Agenda - Council - 07/26/1994 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CASE # UPDATE ON TRAFFIC ISSUES ON DYSPROSIUM STREET. N.W. By: Steven Jankowski, City Engineer Backgroul~d: On July 12~ 1994, Valerie Hoeller appeared during citizens input and presented the Council with a peti~on signed by 93 residents of the Flintwood Hills development. Specifically this petition r,eq~uested placing four-way stops at the intersections of 141st and 143rd Streets N.W. with ~Dysprosium and further requested that speed bumps be placed between each intersectioa along Dysprosium. The petition suggests that problems have been experienced on this se, etlon of road which include a speeding car striking a child, speeding car striking a house, speeiding cars losing control and leaving the roadway, and cars traveling in excess of 50 milesiper hour. Ramsey Ciw Police Chief Mike Auspos reviewed the accident records from the stretch of Dysprosiurt5_ south of the water tower to the intersection with Industry Avenue N.W. for a 9-1/2 year period from January I, 1985 through July 1, 1994. There were a total of 10 accidents reported during this period of which four occurred at the intersection of Industry and Dysprosium. The potential for intersection accidents would not likely be altered by any modificatio~ns along the length of Dysprosium. The remaining four accidents which actually o~urred on Dysprosium Street N.W. involve one personal injury and three property d ~a~nage. The one personal injury accident on Dysprosium Street N.W. was due to a bicyclist riding into the side of a vehicle. Speed did not appear to be a factor in this accident. 'llhe remaining four property damage accidents involved only one vehicle/fixed object accident. Since this accident occurred prior to 1993, the details were not immediately available to our police staff. It is possible that this fixed object property damage ac~dent was with a house. However, there is no indication of the records of three accidents ix~volving a single house as was stated by Ms. Hoeller at the July 12, 1994 meeting. The only property damage accident reported on Dysprosium Street N.W. in 1993 involved a rear end accident in which no evidence of speed was noted in the officer's report. Observations: A nine-yeW record showing four accidents on this street segment isn't excessive considering~the size and use of this street and its potential for traffic flow. The additional ten-foot pavement width outside the travel lane provides additional separation between pedestrians !and traffic. It may also encourage some driver to travel at faster speeds than posted. Thee proposed use of a stop sign for speed control is not recommended by the Minnesota Fdanual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Experience has shown that the use of a stop sigg is effective in controlling speed only for approximately 100 feet either side of the st.op sigO. Studies have also indicated that speeds have actually increased beyond the stop sign fr6m the conditions experienced previous to its installation. The installation of speed bumps was also requested in the petition. A speed bump is typically used in parking lots and causes significant driver discomfort at lower speeds. At high speeds~ bumps tend to have less overall impact because the vehicle suspension quickly absorbs the tmpact before the body can react. Speed humps on the other hand are generally three to four inches high with a length of approximately 12 feet. At typical residential speeds, spell humps cause some driver discomfort and result in most vehicles slowing to 15 miles pe~ hour or less at each hump. At higher speeds, the hump tends to act as a bump and severely jolts the vehicle suspension and its occupants. Speed humps have generally