5.2. SR 07-24-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Memorandum E1 'k River Police Department TO: Pat Klaers FROM: Assistant Chief Beahen DATE: 07-18-00 RE: Auburn Speed Issues I have reviewed the speed summaries and surveys done by our department during the previous twenty months on Auburn north of 193rd. The average speed of all the combined speed trailer projects has been 23.53 mph. This is the second to the lowest speed recorded on any of our projects. The lowest has been on Wand Avenue which had a recorded speed of less than 20 mph. In comparison the average speed on other streets in the community has been much higher. Highland Avenue for example has a much higher average speed with that number being 29.8 mph. Taking into account that our goal is to reach 85% compliance, the vehicles on average, are traveling at a much higher rate of speed on other streets. We have assigned officers to work laser radar on Auburn using a combination of marked and unmarked vehicles. None of these projects have resulted in any substantiation to any claim of speeding vehicles. In fact, none of these projects has resulted in any vehicle being clocked at a speed that we would issue a citation for. All of the officers agreed that the combination of the curve in the road as well as the incline give you the impression that the car is speeding even though the actual speed is below the posted limit. This optical impression is a basic principle taught to all officers in their basic radar and speed enforcement classes. The major indicator of speed violations is automobile crashes. We have not had any crashes per se on Auburn. We have had vehicles that have driven offthe roadway and yards damaged, but no reportable crashes have taken place in the neighborhood. I have several suggestions. We would like to extend an invitation to any person from the neighborhood to ride with an officer for an assigned enforcement project on Auburn. I think this may help enlighten the populace to the actual speeds of the vehicles as they pass down the street. Second, I have attached two articles from two sources, which are specifically about calming traffic patterns in neighborhoods. The first is from the Tumer-Fairbank group and obtained through the National Highway Safety Council. The second is a study done by a group similar to our concerned citizens, who experienced problems in Idaho and California. This is an excellent summary of engineering issues and solutions 13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 723 · Elk River, MN 55330 · (612) 441-2324 · Fax (612) 441-8937