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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTraffic Safety Commission 07-15-09 NOTICE OF MEETING AND AGENDA ST. CROIX COUNTY TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION July 15,2009, 10:00 A.M. Training Room — St Croix County Sheriffs Office CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING OLD BUSINESS 1. Dennis Johnson, Regional Program Manager: WisDOT updates and Highway Safety Plan Solicitation NEW BUSINESS 1. Stillwater, MN, 55 -foot vehicle length restrictions - effective 7/1/09 2. I -94 bridge deck sealing project - late summer / fall 2009 3. I -94, MN pavement repair project - fall 2009 4. I -94 westbound, St. Croix River, bridge painting project - 2010 5. Hwy 64, New Richmond, possible 55 MPH transitional speed zone ADJOURN (Items may be taken in different order) ** Additions /Changes /Corrections St. Croix County Traffic Safety Commission Minutes St. Croix County Traffic Safety Commission meeting was held on July 15, 2009, in Sheriff's Office training room of the Government Center in Hudson starting at 10:03 A. M. Present were: Cpt. Scott Knudson, Sgt. Brian Erickson, Miles Wittig, Greg Helgeson, Jack Colvard, Tim Ramberg, Dennis Johnson, Doris Peterson, and Marion Standaert. Meeting was called to order by chairman Knudson. When going over last meetings minutes there was one correction to be made on page 2. Sgt Erickson would like us to use the term "crashes" instead of "accidents." Motion was made by Sgt Erickson to adopt the April 15 minutes, seconded by Doris Peterson. Motion carried. NEW BUSINESS Dennis Johnson informed us that as of Monday the State Daily Fatality is at 264. Last year at this time it was 285 and the five year average is 360. Mr. Johnson stated the trend this year seems to be motorcycle crashes. So far this year we are at 49 motorcycle crashes which is up 36% from last year. Mr. Johnson stated that as of July 1, 2009, the seatbelt law is now a primary law, which means law enforcement can pull you over for not wearing a seatbelt. The fine is still $10.00. This is giving us 15 -17 million dollars in much needed highway funding. Mr. Johnson told us the law for the month of May was "What do you gain by speeding ?" June was "Intersection crashes can be prevented by obeying traffic signals," and July's law is "Pay attention in work zones or pay double fines." Mr. Johnson also gave out a hand -out of motor vehicle -deer crashes in 2008. Mr. Johnson told us the Highway Safety Plan is on -going and if anyone has any idea to bring them to him. Mr. Johnson stated that someone had a concern about people driving long RV's and then pulling something behind them and that they needed no extra training to do this. Apparently that is a DMV issue. Mr. Johnson also informed us that the Governor's Conference will be August 19 and 20, 2009, at the Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton. If anyone is interested in going, he has the registration information. Jack Colvard had a question on whether or not that law has passed requiring motorists to be insured in Wisconsin. Dennis Johnson stated that it has passed and he will look into the penalties. Tim Ramberg stated that he has problems getting money from people who hit stop signs and such and hopefully this will help to alleviate that problem. Doris Peterson's daughter heard in California that Wisconsin might be passing a chain law. No one had heard anything about that, but Dennis Johnson said he would look into it. Jack Colvard has an issue with the fact that when you are southbound on Cty A / U and Cty A separates and goes west at the intersection by Nor -Lake there is no speed limit signage from that intersection all the way to Duro Bag where is slows to 35 mph. There is a speed limit sign going eastbound, but none going westbound. Jack was told that 1 when there is no signage in a rural area to assume that the speed limit is 55 mph, which in this case it is. Tim Ramberg told us that Dane County had a highway worker killed in a work zone. He then went on to try to explain how the State prioritizes work: 1. Critical Safety 2. Safety 3. Ride in Comfort 4. Stewardship 5. Aesthetics Mr. Ramberg told us the State plans for mowing ditches once a year, but he finds that as the grass gets taller they County workers tend to hit telephone pedestals because they are covered by the tall grass; mowing becomes more dangerous and takes more effort (meaning more money) as the grass gets taller; and then you run in to liability issues when citizens start going out and mowing ditches. Greg Helgeson addressed the new 55 -foot vehicle length restriction that was effective July 1, 2009, on the Minnesota highway on their side of the Stillwater Bridge. This means most semi's and large trucks cannot cross the bridge with the exception of emergency vehicles. We permitted Minnesota to come over and put up some signage in Wisconsin warning of the new bridge restrictions. Mr. Helgeson stated that in late August and maybe into September there will be a region -wide bridge deck sealing project that will include the 1 -94 Bridge. There are 24- 25 bridges in St. Croix County alone that will be sealed. It will be done during mainly off -peak hours, though they need some daylight hours to help the curing process. Each bridge will take 3 -4 hours. Another project effecting 1 -94 Mr. Helgeson spoke about is the pavement repair project Minnesota will be doing after Labor Day. This project starts immediately after the bridge and goes just past the 3M buildings. There will be intermittent lane closures on off -peak hours but they will keep all lanes open during peak hours. This project should be completed by the end of October. Mr. Helgeson informed us that next year they will be repainting the 1 -94 westbound bridge from about May until October. They will shift traffic south a few feet and put up concrete barriers to create some work space. The auxiliary lane will be closed during off -peak hours. An issue Mr. Helgeson has been dealing with is on Hwy 64 on the west side of New Richmond. They have been looking into the speed limit. Currently the speed limit goes from 65mph to 45 mph. They are proposing going to 65mph to 55mph through Cty K (approximately '/2 mile in length) and then down the 45mph. When that stretch of road was set at 45 mph they had expected more development in that area, but that just hasn't happened. Helgeson has sent this proposal to New Richmond and has not heard anything back yet. There was a motion for the Committee to support the speed limit change contingent upon no concerns from New Richmond. Miles Wittig made the motion, and Tim Ramberg seconded it. Motion carried. Mr. Helgeson will draft the memo. 2 The last issue Mr. Helgeson had was on Cty A / Business 64 when you turn right to go down the ramp they are changing the stop signs to yield signs. Apparently this had been left over from construction and is normally a yield sign in this situation. Jack Colvard had a question on whether or not it is proper to signal when entering and exiting a round -a -bout. Sgt. Erickson stated that the law says any time your movement will affect other people, you need to signal. There was more discussion on rounda- bouts in the Rice Lake area and Greg Helgeson stated that round -a -bouts can reduce crashes by up to 99% and the round -a -bouts in Rice Lake are much smaller than the ones that we will have. Cpt. Knudson informed the committee of the 6 fatalities the County has had since our last meeting in April: -April 27, 47 yr old rolled vehicle and was ejected on Hwy 12. Seatbelt was not worn and alcohol involved. -May 1, 23 yr old rolled vehicle and was ejected on 270 St in Forrest Township. Seatbelt was not worn and alcohol was involved. -May 3, 81 yr old pulled into traffic at Cty T and Cty G. Seatbelt was not worn and there were dogs in the car that may have played a role. -June 1, (double fatality) 17 yr old and 23 yr old, vehicle rolled, 3 out of the 4 occupants were ejected on Cty C and 100 Street. No one was wearing a seatbelt and speed was likely a factor. This crash is still under investigation. -June 30, 43 yr old riding a motorcycle with a helmet. 17 yr old ran a stop sign on the motorcycle hit the vehicle. This crash is still under investigation. St. Croix County has had a total of 9 traffic fatalities so far this year, which is up from last year. ADJOURNMENT Motion was made by Greg Helgeson to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Miles Wittig. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 11:22 A.M. Respectfully submitted, Marion Standaert 3