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October
7, 2002
Acting
Commissioner Douglas
Weiszhaar
Minnesota Department
of Transportation
Transportation
Building
395 John Ireland
Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155-1899
Dear
Acting Commissioner
Weiszhaar:
The
Hiawatha Light
Rail Community
Advisory Committee
(CAC) discussed
pedestrian safety
and bus circulation
at its September
25th meeting.
Originally
the issue centered
on the 38th Street
and 46th Street
crossings, but
quickly evolved
into a general
discussion of
the excessive
speed and dangerous
conditions that
exist along the
light rail line
where it parallels
Highway 55. Highway
55 is also a serious
impediment to
potential development
identified in
the Lake Street
and 46th Street
master plans.
Experience
around the country
shows that the
pedestrian friendliness
of areas along
a light rail corridor,
especially stations,
is critical for
the success of
a light rail line.
It enhances foot
and bike traffic,
encourages greater
ridership and
transit-oriented
development. Traffic
traveling 50+
mph just yards
from light rail
stations poses
danger for pedestrians,
bicyclists and
bus riders who
want to cross
Hiawatha to any
of the stations
south of Lake
Street. Developers
will view the
highway as severing
half of their
potential markets;
only auto-oriented
developers will
see the highway
as bringing potential
customers to their
businesses.
In
1976, the Hiawatha
Avenue Design
Advisory Committee
recommended building
Hiawatha as a
four-lane boulevard.
That recommendation
has been stretched
to the limit with
the current design
speed of 50 mph.
Using the 85th
percentile may
be appropriate
when a corridor
is designed exclusively
for cars. But
to maximize our
investment in
LRT the corridor
itself must safely
accommodate multiple
modes, not just
cars as it does
today. Thus, various
features must
be redesigned
to bring about
more reasonable
speeds. Engineers
who successfully
design roads for
50+ mph can also
design roads for
lower speeds and
we challenge them
to do so on Highway
55.
To
promote transit-oriented
development and
pedestrian safety,
the CAC has in
the past made
recommendations
to MnDOT - most
of which have
been ignored.
Free right turns
that pose significant
hazards to pedestrians
and bicyclists,
median strips
that are too narrow
to protect pedestrians
in winter from
the spray of passing
cars and trucks
and inadequate
marking of crosswalks
have all been
issues raised
previously.
The
CAC again requests
that MnDOT end
free-right turns,
widen the medians
and enhance the
marking of the
crosswalks. New
recommendations
include:
- maintain a speed
limit of 35 mph,
- strict enforcement
of that 35 mph
speed limit,
- rumble strips
before a car arrives
at an intersection,
- speed bumps
attuned to a car
going 35 mph (but
no more) just
before
reaching a crosswalk,
- bump outs at
crosswalks, and
- longer crosswalk
times.
Without
these changes
on Highway 55,
much of the potential
of our investment
in light rail
will be lost.
The station area
plan for 46th
Street calls for
500 units of new
housing. These
families, children
and seniors will
have to cross
46th Street and
Highway 55 to
access the light
rail station.
An auto throughput
chart must not
jeopardize their
safety.
Highway
55 should not
be a transportation
benefit for cars
alone at the expense
of light rail
and those who
live near it.
Minnesota's first
light rail corridor
presents an opportunity
for MnDOT to think
outside the auto-oriented
box. Please ask
your engineers
to consider and
report back on
the CAC's recommendations.
We welcome other
suggestions to
slow traffic and
increase pedestrian
safety along TH
55 in the Hiawatha
Corridor.
A
response would
be greatly appreciated
at or before the
November 20th
CAC meeting. To
secure time on
the agenda, please
contact Jennifer
Lovaasen at 651-602-1493.
Sincerely,
Carol Kummer
Chair of the Hiawatha
Light Rail CAC
cc:
Hiawatha Light
Rail Community
Advisory Committee,
Hiawatha Light
Rail Corridor
Management Committee,
Bob Winter, MnDOT
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