Minutes - Public Works Committee - 02/17/2009

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Ms. Testino stated that she thinks stop signs work beautifully because people in Minnesota actually stop. She stated that she is from the east and people don't stop at the stop signs. Chair Elvig stated that Public Works Director Olson was referring to statistics and criteria the City uses to decide if traffic stops are warranted or not. Ms. Testino stated that the stop signs in Anoka seem to work beautifully. Councilmember Dehen noted that whether the road is closed or not, the garbage trucks will still back up. Public Works Director Olson stated that he doesn't know if it would change anything. He stated that one of the reasons they selected closure at 142nd Avenue was that they realized that trucks need to make a turn around at 142nd so they can still make the T movement and turn. Chair Elvig noted that he has a letter submitted by Ms. Testino where she talks about the road conditions and the number of children present, which he feels is a positive reason for closing the street. Ms. Testino stated that she would like a traffic recount to be conducted because she doesn't believe the numbers. Todd Newlin, 14290 Dysprosium Street, stated that he takes this road to get to Jimmy Johns, SA and others. He stated that his business stopped going to stores in Ramsey because they couldn't get to any of them. He stated that he has an II-foot opening on his driveway, which was poor planning. He stated that he almost ran into a kid because he was concentrating on turning to get out of his driveway. He stated that he feels the added traffic will just add to the problem. He stated that he has enough issues with people driving 45 miles per hour down his street in the morning and he doesn't need any more issues. He stated that he understands the concerns of the people in the neighborhood and agrees it is a dangerous situation. He stated that he supports putting restrictions on turning off 47 to 142nd for peak hours but would like to allow people in the neighborhood to have access to the businesses. Counci1member Dehen stated that thinks everyone here can agree that this area has not been the best planned. He stated that this is a problem solving body and they need to come up with the best solution they can. Mr. Newlin stated that on TH 47 where 142nd Avenue is, the distance between turn lanes at the intersection is small compared to most intersections. He stated that if there are people from both sides that are trying to turn, you cannot both fit into the intersection. He asked if there was a possibility to push back the median to give more room in the intersection and to give a better site line. Connie Wright, 5265 142nd Lane, stated that he talked about the number of accidents in her area and she asked if people were making a left turn onto 142nd Avenue, making a V-turn or if people on 142nd Avenue were making an illegal left hand turn. She stated that she thinks this Public Works Committee / February 17,2009 Page 5 of 19