Agenda - Public Works Committee - 07/15/2014

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Introduction and ackground According to 2013 Minnesota State Statutes, "where traffic -control signals are not in place or in operation, the driver of a vehicle shall stop to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a marked crosswalk or at an intersection with no marked crosswalk." Ad- ditionally, "Every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or at an intersection with no marked cross walk shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway." Although the state statute says that motorists should stop for a pedestrian within a marked crosswalk or crossing at an intersection, in practice motorists do not always stop for pedestrians and yield the right-of-way. Additionally, at locations with high traffic volumes, there may not be adequate gaps in the traffic streatn to allow pedestrians to safely cross. These situations can result in crossings that are challenging to navigate and cause long delays for pedestrians, which may lead to a high risk taking environment and decrease safety. Pedestrian crossing treatments that either reduce the crossing distance or increase driver yield rates have been shown to reduce the potential delay experienced by a pedestrian. While state statutes support the rights of pedestrians at all intersections and marked crosswalks, it is a small comfort when a crash between a vehicle and a pedestrian occurs because a motorist failed to stop and yield the right-of-way. Providing safe crossing situations for pedestrians relies on placing cross- walks and other pedestrian crossing treatments at appropriate locations in a way that also results in minimal pedestrian delay. The Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MN MUTCD) states that crosswalk pavement markings should not be placed indiscriminately and an engineering study should be completed when crosswalk markings are being contemplated at a crossing. Defining where to place pedestrian crossing facilities —including mark- ings, signs, and/or other devices —depends on many factors, including pedestrian volume, vehicular traffic volume, sight lines, and speed. This guidebook presents a methodology for the evaluation of pedestrian cross- ing locations that takes into account both pedestrian safety and delay. sources; State of Minnesota, "2013 Minnesota Statutes 169.21 Pedestrian," 2013. Available: https://wwwrevisornin.gov/stritutes (Accessed January 2014). Minnesota Department of Transportation, Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, Roseville, MN; MnDOTt January 2014. 4