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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-02-19 TPC PacketAGENDA CITY OF EDINA, MINNESOTA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION COMMUNITY ROOM February 19, 2015 6:00 P.M. I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL III. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Regular Meeting of January 15, 2015 V. COMMUNITY COMMENT During "Community Comment," the Transportation Commission will invite residents to share relevant issues or concerns. Individuals must limit their comments to three minutes. The Chair may limit the number of speakers on the some issue in the interest of time and topic. Generally speaking, items that are elsewhere on tonight's agenda may not be addressed during Community Comment. Individuals should not expect the Chair or Commission Members to respond to their comments tonight. Instead, the Commission might refer the matter to staff for consideration at a future meeting. VI. REPORTS /RECOMMENDATIONS A. Wooddale /Valley View Small Area Plan B. Respect is a Two Way Street Campaign C. Edina Challenge: Transportation Options Subcommittee Discussion D. Traffic Safety Committee Report of February 4, 2015 E. Updates i. Student Member ii. Bike Edina Working Group iii. Living Streets Working Group iv. Walk Edina Working Group a. New Member Recommendation V. Communications Committee Agenda / Edina Transportation Commission February 19, 2015 Page 2 VII. CORRESPONDENCE AND PETITIONS VIII. CHAIR AND COMMISSION MEMBER COMMENTS IX. STAFF COMMENTS X. ADJOURNMENT The City of Edina wants all residents to be comfortable being part of the public process. If you need assistance in the way of hearing amplification, an interpreter, large -print documents or something else, please call 952-92 7-8861 72 hours in advance of the meeting. SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING MEETINGS /DATES /EVENTS Thursday February 19 Regular ETC Meeting 6:00 PM COMMUNITY ROOM Thursday March 19 Regular ETC Meeting 6:00 PM COMMUNITY ROOM Thursday April 16 Regular ETC Meeting 6:00 PM COUNCIL CHAMBERS Thursday May 21 Regular ETC Meeting 6:00 PM COMMUNITY ROOM Thursday June 18 Regular ETC Meeting 6:00 PM COMMUNITY ROOM Thursday July 16 Regular ETC Meeting 6:00 PM COUNCIL CHAMBERS Thursday August 20 Regular ETC Meeting 6:00 PM COMMUNITY ROOM Thursday September 17 Regular ETC Meeting 6:00 PM COMMUNITY ROOM G: \PW \CENTRAL SVCS \TRANSPORTATION DIV \Transportation Commission \Agendas & RR's \2015 Agendas \20150219 Agenda.docx MINUTES OF CITY OF EDINA, MINNESOTA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION COUNCIL CHAMBERS JANUARY 15, 2015 6:00 P.M. ROLL CALL Answering roll call were members Bass, Boettge, lyer, Janovy, La Force, Nelson, Rummel, Spanhake and Whited. ABSENT Campbell, Olson APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA Motion was made by chair Bass and seconded by member LaForce to table Item VI. D. Edina Challenge: Transportation Subcommittee for a future meeting and approve the amended meeting agenda. All voted aye. Motion carried. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES REGULAR MEETING OF December 18,201 Motion was made by member Nelson and seconded by member Spanhake to approve the amended minutes of December 18, 2014. All voted aye. Motion carried. COMMUNITY COMMENT - None. REPORTS /RECOMMENDATIONS Vision Zero Presentation by Jay Walljasper Mr. Walljasper, writer and consultant, presented Vision Zero which is a concept focused on making streets safer to reduce pedestrian fatalities. He said annually, more than 4,500 pedestrians are killed in the US. He said Sweden and the Netherlands serve as good examples of reducing pedestrian fatalities — the Economist Magazine reported that Sweden reduced fatalities by 75% vs. 20% in the US. He said cities in the US like New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Oregon are following their examples and are implementing Vision Zero. Examples of Vision Zero implementation include elementary school street curriculum to teach students about driving, walking, and biking safely; fixing dangerous intersections; enforcing traffic laws, narrowing streets and widening sidewalks, etc. Mr. Walljasper said the emphasis is safety over speed in road design and simply reducing the speed limit is not enough. Discussion Member lyer asked if there were cities similar to Edina that are implementing Vision Zero and if he could recommend a couple things that could be done. Mr. Walljasper said all the cities in Sweden have and he recommended road diet, reducing road width, reducing length of crosswalk, making them more visible, and adding median island as some things that could be done. Member Boettge asked what could be done to change attitudes, beside enforcement. Mr. Walljasper said instead of advocating for engineering changes, make other changes such as planting trees, public art — adding interesting things to look at. Member Janovy asked what do you do when you're proposing improvements but there haven't been any pedestrian fatalities. Mr. Walljasper said they should not wait for a fatality to make improvements. He said if there are few pedestrians it's probably because the area is unsafe so he would try to measure near - misses and also survey people to see if they would walk more if they felt safe. He said 65% of people said they would bike if they felt safe and this probably is the same for pedestrians. Chair Bass thanked Mr. Walljasper for his presentation. 2014 Bicycle & Pedestrian Count Results Mr. Joe Totten, traffic safety coordinator, presented the 2014 Bicycle & Pedestrian Count Results. Mr. Totten explained that bicycle and pedestrian counts are done for transportation planning purposes, health reasons, and the ability to evaluate improvements. He said video counting allows staff to capture long times over multiple days unlike volunteer counters. Counts include bikes, pedestrians, assisted pedestrians (i.e. wheelchair, stroller, skate board, etc.) in 15 minute intervals and are typically taken near major pedestrian generator or where useful. Future counts are generally done at the same locations for year to year comparison and new ones are added as needed. Member La Force asked how the number of users translates into making policies and Mr. Totten said it is a matter of someone choosing to drive to the park which creates wear and tear on the road vs. walking. Planner Nolan added that the data will show trends overtime and this can be used to make improvement decisions. Member La Force asked if weather is taken into account and Mr. Totten said rain days and other inclement weather days are eliminated. Member Janovy asked when the City began using video counts and Mr. Totten said in 2014. Planner Nolan said the volunteer counters were through Transit for Livable Communities. He said the City purchased two video counting cameras and borrowed a third one from City of Richfield. Member Nelson said it would be good to have data from different locations and planner Nolan said the locations counted were chosen because they had three years of previous data and they included a couple new locations because of future planned improvements, i.e., Nine Mile Creek Trail and the Southwest LRT. Mr. Totten added that some of the locations are also required by MNDOT. Planner Nolan said they can add new locations but they are limited by the number of cameras and staff resources. Member lyer asked if staff is considering any of the new equipment that was talked about in the video that was shown. Mr. Totten said the new equipment is ideal for trails like the future Nine Mile Creek Trail. Planner Nolan said Hennepin County is considering installing a permanent counter in the bike lane on Vernon Avenue (bikers outside of the lane would not be counted). Member lyer asked if any changes have been made based on the data. Mr. Totten said yes but they may not have been ideal, i.e. bike lanes on Interlachen Blvd. Chair Bass said counting between 4 -6 p.m., especially at the middle and high schools, may not capture school traffic and suggested counting between 2 -4 p.m. Member La Force asked if they've counted in Bredesen Park, Promenade, etc. and planner Nolan said they've talked about it but haven't yet. Roadway Reconstruction Survey Content and Methodology Members La Force and lyer created the following five data collection points: 1. The ongoing collection /analysis of data related to global needs within the city. It's how we determine what we think residents want. For example, how do they feel about sidewalks, bike lanes, center turn lanes, speed limits? 2. Data collected prior to a specific project to inform the design process. What do residents who are most affected by the proposed project want to see? 3. Data collected during the design and implementation for the purpose of making necessary adjustments. How is the project working? What are the troubles that need to be addressed? 4. Data collected immediately following a project to determine how well the project was implemented. How well did contractors and city staff do their jobs? 5. Data collected at various points in the future to measure the impact a project had on stated goals. To what degree did this project accomplish what it was supposed to have accomplished? Discussion ensued which included the following feedback: 2 • Revising the questionnaire before the next round of projects is critical; certain expectations are set up and not met; be purposeful; have reason for the data; allow for more informed discussions instead of information getting out pieces at a time, i.e., road width, right -of -way, etc.; this allows for a better feasibility report; Council does not see final design; are residents getting what they want? • Agreed with providing data beforehand but data is only one element; decisions aren't made based on surveys alone; make clear what all the pieces are that drive decision - making, e.g. policies, cost constraints, standards, etc. • Provide specification on streets, sidewalks, Municipal State Aid, etc.; this information is universal across the city — make it accessible. • Providing lots of information is good but could it lead to information overload? Create a business process flow chart that explains why they do surveys and post on website; still do not understand the City's business process decision - making. • #1 is outside of the ETC's scope. • Is there a way to use the post project survey to inform the future? • Low participation rate; how do you focus in on data? • What can they do to get better participation? • Order of priority would be for the City to do #2, #4 and #5; #3 should probably not be included because it could be costly. • #1 seems to be broad and more for citywide; #5 is specific to neighborhood projects. • Current survey assumes one per household. • What is the next step? Timeline for getting out questionnaire for 2016 projects is probably May. • Consensus to focus on #2; members La Force, lyer and Janovy volunteered to meet with staff for further discussion. Traffic Safety Committee Report of January 7, 2015 A.1 In the recommendation, change 'resolution' to 'petition.' A.4. "Blocked by disabled vehicle" means broken down vehicles. Is this an enforcement issue since vehicles are to park a certain distance from intersection? What is the policy for posting handicap zone? There isn't a written policy; it is handled on a case -by -case basis in one of two ways — handicap parking only or no parking /loading zone. B.I. Will the traffic light at Cahill be retimed? Yes, staff is coordinating with City of Bloomington for an extra 16 seconds and will observe result. B.2. Change 'land'to 'lane.' C.1. With someone directing traffic the gap study is affected; uncomfortable area to cross so looking at it in a traditional way may not help with analysis; hope there will be an opportunity to look at traffic if school referendum passes so should they wait until then? Staff discussed waiting and acknowledged that the flashing beacon will not work with a crossing guard; school buses and other traffic frequently exit out the marked inbound only entrance. C.2. Agree that the current crosswalk does not meet City policy. D. At what point does the City decide to contact Hennepin County about retiming of traffic signal lights? Usually on a case - by -case basis. Motion was made by member Janovy and seconded by member Spanhake to forward the edited Jan. 7, 2015, report to the City Council. All voted aye. Motion carried. Updates Student Members — None. Bike Edina Working Group Member Janovy said they discussed their focus for 2015 and three main areas of interest are bike parking; evaluation of existing on -road facilities, and increasing their presence at community events. Living Streets Working Group Planner Nolan said two public meetings are planned to share the draft Living Streets Plan with residents and gather feedback. Scheduled meetings are Wed., Feb. 4, 7 p.m. at Public Works and Park Maintenance Facility, 7450 Metro Blvd; and Sat., Feb. 7, 10 a.m. at the Senior Center, 5280 Grandview Sq. Presenters at the meetings will be working group members and Living Streets Champions. Feedback from the meetings will be shared with the ETC at the next regular scheduled meeting. Walk Edina Working Group Member Boettge said at their first meeting they talked about experiences and concerns and plan to talk about expectations at the next meeting. She recommended two new members. Motion was made by member Boettge and seconded by member lyer to approve members Coby LaVenture and Andrea Bender to the Walk Edina Working Group. All voted aye. Motion carried. Communications Committee Member LaForce asked about the multi -modal education plan and planner Nolan said it did not make the January agenda because of the limited preparation time due to the holidays and number of items on the agenda. He said it will be on the February agenda. CORRESPONDENCE AND PETITIONS Planner Nolan distributed a newspaper article from Mayor Hovland titled "Varied Routes to Safer Streets." CHAIR AND COMMISSION MEMBER COMMENTS Member Whited said thank you and goodbye as she ended her term with this meeting. The commission thanked her for her service. Member lyer asked if there were data on damages to roads by large trucks versus cars and if all streets are constructed to the same specification. Planner Nolan said he was not aware of any data but this does not mean it does not exist. Regarding street construction specification, he said pavement depths are different based on street classification. Chair Bass noted that the article, Varied Routes to Safer Streets, from Mayor Hovland speaks directly to the Vision Zero presentation. Member Nelson said he is still concerned with the newly installed crosswalks on France Avenue that drivers still do not know where to stop and suggested public education. Planner Nolan said staff is still talking with Hennepin County about this and the ETC can include this in their campaign next month. Member Nelson said further that since the lanes have been realigned, drivers are following the expansion joints when they cannot see the lane markers and they do not always match up. Member LaForce said the Byerly's retaining wall at the corner of France Avenue and Hazelton Road forces drivers to pull into the crosswalk to see around it. He asked about the advisory communication that the ETC sent to Council last month and planner Nolan said staff is putting together a cost estimate for Council in February. Member Boettge said she liked what Mr. Walljasper said, "saferstreets are a gift to Edina!" Member Janovy asked if the final report for the experimental bike lanes was submitted and planner Nolan said he received it late last week. She said a couple months ago an advisory was given to Council on bike parking but it was never discussed. She asked if there was a process to get advisories on Council's agenda for discussion. Planner Nolan said the current process is to put advisories under correspondences on the agenda but he will check to see if it could be handled differently. Member Janovy said she would like to see a clearer process because there are times when advisories are recommending a specific action, i.e. the bike parking advisory was for code modification. Member lyer suggested that Council spend a few minutes on commissions' advisories. El Student member Rummel said she enjoyed Mr. Walljasper's presentation. She said safer streets promote walking and relaxed mode of transportation which gets more people out and create a sense of community. STAFF COMMENTS A grant application was submitted for the Cornelia Drive Sidewalk along with a resolution of support from Council and a letter of support from the school district. A response is expected by March. Staff plans to begin the design process in March. On Feb. 3, staff will submit a report to Council to modify the bicycle lane ordinance and add Olinger Blvd as a designated bike lane. City Council will hold a work session with the ETC and Bike Edina on Jun. 16, 5 p.m. Each group will be allotted one hour each. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned. Chair Bass called the meeting back to order because a resident wanted to address the ETC. Related to the Traffic Safety Report above, item A.1., Ms. Lesa Brostuen, 5517 Malibu Drive, requested a recommendation from the ETC to City Council to assign new street names and signs for the cul -de -sacs off of Malibu Drive. She said staff is recommending that Council approve a sign showing house numbers but she said it takes the mind longer to process house numbers than street name. Also, she said the topography is such that drivers cannot tell that it is a cul -de -sac and they drive in expecting the road to go thru. She said the area has three streets that intersect, and they are all named Malibu Drive. Ms. Brostuen was advised to attend the Council meeting when the Traffic Safety Report is on the agenda and address the Council directly. Meeting adjourned. ATTENDANCE To: Edina Transportation Commission From: Karen M. Kurt Date: February 19, 2015 Subject: Wooddale/Valley View Small Area Plan ,w9& A,1,� O e v � �y 18AA Agenda Item #: VI. A. Action ❑ Discussion ❑x Information ❑ Action Requested: Feedback regarding the transportation section of the Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Information / Background: The Wooddale Valley View Small Area Planning Team, a working group of the Planning Commission comprised of residents and business owners, has completed a draft small area plan for the neighborhood commercial node. The proposed plan includes recommendations related to transportation, developed in conjunction with the consultant team and city staff. Members of the Wooddale Valley View Small Area Planning Team will be present to answer questions. The Planning Team is seeking feedback from the Transportation Commission before seeking final approval from the Planning Commission and City Council. The complete plan can be found online at http: // edinamn .gov /wooddale_valleyview_sap Attachments: Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan — Chapter 5: Transportation and Street Design g: \pw \central Svcs \transportation div \transportation commission \agendas & rr's \2015 r &r \20150219 \item vi.a. wooddale- valley view small area plan.docx City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424 Transportation and Street Design Current Conditions 5.1 Trends and Challenges 5.2 Goals and Policies 5.3 Implementation Steps 5.4. Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design 5.1 Current Conditions Image from Bing Maps, 2015 Jurisdiction of Roadways Wooddale Avenue, Valley View Road, and 62nd Street are under City of Edina jurisdiction and are designated as Municipal State Aid (MSA) streets. This designation is afforded to streets that link regional roads, and, thus, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn /DOT) has an interest in their design, operations, and maintenance. Mn /DOT design standards must be followed when considering improvements to Wooddale Avenue, Valley View Road, and 62nd Street, and deviations must be approved before they can be implemented. Functional Classification of Roadways Wooddale Avenue, Valley View Road, and 62nd Street are functionally classified as collector streets. This is particularly important for Valley View Road, which operates as an east /west connector corridor. Its location within the City (south of 50th Street and north of Highway 62 and with linkages to Highway 100 and France Avenue) position it to carry regional traffic. Atthe same time, the segment of Valley View Road that passes through the Small Area Plan Study Area is lined with residences and neighborhood- oriented businesses. 48 1 P a g e Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design Wooddale Avenue As shown in the typical section, Wooddale Avenue is 31 feet -wide from face of curb -to -face of curb and is constructed within 66 feet of public right -of -way. It exists today as a two lane street between Fairfax Avenue and Garrison Lane. A five foot -wide sidewalk is located along the east side of Wooddale in the segment between Fairfax Avenue and Valley View Road. There is no sidewalk on the west side of Wooddale Avenue within this segment. Northbound and southbound bike lanes, both six feet wide, are located on Wooddale Avenue north of Valley View Road. The bike lanes are indicated with "share the road with cyclists" markings. Private properties are located outside the public Chevrons are painted in street to indicate a right -of -way on both the west and east sides of "sharrow" or a "share the road" condition. Wooddale Avenue. The Edina Village Market is located on the west side of Wooddale Avenue, and the ValleyWood office building is on the east side. The right -of -way on the west side of Wooddale Avenue includes several curb cuts, with trees planted in grassy areas between driveways. On the east side, the surface parking lot for the ValleyWood office buiding actually encroaches into the public right -of -way by about twelve feet. Wooddale Avenue This cross - section is north of Valley View, looking north. 1— 31 ' - 1 curb face -to -curb face: 1 /X_ t r I t Edina Village VallevWood Market ' Formes - - ......... -..- ....._._._..... - ......._tai .. ... - - -- - -- Office B&tildinR Wally's Exact location of existutg property lies to be ceiified Figure 5.1 Wooddale Avenue Existing Conditions Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page 1 49 Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design Valley View Road, west of Wooddale Avenue, looking west. Valley View Road The overall right -of -way width of Valley View Road is 66 feet between property lines. Within the right -of -way are two travel lanes, each 17 feet wide, and one five foot -wide sidewalk on the south side of the street. There is no sidewalk on the north side of Valley View Road in this segment. Outside the right -of -way, west of Wooddale Avenue, is the Edina Village Market on the north side of Valley View Road and an apartment building on the south side of the street. As shown on the typical section, the Edina Village Market has been built on a rise that is about 12 feet higher than Valley View Road at the western property line of the Edina Village Market. Valley View Road This cross - section is west of Wooddale, looking west. I curb face -to -curb face j i I l � t 66 Exact location of existing propem lines to be t eritie& Edina Village Market Parking Lot Figure 5.2 Valley View Road Existing Conditions 50 1 P a g e Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design 62nd Street Sixty- second (62nd) Street is an east /west MSA street (and regional route) that links two other regional routes, Valley View Road and France Avenue. It also provides direct access to residences. The configuration of its intersection with Oaklawn Avenue and Valley View Road is not desirable because: • The intersection of Intersection 62 11 Street, Oaklawn and Valley View Road. Oaklawn Avenue and 62nd Street is only 50 feet from the intersection of 62nd Street and Valley View Road. • The storage distance for southbound vehicles on 62nd Street approaching Valley View Road is less than 20 feet long. • The curvilinear alignment of 62nd Street, as it approaches Oaklawn Avenue from the east, encourages drivers to enter the curve at higher than desirable speeds. • There is no traffic control device to regulate the flow (or speed) of westbound traffic on 62nd Street as it approaches Oaklawn Avenue from the east. Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan P a g e 1 51 Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design 5.2 Trends and Challenges Traffic Control and Safety • The majority of traffic on Study Area streets is regional traffic that passes through the area. This traffic has a trip origin and trip destination outside the Study Area. Today, the design of streets and intersections is more oriented toward serving regional traffic than local traffic. • Traffic volumes within the Study Area are forecast to grow. Daily traffic actually decreased between 1999 and 2005 but increased between 2005 and 2013. The percentage of growth in daily traffic has historically been higher on Valley View Road compared to Wooddale Avenue. This trend is expected to continue in the future where daily traffic on Wooddale Avenue is forecast to increase from 3,200 (in 2013) to 3,500 (in 2030), a nine percent increase. During this same period daily traffic on Valley View Road Is there a need for crosswalks? Is the node walkable and pedestrian - friendly? Should pedestrian activity be encouraged along Valley View Road? Resident, October 11 Workshop How can we eliminate some of the driveways into the commercial properties? Do we need so many driveways into and out of the commercial space? Resident, October 11 Workshop , east of Wooddale Avenue, is forecast to increase from 7,900 (in 2013) to 11,000 (in 2030), a 39 percent increase. Table 5A: Historical and Forecast Dailv Traffic Volumes Year Two -Way Daily Traffic Volume On Wooddale, North of Valley View On Valley View, West of Wooddale On Valley View, East of Wooddale 1999* 4100 6400 9400 2005* 3050 5000 7900 2013* 3200 5900 7900 2030 ** 1 3500 1 Not Provided 11000 * Mn /DOT MSA Street Series Mapping ** City of 2008 Edina Comprehensive Plan • The challenge is to coordinate any design improvements for Wooddale Avenue, Valley View Road, and 62nd Street to ensure that all modes of 52 1 P a g e Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design transportation are integrated. As learned during the planning process, the City and its residents are interested in seeing the Study Area become more friendly to pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders. Parking • The supply of parking at the two commercial /retail centers in the Study Area (Edina Village Market on the northwest corner of the Wooddale Valley View intersection and ValleyWood Center on the northeast corner) currently outstrips parking demand most of the time. This situation could change in the future as redevelopment and development occur and parking generation associated with new uses increases. Parking supplies consume a lot of space. Each parking stall requires a minimum of 162 square feet, and, with the addition of 24 foot -wide drive aisles, an average of 350 square feet is required for each parked car. Parking is expensive. The cost of constructing a single parking stall in a surface lot is between $6,000 and $7,000. Parking structures and parking garages, with additional costs for supporting structures and excavation, can be four times to seven times more expensive than surface lots. As is obvious, the provision of on -site parking can impact project development economics and bears on the amount of usable space that can ultimately be constructed. The location of parking in a district can have far - reaching impacts. Of concern would be development /redevelopment economics, traffic and pedestrian circulation, and appearance. Accessibility The Study Area for the Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan has 16 access driveways in the immediate vicinity of the key intersection. Numerous access driveways can make it more convenient for cars to enter and exit private properties. At the same time, each driveway introduces a conflict point to the roadway network, and it is at conflict points where crashes occur. Excessive numbers of driveways create uncomfortable gaps for pedestrians. Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page 1 53 Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design Street Design for Walking, Biking and Transit The Study Area lacks a consistent provision of facilities that would encourage and support safe and convenient reliance on alternative travel modes. Lacking are sidewalks for walking, bike paths for biking, and properly located transit shelters for riding the bus. • Sidewalks are not provided within the Study Area on: the west side of Wooddale Avenue, north of Valley View Road, neither the west nor east side of Wooddale Avenue, south of Valley View Road, - the north side of Valley View Road, west of Wooddale Avenue. • There are only two pedestrian crosswalks (instead of four) at the intersection of Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road. • Bike paths are needed on Valley View Road, west of Wooddale Avenue. • Pedestrian - oriented street lighting that is consistently installed throughout the Study Area. • Tree - planted boulevards between sidewalks and the streets. • Existing transit facilities are bus stops (without shelters) that are too close to the street and without pedestrian pathways for access to /from them. A major challenge is to fit sidewalks, bike paths, and improved transit facilities into the existing public right -of -way and /or to ensure that as redevelopment and development occurs these facilities are included in approved design plans. A related challenge is to ensure that facilities that encourage and support alternative travel modes are located so as to make travel to /from key destinations in the Study Area safe and convenient. A final implementation challenge is to determine the timing for the implementation of the public realm improvements. 54 1 P a g c Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design 5.3 Goals and Policies Traffic Control and Safety Recognizing that both Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road are Municipal State -Aid streets, the City will coordinate with Mn /DOT on the design and implementation of public improvements within the rights -of -way of these two streets. Improvements should include: ■ Travel Lane Width Reductions: Study the feasibility of reducing the width of travel lanes on Valley View Road to 11 feet. A section that shows 11 foot - wide travel lanes on Valley View Road is presented on the following page. This section is to be compared to the section that shows existing Valley View Road. ■ Intersection at 62nd / Oaklawn / Valley View: Study the feasibility of improving the intersection of 62nd Street, Oak Lawn Avenue and Valley View Road to reduce conflicts between northbound left- turning vehicles and westbound south - turning vehicles. An example of how this intersection might be improved is shown on the following page. Figure 5.3: Alternative #3; Oaklawn / 62nd / Valley View Intersection Study is the elimination of a direct connection from Oaklawn Avenue to Valley View • Reduce the Number of Road. Full study found in Background Reports and Driveways: Where feasible, as Information. future development occurs, encourage the sharing of driveways across property lines and ensure that future developments are only allowed the minimum number of driveways necessary to provide convenient and safe ingress and egress. • Enforcement: Increase enforcement of existing traffic safety laws (e.g., speed, tailgating, coming to a complete stop at Stop signs, yielding to pedestrians, etc.) to improve safety. Parking Current parking supplies at the Edina Village Market and the ValleyWood Center typically exceed current parking demand. Recognizing that this may change in the future as development occurs, the following parking - related policies should be adopted. Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page 1 55 Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design Commercial Parking: Commercial parking should be behind or along -side the buildings and be visually buffered by plantings so as to encourage an active streetscape. ■ Residential Parking: Residential parking should be located under the buildings to the extent allowed by market conditions. Develop Flexible Parking Ratios: Parking ratios that reflect residents' increasing use of transit service should be applied to new residential developments. Street Design Providing facilities for pedestrians, transit riders and cyclists that offer sufficient levels of comfort, convenience and safety will make it easier and more practical for alternative travel modes to be used. Where necessary, the City will need to coordinate with Mn /DOT or other agencies such as Metro Transit to implement the following improvements. In some cases the City and property owners will be able to act alone. The public improvements described below are illustrated in Figures 5.5 and 5.6; both are illustrative cross - sections of Wooddale Avenue (north of Valley View Road) and Valley View Road (west of Wooddale Avenue). These section should to be compared Figures 5.1 and 5.2 that shows existing conditions in the same locations. The second is a diagram that shows the locations of the streetscape improvements. ■ Crosswalks: Complete the crosswalks at the intersection of Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road, connecting all four corners. ■ Construct Sidewalks along Wooddale Avenue: Construct a new sidewalk and tree - planted boulevard on the west side of Wooddale Avenue between Fairfax Avenue and Valley View Road. Construct a sidewalk on either the west or east side of Wooddale Avenue (or both sides), south of Valley View Road, consistent with the installation of pedestrian - scaled street lighting. ■ Install Pedestrian - Scaled Street Lighting: Pedestrian - oriented street lighting has been installed along Valley View Road, east of Wooddale Avenue. Install new pedestrian- scaled street lighting within the Study Area consistently throughout the entire node. Extend lighting to a point on Wooddale 150 feet south of Valley View Road (approximately one -half block). ■ Construct a Sidewalk along Valley View Road: Construct a new sidewalk and boulevard on the north side of Valley View Road between Wooddale Avenue and St. Johns Avenue and further west as appropriate. 56 1 P a g e Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design ■ Provide Bus Shelters: Coordinate with Metro Transit and adjacent property owners to provide bus shelters that will protect transit riders from inclement weather at the locations with the Study Area where passengers board and alight Routes 6B, 6U, and 587. ■ Construct Boulevards: Boulevards should be developed along the east and west sides of Wooddale Avenue between the sidewalks and the curbs. ■ Plant Boulevards: Boulevards within the Study Area should be planted with a variety of trees that grow to a height of less than 30 feet. ■ Bicycle Lanes: Construct a pair of bicycle lanes on Valley View Road between Wooddale Avenue and St. Johns Avenue and further west as appropriate. Best Practices The Small Area Plan process, and this Small Area Plan document does not set specific performance standards for public realm improvements. Upon any improvement, a formal design process will be necessary that ensures the use of best practices in regards to topics such as: • Community aesthetic or thematic preferences; • Sustainable materials; • Energy conservation and carbon reduction goals; • District stormwater management; • City of Edina's `Living Streets' principles and policies. Key for Figure 5.4 (Following Page) Public Realm Improvements °'■11°m"O New or Improved Sidewalks New or Improved Tree Planted Boulevards New Bike Lanes New Pedestrian -Scale Lighting New Cross -walks Intersection Improvement(s) Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan P a g e 1 57 V :z cU WO Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design ...•.• ..... bb 0 U M " �'� i Cb ;> say-w aaall (-,I.)Uo s > T SO ds .2 Rw r. n. 0 Figure 5.5 Wooddale Avenue illustrative of Long-Range Policy Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page 1 59 IT III' SIt3Qjq 1031 :,dI(q)jIIiq x nitIl K n ...•.• ..... bb 0 U M " �'� i Cb ;> say-w aaall (-,I.)Uo s > T SO ds .2 Rw r. n. 0 Figure 5.5 Wooddale Avenue illustrative of Long-Range Policy Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page 1 59 1 f y 1 C v saouas aaJLP w awo OVk n4a!A ria[iv\ �a apps t ;u IPaou F.VUI 11nq wmnj f y s — . — . — . — . — . — .. m( N tC n 1 La 0 O c� u ! S 4� w -_ x o _ 5 S Figure 5.5 Valley View Road Illustrative of Long -Range Policy ti 3 V N y 60 1 P a g e Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design 5.4 Implementation Steps Table 513 - Implementation Steps for Transportation and Street Design Action Leads Time Frame Install and maintain crosswalks Engineering Department 2015 Provide bus shelters Community Development 2015 Department, Metro Transit, property owners Study addition of bicycle lanes on Valley View Engineering Department Road Study addition of sidewalk on north side of Engineering Department Valley View Road Study addition of sidewalk on west side of Engineering Department City to consider with Wooddale Avenue future CIP planning as Study installation of street lighting on Valley Engineering Department budgets and priorities View Road and Wooddale Avenue allow Study construction of boulevards Engineering Department Investigate travel lane width reductions on Engineering Department Valley View Road Study intersection improvements at Valley Engineering Department 2018 View /62nd /Oaklawn intersection. Implement related Valley View Road improvements within period specified in CIP. Consolidate or otherwise reduce number of Community Development and When Comprehensive driveways Engineering Plan is updated Implement policy regarding commercial Community Development When Comprehensive parking Department Plan is updated Implement policy regarding residential Community Development When Comprehensive parking Department Plan is updated Develop policy on flexible parking ratios Community Development When Comprehensive Plan is updated Increase enforcement within the Study Area Police Department Ongoing Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page 1 61 R, O e '? �CORPORP�� 1888 To: Edina Transportation Commission Agenda Item M. VI. B. From: Mark K. Nolan, AICP, Transportation Planner Action ❑ Discussion ❑x Date: February 19, 2015 Information ❑ Subject: "Respect is a Two -Way Street" Street Safety Campaign Messages Action Requested: Feedback regarding the revised "Respect is a Two -Way Street" Street Safety Campaign Information / Background: Please recall that in August of 2014, the ETC considered a draft street safety campaign prepared by City staff titled "Respect is a Two -Way Street." This campaign is being developed to focus on promoting safe walking, biking and driving behavior on Edina's roadways. At the August 2014 meeting, Commissioners provided staff with input and feedback regarding the proposed plan, and City staff from the Communications, Administration, Engineering and Police Departments has continued to meet to revise the proposal. As discussed previously, an eight -month effort is envisioned, starting in the spring of 2015, with a monthly topical focus. This campaign is called "Respect is a Two -Way Street." Please review the attached memorandum and share your comments. Attachments: Memorandum: Communications messages and materials for street safety campaign G: \PW \CENTRAL SVCS \TRANSPORTATION DIV \Transportation Commission \Agendas & RR's \2015 R &R \20150219 \Item VI.B. Respect is a Two Way Street Compaign.docx City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424 OF MEMO Communications & Technology Services Department 49IN , Phone 952 - 826 -0359 • Fax 952 - 826 -0389 • www.EdinaMN.gov e -� O Date: Feb. 3, 2015 To: City Manager Scott Neal Police Chief Dave Nelson Engineering Director Chad Millner Lt. Tim Olson cc: Senior Communications Coordinator Kaylin Martin Communications Coordinator Jordan Gilgenbach City Management Fellow Lindy Crawford From: Communications & Technology Services Director Jennifer Bennerotte Transportation Planner Mark Nolan Re: Communications messages and materials for street safety campaign Background The City of Edina has been working for years to make Edina easier and safer to navigate by foot and bike. The City has made strides over the last several years to make biking through and around Edina easier and more convenient. The City has about 16 miles of on- street bicycle facilities and 3 miles of off -road bike facilities — figures that will continue to grow. The Engineering Department's goal is to add 2.5 miles of new bike facilities each year. In the last two years, more than 9 miles of bike facilities were added around the community. Additionally, in December the City Council approved a Comprehensive Plan Amendment updating the City's sidewalk facilities map, which now looks to add an additional 40 miles of sidewalk to the City's 78 miles of sidewalk over the next 20 to 30 years. In May of 2014, the City was named a bronze -level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. Edina is one of only I I cities in the state to have any level designation from the League. A Bicycle Friendly Community encourages people to bike for transportation and recreation to improve public health, reduce traffic demands, improve air quality and better an individual's physical fitness. According to the League, such communities are more connected, active and environmentally sustainable, and see increased property values, business growth and tourism. An education campaign for all street users (motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists) is one of the Transportation Commission's work plan goals. As a result, in recent months, requests for communications materials have been made by both the Police and Engineering departments. Beginning in June 2014, staff from multiple departments began meeting to discuss and formulate a City -wide education campaign, including determining appropriate messages and materials for an eight -month campaign. The campaign is on the Police Department's work plan for 2015. Staff believes that the campaign should foster a culture of respect among all street users and should be modeled after Edina Police Department's "Focus In" campaign, with a monthly focus on a safety topic. VIRM M Page 2 MEMO Messaging A, The theme of the campaign will be "Respect is a Two -Way Street." Key messages, p e developed from those used by the League of American Bicyclists and Yield to Life,, o for the eight months will be: • r.,"Z Different but Equal /Follow the Law. In all states, cyclists are deemed by law to be drivers of vehicles and are entitled to the same rights on the road as motorists. Motorists: Expect cyclists on the road. Watch for cyclists on the road. Treat them as you would any slow - moving vehicle. Bicyclists: Your safety and image of bicyclists depend on you. You have the same rights and duties as drivers. Obey traffic signals and stop signs. Ride with traffic; use the rightmost portion of a lane or roadway where space allows. Signal your turns. Ride no more than two abreast in a single lane but do not impede normal and reasonable movement of traffic. Respect. Cyclists have a rightful spot on the road, and even the sidewalk. Do not resent cyclists. Replace frustration with a smile every time you see a cyclist. Be Predictable and Visible. Bicyclists: Make your intentions clear to everyone on the road. Ride in a straight line and don't swerve between parked cars. Signal turns, and check behind you well before turning or changing lanes. Ride where people can see you and wear bright clothing. Use a front white light, red rear light and reflectors when visibility is poor. Make eye contact with others, and If you choose to ride on the sidewalk, slow down and yield to pedestrians. Motorists: Do not pass a cyclist until you can see that you can safely do so. You should allow ample space between your vehicle and the bicycle and make sure you do not place the cyclist in danger. If you pass too closely, the drag from your vehicle can pull a cyclist off course and cause the rider to swerve out of control. Pedestrians: Use the sidewalk — it's unlawful to walk along the roadway if there's an accessible sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk, walk on the left side of the roadway (when practicable), facing traffic. Cross at intersections or marked crosswalks when not at an intersection; pedestrians have the right -of -way at these locations. Patience. not Patients. Motorists: Patience, especially on the road, is a virtue, and can save lives. Your patience may involve: • Waiting until it is safe to pass a bicycle and refraining from tailgating. • Giving cyclists the right of way when the situation calls for it. • Allowing extra time for cyclists and pedestrians to go through intersections. • Recognizing road hazards that may be dangerous for cyclists and giving cyclists the necessary space to deal with them. In conditions where there is not enough room for a cyclist to ride to Page 3 MEMO the right, they are allowed to ride closer to the lane of traffic, and w91 , sometimes even in the lane of traffic. o o Stop in advance of a stop sign, stop line or crosswalk and yield toN, o pedestrians o • ,��'nRroPATC IBNB Never engage in conduct that harasses or endangers a cyclist or pedestrian. Above all: Be tolerant. Be understanding. Be careful. The Right Behavior. Motorists: Watch out for pedestrians and cyclists when you are turning right. A bicyclist may well be to the right of you and planning to go straight at the same intersection. Do not speed ahead of the bicyclist thinking you can negotiate the turn before they reach your car. The cyclist may be going faster than you think and, as you slow to make the turn, the cyclist may not be able to avoid crashing into the passenger side of your vehicle. To the Left, To the Left Motorists: Also look for cyclists when making a left-hand turn. Cyclists who are crossing straight through the same intersection in the opposite direction may be going faster than you realize. It is particularly dangerous on a descending slope, when cyclists pick up more speed. A Back -up Plan. Motorists: Bicycles, and the people who drive them, come in all shapes and sizes. When backing out of your driveway always look to see if someone is riding in your path or approaching on a sidewalk. Pedestrians and children on small bikes might be hard to see. Drive slowly and look carefully. Honing Your Horning Habit Motorists: Do not honk unnecessarily at cyclists. If the need arises to honk your horn to alert a cyclist who you are about to pass, do so at a respectable distance. If you are too close, the noise itself can cause a cyclist to lose his or her bearings and create a hazardous situation for both you and the cyclist. The footer of some materials will have a call to action to "Try it, You'll Like It." Supporting messages could be "Ride a bike or walk. It may just change your life. Riding and walking is good for you and good for your environment. At the very least, it will give you a better appreciation for the problems cyclists and pedestrians face every day on the road with respect to motorists." Though the City Code was recently amended to allow bicyclists to ride on sidewalks, the group decided not promote riding bikes on sidewalks, but rather let the rules be known and use messaging such as "When you choose to ride on sidewalks, [this is the procedure.]" Project Elements The group agreed to follow the communications model of the Edina Police Department's "Focus In" campaign, with a monthly focus on a safety topic. Ongoing during this eight -month campaign would be website updates, social media posts and video bulletin board messages, all done in house and at no charge to the Police or Engineering departments. Whenever appropriate, stories will be included in About Town, Edition: Edina and "Agenda: Edina" and video public service announcements created. Press releases and video content would also be developed each month. OF Page 4 MEMO To bring additional attention to the campaign, the group agreed to work on 1A, newspaper advertisements, posters, brochures and other promotional and informational pieces. 0 Doing all of the above projects would cost approximately $4,600 - $6,100, plus staff time. Funding for the campaign would come from an $8,000 SHIP grant, Pedestrian and Cycling Safety (PACS) Fund and perhaps $400 or $500 from the Edina Crime Prevention Fund. Edina Public Schools will be asked to support the campaign by allowing the City to hang posters in the schools and occasionally attach promotional and informational pieces to bike racks at schools. Through an existing agreement between the Communications & Technology Services Department and Edina Public Schools, a story on the campaign could be written by City staff and inserted in the school district's newsletter. Additionally, some ads can be placed free -of- charge in Community Education catalogs. We may want to ask if we could have a presence at some of the school district's larger events, such as school carnivals in the spring. There, we could distribute information and reflective sliders. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to meet again to discuss the plan. Otherwise, it should be routed through your departments and the Transportation Commission for feedback. Then, we can finalize the plan and begin work so that the campaign is ready to be rolled out in the spring. Thank you! To: Edina Transportation Commission From: Mark K. Nolan, AICP, Transportation Planner Date: February 19, 2015 Subject: Edina Transportation Options Subcommittee Discussion Action Requested: None. Information / Background: o e y �• l�C�RPOR!���0 IAAA Agenda Item #: VI. C. Action ❑ Discussion ❑x Information ❑ At the December 2014 ETC meeting, guests from the Edina Challenge steering committee visited the ETC to share information about the 5th priority for the Edina Challenge (an initiative to ensure all Edina youth have support to access community resources and reach their full potential): transportation for underserved youth. ETC formed a subcommittee, composed of the following members: Katherine Bass, Jack Campbell, Paul Nelson, Anna Rummel, Dawn Spankhe Discussion Members discussed the idea that many residents -- youth, seniors, transit dependent, residents with disabilities - are challenged by a lack of good transportation options to get around within the city. There is a problem with intra -city mobility that is bigger than just the challenges faced by youth. An advantage to forming a working group would be that ETC could 1) conduct additional listening to understand and articulate the full scope of the problem, and 2) broaden the potential coalition of organizations interested in finding solutions. Additionally, members discussed the importance of having a diverse group of stakeholders like the Edina Challenge steering committee bring this transportation issue to ETC and ask to partner. We'd like to be responsive to this community identified need. Risks Subcommittee members also quickly recognized that there is a great potential for a working group to bite off more than it has the resources to address, given that working groups do not have the benefit of city staff support in the same vein as commissions. Additionally, ETC already has a good deal of work on its 2015 work plan. City of Edina • 4801 W. 50,h St. • Edina, MN 55424 REPORT / RECOMMENDATION Page 2 Subcommittee members also cautioned against the allure of solving the problem for "everyone" with a big, expensive solution. They felt a more doable approach would be to understand the full scope of the problem, then solve for one audience first - like a pilot - and thoughtfully expand if it works. Recommendation The subcommittee recommends the following action by ETC: Establish a "Getting around in the city" working group with a narrow purpose: Articulate the full scope of the problem, through additional research and community conversation (we felt this scope would feed the circulator work that is currently on our 2015 work plan) and make a recommendation to the ETC - and subsequently Council - based on these findings. The recommendation is likely to include a request for staff and /or budget support in identifying solutions based on the findings. Be clear about the city's boundaries (what is and isn't within our control). Attachments: None G: \PW \CENTRAL SVCS \TRANSPORTATION DIV \Transportation Commission \Agendas & RR's \2015 R &R \20150219 \Item VI.C. Edina Transportation Options Subcommittee.docx To: Edina Transportation Commission From: Joseph Totten, Traffic Safety Coordinator Date: February 19, 2015 Subject: Traffic Safety Committee Report of February 4, 2015 o e • !^CnRPC)RA�FO � 0 iexe Agenda Item #: VI. D. Action ❑x Discussion ❑ Information ❑ Action Requested: Review and recommend Traffic Safety Committee (TSC) Report of Wednesday February 4, 2015 be forwarded to City Council for approval. Information / Background: It is not anticipated that residents will be in attendance at the meeting. An overview of the comments from the Edina Transportation Commission (ETC) will be included in the staff report provided to Council for their March 17, 2015 meeting. Attachments: Traffic Safety Committee Report for February 4, 2015. G:\PW\CENTRALSVCS\TRANSPORTATION DIV \Traffic Safety Committee \Staff Review Summaries \15 TSAC & Min \2 -04 -15 Cover.docx City of Edina • 4801 W. 506 St. • Edina, MN 55424 Traffic Safety Preview Wednesday, February 4, 2015 The Traffic Safety Committee (TSC) review of traffic safety matters occurred on January 07. The City Engineer, Public Works Director, Transportation Planner, Traffic Safety Coordinator, Sign Coordinator, Assistant City Planner, and Police Lieutenant were in attendance for this meeting. From these reviews, the recommendations below are provided. On each of the items, persons involved have been contacted and staff recommendation has been discussed with them. They were informed that if they disagree with the recommendation or have additional facts to present, they can be included on the February 19 Edina Transportation Commission and the March 17 City Council agenda. Section A: Items on which the Traffic Safety Committee recommends approval Al. Request for clarification placards for "When Children Are Present" placards around Cornelia School, and enforcement of speed limits On the definition of these speed limits and when they are in effect, Minnesota State Statute 169.14 Subdivision 5a "Speed zoning in school zone, surcharge" reads, "Such school speed limits shall be in effect 1 Harlow, Tim. Star Tribune, "The Drive: If children present, rules on speed zones rule ". April 7`h, 2014. Accessed online at http:// www. startribune .com /local/254114111.html, October 3152 Page 1 of 10 when children are present, going to or leaving school during opening or closing hours or during school recess periods." For this request, the Traffic Safety Committee recommends approval, as police have started further enforcement of areas around this school. A2. Request for further signalization of the 49th % Street crosswalks This request comes from the business ____ Y association at 501h and France, noting the ineffectiveness of the signed only crosswalks' along 49Th yz St. On 49th yz St. there were 4.5 �.._ • "'r s a: gaps per five minutes for the central crosswalk, 011 gas and 4.p2 p 2 ar five minutes crosswalk, per five minutes on the west gaps .�° ,r crosswalk during the AM peak 1 -hour segment, the east crosswalk was analyzed for gaps in the Photo : 50` and France area, current crosswalk on 49` 1/2 afternoon and had an average of 2.8 gaps per five minute interval during the PM peak. All of these meet warrants for improvement to actuated pedestrian signals. Research has shown that continuous flashers do not increase long term pedestrian safety, as drivers grow accustomed to their presence. Pedestrian actuated flashers have higher rates of yielding as they are not flashing except when drivers are expected to yield. The city's crosswalk policy is located in Appendix B. After review, the Traffic Safety Committee recommends that this request be approved and Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacons with pedestrian actuation (push- buttons) to be installed. These installations will take place as funding permits. A3. Request for enforcement of No- Parking Zones near the Creek Valley School at pick up times This request comes from a resident who has concerns about parents who are picking up their children at Creek Valley Elementary, the requester says that these parents stand their vehicles south on Gleason, beyond the intersection with Creek Valley Rd. and on Creek Valley Rd. A site investigation was conducted and Gleason, south of Creek Valley is signed for no parking. Creek Valley Rd. has no parking restrictions, and there were cars parking on both sides of the street to either queue to pick up their children in their vehicles, or walk their children across the school yard to a waiting vehicle. Gleason was also seen as a major queuing Map : Parking /standing is occurring legally is marked in green, illegal parking /standing is taking place in areas marked red Photo : Gleason Rd. illegal parking, looking south from Creek Valley Page 2 of 10 place for vehicles, with queues reaching 8 cars south of the intersection with Creek Valley Rd. The Minnesota State Statute for parking laws is provided in Appendix A. After review, staff recommends that this item be approved, with parents being informed of this action's illegality by flyers handed to them at school pick up times. Enforcement will also be used after educational materials have been distributed. A4. Request for a redesign of the Eden Ave at Grange and Wilson Roads This request comes from a resident who notes that the intersection is very chaotic, that the centerlines of opposing streets do not align, and that there are no pedestrian amenities. The demand for pedestrian facilities will be reviewed in the spring, but the current design has been the subject of some focus by the engineering department, and thus a small redesign of the intersection was done. A free -right "Pork - chop" island is recommended to be added to the southern approach, this will reduce crossing distances for pedestrians, shrink the intersection, and allow the southern stop sign to be moved much closer to the conflict points of the intersection, increasing visibility. This intersection has been the site of 3 crashes since 2010. /// 1 Drawing : The proposed curblines in the Southeast corner are shown in blue, black is existing. Ma : Eden Ave and Wilson /Grange Rd. The proximity of the intersection to freeway access, the skew of intersection, and its location in a high traffic area all contribute to its chaotic nature. p After review, staff recommends that this request be approved, with further study being done to ensure turning movements are possible at this intersection to finalize design. Crosswalks at this intersection will be studied in the spring. The intersection will then be added to the queue of projects that the city is considering when funding is available. A5. Signage of Curves on Gleason Road, from Dewey Hill Road north This request comes from staff, as an extension of a previous request by a resident who was concerned about the number of people losing control of their vehicles on Gleason Rd. The Traffic Safety Committee Page 3 of 10 asked for all sections of Gleason, under the city's jurisdiction, be reviewed for proper design speeds. In appendix C, the design speed of the curves (rounded down to the nearest 5 mph) is indicated, occasionally in two directions when the design speeds of the inside and outside curves were seen to be different. Super - elevations (banking of the curves) were assumed to be a normal 2% crown throughout. After review, the number of curves with design speeds below 30 miles per hour was too great to place a sign at each curve. Thus staff recommends placing the maximum safe speed below existing curved road ahead signs, assigning a maximum safe speed at the beginning of road segments on Gleason. Section B: Items on which the Traffic Safety Committee recommends denial B1. Request for increased gaps for left turns and crossing the street on 50th Street at Arden Avenue This request comes from a resident in the 3. ': ML. Country Club neighborhood, who notes that exiting the neighborhood on 501h is very' difficult especially at high traffic times, and _- who does not wish to use Wooddale to turn` R� left onto 50 A video study was performed, ,`� ° -� th and the area has very few gaps from the 501h Map: Arden Ave and 50 St. is circled. 50 and France and France Area, and many of these are area can be seen on the right of the map removed from right turns from Maple and 49th %2 St. Typical numbers for gaps in the weekend rush hours, when the queue of vehicles on 50th does not reach the intersection of Maple and 501h, was 4.5 gaps acceptable to left turns in 10 minutes, and when accounting for those gaps used by right turns, the gaps were reduced to 3 every ten minutes. In the morning, there were more gaps, averaging 6.7 gaps per ten minutes acceptable for left turns at Maple, with right turns reducing the amount of gaps available to left turns to 5.3 gaps per ten minutes. The requestor also noted that the lack of gaps made crossing the street more difficult, but the pedestrian gaps were not investigated as the lack of gaps for motor vehicles signaled that there would be few acceptable pedestrian gaps. After review, staff recommends denial of this request, as there was not enough traffic on Arden to warrant control of 50th, and a lack of available options to decrease traffic on 50th being available to staff. Section D: Other Traffic Safetv Items handled D1. A resident noted that on 701h Street at York, old lane assignments were still present and conflicted with more recent signage. Sign shop staff removed the signage. D2. A visitor called on a Friday afternoon asking how traffic would be on Saturday on TH 100 due to MnDOT construction. Using the internet to find the TH 100 project, the Traffic Safety Coordinator told the requestor that there were no planned construction activities and therefore less delay was expected than previously had been experienced when lanes had been closed for the project. D3. A resident emailed that roads were in poor condition, and that the intersection of Parklawn and France had a signal that was mistimed. The traffic signal request was forwarded to Hennepin County, while the Page 4 of 10 street maintenance request was sent to the Public Works department. D4. A requestor noted that with the free right "Pork- Chop" islands on France now removed, the crossing distances were further for pedestrians at some intersections; however the pedestrian clearance interval had not been lengthened. These reports were forwarded to Hennepin County. D5. A manager of a senior facility requested that northbound York at 76th have a restricted right turn on red to allow for more gaps for left turn exits from the facility's parking. This requestor was given contact information for Hennepin County. Page 5 of 10 Appendix A: State Parking Laws 169.34 PROHIBITIONS; STOPPING, PARKING. Subdivision 1.Prohibitions. (a) No person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a police officer or traffic - control device, in any of the following places: (1) on a sidewalk; (2) in front of a public or private driveway; (3) within an intersection; (4) within ten feet of a fire hydrant; (5) on a crosswalk; (6) within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection; (7) within 30 feet upon the approach to any flashing beacon, stop sign, or traffic - control signal located at the side of a roadway; (8) between a safety zone and the adjacent curb or within 30 feet of points on the curb immediately opposite the ends of a safety zone, unless a different length is indicated by signs or markings; (9) within 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing; (10) within 20 feet of the driveway entrance to any fire station and on the side of a street opposite the entrance to any fire station within 75 feet of said entrance when properly signposted; (11) alongside or opposite any street excavation or obstruction when such stopping, standing, or parking would obstruct traffic; (12) on the roadway side of any vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb of a street; (13) upon any bridge or other elevated structure upon a highway or within a highway tunnel, except as otherwise provided by ordinance; (14) within a bicycle lane, except when posted signs permit parking; or (15) at any place where official signs prohibit stopping. (b) No person shall move a vehicle not owned by such person into any prohibited area or away from a curb such distance as is unlawful. (c) No person shall, for camping purposes, leave or park a travel trailer on or within the limits of any highway or on any highway right -of -way, except where signs are erected designating the place as a campsite. (d) No person shall stop or park a vehicle on a street or highway when directed or ordered to proceed by any peace officer invested by law with authority to direct, control, or regulate traffic. Subdivision 2 has been removed by the Traffic Safety Coordinator, as it was not relevant to the cases at hand. Page 6 of 10 Appendix B: Crosswalk Policy Marked Pedestrian Crosswalks A. Marked crosswalks are placed at locations that are unusually hazardous or at locations not readily apparent as having pedestrian movement. B. Marked crosswalks will 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. C. Marking for crosswalks will be established by measuring the "Vehicle Gap Time ". This is the total number of gaps between vehicular traffic recorded during the average five minute period in the peak hour. Criteria for markings are: 1) More than five gaps — pavement marking and signage only. 2) Four to five gaps — add activated pedestal mounted flasher. 3) Less than three gaps — add activated overhead mounted flasher. D. Crosswalks will not be placed on arterial roads or roads with a speed limit greater than 30 mph unless in conjunction with signalization. E. Other conditions that warrant crosswalks: 1) Routes to schools 2) Locations adjacent to libraries, community centers, and other high use public facilities. 3) Locations adjacent to public parks. 4) Locations where significant numbers of handicapped persons cross a street. 5) Locations where significant numbers of senior citizens cross a street. F. Crosswalks will only be placed at intersections. Page 7 of 10 Appendix C: jonn veere Lanascapes C. 40 Dewey Hill Rd 1 25 mph I Funky Chunky cll� ISO .> 20 mph Page 8 of 10 Valley View Ad Va I ley View Rd Chapel Dr f CO'p 2 FF alle Dr "..., Erin-fP- > 0 25 mph \ \` »« . .. \. BraebuTO R-6 0 .och Moor CI) 25 mph John Deere Landscapes ) \ 25 mph 25 mph Dewey Hill Rd Page 9 of 10 of rt4 qe e "'dinetr e Cr Creek Valley Elementary School ``'0 f� Creek Valley Rd 0 Balder to a a ® :T ti; a � 25 mph 20 mph �' 20 mph ;4 t fta�� Valley View fad C.� Church of St °i1ts :y Patrick of Edina Page 10 of 10 w� ,� N o v �y • ,�OORPORP`SF"� � IHHB To: Edina Transportation Commission Agenda Item A. VI. B. From: Mark K. Nolan, AICP, Transportation Planner Action ❑ Discussion ❑x Date: February 19, 2015 Information ❑ Subject: "Respect is a Two -Way Street" Street Safety Campaign Messages Action Requested: Feedback regarding the revised "Respect is a Two -Way Street" Street Safety Campaign Information / Background: Please recall that in August of 2014, the ETC considered a draft street safety campaign prepared by City staff titled "Respect is a Two -Way Street." This campaign is being developed to focus on promoting safe walking, biking and driving behavior on Edina's roadways. At the August 2014 meeting, Commissioners provided staff with input and feedback regarding the proposed plan, and City staff from the Communications, Administration, Engineering and Police Departments has continued to meet to revise the proposal. As discussed previously, an eight -month effort is envisioned, starting in the spring of 2015, with a monthly topical focus. This campaign is called "Respect is a Two -Way Street." Please review the attached memorandum and share your comments. Attachments: Memorandum: Communications messages and materials for street safety campaign G: \PW \CENTRAL SVCS \TRANSPORTATION DIV \Transportation Commission \Agendas & RR's \2015 R &R \20150219 \Item VI.B. Respect is a Two Way Street Campaign.docx City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424 Walk Edina Recommendation To: ETC RE: Recommendation to appoint one new member Date: February 19, 2015 Background Resident, Joel Stegner completed and submitted an application and was interviewed by phone before being recommended. Joel has extensive experience volunteering in Edina. He states that his "primary goal as a volunteer is to improve living conditions in Edina ". Joel is recommended based on his past experience, his knowledge of Edina and his concern for the safety of pedestrians in Edina. To: Edina Transportation Commission From: Mark K. Nolan, AICP, Transportation Planner Date: February 19, 2015 Subject: Correspondence Action Requested: No action is necessary. Attachments: Attached is correspondence received since the last ETC meeting. O A, Alx�vP e as Agenda Item #: VII. A. Action ❑ Discussion ❑ Information ❑x G: \PW \CENTRAL sVCS \TRANSPORTATION OIV\Tronsportofion Commission \Agendas & RR's \2015 R &R \20150219 \Item VILA. Coirespondence.docx City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St, a Edina, MN 55424 Mark K. Nolan Subject: FW: EEC Living Streets Recommendation for Transportation Commission From: Dianne Latham [mailto:Dianne@LathamPark.net] Sent: Friday, January 16, 2015 11:32 PM To: Ross Bintner Cc: John Heer; Keith Kostuch Subject: EEC Living Streets Recommendation for Transportation Commission 1 -16 -15 Ross, Please forward the following to the Transportation Commission Liaison, Mark Nolan, the Transportation Commission Chair, Katherine Bass, as well as to Jennifer Janovy, a Transportation Commission member of the Living Streets Task Force, so that it may be placed in the Transportation Commission packet for their information. Below you will find excerpts from the Urban Forest Task Force Report related to EEC's recommendations regarding Living Streets. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Excerpt of EEC's Urban Forest Task Force Report Relevant to Living Sheets Tile Urban Forest Task Force (UFTF) was established by the Edina Energy and Environment Commission at the February 17, 2010 meeting. It consisted of Chair Dianne Plunkett Latham (EEC), Joseph Halbert (Park Board), Michael Schroeder (Planning Commission), Staff - Tom Horwath (City of Edina Forester). Attending meetings related to City Planning code was staff Carry Teague (Planning Director) as well. The Urban Forest Task Force met eleven times between 3 -18 -10 and 4- 02 -13. The EEC approved the Urban Forest Task Force Report and it was placed on the 6 -18 -13 Council /EEC Work Session agenda. Council approved the report to move forward to the relevant commissions for their consideration — Park Board, Planning and Transportation. The portion of the UFTF relevant to the Transportation Commission was that of tine UFTF's objective to make recommendations for trees in Living Streets initiatives. EEC therefore considered the Living Streets objectives with respect to trees as listed on p. 29 of 2-11-13 Living Streets draft: a. Develop a comprehensive tree ordinance for the preservation and addition of boulevard trees b. Define standards for preserving and /or adding boulevard trees to all street reconstruction projects EEC's Proposed Standards: a. All street reconstruction plans will include adding 1.5" to 2" DBH overstory trees along the boulevard such that at maturity their drip lines will nearly touch, except in such areas where rain gardens or driveways are anticipated. Minnesota native overstory trees are preferred. Survival rates are the best for trees within the 1.5" to 2" DBH range. b. Funding for the trees will be part of the cost of street reconstruction projects. This will include planting and mulch as well as a watering contract for the first year. Thereafter residents will be responsible for watering and pruning the trees. c. The homeowner on whose property the trees are to be planted will have the opportunity to select the species of trees to be planted on their property from a list of tree species approved by the City. Selections will be made on a first come, first served basis for each project so that no more than 50% of the trees in any street reconstruction project will be of any given species. The City will make the selection for any resident not declaring their selection by the required date. Residents will be asked to list their first, second and third choices. Dianne Plunkett Latham Commissioner, Edina Energy & Environment Commission Chair, Urban Forest Task Force 7013 Comanche Ct. Edina MN 55439 -1004 952 - 941 -3542 Dianne @LathamPark.net DOT HS 811 026 August 2008 NHTSA www.tihtsa.gov J-Onalk;ng is very cool — it's free, it's great exercise, you can do it to get almost anywhere. You can visit your friends,'' travel to school, the movies, shopping, worship, museums, or sporting events. What's not cool is when young people are killed or injured while walking. So here are some important things to remember so you stay safe and healthy. V Safety tips for grossing the street: o' Stop at the curb or the edge of the road if there is no curb. Thin to remember when walking: 1 Always walk on the sidewalk. Walk on the sidewalk if there is one. ASV If no sidewalk, walk facing traffic. If there Js no sidewalk and you have to walk on the road, be sure to walk facing traffic. `a .Be safe. Be seen. Brightly colored clothing makes it easier for drivers to see you during the daytime. But at night, you need to have a flashlight or wear special reflective material on your shoes, cap, and jacket or on your arms or legs that bounce the car's lights off you and back to the driver. This light should caution the driver that there is something or someone moving and they should slow down and be careful Stop and look left, then right, then left again for moving cars before you step into the street. If you see a ear, wait until it goes by. Then look left, right, left again until no cars are coming. "I If a car is parked where you are crossing, look to make sure there is no driver and that the car is not running. 0� Next, go to the edge of the car and look left- right -left to see if cars are coming. E3) When no cars are coming, Walk -- do not run -- across the road. Keep looking left- right -left for cars while you are crossing. arting out in front of a parked car is dangerous. The driver of the car coming down the street can't see you.