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5 Kurvers Point Speed Limit Discussion CITY OF CHANHASSEN 7700 Market Boulevard PO Box 147 Chanhassen, MN 55317 Administration Phone: 952.227.1100 Fax: 952.227.1110 Building Inspections Phone: 952.227.1180 Fax: 952.227.1190 Engineering Phone: 952.227.1160 Fax: 952.227.1170 Finance Phone: 952.227.1140 Fax: 952.227.1110 Park & Recreation Phone: 952.227.1120 Fax: 952.227.1110 Recreation Center 2310 Coulter Boulevard Phone: 952.227.1400 Fax: 952.227.1404 Planning & Natural Resources Phone: 952.227.1130 Fax: 952.227.1110 Public Works 1591 Park Road Phone: 952.227.1300 Fax: 952.227.1310 Senior Center Phone: 952.227.1125 Fax: 952.227.1110 Web Site WNW.ci .chanhassen.mn. us s - MEMORANDUM TO: Todd Gerhardt, City Manager FROM: <<:f.e. Paul Oehme, Director of Public Works/City Engineer \ DATE: October 22,2007 ~. SUBJ: Discussion of Kurvers Point Speed Limit - PW070C DISCUSSION Several property owners in the Kurvers Point neighborhood have requested the City lower the speed limit in their neighborhood to 20 mph. Kurvers Point is a cul-de-sac street with 32 homes accessing the street west of Willow View Cove. A long, sweeping bend on a down grade is present at the entrance to the neighborhood after Willow View Cove. The property owners are concerned about a speeder in the neighborhood and potential pedestrian/vehicle conflicts. The neighborhood does not have a sidewalk. Currently, the street is the required 30 mph speed limit per Minnesota State Statue 169.14. Staff discussed with the neighborhood representatives the Project Lead Foot program. Also, staff set out the speed trailer for two days and took traffic counts with the Engineering department's traffic counters to obtain traffic statistics. The traffic information gathered indicatedthat 85% of the traffic is traveling 23 mph or less. One vehicle was recorded going between 31-35 mph by the traffic counters. The average daily trips for the neighborhood were 260 vehicles which is what would be expected for this type of neighborhood. Based on this information, staff is not recommending the speed limit be lowered to 20 mph. Staff has put up a curve advisory sign at the. first curve into the neighborhood with 20 mph advisory speed signs. Staff also discussed removal of the 30 mph sign at the entrance of the neighborhood with Sergeant Peter Anderley. Based on enforcement action that can be done in the neighborhood, he did not object to removal of the 30 mph sign. The street will still havea speed limit of 30 mph with or without the speed limit sign. The speed limit sign has been removed. No action is necessary by the Council unless the decision is made to lower the speed limit. Attachments The City of Chanhassen · A growin~~ll!R~~I\'1~~ leM~g~~~t9~l1k~.wiBg downtown, thriving businesses, winding trails, and beautiful parks. A great place to live, work, and play. PATROL DIVISION CHANHASSEN STATION Memo To: Paul Oehme Sergeant Peter Anderley ~ From: Date: 10/03/2007 Re: Kurvers Point Rd In reference to the speed limit evaluation on Kurvers Point Rd. The current speed of 30m ph was asked to be evaluated by the citizens that live in the neighborhood. After placing the speed trailer and monitoring traffic, it was determined the average speed on Kurvers Point Rd is much slower then the posted 30mph already. While the speed trailer was out, it captured 2 vehicles between 25-29mph and no vehicles over 30m ph in 8 hours of monitoring. It appears the traffic is traveling at a reasonable speed for a residential neighborhood. Speed enforcement action is virtually non existent and difficult do to the slow speeds indicated for the posted 30mph zone. cc: memo book . Page 1 , , -0: ~~ co '-. -en -------------!:: cp -... (t. 00 ~ (Q - Lotus Lake ~ , , , , , , , , ~ , , , , , , i .- SPEED LIMIT 9 - What are the Legal Speed Limits? :t MN Statute 169.14 Speed laws are created for the protection of ~ . ~ bthe pu?lic and the curbing of unreasonable _ ehavlOr. To effectively enforce a law the public must believe that the law is ' reasonable. Minnesota's speed regulations are based on the same Basic Speed Law that is used in all 50 states: "No perso,n shall drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than IS reasonable and prudent under the conditions". Statutory limits are based on the concept that uniform cate~ories of highways can operate safely at certain preset ~a~ll?um speeds under ideal conditions. Whether the speed lImit IS posted or unposted, drivers are required to reduce speed below these values for poor weather conditions curves or hills and potential hazards such as pedestrians. D:ivers must also reduce speed when approaching or passing emergency vehicles with emergency lights flashing. These are the most common statutory speeds: .J 10 mph in alleys .J 30 mph on streets in urban districts .J 70 mph on rural interstate highways .J 65 mph on urban interstate highways .J 65 mph on expressways .J 55 mph on other roads Whenever these statutory speed limits are not the correct value for a specific highway, the commissioner of transpo.rta.tion authorizes the posting of other regulatory speed lImits. + -\- Interstates are high design multi-lane divided highways that have controlled access interchanges such as cloverleafs or diamond shaped interchanges. Through traffic on the Interstate never has to stop or yield. Examples: 1-94 or 1-35 Expressways are multi-lane divided highways but they have e~tnes and Inter~ectlons, sometimes controlled by traffic signals. Some Interchanges may exist but they are not the rule. Examples: Highway /0 or Highway 52 How Does MnlDOT Determine the Regulatory Speed Limit? 1.'h~ commissioner of transportation sets regulatory speed lImIts on state and local roads based on a thorough engineering and traffic investigation. These factors are considered: .J road type and condition .J location and type of access points (intersections, entrances, etc.) .J sufficient length of roadway (1/4 mile minimum) .J existing traffic control devices (signs, signals, etc.) .J crash history .J traffic volume .J sight distances (curve, hill, etc.) .J test drive results .J speed study The most important part of the traffic investigation is the speed study. When choosing a speed, drivers take many roadway environment factors into consideration. Therefore, the speed that the majority of people consider prudent is an important value. Data is collected by performing radar checks at selected locations on the roadway under ideal driving conditions. A technical analysis is done on the results to determine the 85th percentile. This is the value indicating the speed at which most (85%) drivers are traveling under. Experience has shown that a posted speed limit near this value is the maximum safe and reasonable speed. Studies have shown that traveling much faster or slower than this value can increase your chance of being in a crash. Engineering judgement is an important tool. The traffic investigator must use knowledge of nationally accepted principles combined with experience to assign the safe speed. ,tlNESO~ c>!,l' 1-11< August 2002 2 ~ Minnesota Department of Transportation l ;:!i Office of Traffic Engineering & <<1- ,if Intelligent Transportation Systems r OF Tf\~"O;; Mm',,} Mi""",.", www.dot.state.mn.us/trafficeng ._J What are the Types of Speed Limits? REGULATORY SPEED LIMIT SIGN SPEED LIMIT 50 This black and white sign shows the maximum speed that a motorist may travel under ideal conditions. It can be a statutory value or else it must be authorized by the commissioner of transportation. ADVISORY SPEED SIGN ~ ~ This black and yellow speed sign is used to advise motorists of a comfortable speed to navigate certain situations. It is used with a warning sign. For instance, when traveling on a winding road, the curve waming sign would be used with an advisory speed sign. This sign may be posted by the local road authority on local roads. SPEED LIMITS IN SCHOOL ZONES ~. SPEED LIMIT 20 I <=- I ..."""'" Local authorities may establish school speed limits on local streets, within a school zone, upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation as prescribed by the commissioner of transportation. This regulatory speed limit is in effect whenever children are present, such as before and after school or during recess. The school plate is black and yellow and the other signs are black and white. Optional flourescent yellow green may be used for the school plate. SPEED LIMITS IN WORK ZONES + . .. SPEED LIMIT 40 SPEED LIMIT 50 Advisory speed limits are used to identify safe speeds for specific conditions within a work zone. These black and orange signs are always used with warning signs. The local road authority can post these plates in work zones on local roads. Work zone speed limits are short term regulatory speed limits that are established for worker safety due to traffic in adjacent lanes. These speed limits range from 20 mph to 40 mph on two lane-two way roads and up to 55 mph on divided highways. They can be posted by the local road authority in active work zones on local roads. The FINES DOUBLE plate is black and orange and the speed limit sign is black and white. Temporary speed limits in construction zones are sometimes needed for long term construction projects or detour routes. These regulatory black and white signs are used when a reduced speed is needed for driver safety. Valid 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, these must be authorized by the commissioner of transportation for any roadway. See the website: www.dot.state.mn.us/speed _..!~r more information on "Work Zone Speed Guidelines" , Questions & Answers Will lowering the speed limit reduce speeds? NO. Studies show that there is little change in the speed pattem after the posting of a speed limit. The driver is much more influenced by the roadway conditions. Will lowering the speed limit reduce crash frequency? NO. Although lowering the speed limit is often seen as a cure-all in preventing crashes, this is not the case. Crashes are most often the result of driver inattention and driver error. However, if a posted speed limit is unrealistically low, it creates a greater speed variance (i.e. some drivers follow the speed limit while most drive the reasonable speed). This speed variance can contribute to crashes, Why do we even have speed limits? A uniform speed of vehicles in a traffic flow results in the safest operation. The posted speed limits can keep the traffic flowing smoothly provided the majority of drivers find the speed limits reasonable. To best do this, the limits must be consistent throughout the state. The speed limits also give the motorist an idea of a reasonable speed to drive in an unfamiliar location. The speed limits are used by police officials to identify excessive speeds and curb unreasonable behavior. Who Do I Contact? If you believe that there is a safety concern or an inappropriate speed limit posted, the person to contact depends on the type of road. TRUNK HIGHWAYS For regulatory and advisory speed limits on the trunk highway system, you may contact the district traffic engineer at your Mn/DOT district office. The trunk highway system includes: CJ Interstate Highways, o U.S. Highways and D Minnesota State Highways LOCAL STREETS AND HIGHWAYS For these roadways, you may contact your local road authority (county, city, or township). For advisory speed limits: The local road authority can determine these advisory speeds and post the plates without authorization from the commissioner of transportation. For regulatory speed limits: The local road authority can pass a resolution requesting an investigation by Mn/DOT. Based upon the results, Mn/DOT may then authorize the local road authority to post new speed limits. The phone numbers to call for state or local assistance can be found in the phone book under government listings. If you are unable to find the proper phone number, you may call the Mn/DOT Information Center at the following numbers: 1-800-657-3774 Greater Minnesota or 651-296-3000 Twin Cities Metro Area 8 ...J DOUBLE FINES will be imposed for violating any regulatory speed limits in work zones or ... ... Sa rety in school zones, Fines are also double for failing to reduce speed when passing by a stopped ~ · emergency vehicle with its lights flashing. Notes ...J When an EMERGENCY VEHICLE is approaching you, move to the closest shoulder without crossing the path of the approaching emergency vehicle. You may proceed when the emergency vehicle passes you. If you are approaching a stopped emergency vehicle with its lights flashing, immediately reduce speed and, if it's safe to do so, move over in your lane away from the stopped emergency vehicle. Drivers should actually change lanes if there are two or more lanes in the same direction and there are no vehicles in their path.