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REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION <br /> Date: 6/17/13 <br /> Item No.: 7.g <br />Department Approval City Manager Approval <br />Item Description: Adopt Resolution Requesting MnDOT to Conduct a Speed Study on <br /> <br />Cleveland Avenue, between County Road B-2 and Fairview Avenue <br />B <br />ACKGROUND <br />1 <br />Minnesota Statute 169.14 sets forth speed limits to govern all roadways and alleys in the state. <br />2 <br />Any posted speed limit greater or less than the statutory speed limits must be authorized by the <br />3 <br />Commissioner of Transportation. Any alteration of statutory speed limits on any public road or <br />4 <br />street shall be based upon the results of an engineering and traffic investigation. <br />5 <br />The Commissioner of Transportation sets regulatory speed limits on state and local roads based <br />6 <br />on a thorough engineering and traffic investigation. <br />7 <br />The speed limit on Cleveland Avenue between Fairview Avenue and County Road C2 is signed <br />8 <br />30 mph. Just north of County Road C2 the speed limit on Cleveland is 40 mph. The City and <br />9 <br />County has received several complaints about this speed limit being set too low. After <br />10 <br />responding to one such complaint this past winter, Ramsey County did some research and <br />11 <br />discovered correspondence from the Commissioner of Transportation, dated 1970, indicating <br />12 <br />that the speed limit on this street should be set at 40 mph. There is no record of this speed limit <br />13 <br />being changed by the Commissioner to the posted 30 MPH. As a result, the 30 MPH signage is <br />14 <br />not enforceable. <br />15 <br />It is recommended that a road authority reevaluate non-statutory speed limits on segments of <br />16 <br />their roadways that have undergone a significant change in roadway characteristics or <br />17 <br />surrounding land use since the last review. <br />18 <br />The land use surrounding this road has changed significantly in the last 43 years. As a result, <br />19 <br />instead of just changing the speed limit to 40 MPH to be consistent with the 1970 <br />20 <br />Commissioner’s Order, staff recommends that we have MnDOT conduct a speed study to <br />21 <br />determine what the appropriate speed limit for the road is at this time. <br />22 <br />Ramsey County owns Cleveland Ave north of County Road B2 and will also be requesting a <br />23 <br />MnDOT to complete a speed study for their segment of road. A speed study by MnDOT will <br />24 <br />determine a safe and appropriate speed limit based on the road type, location, access points, <br />25 <br />traffic control devices, crash history, sight distances and test drives. <br />26 <br />PO <br />OLICYBJECTIVE <br />27 <br />Speed laws are created for the protection of the public and the curbing of unreasonable behavior. <br />28 <br />To effectively enforce a law, the public must believe that the law is reasonable. Minnesota's <br />29 <br />Page 1 of 2 <br /> <br />