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CITY OF BLAINE NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN be necessary for the approval process and will help address the issue of displacement/ diversion to other local streets. Implementation strategies will be limited to those local streets where the 85% speed exceeds 5 mph above the posted speed limit. Implementation of traffic management strategies will be in accordance with the procedures set forth in this document, and in keeping with sound engineering practices, as well as be within the city's available financial and staff resources. Implementation of any devices will be consistent with the guidelines in the Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Initial deployments are considered experimental and subject to an interim review by City staff prior to permanent installation. 3.0 Traffic Management Background The United States has used street closures and traffic diverters dating back to the late 1940s and early 1950s, but it was not until the 1970s that Seattle, Washington completed area-wide demonstrations of traffic management strategies. Since then, traffic management has been continually studied and implemented throughout the United States. Strategies include street closures, traffic diverters, speed humps/bumps, signing, increased enforcement and many others, but they all are implemented to accomplish one of the following: Modify driver behavior (reduce speed) Modify traffic characteristics (reduce volume) Improve safety (pedestrian and bicyclists) Traffic management can be simplified as a two step process: (1) identify the nature and extent of traffic-related problems on a given street or area and (2) select and implement the proper strategy for reducing the identified problem. The traffic management strategies discussed in this document are solutions to a narrowly defined set of problems and are not universally applicable or effective at solving all problems. The wrong traffic management strategy used in the wrong application will not improve conditions - it will only increase City costs and may even make conditions worse. Since not all strategies are appropriate for every problem the City has developed a process to identify the appropriate solutions. The process includes identifying the problem, evaluating potential strategies, and implementing appropriate measures while including public participation and governmental approval. This process is summarized in Section 4. The process and strategies included in this document are intended to be used on streets classified as local residential streets to reduce speeds and volumes. (Streets within the City of Blaine are classified based on definitions from the Metropolitan Council defined in Appendix C of the Blaine Transportation Plan. The current Road Classification Map, Figure 4.10 from the Blaine Transportation Plan, identifies street classifications within the City of Blaine - see Appendix D.) By definition arterials and collector roadways are intended to have higher speeds and accommodate higher volumes; therefore it would be against the function of arterials or collectors to implement traffic management strategies. These roadways are intended to operate efficiently with high volumes and speed. When arterials and collectors are operating efficiently they provide the necessary mobility for the traveling public and prevent the need to divert to the residential street network. APRIL 2005 2