Three Strategies address the Goal of the Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Section. These Strategies
are commonly known as the Traffic Plan, the East Calhoun Parkway Study and the Trolley Study.
Click on the title of each strategy for action plan language and allocation
information.
Traffic Plan
A survey that the neighborhood conducted as part of its NRP planning effort returned that traffic calming was a major concern with residents. A consensus on the correct remediation of the problem was more difficult among residents. First, the neighborhood contracted with SRF Consulting to conduct a traffic study of the area. The Action Plan incorporated the results and recommendation of the $20,000 study. The original plan included built-out boulevards along 31st and 36th Streets, the addition of a left-turn green arrow on the semaphore at Hennepin Avenue and 36th Street, and No Left Turn signs along 36th Street. The original plan did receive the required support through the required petition process.
The Traffic Committee held a public meeting and drafted the second traffic plan. This included six pair of speed humps (two sets each on Irving, Humboldt, and Holmes), the left turn arrow on Hennepin and 36th, the “No Left Turn” signs on 36th Street and crosswalk enhancements on East Calhoun Parkway. The neighborhood conducted a month long voting period and held a public meeting for voting. The voting result was a virtual tie. Comments on the ballots tended to show support or disdain toward the speed humps. The ECCO Board decided to move the noncontroversial issue forward. As a result, the neighborhood funded a left-turn green arrow at Hennepin Avenue and 36th Street, crosswalk enhancements on East Calhoun Parkway and the no left turn signs on 36th Street. The committee was then charged by the board to either determine a use for the funds or let the neighborhood decide a different use for the funding.
The neighborhood approved the third, and current, attempt at traffic calming during the Phase One Reallocation process. This plan uses the remaining funding to purchase police patrols in the neighborhood during “rush” hours and signs urging people to drive safely. The neighborhood was in the contracting phase of this plan at the time of this report.
East Calhoun Parkway Study
Trolley Study
These two strategies were to provided seed money for studies on East Calhoun Parkway that would focus on turning the parkway into a one-way and extending the trolley to the Lake Calhoun Refectory. The funding ($1450 for the parkway study and $975 for the trolley study) was not enough to fund the study and the City of Minneapolis did not plan on conducting such a study for the duration of Phase One. The neighborhood reallocated the funding during the Phase One Reallocation in June 2002.