Agenda - Council - 03/25/2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Marcia 19, 2003 (Letter to be addressed to Anoka County Commissioners and Doug Fischer, Anoka County Highway DepartmenO I am writing this letter on behalf of the citiZens of Ramsey, the Ramsey Elementary School Administration, the Ramsey Police Department, and the Ramsey City Council regarding the speed zone on County Road 5, in front of the Ramsey Elementary School. As you may _or may not be aware, in 2002, the speed limit and the times in the school zone were changed. The old, or previous speed and times were 45 miles per hour from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The new signs now have a 35 mile per hour speed limit from 9:15 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and from 4:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. It is the times that are posted on the new signs that we believe are a cause for concern. From a law enforcement aspect, it is very difficult to enforce a 45 minute time period. We obviously will not enforce the time period to the minute because allowance needs to be made when dealing with a time limit. We do not issue tags for one or two miles over the speed limit and we subsequently would not cite someone for instance, just minutes after 10:00 a.m. for a violation. It concerns us that since the new signs went up, drivers coming through the school zone seem to be checking their watches or clocks rather than automatically slowing down and paying attention to the roadway. From a citizen standpoint, it is much easier to remember to slow down when the time frame is simple like "Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.". Compare this to trying to remember 9:15 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It should also be noted that we see much better compliance to a speed limit when it is easy to remember and/or covers all day. I have been told that the change was made to the speed limits and times so that there is uniformity around the County. I would submit that all school zones are different and that they should be treated differently. At Ramsey Elementary, the buses are not on an exact schedule with some coming earlier and some coming later than the posted times. With recent budget cuts in the School District #11, Ramsey, like all schools, have seen an increase in children walking and riding bikes to.school. Often times, children arrive earlier than the 9:15 a.m. posted time. One of the many programs that. takes place outside of the posted times is the "Adventures Plus" program, which begins each morning at 6:00 a.m. Children are also present much later in the day than the posted time of 5:00 p:m, There are many after school activities, including Scouts, sports, arts and crafts, and the "Adventures Plus" program, that often run until 6:00 p.m. Traffic volume in and around the school is quite high, and poses a potential problem to anyone leaving the school either by vehicle or on foot. -40-