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<br />Additional improvements in traffic circulation are scheduled this summer. The bus-loading zone <br />south of the school will be removed. The access that currently joins with the bus-loading exit will <br />remain, but will be used for deliveries only. The bus-loading zone will be moved away from <br />student parking to north of the school. This improvement reduces current conflicts between <br />student motorists and buses and removes the confusing access along School Street. Separating <br />these operations will improve traffic operations; although, care should be taken at the new bus <br />loading zone entrance on Jackson Avenue. Buses making left turn movements into and out of the <br />loading zone may still have difficulty with gaps. Also, rear end crashes currently occurring at <br />School Street may be relocated to this area. <br /> <br />Mitigation Strategies and Recommendations <br /> <br />Many of the improvements made by the school have aided in improvements in traffic circulation <br />surrounding the school. These improvements are as follows: <br /> <br />1. The current system allowing students to enter on both sides of the welcoming gate before <br />school is in session operates efficiently to relieve queuing on School Street. <br />2. The pedestrian crosswalk located on the west leg of School Street is placed appropriately. <br />Students crossing from Lion's Park use this crossing in the manner for which it was <br />designed. All pavement markings and signs are placed appropriately at this location. <br />3. The City of Elk River should continue providing a traffic control person after school to aid <br />in left turn movements leaving the student parking lot. <br />4. The bus loading zone should be moved to the north of the school as planned in order to <br />reduce conflicts by separating uses. <br /> <br />After evaluating existing traffic conditions, consideration should be given to the following <br />mitigation strategies. <br /> <br />1. To reduce the occurrence of crashes at the student parking access, School Street should <br />be changed into a three-lane section with a center turning lane as shown in Figures 6-10. <br />An additional westbound auxiliary lane is added from the parking lot to Proctor Avenue to <br />allow free right exits for students after school. Also, a right turn lane has been added to <br />the east of the access to provide space for queuing before school. This lane along with <br />the center turning lane should increase motorists' expectations of stopped traffic in these <br />lanes; therefore, reducing the number of rear end crashes. <br /> <br />2. In order to reduce the occurrence of crashes at the intersection of School Street and <br />Jackson Avenue, left turn phasing (exclusive/permitted) should be added to this signal. <br />This improvement will aid in motorists' expectations and allow adequate gaps for left turn <br />movements. According to MnDOT's Traffic Safety Fundamentals Handbook, the addition <br />of an exclusive left turn signal will decrease left turn crashes by 500/0 and rear end <br />accidents by 10%. <br /> <br />3. In order to reduce the occurrence of rear end crashes at the intersection of School Street <br />and Elk River High School, four-lane roadways entering this intersection should be <br />restriped as three-lane sections with a center two-way left turn lane. School Street should <br />follow this pattern all the way through to Trunk Highway 169. A three-lane section on <br /> <br />Howard R. Green Company <br />Elk River High School Safety Study <br />O:\PROJ\814360j\Memo.doc <br /> <br />- 7- <br />