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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTraffic Safety Committee 01-24-07 ST. CROIX COUNTY NOTICE OF COMMITTEE MEETING TO: Clarence Malick, Chairman FROM: John Shilts COMMITTEE TITLE: St. Croix County Traffic Safety Commission DATE: January 24, 2007 TIME: 10:00 A.M. LOCATION: Room 1281 (first floor, across from County Board Room) 1101 Carmichael Road, Hudson CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL ADOPTION OF AGENDA DATE OF NEXT MEETING ACTION ON PREVIOUS MINTUES UNFINISHED BUSINESS: NEW BUSINESS: 1.) Review fatalities ANNOUNCEMENTS & CORRESPONDENCE POSSIBLE AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING: ADJOURNMENT (Agenda not necessarily presented in this order) SUBMITTED BY: John Shilts DATE: January 12, 2006 COPIES TO: County Clerk News Media /Notice Board Committee Members St. Croix County Traffic Safety Commission Minutes St. Croix County Traffic Safety Commission meeting was held on January 24, 2006, in room 1250 of the Government Center in Hudson at 10:08 A.M. Present were: Miles Wittig, Dennis Johnson, Greg Helgeson, Tim Ramberg, Charlie Grant, Jack Colvard, John Shilts, and Marion Standaert. Meeting was called to order by chairman Shilts, motion was made to adopt agenda, seconded and approved. Mr. Wittig had questions regarding the minutes from the October 18, 2006, meeting as he was not there. Mr. Ramberg had an issue with the "New Business" portion of the minutes. He stated that in the minutes it states that "all concrete rumble strips cost $10,000." It should state that "only concrete rumble strips cost $10,000." Motion to accept amended minutes of October 18, 2006, was made and approved. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Chairman Shilts asked Mr. Helgeson about the Cty TT /Hwy 65 round -a -bouts vs. traffic signals. Chairman Shilts met with the Police Chief in Roberts who had concerns; he told him that the study was still on- going. Mr. Helgeson agreed that the study is still on- going. Chairman Shilts asked Mr. Helgeson about Hwy 64 at Cty CC traffic signal. Mr. Helgeson stated that the traffic count fell too short for a traffic light. Traffic on Hwy 64 is actually quite light. Mr. Helgeson shared this information with the City of New Richmond and they are no longer pursuing this issue. Mr. Helgeson said they went ahead and added blinking lights on the stop sign, which the City of New Richmond agreed that they would be responsible for the upkeep on the lights. Mr. Helgeson explained that usually the State is responsible for stop signs on roads that cross a state highway and the city or county is responsible for the "Stop Ahead" signs. Mr. Wittig questioned the reduction in the speed limit to 45 mph when entering New Richmond. Mr. Helgeson explained that the City wanted the speed limit to be 35. Mr. Helgeson also explained that the rule they usually follow is when the road narrows and there is curb and gutter, they then reduce the speed to 45 mph. When the City pushed for a drop to 35 mph, Mr. Helgeson told them to enforce their 45 mph limit. Mr. Helgeson spoke about the project they are working on with Hwy 35 and Radio Road outside of River Falls. They are working on getting an interchange there, but this will not be for 5 or 6 years from now, depending on the funding. The City and a developer did a traffic study and they wanted traffic lights, but the state was opposed to the idea so the developer took his proposal off the table. According to Mr. Helgeson, the City of River Falls is going to be participating heavily in the cost of the interchange. Mr. Wittig then questioned who is in charge of paving Hwy 35, as it is very rough in that area. Mr. Helgeson said that the state is usually responsible for that. Mr. Ramberg then stated that he has been working with maintenance on scheduling a time to repair the road's surface. Then Mr. Helgeson and Mr. Ramberg went into further discussion regarding Cty U, Radio Road, and Chapman Drive. NEW BUSINESS Chairman Shilts informed the committee that we had 10 traffic fatalities in 2006, down from 12 in 2005. On a somber note, we have already had 2 fatalities in 2007. The first fatality was on New Years Day on Coulee Road in the City of Hudson. The second fatality was on January 13 on Cty A near the Norlake Plant. Both accidents were in the early morning hours and involved alcohol. Mr. Wittig questioned how the seat belt action was going. Mr. Johnson answered that it is up 2% in Wisconsin, and that someone has again introduced a bill for making seatbelts a "primary" offense. Mr. Grant then had questions on road weigh restrictions. Mr. Helgeson stated that they are now in effect and will be until early March. He stated that it had taken awhile because it hadn't been cold enough before. Mr. Ramberg then discussed that there is an issue with private firms going over the limit. In the past they went over 98,000 lbs anyway and now that there are exceptions up to 98,000 he is sure they will be going way over that amount. Mr. Ramberg explained that the bridge structures cannot handle that amount of weight. Mr. Grant inquired if we were actively enforcing the weight limits. Chairman Shilts stated that we no longer use portable scales, but we do have deputies that bring them to the weigh station in Roberts. Mr. Ramberg discussed the problem they are having with people modifying their driveway and mailboxes with or without a permit. People are not aware that when cars hit these structures (especially when they are brick) that people have been killed or seriously injured. Traffic committee has come up with guidelines on mailboxes and driveways and they would like to include those along with a video they have of people hitting these obstacles when people sign up for a permit. The snowplows blade must be able to go underneath the mailbox and it must be two feet off of the shoulder. They are also having issues with the post office, who objects to it being too high and far away from their reach. Mr. Ramberg stated that after a few "friendly" reminders, the home owner will be given a copy of the state statute and then if they still fail to comply, the county will remove it. Mr. Wittig wondered about the town roads and Mr. Ramberg stated that he is sharing his information with the towns. Mr. Grant than asked who is responsible for state roads and Mr. Helgeson said that if someone gets hurt, the home owner is liable. Mr. Ramberg also stated that they were having problems with home owners putting up barricades so that snowmobilers couldn't go over their driveways. They are not allowed to do that and the Sheriff's Office had helped with some of the enforcement. Mr. Wittig asked whether or not people are allowed to plow the snow from their driveway and push it across the road. Mr. Ramberg said that they are not allowed to do that, but they have become complacent because it has not been a problem lately. He said if it becomes a problem they will put another add in the paper reminding people. Mr. Colvard expressed his dismay at the intersection of Carmichael and Vine /Cty UU. He stated that it is a terrible intersection and you cannot see oncoming traffic. Mr. Ramberg and Helgeson then had a discussion on whether or not Cty A went all the way to 1 -94. Mr. Ramberg is going to check on it and get back to Mr. Helgeson. If it does, Mr. Helgeson will work on getting the proper signage on 1 -94. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CORRESPONDENCE Mr. Johnson stated that the daily fatality report is up to 45 for this year so far. It was at 32 at this time last year. The average is 43. The preliminary figures for last year are 714 fatalities with 666 crashes. St. Croix County had 10 fatalities last year, and the average is 15. Mr. Johnson believes this is due in part because of the increased seatbelt use, higher gas prices (people were carpooling more), and more enforcement grants. Mr. Johnson discussed that some new laws that may be passed with the new legislature are: - restricting cell phone use with young people (though he worries about profiling becoming a problem with enforcement) - Supervision of elderly drivers age 75 -85 with a vision and written test for those over 85 (but who will pay for it ?) - Primary seatbelt law Mr. Jonson then went on to remind us of the booster seat law that went into effect January 1, and he handed out a brochure. He told us of a training they will be holding in Eau Claire on May 16 -18 for a cost of $250.00. Mr. Johnson informed us of the new tip for the month of November (2006) being that when people are merging onto a highway, the people already on the highway have the right -of -way. The new tip for December (2006) is drunk driving can ruin the holidays. We have the Super Bowl coming up. He also stated that there were 43,000 OWI convictions in Wisconsin last year and 70% were first offenders. January's tip is tailgating causes countless crashes and the cost of a tailgating ticket is $183.00 and 3 demerit points. Mr. Ramberg inquired if they notice an increase in fatalities in years where they have more storms. Mr. Johnson answered that most crashes happen when it's dry and clear out. Mr. Wittig complimented the highway department on their sanding and di -icing efforts. Chairman Shits wanted to let us know that the Sheriff's Office will be purchasing new software that will help map accidents. He also wanted to inform us (Mr. Helgeson, who gives out the permits) that County Concrete has asked for a Sheriff's escort when transporting the large bridge beams. Usually that is not a problem, but last weekend and now this weekend, they want an escort on a Friday night, which is the busiest night for the Sheriff's Office. Chairman Shilts is going to inform County Concrete that if they are going to continue wanting escorts on Friday or Saturday nights, they will have to have a contract with the Sheriff's office, as we will not have the public pay for bringing deputies in on their days off to help. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 11:33 A.M. Respectfully submitted, Marion Standaert i I i