2021_10-26_PWETCPacket - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

RAMSEY COUNTY Introduction Ramsey County's Pedestrian Crossing Treatment Guideline describes best practices for pedestrian crossing treatments on County Roads. This guideline does not detail policies relating to other Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) such as bicycle or scooter riders. This guideline addresses criteria for implementing a crosswalk based on various road environment features. Reason & Need: Out of the 107 fatal crashes in Ramsey County from 2016 to 2020, 41 (or 38%) involved a pedestrian. In the state of Minnesota, 14% (273 of 1,893) of fatal crashes involved a pedestrian during that same five-year period. Creating a safe and consistent environment for pedestrians along County Roads has a direct and positive effect on these types of statistics and pedestrian safety improvement strategies are aligned with Ramsey County's Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan and with Ramsey County's All -Abilities Transportation Network.' Definitions: Minnesota Statute 169.011 Subd. 202 defines a crosswalk as "that portion of a roadway ordinarily included with the prolongation or connection of the lateral lines of sidewalks at intersections' and as "any portion of a roadway distinctly indicated for pedestrian crossing by lines or other markings on the surface." Under Subd. 53 of the same Statute, a pedestrian is defined as "any person afoot or in a wheelchair." And Minnesota Statute 169.213 Subd. 2a states that "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." Measures and Reference Material: Street crossings where stop signs or traffic signals do not control traffic are known as uncontrolled crossings, which when treated with crosswalk markings and other features can improve pedestrian safety. Current crosswalk marking procedures will be discussed. This guideline will consider and discuss various measures when assessing a proposed pedestrian crossing location. Some of these measures include a location's: Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT), pedestrian traffic, speed limit, crash history, crossing distance, geographic relation to future development, and others. Per MnDOT Guidance for Installation of Pedestrian Crosswalks on Minnesota State Highways', a minimum volume of 20 pedestrians at any given hour is an initial threshold for consideration of a crosswalk. The City of Saint Paul's Pedestrian Crossing Treatments5 document recommends that "school -aged pedestrians count two times towards the minimum pedestrian volume threshold." Ramsey County will adopt a combination of these two approaches in its Pedestrian Crossing Treatment Guideline. Thresholds for other measures are addressed in Figure 3, an evaluation guide for determining crosswalk feasibility within an urban setting. Additional Considerations: One of Ramsey County's priorities, as identified in the 2019 Strategic Plan', of "inclusive, effective and meaningful community engagement" is vital to ensure that under -represented communities or those impacted by poverty have an equal opportunity for input regarding County projects. Other considerations addressed related to additional solutions and strategies associated with pedestrian crossings. Procedure: Coordination with appropriate Ramsey County Public Works Staff is encouraged in order to discuss potential pedestrian crossing options and their viability. As part of the review, Ramsey County staff will assess 'https://www.ra mseycou nty. us/residents/road s-transportation/multi-modal-plan ning/bu i ld i ng-a 11-abi lities-tra nsportation-network 'https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/169.011 'https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/169.21 4http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/trafficeng/files/ped guide.pdf 'https://www.stpauI.gov/sites/default/files/Media%20Root/Public%2OWorks/Draft%2OCrosswalk%20Evaluation%20Flowchart%20and%20Background 20180611.pdf 'https://www.ramseycounty.us/sites/default/files/Departments/Policv%20and%20PIanning/2020%2OStrategic%20PIan%20FI NAL%208.12.2020%20% 28002%29.pdf RAMSEY COUNTY 2