for the City of Edina, County of Hennepin, State of Minnesota, do hereby certify that I have on this date posted copies of the attached Meeting Notice, at each of the official City bulletin boards, located at conspicuous places within the City as follows: 1) City Hall, 4801 West 50th Street 2) Municipal Liquor Store, 50th and France Business Area 3) Centennial Lakes Park Centrum, 7499 France Avenue South Date notice was posted II / Time notice was posted: 2-1 °IC' Signed Officer Posting Notice Signed and sworn to before me, a Notary Public in and for Hennepin County, Minnesota, this I L 4L \ 111 Revised: June 2006 FROM: SUBJECT: —11 November ET Meeting eting Cancelled Jack Sulliva MEMORANDUM CITY OF EDINA DATE: November 18, 2009 TO: ETC Members ETC Members, The November ETC meeting was cancelled; however the Engineering Department wanted to keep you informed regarding a number of issues. Item I: The Update of the Metro Transit Route 6 E,F and K Item II: Bike Edina Task Force Meeting Minutes Item III: Traffic Safety Staff Reviews Item IV: Green Step Cities Program Please see the attached information for more detail and feel free to contact me with any questions. Regards, MEMORANDUV ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT CITY OF EDINA DATE: November 16, 2009 TO: Jack Sullivan — Assistant City Engineer FROM: Wayne Houle — Director of Public Works / City Engineer SUBJECT: Status of Route 6 Please distribute this memo and the attached status update to the ETC. Thanks G:\Engineering\Infrastructure\Streets\Traffic\Metro Transit\Route No. 6 - 2009\20091116 WH to JS- Edina Rt 6 Update.doc REPORT/RECOMMENDATION To: From: Date: Subject: Mayor & City Council _404 Agenda Item # Consent To HRA To Council Motion Resolution Ordinance Discussion Wayne D. Houle, PE Public Works Director/ City Engineer November 17, 2009 Status of modifications of Metro Transit bus route 6 within the City of Edina Information Only Mgr. Recommends Action Info/Background: Metro Transit, John Dillery and Adam Harrington; Polly Bowles of the Metropolitan Council; Scott Edstrom and Mike Borchert of The Coventry at Centennial Lakes; Pat Thompson of Village Homes of Centennial Lakes, and myself met on November 11 to discuss the Route 6 issue. Below is Scott Edstrom's meeting minutes: Yesterday, Mike Bochert and Pat Thompson ( Village Homes of Centennial Lakes) and I met with the following people to discuss issues regarding Route 6 in Edina • Ms. Polly Bowles - Met Council • Mr. Adam Harrington - Metro Transit ( John Dillery's boss) • Mr. John Diller)) - Metro Transit • Mr. Wayne Houle - Edina City Engineer I think that we made good progress at the meeting. The most positive points that I took away from the meeting were: • I believe we now finally have t,7;s: light pcople involved to get things done and make decisizm; • We discussed some potentail alternative routes that could be considered. • Ms. Bowles said she would hold Metro transit accountable for proving the benefit ( rider statistics or whatever) for the change • There are actually next steps for both sides to work on • I think that all people involved would like to see this solved without having to bring it to the City Council or Metro Council for any action Next Steps: • Metro transit is going to gather rider statistics for the next month and compare it to the previous year. • Metro transit is going to prepare a list of criteria that any new route needs to try and meet and I will prepare a similar list Page 2 of 2 20091117 RR to City Council RE Route 6 Discussions • Mike Bochert and I will prepare 3-5 alternative routes (with pro's and con's) and submit them to Metro Transit and the City • Mr. Houle will report back to the Edina Transportation Comm. next Thursday that we have had a meeting and have a plan of action. I will be going to that meeting. • We agreed to meet again in the next 30-60 days to discuss findings etc... Please call if you have any questions (612)-845-5811 or 952-831-0060 I have forwarded this status update to the Transportation Commission. At this time staff and Chair of the Transportation Commission feel there is no action that the Transportation Commission or the City Council needs to take at this time. G: Engineering\ Infrastructure\Streets\Traffic\Metro Transit\ Route No. 6- 2009\20091102 RR Route 6 Metro Transit.doc REPORT/RECOMMENDATION To: Mayor & City Council From: Wayne D. Houle, PE dorpl- Public Works Director/ti y Engineer Date: November 2, 2009 Subject: Status of modifications of .Metro Transit bus route 6 within the City of Edina Agenda Item # Consent Information Only X Mgr. Recommends Action To HRA IZ To Council Motion Resolution Ordinance Discussion Info/Background: As you will recall at the August 18, 2009 City Council meeting, Council referred a neighborhood petition regarding the proposed Metro Transit Route 6 to the Transportation Commission (ETC) for public input, review and recommendation. The ETC then reviewed this issue at their September 17 meeting. The ETC did receive input from both the public and Metro Transit at this meeting. Below is the resolution passed at this meeting: After discussion, Commissioner Bonneville made a motion recommending that the parties meet to discuss and cause a solution to occur within the next 60 days and that City staff moderate such meeting. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Abramovitz. All voted aye. Motion carried. Staff then met with Metro Transit to review the above resolution. Metro Transit felt that they have done enough due diligence on this route and would like to see the route function for at least 12- months, see attached minutes and Metro Transit correspondence. Staff then brought this new information back to the ETC for their comment at the October 15, ETC meeting, see attached draft minutes. The E IC passed the same resolution as shown below: „..,.de by Commissioner Usem and scce::,-Ld by C:c„;,;zis.iiciici B6nneville that they recommend to the City Council that the residents meet with Metro Transit as previously requested and that they acknowledge communication between staff and Metro Transit in which Metro Transit indicated that they would not make changes to the route; and that Metro Transit stop the new bus route until the meeting with residents, which is to take place within 30 days from November 2. Rollcall: Ayes: Abramovitz, Bonneville, Janovy, Plante, Usem, Workinger Nay: White Motion carried. Staff then contacted Metro Transit to relay this information. Metro Transit has agreed to a meeting with two residents of the Coventry Town Homes: Scott Edstrom and Mike Bochert. Other people that will be attending this meeting will be Polly Bowles — Metropolitan Council Member (District 5) and Jack Sullivan — Assistant City Engineer. See attached email from myself to Scott Edstrom. As you can see there has been much discussion relating to this bus route. G:\ Engineering\ Infrastructure\Streets\Traffic\Metro Transit\ Route No. 6- 2009\20091102 RR Route 6 Metro Transit.doc ! I .71 • • 4 • Wayne Houle From: Wayne Houle Sent: Thursday, October 29, 2009 11:35 AM To: 'Scott Edstrom' Cc: imbochert@comcastnet'; Jack Sullivan; adam.harrington@metc.state.mn.us; john.dillery@metc.state.mn.us Subject: FW: Metro Transit Route 6 Bus Revisions Mr. Edstrom: I need to clarify what has been communicated from City Staff. City staff has been in contact with Metro Transit, being that they are the lead agency for this issue. Adam Harrington from Metro Transit or someone from his staff will be contacting you and Mike Bochert to set up a meeting with yourselves, Adam, Polly Bowles - Metropolitan Council Member (District 5), and Jack Sullivan - Edina Assistant City Engineer. Staff will also be submitting to the City Council a status report that will include this email along with the draft minutes of the Transportation Commission. The reason why Jack stated "still procedurally with the Edina Transportation Commission" is that the minutes from the last meeting have not been approved by the Transportation Commission. Once the Transportation Commission approves their minutes, the minutes will then go the City Council for review. Staff has asked Metro Transit to have your meeting prior to the next Transportation Commission Meeting. Please keep in mind that Metro Transit is the lead agency, meaning that by State Statute they have right to operate a transit system on Edina streets. The City does not have the authority to veto route decisions. Thank you, Wayne D. Houle, PE Director of Public Works / City Engineer City of Edina 4801 West 50th Street Edina, MN 55424 Direct 952-826-0443 Fax 952-826-0389 whouleci.edina.mn.us www.cityofedina.com From: Jack Sullivan Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 1:48 PM To: 'Scott Edstrom' Cc: Wayne Houle; Sharon Allison; Gordon Hughes Subject: Metro Transit Route 6 Bus Revisions Mr. Edstrom, Metro Transit Route 6 is not scheduled for the Nov. 2nd City Council Meeting, it is still procedurally with the Edina Transportation Commission. Regards, 1 jack Jack a Sullivan, PE Assistant City Engineer City of Edina Direct: 952.826.0445 fax: 952.826.0389 jsullivan@ci.edina.mn.us 2 MINUTES OF THE Edina Transportation Commission Thursday, October 15, 2009 Edina City Hall 4801 West 50th Street Council Chambers MEMBERS PRESENT: Geof Workinger, Jennifer Janovy, Marc Usem, Warren Plante, Tom Bonneville, Jean White, Usha Abramovitz, Julie Sierks MEMBERS ABSENT: Michael Schroeder STAFF PRESENT: Jack Sullivan, Sharon Allison I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by chair Workinger. II. Comments a. Chairman Comments Chair Workinger asked that electing a vice-chair be added to the next meeting's agenda. b. Community Comments None. III. Approval of Minutes a. Regular Meeting of August 20, 2009 Motion made by Commissioner Usem and seconded by Commissioner Janovy approving the regular meeting minutes of August 20, 2009. All voted aye. Motion carried. IV. New Business a. Metro Transit — Route 6 Revisions Assistant city engineer Sullivan said at the last ETC meeting, the Commissioners made a motion recommending to the Council that Metro Transit and residents meet; and, although Metro Transit had agreed to meet with residents, they later decided that they would not meet and also that they would not make any changes to the route for 12 months. Mr. Sullivan asked the Commission to adopt the following revised motion: • Acknowledging that Metro Transit cannot determine total change in ridership and other impacts to the new route at this time, thus allowing 12 month maturing of the route in order to determine impacts. • Metro Transit has the authority to manage operations within the City. • The new route does not conflict with the City's recent Comprehensive Plan Update. • The concerns of residents regarding the new route should be addressed by Metropolitan Council and Metro Transit. • ETC suggests Metro Transit inform all originally notified residents of their current plan to operate the new route for 12 months. Mr. Sullivan said that he would like to present the Commission's recommendation to the Council at their next meeting, November 2. Chair Workinger asked the Commission if they felt that a meeting would not take place as agreed upon by Metro Transit, and the consensus was that the meeting would have taken place. Public Testimony Scott Edstrom, 305 Coventry Lane, addressed the Commission. Pat Thompson, 7420 Edinborough Way, addressed the Commission. Mike Bochert, 213 Coventry Lane, addressed the Commission. John O'Malley, 7420 Edinborough Way, addressed the Commission. After discussion and expressed disappointment with Metro Transit, the Commission agreed not to adopt staffs recommended revised motion but instead made the following motion: Motion made by Commissioner Usem and seconded by Commissioner Bonneville that they recommend to the City Council that the residents meet with Metro Transit as previously requested and that they acknowledge communication between staff and Metro Transit in which Metro Transit indicated that they would not make changes to the route; and that Metro Transit stop the new bus route until the meeting with residents, which is to take place within 30 days from November 2. Rollcall: Ayes: Abramovitz, Bonneville, Janovy, Plante, Usem, Workinger Nay: White Motion carried. b. Complete Streets Update Assistant city engineer Sullivan said recently, the Commission was given an overview of Complete Streets by staff, along with resolutions including one from Hennepin County. Mr. Sullivan said one common definition for Complete Streets is streets that are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users. He stated further that Mn/DOT has commissioned a study and later in the year is expected to report to the legislators how Complete Streets will affect them and since the city uses Mn/DOT as a guide, staff is waiting for the study to be completed. In the meantime, Mr. Sullivan said staff is conversing with other municipalities that have formed technical committees and the topic will also be addressed at the American Public Works Association 2009 fall conference. Mr. Sullivan reiterated that this approach is not new to the city because staff does consider movements by pedestrian, bikes, etc. when planning street reconstruction projects. 2 V. New Business No new business. VI. Planning Commission Update (Commissioner Brown) None. VII. Bike Edina Task Force Update (Commissioner Janovy) a. Bike meeting minutes (September 10, 2009) Commissioner Janovy reported that they continue to work on Safe Routes to School, in addition to an art project, and that they are fine tuning their bylaws to limit membership. VIII. Adjournment. Meeting adjourned at 7:55 p.m. 3 MINUTES OF THE Edina Transportation Commission Thursday, September 17, 2009 Edina City Hall 4801 West 50th Street Council Chambers MEMBERS PRESENT: Geof Workinger, Jennifer Janovy, Marc Usem, Warren Plante, Tom Bonneville, Jean White, Usha Abramovitz MEMBERS ABSENT: Michael Schroeder, Julie Sierks STAFF PRESENT: Jack Sullivan, Sharon Allison I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by chair Workinger. II. Comments a. Chairman Comments None. Commissioner White reported that public hearings are currently under way to select a route for the Southwest LRT. b. Community Comments None. Ill. Approval of Minutes a. Regular Meeting of August 20, 2009 The following correction was made: page 5, Safe Routes to School Study, change "all' to "most." Motion made by Commissioner Bonneville to approve the corrected minutes and seconded by Commissioner Plante. All voted aye. Mo.1.;,)n carried. IV. Old Business a. 4820 W. 77I Street Transportation Review Chair Workinger said the redevelopment of 4820 W. 77th Street into a restaurant was approved by the Planning Commission. He stated that the ETC's concern was traffic spilling over into the street and they suggested a parking easement agreement with the Burgundy Place for spillover parking. He said it appears traffic will not spill over onto the street and there are 15 proof of parking spaces available on site. After discussion, the following motion was made: Commissioner White made a motion to accept staff's recommendation "that Transportation Study for 4820 W. 77th Street does not adversely affect the adjacent transportation system." The motion was seconded by Commissioner Usem. Rollcall: Ayes: Abramovtiz, Usem, White, Workinger Nays: Bonneville, Janovy, Plante Absent: Schroeder, Sierks Motion carried four to three. V. New Business a. Metro Transit — Route 6 Revision Assistant city engineer Sullivan said Metro Transit contacted the City regarding plans to modify Route 6 by removing service from W. 76th Street, west of France and adding Edinborough Way and Parklawn Avenue. Mr. Sullivan said the City agreed to the modified route and in July Metro Transit notified residents of the new route which would take effect September 12. Mr. Sullivan stated further that in August, a petition was received from residents requesting that the Council not allow the route on Parklawn between Edinborough and France; and also Edinborough Way north of W. 76th Street. Mr. Sullivan said the Council requested that the ETC hold a public hearing on the matter. John Dillery, senior planner with Metro Transit, said they are always looking for ways to enhance routes and a review of the City's Comprehensive Plan shows a desire to have a circular mode of transportation in the Centennial Lakes area, hence the modified route in a densely populated area. Public Testimony Scott Edstrom, 305 Coventry Lane, addressed the Commission. Mr. Edstrom said the petition was submitted by him and his neighbors. He said 80-86 buses are passing every day on Parklawn and Edinborough Way that circulates and comes back every 10 minutes. He said this is new traffic that was not there before. He said the area is densely populated but the number of users is low. He said their concerns are: demand for service and trips per day; running buses through the park and affecting green area; increased risk to residents and pedestrians (there have been three accidents this past winter); quality of life impact (brake noises); six trips per hour during rush hour; buses off France entirely; alternative stops on W. 76th Street; fiscal responsibility (four passengers on bus per trip); and Ebenezer will be doing construction which will create extra traffic. Mr. Edstrom asking to eliminate the route is not practical; therefore, they are asking that everyone work together to create an alternative route. Adrian Herest, 309 Coventry Lane, addressed the Commission Mr. Herest said eliminating one side and putting on eastside; significant adverse impact; squeaky brakes, loud and intrusive; safety issues — difficult to see; survey or market research study was not done to determine public safety, usage, demand, etc; no evidence to suggest there is a need. Please consider what Mr. Edstrom has said. Mike Bochert, 213 Coventry Lane, addressed the Commission. Mr. Bochert asked why this route with no users? Does not like the noise; do not want to argue with Metro Transit's business decision but need to balance residents' opposition to change against ridership. After discussion, Commissioner Bonneville made a motion recommending that the parties meet to discuss and cause a solution to occur within the next 60 days and that City staff moderate such meeting. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Abramovitz. 2 All voted aye. Motion carried. VI. Planning Commission Update (Commissioner Schroeder) None. VII. Bike Edina Task Force Update (Commissioner Janovy) a. Bike Meeting Minutes (August 2009) Commissioner Janovy reported that last Tuesday there was a short, friendly ride. Others are planned like the Fall Colors ride on September 26; sign up is through the Community Center or visit www.bikeedina.orq for more information. Chair Workinger said a petition was brought to the Bike Edina Task Force for bike lanes since there was no sidewalk near the high school. Mr. Sullivan said the Engineering Department has not seen the petition and if one was to be submitted all options would be considered. He said typically the petition would be submitted to the Council for consideration. VIII. Staff Comments a. Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Updates Mr. Sullivan said the 2010-2014 CIP is still under review. He shared with the ETC the upcoming neighborhood reconstruction projects, State Aid streets and the total funds for the projects. He explained that neighborhood meetings are held to explain the City's process. b. Promenade Improvements Pedestrian Survey Mr. Sullivan reported that this is in its 2nd phase of construction, building two pedestrian bridges. He said a survey was conducted in the area and it shows the trail is being used but there is a lack of connectivity to the businesses in the area. He said they will be suggesting to the businesses that they make adjustments to create connectivity. Funding is not available for a follow-up survey. c. Traffic Safety Reports (September 2009) The Traffic Safety Report of September 2009 was shared with the ETC. IX. Adjournment Meeting adjourned. 3 Page 1 of 3 Item V. A. Edina Transportation Commission REGULAR TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING REPORT/RECOMMENDATION To: From: Date: Transportation Commission Jack Sullivan, PE Assistant City Engineer October 15, 2009 Subject: Metro Transit — Route 6E, F and K Revisions Follow up from Sept. 17, 2009 Meeting Agenda Item No.: IV.A ACTION: • Recommendation/Motion • Discussion Information Recommendation: Review the attached information including email correspondence with Metro Transit and resident input. If so desired by the Transportation Commission, adopt a revised motion: • Acknowledging that Metro Transit cannot determine total change in ridership and other impacts to the new route at this time, thus allowing 12 month maturing of the route in order to determine impacts • Metro Transit has the authority to manage operations within the City • The new route does not conflict with the City's recent Comprehensive Plan Update • The concerns of residents regarding the new route should be addressed by Metropolitan Council and Metro Transit. ETC suggests Metro Transit inform all originally notified residents of their current plan to operate the new route for 12 months. Info/Background: Metro Transit has changed bus service on Route 6 starting September 12, 2009. The modifications to the route will include Edinbourough Way and Parklawn Avenue with removal of service on Parklawn west of France. A petition was submitted by residents near Parklawn Avenue to the City Council at the August 18, 2009 meeting; minutes from the meeting are as follows: G:\Engineering\Infrastructure\Streets\Traffic\Transportation Commission\Agendas\2009 R&R\2009I015_Metro_Transit _Route_6_Revisions.doc Page 2 of 3 Item V. A. Edina Transportation Commission August 18, 2009 City Council Meeting CITIZEN PETITION REQUESTING REMOVAL OF METRO TRANSIT BUS ROUTE WITHIN THE CITY OF EDINA REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION The Council discussed resident's concern about expanded use and accessibility, and asked questions of Mr. Hughes. Member Bennett made a motion, seconded by Member Swenson, to receive a citizen petition requesting removal of Metro Transit bus route within the City of Edina and refer it to the Transportation Commission for public input, review and recommendation. September 17, 2009 Edina Transportation Commission Meeting The Transportation Commission heard the citizen petition regarding the Route 6 bus service revisions; minutes from the meeting can be found in your packet. The motion made at that meeting is as follows. After discussion, Commissioner Bonneville made a motion recommending that the parties meet to discuss and cause a solution to occur within the next 60 days and that City staff moderate such meeting. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Abramovitz. All voted aye. Motion carried. Staff had set the following dates based on the above motion by the ETC on Sept. 17, 2009: • October 15, 2009: Edina Transportation Commission receives minutes of their Sept. 17th recommendation regarding Route 6. When minutes are approved, forward their recommendation to Edina City Council with a Staff Report. • November 2, 2009: Edina City Council reviews the Edina Transportation Commission recommendation and Staffs Report. The staff report will include Metro Transits "position" letter and all additional correspondence from residents. At that time Council could recommend any number courses of action. Staff will respond to Council's direction once a recommendation has been made. City staff collected traffic data in late September 2009 for the streets near the intersection of Parklawn Avenue and Edinborough Way. The bus traffic on Parklawn represents 1 to 4 percent of the traffic on the street. • Parklawn Avenue — West of York has an average daily traffic of 2847 vehicles (approx. 21 are buses) • Edinborough Way — South of Parklawn has an average daily traffic of 1099 vehicles (approx. 86 buses) G:\Engineering\ Infrastructure \Streets\Traffie \Transportation Commission \Agendas\2009 R&R\20091015_Metro_Transit _Route_6_Revisions.doc Page 3 of 3 Item V. A. Edina Transportation Commission • Parklawn Avenue (August 2009) — West of Centennial Lakes has an average daily traffic of 3391 vehicles In preparation for the October 15, 2009 ETC meeting staff asked Metro Transit for a formal position letter to the City stating rationale for revising the route. This letter is attached in your packet. The information provided suggested that Metro Transit had done due diligence in analyzing routes within the Southdale Area and have determined the best route for increased service. To further clarify City staff asked Metro Transit if they are willing to consider any other routes within Greater Southdale Area. As shown in the attached correspondence Metro Transit "...does not wish to consider any route adjustments for at least 12 months....". Metro Transit believes they have done their due diligence in selection of route 6E, F & K and is requiring 12 to 18 month for the route to mature. Staff sees no reason for residents, Metro Transit and staff to meet (as suggested and agreed to by the ETC, residents and Metro Transit) if there is not intentions by Metro Transit to modify the route. With ETC approval, I'd like to use the draft meeting minutes from the Oct. 15, 2009 ETC meeting in order for Council to review the recommendation at their next meeting on November 2, 2009. G:\ Engineering\Infrastructure Streets\Traffic \Transportation Commission \Agendas\2009 R&R\20091015_MetroTransit _Route_6_Revisions.doe Jack Sullivan tAle iocit'ci. ...-1----t-e 44 / V. ,4 From: Jack Sullivan Sent: Thursday, October 01, 2009 3:04 PM To: 'John Dillery (john.dillery@metc.state.mn.us)'; Stephen L. Legler (steve.legler@metc.state.mn.us); Wayne Houle Cc: Gordon Hughes; 'Scott Edstrorn'; Jack Sullivan Subject: City of Edina Procedural Dates for Metro Transit Route 6 John and Stephen, Thank you for taking the time to meet with us on Tuesday. You requested "next step" dates of the City of Edina; please see the dates below and contact me with any questions. As stated at our meeting, staff is unable to carry out any recommendations from the Edina Transportation Commission until directed by the Edina City Council. October 15,2009: Edina Transportation Commission receives minutes of their Sept. 17th recommendation regarding Route 6. If minutes are approved I will forward their recommendation to Edina City Council. November 2, 2009: Edina City Council reviews the Edina Transportation Commission recommendation and Staffs Report. The staff report will include Metro Transits "position" letter and all additional correspondence from residents. At that time Council could recommend any number courses of action. Staff will respond to Council's direction once a recommendation has been made. Regards, Jack Jack D. Sullivan, PE Assistant City Engineer City of Edina Direct: 952.826.0445 fax: 952.826.0389 jsullivan@cledina.mn.us 1 Aruozet.. ..._.i./€1,./713„ . 4 4 5%., Jack Sullivan - From: Dillery, John [john.dillery@metc.state.mn.us] Sent: Thursday, October 01, 2009 4:16 PM To: Jack Sullivan Cc: Legler, Steve; Levin, John; Harper, Cyndi Subject: Rationale for Route 6 Re-alignment Attachments: Edina-Rt 6EFK_Rationale_2009.doc; Edina Southdale South_Rt 6.pdf; Rt6EF_Population_2000.pdf Jack Sullivan, As you requested, here attached is our paper that gives the rationale for the re-alignment of Route 6 in the Centennial Lakes area of the City of Edina. It is intended to be accompanied by the maps that I also included. I hope that this rationale is convincing to the city council. If there is anything else you need, please let me know right away. Thank you for your support of transit service. John Dillery Sr. Transit Planner Service Development iohn.dillery(ametc.state.mn.us Direct: 612 349 7773 10/9/2009 October 1, 2009 Re: Metro Transit Route 6 re-alignment in the Centennial Lakes area of Edina. Rationale for the realignment of bus routes 6E, 6F and 6K in Edina. This route change was implemented on September 12, 2009. The recent re-alignment of Metro Transit Route 6 to follow Parklawn Avenue and Edinborough Way through the Centennial Lakes area: 1. Provides more convenient access to residents and workers in the area south of Southdale and north of 1-494 by traveling on city streets such as Edinborough and Parklawn more than on France Avenue. This is an appropriate change given the high population and population density of the corridor between France and York Ave. and the lack of sidewalks on the east side of busy France Ave. The new route brings bus service closer to about 1,280 residents in over 900 households found in the tracts east of Centennial Lakes Park. This is according to the Year 2000 Census. Please see attached map. 2. Is more compatible with the City of Edina Comprehensive Plan. In the transportation chapter of the plan, the City of Edina suggests the addition of circulator providing full service transit between Fairview Southdale Hospital, Southdale and the Centennial Lakes neighborhood. The recent adjustment of Route 6 meets that need better, as it provides a safe, more pleasant environment for customers waiting for the buses on streets with sidewalks. Route 6 is a full service route operating daily from 5:30 a.m. to midnight. During most hours, buses run about every 30 minutes in each direction. There are 43 daily bus trips in each direction (fewer on weekends). A map of Route 6 in the area is attached. 3. The City of Edina Public Works Department staff concur that Parklawn Ave and Edinborough Way are suitable for bus operations. Metro Transit Service Development staff recommends that the new bus route operate without significant changes for a period of 12 to 18 months so that the ridership patterns can be given time to develop. For further details about the route change, please contact John Difiery, Sr. Transit Planner, Service Development, 612 349 7773, john.dillerymetc.state.mn.us CADocuments and Settings\jsullivanlocal Settings\Temporary Internet Files\0LK427\Edina-Rt 6EFK_Rationale_2009.doc New Metro Transit Route 6EFK - Effective 09/12/09 0 0.05 0.1 0.2 Miles Li I I Itill Rts. 539, 540, 578 Rt. 540 NIetroTr.,..ns"7" LEGEND: New Route 6: Layover Point: * Time Point: To Minneapolis SOUTHDALE 69TH ST W UI ct 0 Features of New Route 6: 1. Fewer Bus Stops on France Ave. 2. More bus stops on streets with good pedestrian facilities. 3. Route 6 all-day service convenient to more residents south of Southdale. 4. Route 6 functions as a circulator Southdale - Centennial Lakes. HAZELTON RD 6-EF GALLAGHER DR 6-K I t I Edina lndustri PARKLAWN AVE Rt. 587 Edina 76TH ST W 6-EF I PLAZA DR CENTENNIAL I LAKES 6-EF 6-EF 6-K TITHI_LW 6-K MINNESOTA DR co •-•-••nnn.. MID GNP gm= IMO OM Ma t. 540 cc Buses to 8 Minneapolis from UI 6-K terminal follow UI Rts. Edinbo rough and 4 6-EF 6, Gallagher. 539, 540, 578 To Minneapolis Population / Population per Acre by Census Block - Edina Southdale - Centennial Lakes 26/1 52/10 ;:,55/12 !,....TiZt..i.ttg • ••• SOUTHDALE 84/7 • 77/8 61/8 Legend Existing Routes Route 6 EF Route 6 K Population by Block 2000 Census 1-50 51 - 100 101 - 250 251 - 500 501 + 43/9 45/9 Is; N n ••;.nr• 4; • •.it '..62/13 !.55/1.1 1 86/5 24/6 21/5.59/12 42/8 rt Hazelton Rd 53/10 42/7 55/11 :/274/l0 • - 36/7 76/11 73/3 ; 82/10 Parklawn W Pole 1 3 30/6 8/7 - 3 32/7 32/6 3 W 76th St 76t1) W 77th- St-- ENTENNIAL LAKES 711/27 73/8 Minnesota Drive 54 'LH MetroTran!---,, 0 01 0 2 M les I J Service Development 09/04/09 14i/28 394/ 3 * New bus route via Edinborough Way and Parklawn Ave brings u service closer to ab 1,280 residents. ' Metro Transit Route 6 Bus Service Jack Sullivan rage 1 01 ! Acj ei'c& IV-;1 From: Dillery, John [john.dillery@metc.state.mn.us] Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 1:24 PM To: Jack Sullivan Cc: Levin, John; Legler, Steve Subject: RE: Metro Transit Route 6 Bus Service Jack, To respond to your question, "Is Metro Transit willing to consider at any other routes in the Greater Southdale Area?", our response is: In the Centennial Lakes area south of Southdale, we do not wish to consider any route adjustments for at least 12 months from September 2009 to allow time for the recent service changes to mature and for us to accurately gauge their impacts on ridership. As always, thank you for your support of effective transit service for the City of Edina. John Dillery Sr. Transit Planner Service Development john.dillerymetc.state.mn.us From: Jack Sullivan [mailto:jsullivan@ci.edina.mn.us] Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 10:35 AM To: Dillery, John Subject: Metro Transit Route 6 Bus Service John, Thank you for forwarding the letter from Metro Transit regarding the rationale for realignment of bus route 6E, 6F, and 6K. I have had a chance to sit down with the Gordon Hughes(City Manager) and Wayne Houle(Public Works Director) to discuss the issues. After reviewing all the information we have to date, I have one question that the City would like to understand your position on. Is Metro Transit willing to consider at any other routes in the Greater Southdale Area? ou also asked about when the permanent signage would be installed. The City Ccuncil will review the Route 6 information on Nov. 2, depending on their response I'll be able to give you additional information at that time. Regards, Jack Jack D. Sullivan, PE Assistant City Engineer City of Edina Direct: 952.826.0445 fax: 952.826.0389 jsullivan@ci.edina.mn.us 10/9/2009 Jack Sullivan From: Scott Edstrom [sjedstrom@gmail.corn] Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2009 1:01 PM To: Lynette Biunno Cc: Jack Sullivan; Wayne Houle; Mike Bochert Subject: Please forward: re Changes to Metro Bus Route 6 and 6E Attachments: Position Statement - Bus Route 6 and 6E.doc Please forward the following attachment to : 1. The Edina City Council Members 2. The Edina Transportation Commission -7-- We just wanted to provide you with an updated "Position Statement" regarding our perspective on the September 12th changes to Route 6 and 6E. Although we are frustrated by the time it takes to get approval for the parties to just get together ( see below) we can appreciate the fact that processes and procedures are required to get things done. • City Council recommends ( in August 18th meeting) the issue be forwarded to the Transportation Comm for review and recommendation • Transportation Comm. ( In Mid September meeting) reviews and recommends that Metro Transit and Edina residents get together and try to develop a resolution • Transportation Comm. ( In Mid October meeting) to review meeting minutes from September meeting and after vote to approve the minutes the recommendation to work together will be forwarded to the City council for their review and hopefully approve • City Council ( In Nov 2.) meeting will receive recommendation" to work together" and will receive a report out and recommendation from City staff. We are looking forward to working together with the City of Edina and Metro Transit to reach a resolution. Please contact Scott Edstrom if you have any questions 612-845-5811 Scott J. Edstrom 10/9/2009 Position Statement Route 6 & 6E Position Statement by residents of: • Village Homes of Centennial Lakes — 250 units! 340+ Residents • Coventry Townhomes of Centennial Lakes — 96 Units! 150+ Residents Summary Statement / Position: The intrusion and significant negative impact to the quality of life for residents listed above is not justified or offset by the anticipated benefits to Metro Transit or Edina residents , either through more convenient service or more riders or additional fare income resulting from the changes made to routes 6 and 6E. Current Position: • The changes to Bus Routes 6 and 6E recently implemented on September 12th are a significant intrusion and have a major negative impact on the quality of life, health and "green" environment to residents above and the Centennial Lakes neighborhood in general. • The benefits to be realized do not offset the intrusion and negative impact on quality of life impact currently being experienced by the Edina residents in the above neighborhoods. • We also believe that for residents living directly or very near to the route will be negatively impacted when trying to sell our homes in the future from both a price (lower) and amount of time (longer) needed to sell. What is being requested? : • Current Bus Routes (6E and 6) be changed ( or re-routed to previous routes and streets) to not include: o 1. Edinborough Way north of 76th to Parklawn Ave. o 2. Parklawn Ave. from Edinborough Way to France Ave. (or) • Significant reduction in number or routes currently being run through the neighborhood. • Elimination or re-routing of early morning routes ( pre 6:45am) and late evening routes (post 8:30 PM) that are not neighborhood friendly or in line with the activities and hours of the residents and businesses in the area. How are residents and the area being impacted: • Significant noise intrusion. Buses can be heard, even with all doors and windows closed, in all units that reside along the streets mentioned above • Pollution and odor. The smell from non hybrid vehicles is very noticeable from decks, patios and even inside of the homes • Frequency — over 85+ trips per weekday with buses running on average 4 times per hour (6-8 during rush hour). A Similar number of trips are run on the weekends also. • Intrusive early morning and late evening routes — buses start at 5:45 am in the morning and the last run is at 12:45am at night. Stores close in the area at 9 PM and the park closes at 10 PM • Now that we have had a chance to experience the actual impact of the routes since their implementation on September 12th we feel that the impact is significantly more negative than anticipated. Noises can be heard from farther away and can be heard even with doors and windows closed. Key Points / Reasons (per the Metro Transit Organization) for the changes (and our Resident Responses in Red) 1. Changes to Route 6 and 6E were made to deliver access to 1200-1300 additional residents in the Edina area. This should result in increased # of riders on these routes. Resident response: The route changes will only improve access for less than 100 residents in the area. These 100 residents also currently have door to door access every half hour to route #538 which takes them directly to and from Southdale which is what Route 6E and 6 provides. See the Resident / Rider Analysis for how the Centennial Lakes / Coventry neighborhood would use the modified route 2. The Edina City staff granted concurrence to the changes when presented by the Metro Transit organization. Resident Response: The Edina City staff did not understand the impact and how the residents of Edina felt about the change. Their concurrence may have been different 3. These changes were requested by the City of Edina. Residence Response: The specific changes were not requested by the residents of Edina (for additional or better service) or by the City of Edina. They were a response by the Metro Transit organization to submission of Edina's Long Range Plan. 4. Moving the bus stops off of France avenue onto nearby pedestrian friendly side streets. Residence Response: We believe that there are other routes that can accommodate this need. We would be glad to provide our input. Further, the change moves stops off of France Ave that has some partial sidewalks to Edinbough Way which has no sidewalks on one side of the street and does not even have room to walk on the grass. 5. The changes will provide better access to the Centennial Lakes park for other Edina residents and will possibly improve business for Retail stores in the area. Residence Response: The previous stops on 76th Ave provide better access to the parks than the current stops on Parklawn Ave. We also believe that there are other routes that can orrirnihIa it., ii.;J need. We oiou:si be glad to provide our input. Most loct. the area impacted can walk to the retail stores in the area. Position Points regarding the Changes: I. The Demand for services would be from less than 100 people and not 1200. There will be no significant increase in demand by the local residents ( that are impacted) or increase or improvement in ridership or service resulting from route changes on Parklawn Lane and Edinborough Way. ( see Attachment A - Analysis of residents) 2. Quality of Life Impact ( Noise)— The significant noise of the brakes as well as the acceleration and deceleration at the stops ( and by the buses in general) significantly impacts what was relatively a quiet neighborhood. Prior to the changes buses stopped on the corner of Parklawn Ave. and Edinborough Way ( for route 538 up to 4 times per hour. That bus takes residents or 3400 Parklawn directly to Southdale every half hour. That has now changed and there are now over 115 stops per day on that corner and over 85+ one way trips on the streets mentioned. This noise can be heard over 1 block away. 3. Quality of Life Impact ( Pollution and Gas fumes) — a significant number of residents can smell the fumes and are close enough to the routes to have to close their windows and doors so the smell and fumes do not enter their homes. 4. Route times and Frequency are not neighborhood friendly — The noise in 4 above (up to 6 trips per hour) and the extremely late route times ( until after midnight) have negatively changed the lives of the people living close to the route. The modified route has over 50 additional residences ( in the 2 block route) that live within 50 feet of the new service. That number quadruples for 100 feet. 5. Negative Green impact to the Park and Residents. There are over 85 bus trips that now run through the heart of a residential area and one of the nicest parks in the metropolitan area. The traffic and pollution does not match the need or benefit. 6. Increased risk to residents and Pedestrians. We understand that the Metro are bus drivers are excellent and are thoroughly trained in all aspects of safety. However, introduction of 85+ buses to an area with blind crossings to the park for handicapped residents causes us great concern. 3 traffic accidents were recorded at the crossing this last winter. 7. Fiscal Responsibility — the small number of passenger per trip. 4 to 6 trips per hour with very few passengers per trip does not seem financially responsible. We understand that routes most likely do not pay for themselves but the frequency of route 6 for the passengers serviced should be reviewed. We should consider this regardless of which streets are used. The reduction of half the trips in the area may be able to pay for an additional fireman or officer for the city. Other Points: 8. Additional Risk Factors. - There will be significant construction and parking near Edinborough Way starting this fall and running through the fall of 2010. This introduces even more risk and traffic congestion into the situation. The construction workers will have to park on both sides of Edinborough Way 9. Gael Observations — (limited sample)- a. Majority of riders observed ( entry and exit ) are from the areas west of France b. Majority of stops in the area of discussion have zero entry and exit c. Many buses on 6E & F (south of Parklawn) often have less than 2 or even no riders d. The number of early morning and late evening passengers is often zero, The few riders on the bus do not enter or exit on the east side of France. 10. Initial June 26t11 Letter notifying residents of the change — the letter never stated the number of trips or the hours of operation for the route. We do not think local residents would not have objected to a few buses and normal operating hours. Also, we believe that the residents that were impacted the most (Village Homes) never received the letter. Current Status: • During an early September council meeting Edina City Council recommended the issue be sent to the Edina Transportation Commission for review and discussion at their next meeting • On September 16th the Transportation Commission met and recommended that the all of the parties ( Edina Residents, Metro Transit and Edina City Staff) get together and try and develop a new solution / position for the issue • On October 17th the transportation Committee will approve their previous month's meeting minutes ( which includes the recommendation to get together and try and develop a compromise) — the recommendation to get together to resolve the issue will then be forwarded to the Edina City Council for approval. • On November 2nd — the Edina City Council will hear a report from the City staff regarding the recommendation to get together and try and resolve the issue. During this meeting the Council can approve, vote against or modify the recommendation. • We have been told by city staff that no action regarding this issue will be taken prior to the Nov 2nd Edina City Council meeting Attachment A Analysis of residents: Per the 2000 census information: • 1280 people • 908 Households Basic Summary: After meeting with local residents we were able to determine that 1. Over 500 of the units ( out of 908 or 55%) and over 640 of the residents ( out of 1208 or 53%) had no interest, no desire or no need for the access provided by the route changes. 2. 225 units ( out of 908) are in the process of developing a Petition against the new changes because they are significantly impacted in a negative manner and would receive no / limited increase in access provided by the changes. 3. Approximately 100 units and 100 residents ( not 908 units and 1208 residents) have the opportunity to significantly benefit or will have need or desire to utilize the new route changes. Based on Metro transit percentages that means that approximate 10% or 10 people will benefit or utilize the services based on the changes 4. We also believe that most additional riders in the targeted area will simply be riders switching changing using these routes instead of the routes that they previously used ( 538, 578, etc...). This is speculation on our part. More detailed perspective: 7500 York,Cooperative ( No demand for changed service) 337 Units 420 residents Currently have their own van that runs regular routes to Southdale, Cub, Byerley's, Target, Fairview medical, etc.. Residents also make significant use of Metro Mobility - Average age is over 80 years old - Over 100 yards to walk to nearest stop on new route from current exits - General Manager believes that there will be no increased ridership due to route changes 1. Limited number of residents use the MTC buses today 2. Currently have access on both York and to Route 6 and 6E on the comer of • 76th and Edinborough Way. Same stop for tnem on born the old and new routes Walker Elder Suites - Nursing home on Parklawn and York ( No demand for Service) - 72 Units 70 Residents Assisted living - Facility currently has its own bus No residents are capable of physically using public Transportation - Coventry Neighborhood ( No demand for service) 96 Townhomes / units - 150+ Residents - Petition signed by significant number of residents - Will not or do not use or want the bus service) - Villa2e Homes of Centennial Lakes ( no increased demand for service) - 250 units Residents on Edinborough Way and Parklawn Ave are significantly negatively impacted by noise and pollution of the route changes - Mostly single owner occupied ( per management company) Currently on 6E & 6F route 1 additional stop provided on northbound side of the association complex Petition requesting change to routes similar to Coventry Petition in progress - Over half or more of the riders would still use the same stop anyway but all residents are within 1 city block of the current stop - 3400 Parklawn Lane 100 Units - 100 residents Currently have door step access to Beeline 538 and 539 between Southdale and Mall of America which includes stops at Cub and Target. At least 2-3 buses per hour. 25 + stops prior to changes Could benefit from the new changes Residents north and east of the new trail Easier and closer access to bus on Gallager than to Parklawn Ave. and Edinborough Way They also have immediate access to 538 and 578 and other routes to Southdale - It is closer to walk to the 6 and 6E stops to the north than to walk to the stops on the corner of Edinborough Way and Parklawn Ave Other Background : ( Prior to September 12th) 1. On Friday June 24th we received a letter from Metro Transit dated June 26th. The letter was sent to 300+ Edina residents notifying them of route changes for routes 6E and 6F. The letter had no specifics about the number of buses 2. These changes were not directly requested by any residents of Edina or the City of Edina but were a response from a long range plan submitted to Metro Transit 3. We first contacted the City of Edina engineering department in Mid July. The Engineering department asked us to formally submit a petition to the Edina City Manager and Edina City Council. We were informed at that time that the next meeting we could present our petition at was the middle of August. 4. The Petition and supporting materials were submitted to the City in mid August prior to the August City Council meeting. The material is included in your packet. 5. At the August meeting the City Council recommended that the topic be sent to the Transportation Commission for review and that they make a recommendation back to the City Council. 6. The Council also requested the City Engineer to contact the Metro Transit organization and ask them to postpone the route changes until the City could review them further. 7. On September 12th the changes to the routes were implemented as planned. Metro Transit did not have enough lead time to print and distribute the request ( 60-90 days is required) Page 1 of 3 Jack Sullivan From: Lynette Biunno Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 8:27 AM To: Jack Sullivan Subject: FW: Metro Transit Bus Route 6 Attachments: Transportation Comm - Route 6064.pdf Lynette Biunno City of Edina Receptionist 952-927-8861 www.cityofedina.com From: Scott Edstrom [mailto:sjedstrom@gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2009 10:21 PM To: Lynette Biunno Subject: Metro Transit Bus Route 6 Please forward to the Transportation Commission members as well as Mr. Jack Sullivan Thank you for your support (at the October 15th meeting) of our issues and concerns regarding the September 12th changes to Metro Transit Routes 6 and 6E. Even though this topic has been discussed very thoroughly and from many perspectives we believe our position on the issue is fairly straight forward and simple: 1. The specific changes immemented were not requested by the City of Edina or its t.esiticims. 2. The residents were never informed that there would be 85+ daily trips and that the hours of service would be from 5:30 am to 12:45 am ( otherwise these objections would have come much sooner). 3. The new routes have been a significant intrusion and have resulted in an adverse impact to residents in the area neighborhoods. 4. The analysis performed by the Metro Transit organization that anticipates 128 additional riders (10%) from a population area of 1280 is extremely flawed and does not take the local demographics into consideration. 5. Changing the routes to not use Parklawn Ave. and Edinborough Way will not cause a disruption of service or or inconvenience riders east of France because there is limited use by the group today. 6. The 86 daily bus trips through the center of Centennial Lakes Park also impacts the green and peaceful environment of one of the Metro areas nicest parks We hope the commission understands that we are not looking to have the bus service in the area or the City oi Edina halted or stopped. We believe that the buses provide a necessary, needed ( and often an under appreciated) service to the City of Edina and the greater Metro area. 10/29/2009 Page 2 of 3 We are requesting that the recent simple 2 block change that has adversely impacted local residents be re-routed to not include Edinborough Way north of 76th and Parklawn Ave. As we have previously mentioned the route changes have been a significant intrusion and have had an adverse impact to residents living on or near the new portions of the route: • The buses can heard inside of many homes even when the windows and doors are closed • Some residents can now no longer use their decks and patios in the spring, summer and fall because of the noise and fumes • The buses run early morning routes ( 5:45 am and every 30 minutes after that) that awaken local residents • The buses also run routes from 9:00 pm until 12:45 am in the morning when there is limited or no activity in the area. • The blocks are relatively short so the buses are constantly braking, accelerating or de-accelerating which increases the noise levels • The bus activity and noise will significantly impact residents ability to sell their homes and the value of their homes We have presented an analysis (see attached PDF) that we believe fairly represents what the ridership will be in the new route 6 area. We believe that there is almost no opportunity to increase ridership based on the demographics of the area. The 10% ridership rate that the Metro Transit uses for analysis (10% of 1280 or 128 new riders) is not appropriate in this case. We believe that new ridership will be significantly less than 10 % and possibly closer to 1 % when looked at closely. No resident in the area had to walk more than 2 blocks to ride the bus previously( old routes 6 and 6E). The new routes and stops are just more convenient for existing riders and will not attract new riders We also believe that the high frequency of the routes ( 4 times per hour on average and 6 or more trips during rush hours ) is not financially responsible ( and extremely disruptive to the area). 86 buses passing the same spots on a daily basis (including weekends) combined with extremely low ridership per trip does not make sense. We believe that if there were choices to be made, additional law enforcement officers or fireman or teachers may be a better use of taxpayer money than the high frequency of the bus routes. I have personally witnessed many of the 6 and 6E buses crossing paths on the routes and neither bus has any riders. Also , just some informational points: • A second petition against the route changes has been submitted to the city by the residents of the Village Homes on Edinborough Way. This petition is similar to the one submitted by the residents in the Coventry Homes area. • Residents have called Metro Transit Organization ( or emailed them ) to complain about the noise etc.... and their standard response has been" the change was requested by the City of Edina - you will have to contact them" • One of the goals of Metro Transit was to eliminate stops that were not pedestrain friendly on France ave but they have kept the most dangerous stop that is on the east side of France and the middle of the Byerley's parking lot ( no side walks, limited grass area etc...) Thank you for your assistance and we look forward to the discussion at the November 2nd Edina City Council meeting. We have also been discussing different alternatives that could be considered as possible solutions and believe that they would be appropriate to start a good discussion. Some examples would be: 10/29/2009 Page 3 of 3 • Use of smaller buses similar to the ones used on route 540 • Develop a new route ( Route 6X) to be used for early morning and late night hours that runs directly between Southdale and the southern most stop on the route on Minnesota Drive and does not drive through local neighborhoods • Re-route 6 run through the retail complex parking lot on France between 76th and Parklawn. We alreac' have precedent for that. 6 and 6e already run through Cub foods and Target • Focus the route on the area West of France where the majority of the riders are and eliminate the new routes that are east of France • Re-route 6 to avoid the areas of concern and use York and Xerxes ( as identified in the plan) • Use of smaller hybrid buses to reduce noise and fumes If you have any questions please feel free to call me at 612-845-5811 or email me at sjedstronn@gmail.com and once again thank you for your support. Sincerely, Scott J. Edstrom 10/29/2009 MINNESOTA DR 0 0.05 0.1 0.2 Miles To Minneapolis SOUTHDALE 69TH ST W ` 4--- &ELTON RD 6-EF PARKLAWN AVE 6-EF I PLAZA DR CENTENN1A 1 LAKES 4- -- 4-- 1/76TH ST W Edina 111141:006-K . • . •.: •• • • .• . •K••••}•••••••••,[a•• -•=•* an H al. ae UM NM MO At J40 Buses to Minneapolis from 6-K terminal follow Edinbo rough and Gallagher. 6—K 6-EF LEGEND: New Route 6: NM To Mall of America Rts. 6, 539, 540, 578 Layover Point: It. Time Point: 6-EF New Metro Transit Route 6EFK - Effective 09/12/09 Map Data 2009NAVTE0 c e as 0 2009 MapQuest Inc. MAP ST W 72111 St Gallagher Dr V 41,a(0 RE cA4 wrY U.SE ko oValf Tobs4 home OWL MAP MT % S Sb h. %AS 415 N eVaiden 01 1100 IP 1 300 ft leaf s /la , We& 11/431N NW* W 74th St W 75th St 09 NAV TEO TeleAtis 1 Units Residents Estimated New Riders 2000 Census 908 1280 128 1. Coventry Townhomes 96 150 0 2. Walker Elder Suites 75 72 0 3. Village Homes 250 340 5 4. 7500 Xerxes 337 420 0 5. 3400 Parklawn 100 100 5 Total 1-5 858 1082 10 Difference 50 198 118 Analysis of residents: Per the 2000 census information: • 1280 people • 908 Households • Note: Majority of residents in the Census area had a 1 block or less walk to existing Route 6 stops. All residents in the Census area had less than 2 block walk to previous route 6 stops More detailed perspective: 7500 York Cooperative ( No demand for service) 337 Units 420 residents Currently have their own van that runs regular routes to Southdale, Cub, Byerley's, Target, Fairview medical, etc.. Average age over 80 Over 100 yards to walk to nearest stop on new route from current building exits - Residents do not use Metro Transit buses today that run on 76111 as well as Xerxes — per Cooperative Management and staff - ZERO new rioters from WI opportunity perspective ./Or Metro Transit Walker Elder Suites - ( No demand for Service) - Nursing home on Parklawn and York - 72 Units 70 Residents Assisted living Facility currently has its own bus that takes residents to medical services and other destinations No residents are capable of physically using public Transportation ZERO new riders from an opportunity perspective /or Metro Transit Coventry Neighborhood ( No demand for service) 96 Townhomes / units - 150+ Residents Petition signed by significant number of residents (Petition area #1) Will not or do not use or want the bus service) ZERO /VW riders jroin on opportunity per,spectivelbr Metro Transit Village Homes of Centennial Lakes ( no increased demand for service) 250 units Mostly single owner occupied ( per management company) Currently on 6E & 6F route 1 additional stop provided on northbound side of the association complex Over half or more of the riders would still use the same stop anyway but all residents are within 1 city block of the current stop Zero new riders onticipaled - new slops are lust more convenient jOr exi.sling riders 3400 Parklawn Lane 100 Units 100 residents Currently have door step access to Beeline 538 and 539 between Southdale and Mall of America which includes stops at Cub and Target. At least 2-3 buses per hour. 25 + stops prior to changes Also just 1 block from Xerxes and / or 76th ( routes 540, 578 and old 6) Limited new riders antic ipated neiv stops are just more convenient for existing riders Residents north of new trail Easier and closer access to bus on Gallager than to Parklawn and Edinborough Also access to 578 to Southdale They also have immediate access to 538 and 539 to Southdale Zero new riders anticipated — Page 1 of 5 Jack Sullivan From: kirkjohnsonster@gmail.com on behalf of Kirk Johnson [Kirk.Johnson@LoganLogic.com] Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 12:01 PM To: ann swenson; Jim Hovland; Joni Bennett; Mary Brindle; Scot Housh; Gordon Hughes; Wayne Houle; Jack Sullivan; John Keprios; Surya lyer; Alex Dirr; Alice Hulbert; Bob Fried; Carl Follstad; Carl Gulbronson; Donald Eyberg; Dwaine Lindberg; Jennifer Janovy; Joseph Hulbert; Kirk Johnson; Larry Olson; Richard Griffith; Rob Erickson; Sally Dunn; Sarah Jakobsen; Todd Brewer; neal blanchett Subject: Bike Edina Task Force Meeting Minutes (October 8, 2009) Dear City Council, Mayor Jim Hovland, Gordon Hughes (City Manager), Wayne Houle (City Engineer & Director of Public Works), Jack Sullivan (Assistant City Engineer), John Keprios (Park and Recreation Director), Edina Energy & Environment Commission, and Bike Edina Task Force & visitor Neal Blanchett: Our October meeting minutes are pasted below. They are also online (source tile link). Other distribution: • Jack Sullivan, please provide for the Edina Transportation Commision packet. • Surya Iyer, please post for the Edina Energy & Environment Commission. Thank you for your interest and support. Please review and contact me with any questions. Bike Edina Task Force: News & Meeting Outcomes October 8, 2009 The Bike Edina Task Force (BETF) Meets monthly on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 8 p.m. in the Mayor's Conference Room at Edina City Hall. For questions contact Kirk Johnson, Chair. Guests are welcome to observe, space permitting. • Online source: Source link here (http://tcstreetsforpeople.org/node/987) • Present: Alex Dirr, Alice Hulbert, Bob Fried, Carl Follstad, Carl Gulbronson, Dwaine Lindberg, Jennifer Janovy, Kirk Johnson, Larry Olson, Richard Griffith, Rob Erickson, Sally Dunn, Sarah Jakobsen • Guests: Neal Blanchett • Absent: Excused absences include Donald Eyberg, Dwaine Lindberg, Jennifer Janovy, and Todd Brewer; Absent with no prior communication: Joseph Hulbert. • Recorded by: Sally Dunn, Kirk Johnson • Distribution: BETF, guests, City Manager, City Engineer, and Mayor & City Council. Also, Jack Sullivan to forward to the Edina Transportation Commission, and Surya Iyer to post for the Edina Energy and Environment Commission. 1) Re-cap from City Liaison Meeting (Kirk Johnson) 11/13/2009 Page 2 of 5 a) Kirk met with Gordon Hughes, Wayne Houle, and John Keprios on Monday, October 5th as part of periodic planning and progress tracking meetings between BETF and city leadership. b) Edina Rules of the Road Quiz -- Review. This received favorable remarks. Great job, team. i) Gordon stated the wording seems clear and no changes required. ii) John suggested adding a question: "When a sidewalk is present, the bicyclist must use it instead of the road" which of course would be an "F" (False) for an answer, supported by MN Statute 169.222, Subdivision 1. The new version of the Quiz is uploaded along with these meeting notes: source (link) to version 6. iii) Compliments to these city leaders, Gordon, Wayne, and John: All scored very high, much higher than average! iv) The value of the Quiz is to serve in education and initiate discussion of both the law and best practices for riding safety. v) BETF recommended having a version go into About Town in the future -- Carl Follstad to incorporate in media action list. vi) Sarah Jakobsen offered to provide additional questions. Anyone else welcome to send to Kirk Johnson who is centralizing additional questions for this quiz. c) Safe Routes to Schools: Guidance was to continue working with Steve Bristor and our MN State SRTS contact, Mike Fiers (interim) (651-366-3833). More discussion is below. d) Interlachen bike lanes: i) City Engineering is still planning to install signage on Interlachen. ii) Another improvement effort will aim to solve the bike lane discontinuation issue that Sarah Jakobsen and other riders have asked about; details were discussed in the meeting. e) Engaging/informing residents: Building a contact list and sending email-based newsletter to interested residents and area stakeholders for Edina bicycling news: Kirk Johnson or BETF contact recommended to discuss options with Jennifer Bennerotte -- Carl Follstad offered to cover this. BETF recommended starting quarterly. Carl and Jennifer will discuss options such as Constant Contact and other subscription services to recommend ideal medium or media for disseminating. f) Upcoming Agenda items for City Liaison group I) Ideas for revising revising the bicycle plan (e.g., supplement, amendment, etc.) ii) Budget and reimbursement (Kirk can cover this with Gordon via email) iii) Note that Phase 1 planning is awaiting discussion/information from MNDoT per Wayne. g) Next City Council/Staff workshop with BETF: Kirk is coordinating with BETF and Gordon for a workable date for the 2010 workshop. 2) Bylaws (Carl Follstad) a) Gordon Hughes has agreed to review/share the Bylaws with staff when finalized. b) Carl included outcomes and inputs to finalize the Bylaws, which will be sent to the group soon. Discussion included articulating the reimbursement approach, the BETF not having financial assets and members not benefitting financially, and other inputs. 3) Bike Mosaic Tile Art (Kirk Johnson) a) BETF partnered with the Edina Public Art Committee (EPAC). The objective is to complete and finish beautiful tile mosaics to enhance Edina with public art and promote a bicycle-friendly 11/13/2009 Page 3 of 5 community and active living image. b) Sarah Jakobsen successfully transferred the works of art-in-progress to the Edina Art Center -- thank you Sarah! c) Next steps are to finish the art pieces created by residents during City Hall open houses for bicycle planning and the Bicycle Rodeo in 2007. For a full presentation with images, visit the mosaics PowerPoint file. d) Kirk Johnson and Sarah Jakobsen will discuss recommended approach to move forward between now and the next meeting. Richard Griffith is still deciding if he would like to be the BETF contact for this project. 4) Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) (Rob Erickson, Alex Dirr, Larry Olson) a) What are Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS)? "Safe Routes to School programs enable community leaders, schools and parents across the United States to improve safety and encourage more children to safely walk and bicycle to school. In the process, programs are working to reduce traffic congestion and improve health and the environment, making communities more livable for everyone" -- National Center for Safe Routes to Schools website. b) News: Rob reported there are issues around liability concerns. A white paper is coming out related to this, perhaps at the end of October. c) It was suggested that the schools be surveyed first with the plan to be up and running in the spring.. surveys of students, parents and direct observations of school arrival and dismissal. d) Alex Dirr reported he has 3 of 5 elementary school assessments completed by the SRTS team related to sidewalks, roads, crosswalks and other paths. Once completed, a plan will be developed around the results. e) The SRTS team was encouraged to keep moving even if their deadlines have not been met. f) Kirk Johnson reported he talked to police officers from Three Rivers who are very interested in particating in the bike rodeo or other activities. Kirk Johnson has sent email address contacts to the SRTS work group. g) Discussion of liability related to guiding children on bikes, how volunteers will be trained, whether this would be a "school-sponsored" event. h) Rob distributed copies of "Bicycling/Moving America Forward" from Bikes Belong Coalition. The proposed date for the Bike Rally is April 17. The Bikes Belong booklets could be distributed at that time. Bikes Belong is funded by the bike industry and more free copies may be available. i) Rob reports there is a mini-grant available up to $1000 each and requested assistance in figuring out what to request. Alice reported a school that uses a bar code system to check students in at school but this may be too pricey. The school has a "Bike To School" day twice each year. There was discussion of perhaps funding some prizes for this. Rob will check further to see what projects were funding in the past to get a better sense of what might get funded. 5) Other Grant Opportunities: Bob Fried reported that there is another grant opportunity through Parks & Trails with a deadline of November 13. Kirk Johnson would like to forward the information to Todd Brewer. Alice will send information to John Keprios and Wayne Houle. Here is the information regarding Parks and Trails Legacy Grant Progr_am(link). 11/13/2009 Page 4 of 5 6) Partnering with Police Department: Recently there was an About Town article that mentioned police bicycle safety video efforts. Alice Hulbert and Carl Gulbronson were interested in meeting with the police chief to develop better communication. Kirk Johnson will make an introduction and inform them when it is time to contact the Police Chief Mike Siitari. 7) Jersey Idea: Bob Fried reports that many times he has been cut off when biking. He found a person making bright yellow jerseys that say "3 feet Please" on the back, and these are advertised at 3feetplease.com. These can be purchased for $55 in bulk. Contact Bob if you are interested. Another BETF member mentioned that Ironclad.conn has off the shelf reflective jerseys. 8) Regional Trail News a) Nine Mile Creek update from Alice: A full environmental impact study may be needed. Discussion about the impact of this study. Our visitor was interested to make some contacts on behalf of the project: Kirk Johnson to send Neal Blanchett contact information for: Jonathan Vlaming, Dale Woodbeck and Kelly Grissman. b) CP Rail Trail: Todd Brewer (via email to Kirk Johnson) informed the group that there have been no significant activities for the project planning in the recent month; however, there was supposed to have been a September meeting. 9) ETC update a) Jennifer Janovy sent a message to Kirk Johnson indicating that she had proposed a complete streets topic for the next ETC meeting. b) Kirk Johnson brought the news about Hennepin County passing a resolution: The Hennepin County Complete Streets Policy passed recently in County Board Resolution 09-0058R1. 10) Organizing efforts for 2010 (All) We will focus on this in our next months. 11) Bike Education and Leadership Opportunities (Kirk Johnson) a) Hiawatha Bicycle Club -- trained Ride Leader: consider joining and becoming a ride leader. Ride Leader training is typically in March or April each year and is a half day at the Edina Community Center. If you are interested to join the club, go to intp://www.hiawathabike.org/ -- it is only $25 per year for individual membership, $35 for family. I would like for BETF to have at least 5 trained ride leaders in 2010, the more the better. The reason is because it helps us lead community rides of various sorts and the rides are covered for liability by the club. You can view the Ride Leader Manual in the site, which is in "Leader Resources" area. b) League of American Bicyclists -- LCI training (see below). This is a national, highly-regarded training program and I would like for us to have at least 2 LCI instructors by 2010, again the more the better. I will attempt to attend these October training events -- please let me know if you can also! The descriptions of all the classes an instructor-in-training needs to take is at http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/educationiseminars.php . Kirk Johnson sent the BETF a specific note about two training sessions on Saturday mornings that were advertised from David Peterson, Minneapolis Bicycle Ambassador. Questions or corrections? please contact Bike Edina Task Force Chair, Kirkiohnson(a)LoganLogic.com 11/13/2009 Page 5 of 5 Kirk Logan Johnson Bike Edina Task Force, Chair Kirkjohnson@LoganLogic.com (612) 916-9966 (Cell) 11/13/2009 REPORT/RECOMMENDATION To: Mayor & City Council Agenda Item IV. F • From: Boyd Tate Consent X Traffic Safety Coordinator Information Only Date: November 17, 2009 Mgr. Recommends To HRA Subject: Traffic Safety Staff Review for To Council November 4, 2009. Action Motion Resolution Ordinance Discussion Recommendation: Review and approve Traffic Safety Staff Review of Wednesday, November 4, 2009. Info/Background: It is not anticipated that residents will be in attendance at the Council meeting regarding any of the attached issues. TRAFFIC SAFETY STAFF REVIEW Wednesday, November 4, 2009 The staff review of traffic safety matters occurred on November 4, 2009. Staff present included the City Engineer, Assistant City Engineer, City Planner, Traffic Safety Coordinator, Sign Coordinator and Police Traffic Sergeant. From that review, the recommendations below are provided. On each of the items, persons involved have been contacted and the staff recommendation has been discussed with them. They were also informed that if they disagree with the recommendation or have additional facts to present, they can be included on the November 17, 2009, Council Agenda. SECTION A: Requests on which staff recommends approval of request: 1. Request for better signage at the intersection of W. 70th Street and Metro Boulevard. Requestor wants signage that would give west bound 70th Street motorists advanced warning of which lane to be in for both W. 70th Street and Metro Boulevard. Requestor states that a friend of hers was involved in an accident because he was in the wrong lane for Metro Boulevard at W. 70th Street. Requestor feels that better signage could have prevented this accident. This is a high volume intersection (20,000 + vehicles per day) that has had several reported traffic accidents in the past five years. Staff feels that this is a valid request and recommends that additional signage be placed on the traffic light mast to indicate lanes for W. 70th Street and Metro Boulevard. Staff recommends the addition of lane indicator signs to be placed on the overhead mast arm of the traffic light located at W. 70th Street and Metro Boulevard. 2. Request from staff to install no parking signs on the west side of Browndale Avenue as well as lane striping between the Browndale Bridge and Country Club Road. This is part of the Country Club project and has been preapproved. Traffic Safety Staff Review Page 1 of 8 November 4, 2009 G: \ Engineering\Infrastructure \Streets \Traffic \Traffic Advisory Committee\Staff Review Summaries \09 TSAC & Min \Traffic Safety Review 11-04-09 Staff recommends the installation of no parking signs on the west side of Browndale Avenue between the Browndale Bridge and Country Club Road as well as lane striping. SECTION B: Requests on which staff recommends denial of request: 1. Request for a pedestrian crosswalk crossing Blake Road at the intersection of Evanswood Lane and/or a stop sign for Blake Road at the intersection of Evanswood Lane or Pine Grove Road. Blake Road is a state aid "collector" street with curb, gutter, and a sidewalk on the east side. A recent traffic study shows Blake Road to have a Monday- Friday average daily traffic count of 2,315 vehicles with an 85th-percentile speed of 36.0 mph. There have been two reported accidents (non-intersection related) at Blake Road and Evanswood Lane in the past five years. a) 02/23/08. Vehicle in motion struck parked vehicle. Minor damage. No state report. No tows. b) 09/03/09. Auto vs. street sweeper. Car tried to pass street sweeper and was side-swiped. Minor damage. No tows. No state report. Staff brought this request before the Council on October 20, 2009, with a recommendation of denial due to lack of warrants. Requestor was present at this meeting and addressed the Council with her concerns. Council then sent this request back to the Traffic Safety Committee for further study and review. Council directed the Committee to study the possibility of adding a sidewalk along the west side of Blake Road. Staff is once again recommending the denial of this request for lack of warrants. The request for stop signs on Blake Road at either Evanswood Lane or Pine Grove Road would not meet warrants. Traffic volumes on Blake Road would need to nearly double in order to comply with policy. All way stop signs can be an effective safety measure if properly warranted. However, they should not be installed inappropriately or out of policy where they may be ignored by drivers, needlessly interrupt traffic flow, and negatively affect fuel consumption, the environment, or cause needless noise. A consistent application of the policy serves both the motorist and resident within the City. Traffic Safety Staff Review Page 2 of 8 November 4, 2009 G: \Engineering\ Infrastructure\Streets\Traftic\Traffic Advisory Committee\Staff Review Summaries \09 TSAC & Min \Traffic Safety Review 11-04-09 The request for a pedestrian crosswalk crossing Blake Road at Evanswood Lane also lacks warrants. (A crosswalk currently exists one block to the north at Fox Meadow Lane). Both pedestrians and motorists in the State of Minnesota have rights and responsibilities on the roadway. Pedestrians must obey the "rules of the road" and yield to motorists if not crossing at an intersection. Conversely, motorists are required to yield to pedestrians when crossing at all intersections, not just intersections where pedestrian crosswalks are painted and signed. The excessive use of signs and pavement marking can substantially reduce the effectiveness of such devices. A consistent application of this policy will serve both the motorist and pedestrian with in the City. Edina's policies regarding stop signs and pedestrian crosswalks are in full compliance with the Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). The Traffic Safety Committee, directed by Council, studied the possibility of placing a sidewalk along the west side of Blake Road. It was deterniined that a sidewalk on the west side of Blake Road would not be feasible due to the placement of utilities, power poles and landscaping. Staff recommends denial of the above request(s) for lack of warrants. 2. Request for stop signs on Country Club Road at Bruce Avenue. This request comes from a resident on Bruce Avenue who is concerned with the speed of traffic on Country Club Road. This intersection is currently controlled with north/south stop signs for Bruce Avenue that state "Cross Traffic Does Not Stop". Country Club to the east is a no- outlet street. There have been no reported accidents at this intersection within the past five years. Adding stop signs on Country Club Road at Bruce Avenue would make this intersection an All-Way stop. Warrants are not met for an All-Way stop. The Country Club Project, including signage, has been reviewed and approved by the Council. Staff feels that no changes are needed at this time. Traffic Safety Staff Review Page 3 of 8 November 4, 2009 G: \ Engineering\ Infrastructure\ Streets\ Traffic \Traffic Advisory Committee \Staff Review Summaries \09 TSAC & Min \Traffic Safety Review 11-04-09 Staff recommends denial of the request for stop signs on Country Club Road at Bruce Avenue for lack of warrants. 3. Request to remove the "Bike Route" signs along Country club Road. Requestor is a resident on Country Club Road who is not happy with the number and placement of the newly installed "Bike Route" signs along Country Club Road and other streets in the neighborhood. Requestor has been advised that the Council has already approved the installation of these signs. There are no signs located on requestor's property. Staff recommends denial of the request to remove the "Bike Route" signs along Country Club Road for the above stated reason. 4. Request to move the "No Parking" sign in front of requestor's residence on the 4600 Block of Moorland Avenue. Requestor feels the sign was placed too close to her recently planted tree and would like it moved. This request comes from a resident on the 4600 block of Moorland Avenue who is concerned that a newly installed "No Parking" sign was placed too close to a young tree that was recently planted to replace one that was taken down. Requestor states that the company that planted the tree informed her that this was the only place in her yard where it could be placed. The city sign coordinator informed staff that the placement of this sign was necessary to comply with spacing requirements. The sign coordinator consulted with the city forester and was informed that the sign was far enough away from the tree and would cause no harm. Requestor was informed of the above and is satisfied. Staff recommends denial of the request to move the "No Parking" sign in front of requestor's residence for the above stated reason. 5. Request for a pedestrian crosswalk crossing Gleason Road at McCauley Trail West. Traffic Safety Staff Review Page 4 of 8 November 4, 2009 G:\ Engineering\ Infrastructure\Streets\Traffic \Traffic Advisory Cornmittee\Staff Review Surnmaries\09 TSAC & Min \Traffic Safety Review 11-04-09 Requestor is a resident of McCauley Trail West and crosses Gleason Road on a daily basis. She states that cars seldom stop or yield while she attempts to cross Gleason Road. Gleason Road at McCauley Trail West is an "A Minor Arterial-Reliever" roadway with an average daily traffic count of 10,089 and an 85th percentilespeed of 34.6 mph. There have been three reported accidents at this intersection within the past five years. Policy dictates that pedestrian crosswalks shall only be placed in an area that has in excess of 20 pedestrians crossing for a minimum of two hours during any eight hour period. This intersection does not meet warrants. Gleason Road curves sharply at McCauley Trail West and north bound traffic would not be able to see pedestrians until their vehicle is directly upon them, making this an un-safe crossing area. A pedestrian crosswalk is located just to the south at Gleason Road and Indian Hills Pass. This is also an all-way stop intersection making it very pedestrian friendly. Requestor has been advised and has been sent a petition form so she can petition for a sidewalk on the west side of Gleason Road from McCauley Trail West, south to Indian Hills Pass. Staff recommends denial of the request for a pedestrian crosswalk crossing Gleason Road at McCauley Trail West for lack of warrants. 6. Request for a pedestrian crosswalk crossing Interlachen Boulevard at Ridge Road or a stop sign at this intersection for east/west Interlachen Boulevard traffic. This request comes from a resident on Interlachen Boulevard who is concerned for the safety of her child who has to cross Interlachen Boulevard to catch the school bus. Requestor states that cars coming east bound on Interlachen Boulevard, down the hill, are usually speeding. Interlachen Boulevard is a 26-foot wide city street with curb, gutter and no sidewalks. An all-way stop exists to the west at Green Farms Road and to the east at Schaefer Road. This intersection does not meet warrants for either a stop sign or a pedestrian crosswalk. Staff spent two days conducting speed studies at this intersection. The average speed for east bound vehicles was 29.1 mph. West bound vehicles averaged 28.5 mph. There has been one accident reported in the past five years. This was a signal car sliding off the roadway on a snow Traffic Safety Staff Review Page 5 of 8 November 4, 2009 G:\ Engineering\ Infrastructure\Streets\Traffie \Traffic Advisory Comm ttee\Staff Review Stimmaries\09 TSAC & Min \Traffic Safety Review 11-04-09 packed street. A traffic study conducted in 2005 on Interlachen Boulevard shows an average daily traffic count of 2,198 with an 85th-percentile speed of 29.4 mph. Requestor has been advised that her child should wait on the south side of Interlachen Boulevard until the school bus arrives and extends the stop arm. This will stop traffic in both directions and the child can safely cross the street. Staff recommends denial of the request for a pedestrian crosswalk and a stop sign on Interlachen Boulevard at Ridge Road for lack of warrants. 7. Request to make the intersection of W. 70th Street and Antrim Road into an All-Way stop (currently a 3-way). Requestor is a resident on Kerry Road who is concerned for the safety of his children who cross W. 70th Street at Antrim Road on their way to school. W. 70th Street is a 44-foot wide Collector street with curb, gutter and a sidewalk and bike lane on the north side. The average daily traffic count is 5,200 vehicles with an 85th-percentile speed of 31.3 mph. Antrim Road is a 44-foot wide Collector street with curb, gutter and a sidewalk on the east side. Antrim Road has bike lanes on both sides of the roadway. Antrim Road has an average daily traffic count of 4,104 and an 85th - percentile speed of 36.4 mph. There has been one reported property damage accident at this intersection in the past five years. This intersection is currently controlled by stop signs for north/south Antrim Road traffic as well as for east bound W. 70th Street traffic. West bound 70th Street does not stop because of a fairly steep hill at this intersection. W. 70th Street is a concrete roadway that gets slippery when wet. Making vehicles stop on this hill would not improve traffic safety. South bound Antrim Road has an advisory sign that states that "Cross Traffic Does Not Stop." Staff recommends denial of the request to make the intersection of W. 70th Street and Antrim Road into an All-Way stop for the above reason. 8. Request for "No Parking/Stopping/Standing" signs on Grimes Avenue at the intersection of Inglewood Avenue south to the entrance to Weber Park. Also a request for a similar sign to be posted on the south side of Weber Park parking lot road. Traffic Safety Staff Review Page 6 of 8 November 4, 2009 G: \ Engineering\ Infrastructure\Streets \Traffic\Traffic Advisory Committee\Staff Review Summaries\09 TSAC & Ivlitaraffie Safety Review 11-04-09 This request comes from one resident on Inglewood Avenue who is concerned with the congestion caused by parents picking up their children from the Calvin Christian School. Calvin Christian School has an enrollment of 210 students. Grimes Avenue has a Monday-Friday average daily traffic count of 1,660 vehicles with an 85th-percenti1e speed of 32.0 mph. There have been no reported accidents at this intersection within the past five years. Grimes Avenue is wide enough to accommodate cars parked on both sides of the street. Staff from the Police Department, Planning Department, Engineering Department and I have observed traffic during the morning drop-off and the afternoon pick-up time periods. Cars do wait on Inglewood Avenue as well as on Grimes Avenue during these times. Cars are pulled to the curb and are only within the intersection for a very brief period of time. The school is well organized and the pick-up process is well supervised. Staff feels that placing signs that read "No Parking/Standing/Stopping" or similar would be redundant. Chief Siitari has informed us that these signs would not be enforceable as long as the vehicles were occupied and in the process of picking up children from the school. Grimes Avenue can safely handle these waiting vehicles and still be usable by other motorists. Virtually all of the schools in Edina have some type of traffic congestion during certain time periods. Fortunately these time periods are very short in duration. Calvin Christian School is not special or different than any of the other schools. A traffic safety issue does not exist here. Staff recommends denial of the request for signs that read "No Parking/Standing/Stopping", or similar, at the intersection of Grimes Avenue and Inglewood Avenue for the above stated reason, SECTION C: Requests that are deferred to a later date or referred to others. Traffic Safety Staff Review Page 7 of 8 November 4, 2009 G: \ Engineering\ Infrastructure\Streets\Traftic \Traffic Advisory Committee\Staff Review Summaries\09 TSAC & Min\Traftie Safety Review 11-04-09 1. Request for an all-way stop at the west end of the Benton Avenue Bridge over Highway 100. 2. Re uest to improve traffic congestion and reduce speed in the area of W. 42' Street and Grimes Avenue. Traffic Safety Staff Review Page 8 of 8 November 4, 2009 G:\Engineering\Infrastructure \Streets \Traffic\Traffic Advisory Committee\Staff Review Summaries\09 TSAC & Miraraffic Safety Review 11-04-09 Page 1 of 1 cci Jack Sullivan From: Wayne Houle Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2009 2:28 PM To: Jack Sullivan Subject: FW: Memo to Commissions regarding Green Step Cities program Follow Up Flag: Follow up Flag Status: Red Please include this in the next ETC back of packet. Wayne Houle whoule@ci.edina.mn.us 952-826-0443 From: Heather Worthington Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 5:26 PM To: Wayne Houle; Cary Teague; Jack Sullivan; John Keprios Cc: Gordon Hughes Subject: Memo to Commissions regarding Green Step Cities program Hi: Please read read the attached memo for background on the Green Step Cities program through the Urban Land Institute (U LI) in conjunction with the MPCA. I would also appreciate it if you could pass this along to the chair of your commission (or to your entire commission if you prefer—I will leave the etiquette issues up to you). In the next couple of months, Kristina Smitten, the Project Manager for this initiative, will be meeting with us. I will coordinate meetings to correspond to the five policy areas that are noted in the memo. The idea here is that all of our commissions who have work related to these policy areas will be able to be a part of this initiative, thereby fostering greater cooperation between our commissions. I'd be happy to coordinate a group meeting ahead of time so that you can meet Kristina and hear from her about this project, as well as answer any questions you have about it. The time commitment for this project is not great for individual commissions and staff; I appreciate how busy you are right now. I appreciate your help in identifying important issues, and working with us to choose the best practices that the City needs to implement to move this project along. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks! HW Heather Worthington, ICMA-CM Assistant City Manager Office: (952) 826-0415 Fax: (952) 826-0390 E-mail: hworthington@ci.edina.mn.us City of Edina • 4801 West 50th Street • Edina, MN 55424-1394 www.cityofedina.com 11/12/2009