Agenda - Council - 05/12/2009 - Laserfiche WebLink

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3A REFINING DEFINITIONS FOUND IN SPEED LIMIT STATUTES Definitions relative to speed limits, as well ase Task Forcefwork, all applicableQdefiriitions we eta Statute 169.01 DEFTNITIONS. As part of th reviewed. `Where the need for clarification or ephreeidefin t ons wl~ch wee studied inodetail~ develop revised. definitions. Presented below changes were. recommended for all. three of them. 3.1 Urban District 3,1.1 Urban District Discussion The task force studied the definition that is usedctl on the defin ition s exp essed in statute the Urban Disb'ict definition is based exa y the Uniform Vehicle Code (UVC}. This definition has been in use in the UVC since • 1934 and is used by many other states besides Minnesota. Those factors provided a baseline level of support for its use. The task force identified deficiencies in the definition o ri ~~ is ~zvet onto warrant is believe that these deficiencies detracted sufficiently fr being substantially changed, _ _ _ _ __ The identified possible deficiencies included the following: • Although the general concept of an "Urban District" is understandable, the woxding in-the definition is vague, • The definition znay be considered outdated for current development patterns. * The definition relies on spacing between structures for defining the distance; there are no distinctions madefor other factors which influence the safety, throughput and safe travel speed of a road (e.g., width of road or boulevard, frequency of driveways or cross streets, number of lanes, access control, parking, road curvature and alignment, etc.). • Similarly, the definition does not address other area conditions that can influence the perception of appropriate speed (e.g., nearby -large commercial development, setback of buildings, pedestrian activity and pedestrian paths). • The definition does not make a distinction relative to a roadway Function or surrounding land use (e.g., residential or business). The use of the word "street" within the definition {rather than "street or highway") causes confusion amongst agencies over which roadways are covered by this definition (e.g., are "highways" covered`?) Regarding the lack of distinction regarding the surrounding land use, the Task Force explored the possibility of creating two classifications within the urban category {e.g., an "Urban Business Roadway" and an "Urban Residential Roadway"). However, after considerable discussion within the Task Force, it was determined that a substantial change in the "Urban District" application may be difficult for drivers to understand. Drivers can clearly understand when they are operating in an Urban District; however, it maybe difficult to notice the change from an Urban Business Page 13 -168-