HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022/09/06 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session (2) Official minutes
City council study session
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Sept. 6, 2022
The meeting convened at 7:05 p.m.
Councilmembers present: Mayor Pro Tem Tim Brausen, Lynette Dumalag, Larry Kraft, Nadia
Mohamed, and Margaret Rog
Councilmembers absent: Sue Budd and Jake Spano
Staff present: City Manager (Ms. Keller), Deputy City Manager (Ms. Walsh), Engineering
Director (Ms. Heiser), Engineering Project Manager (Mr. Sullivan), Communications and
Technology Director (Ms. Smith)
Guests:
1. Traffic control policy
Mr. Sullivan noted the traffic control policy considerations:
Should traffic control be established based on micro/localized priorities, or should it be
approached as a system?
Should the traffic control policy be updated to better achieve equitable outcomes ?
Does the city council want to approach traffic control/traffic safety in a more proactive
way?
Councilmember Rog asked about the history of speed bumps and why the cost is assessed to
property owners in the traffic control policy. Ms. Heiser stated in 1999 the policy was
established, and it specifically notes assessing property owners for traffic calming measures
including speed bumps. She noted most cities that have traffic calming programs typically
assess adjacent properties for them.
Councilmember Kraft asked if other cities have a petition process. Ms. Heiser stated St. Louis
Park is unique in having a petition process in place and noted other cities do not.
Councilmember Kraft stated this seems a bit inconsistent compared to other street policies
where we make it clear that public streets are for the whole community, not just the residents
that live on it. Ms. Heiser stated petitions can have implications as well, noting increased annual
gas and CO2 due to the installation of stop signs. Mr. Sullivan stated staff noticed that some
hyper local decisions could affect the rest of the community.
Councilmember Rog added that council can choose to not approve petitions. Ms. Heiser agreed.
Councilmember Rog stated she understands the inequities in the process but is still supportive
of the petition process.
Councilmember Rog stated it seems parking does not fall into traffic management . Ms. Heiser
stated any sign installed is a regulatory sign and approved by council, including parking signage.
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Ms. Heiser noted option one is to update the traffic control policy and option two would
explore a systems approach to traffic control.
Councilmember Dumalag stated she is grateful there is a process to petition for traffic controls
and she would agree most with option two as there can be issues with the existing policy.
Councilmember Rog stated people who live in certain areas do have their eyes to the ground,
and sometimes engineering solutions don’t always match, which she is mindful of . She added
people liked that they felt empowered with the petition process .
Councilmember Rog stated if council moves ahead with option two, what happens to requests
currently in the pipeline. Ms. Heiser stated any requests in process will be reviewed, but if
petitions have not been received as of now, they won’t be processed .
Councilmember Rog added reducing fatalities and crashes were referred to and noted there are
few in the city each year. She stated feelings of safety for bikers and walkers should also be
measures of success for traffic management. She supported option two with the caveats she
noted.
Councilmember Mohamed stated she would like to see a combination of the policy and the
systems approach. She added she likes the petition request and empowering neighborhoods
with that option.
Councilmember Kraft asked what the goal of the current policy is. Ms. Heiser stated that the
goals from the 1999 policy are to provide fair and uniform treatment of all requests for traffic
control.
Councilmember Kraft stated this is not about outcomes, but about process. He is also in favor of
option two and would like to further discuss the goals of the process, including safety for
pedestrians. He noted the data should be changing over time for the better and asked why
people ask for stop signs.
Mr. Sullivan stated there is a perception that they can be a speed management tool, but they
do not slow down vehicles except right at the intersection. He noted there is a belief that
vehicle behavior eats away at the safety of a neighborhood.
Councilmember Kraft added parking should be separate.
Mayor Pro Tem Brausen agreed with option two as well. He appreciated the data presented by
staff and added the breakdown on stop sign compliance is terrible with only 27% coming to a
complete stop. He added if folks are worried about speed in neighborhoods , people need to
talk to their neighbors. He agreed that safety is the primary focus here and is supportive of
option two. He also pointed out the cost to staff time and working with the traffic committee is
notable.
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Ms. Heiser stated staff will look at the systems approach to traffic control and notify residents
of this as well. She added staff will also work on goals and bring back further information to the
council in the future.
Councilmember Rog added other goals that council agrees on should be included as well. Ms.
Heiser agreed and stated there will be a foundation to the process and that can be built on .
2. Traffic management program
Ms. Heiser stated the policy question here is: Does council want to develop a city-funded
standalone traffic management program.
Councilmember Rog asked about areas to focus on or study, noting this feels like the traffic
policy that was just discussed. Ms. Heiser stated this could be a standalone policy, not
dependent on the policy just discussed, since that policy did not address traffic management.
Councilmember Rog added this policy question could also just be a tool of the process . Ms.
Heiser added data, input from the community and other questions and goals could be used to
develop the traffic control systems policy development.
Councilmember Kraft stated he would be more interested in aggressive traffic calming,
especially on bike routes or residential streets.
Councilmember Rog asked what the main tasks were for the Fernhill Roundabout study . Ms.
Heiser stated the public process took most of the time. She added working through the data
and working with the consultant are the other tasks. She stated these are figured in to the 300
hours of staff time to do a study.
Councilmember Dumalag stated messaging and being clear on outcomes will be important.
Mayor Pro Tem Brausen added a standalone traffic management program should be considered
as a part of the process. Ms. Heiser noted that staff would be working on developing a systems
approach to traffic control throughout the whole of 2023.
Councilmember Mohamed agreed the traffic management program should be a tool used
within the full process.
Ms. Keller stated developing a systems approach bundle can be done, and then cost can be
determined along with funding.
Communications/meeting check-in (verbal)
Councilmember Rog referenced the streetlights written report, noting the report does not
adhere to items discussed previously, as far as neutral approaches. She stated some things in
the policy seemed discretionary versus systemic. She also pointed out streetlights for
pedestrians should be increased, especially in the winter . She asked if this topic should be
included in an overarching safety study.
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Councilmember Rog asked if someone does not want a streetlight in front of their property in
the right-of-way, can they refuse it through petition. She also asked about the cost for
pedestrian streetlights, noting it’s quite high . She asked if there are more affordable products,
as well as solar options, and if streetlights can be folded into the systems discussion.
Ms. Heiser noted that since they are shorter, there would be twice as many pedestrian lights
versus streetlights installed along a street, which is why there is a higher cost. She added there
can be more conversation around this as it relates to safety, and she can see if this makes sense
to incorporate into the action plan.
Ms. Keller proposed if there is a natural place to incorporate this topic into the action plan, staff
will do that, but more likely this will be a standalone conversation .
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
Written Reports
3. Public streetlights
______________________________________ ______________________________________
Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Jake Spano, mayor
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