here are the facts:
- Highway 77 stops and Cedar Ave begins
- Cedar Crosses the Chain of Lakes Parkway
- Edgewater Blvd terminates onto Cedar
- Turning traffic is not accomodated headed North
- 4 lanes condense to 2 in an intersection
- well over 20,000 vehicles use this small strip of land
- Traffic backups can stretch for miles headed North in the AM and South in the PM indicating HEAVY commuter traffic
- Pedestrian and cycle traffic from the park is heavy in this area
- outside seating is present at Fat Lorenzo's
click the photo to see the full intersection
What was done then does not appear to be working now. It is time to rethink this again. I think that we should stick with Jean R. in the 'do no harm' approach. That is, we need to avoid turning this into a problem elsewhere. Let's fix it for real, and for good. Based on discussions over the last year I think there will be a number of very well thought out ideas for solutions.
since this is my blog, here are my ideas. I encourage people to chime in with responses and alternate ideas... dialogue is the only way we're going to fix this!
Issue, Heavy traffic backups created by turning traffic and a mid-intersection merge.
my solutions:
1. Add a stoplight farther south on 77. create a 4 stop way that deals with traffic coming off of 62 headed North, busses headed to 62 west and through traffic headed on to Cedar. Make the lane reduction here. 1 lane will continue on to Cedar. Incorporate access to the Crosstown Service Road and integrate traffic exiting to Cedar from 62 West. (the access to service drive would create a new access to the area now accessed by edgewater.) Close edgewater to anything but right turns. (or block completely) Use the additional space, now occupied by a poorly conceived 2nd lane, for creating a designated left turn lane. Make painted medians into hardscape and incorporate landscaping. make accommodations for the HIGH amount of pedestrians that use this area. Also consider bike lanes since fast cycles crossing on park trails can be in serious danger from turning vehicles.
2. Or, Add stoplight as mentioned above, condensing Cedar to 1 lane each way, and create a 1 lane roundabout at the intersection. Create a full, landscaped median on the south side of the junction. This will allow traffic that would be turning left onto edgewater to travel completely around the intersection and access Edgewater by way of a right turn. A roundabout does a couple things. Of course it slows traffic and gives the same access, but it also reduces potential vehicle conflicts. It will also effect traffic psychologically by cutting off a clear line of view up Cedar.
Stoplights are fun (aren't they!) but the race to catch the green only contributes to the problem of speed. And it's hard to run a red when there's no light! Roundabouts are also friendly for peds and bikes since crossings are moved out of the intersection.
Here is a great site about roundabouts from the MNDot: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roundabouts/ Check out the statistics and capacity... Drastically lower crash ratings and fairly high capacity, though slower speeds.Note-I also think this would be an excellent solution to the host of problems playing out at the intersection of Cedar and Minnehaha Parkway. The narrow lanes dont allow for North/South turnlanes from East/West traffic. A roundabout would eliminate the need for turn lanes, and add to the 'park feel' which is so lacking here. to me it feels like a freeway through a greenspace. This could be viewed as a large scale, 'placemaking'.
The issue of heavy through/commuter traffic has been discussed many times. Delivery services are essential, but Cedar is not a shortcut. By creating a slight resistance to the traffic flow, making it feel slower, I believe that we can clear up some of the folks who think Cedar is a shortcut. (it's not by the way... 35 is probably still faster, and Hiawatha is practically EMPTY) Cedar, a two lane road, already carries 2/3 the traffic as Hiawatha at the same cross streets. Eliminating some of the non-stake holder traffic will allow us to deal more effectively with local traffic sources, to make Cedar serve it's purpose to those who live on or near it, and the immediate community members that rely on it. That's the WHOLE IDEA. The freeways were installed to eliminate the problem we're having now. It's spelled out in the planning docs from the 1960's. Example: We build a dam to keep the flood out. One day we discover a leak and rather than patch it we decide to make the hole bigger, and keep saying 'we meant it to work that way'.
That's my 5 cents worth. I like it, but I'm not married to it. There are certainly other ways, and now is your chance to present them. Lets start collecting ideas here on the blog. I will turn them into a list and then we can work together to present them to the county.
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3 comments:
The intersection at Cedar and Edgewater drives me batty, and I rarely even use it during high traffic times.
My suggestions
1. Eliminate any access to Edgewater from Cedar
2. Make Edgewater a cul-de-sac at Cedar
3. Have W Nokomis Parkway connect to Edgewater at E 56th Street for local access
4. Have dedicated left and right turn lanes onto East and West Nokomis Parkway from northbound and southbound Cedar. This also serves to make people merge farther back on 77 to be able to go straight on Cedar.
5. Eliminate Cedar Ave S entrance from Cedar to allow for a dedicated westbound 62 entrance lane on southbound Cedar (good for future state)
The Parkway and Cedar is a little easier to navigate because I feel that traffic has slowed enough from the south.
My suggestions
1. From the south, have a small left turn lane and a small right turn lane, because most people are going straight on Cedar by this time
2. Clearly mark that there is no parking in front of Caribou, so that northbound cars can go around vehicles turning left to SA
3. Have an underground passageway for bikes and walkers along the creek at the bridge. There is no need for an east west trail crossing at Cedar and the Parkway. This will also help east west Parkway traffic flow because vehicles will not need to wait for people to cross the Parkway when turning north or south.
I am a fan of the roundabout, but I have seen a lot of close calls with people unfamiliar with traffic circles. Getting in and out of Target and HD at 66th in Richfield can be an experience, plus I would imagine the traffic volume to be many times greater at Cedar and Edgewater and Cedar and WNP.
I like Anonymous's suggestion of making Edgewater a Cul-de-sac at Cedar (like Woodlawn across the street) and providing access to Fat Lorenzo's, etc. via a 56th St connector between Edgewater and Nokomis Pkwy. But I think that roundabouts at Nokomis Pkwy and especially M'haha Pkwy could really make sense. Both parkway intersections also appear to have the additional land needed for a roundabout. Turn lanes and stoplights encourage racing through green and yellow lights and backups for red lights and green arrow left turns. Roundabouts-- while not perfect-- encourage slower but steadier traffic flow.
Roundabouts all the way!! Not only smoother traffic flow, but more fuel efficient that starting and stopping (and racing) at stoplights.
Parking is an issue all along Cedar, and while I know that it may be selfish to say so since parking on Cedar does not benefit me, but I would like to see parking on Cedar prohibited entirely to allow space for the center median with landscaping as suggested by Will. Its possible that eliminating parking would also allow room for a bike lane. Bikers in traffic drive me nuts and while I respect their right to share the road I find that more often than not they cause major traffic disruptions, or are in danger from traffic passing with too little space.
In short, here are my suggestions:
1. Roundabout at Edgewater and Cedar.
2. Roundabout at Parkway and Cedar.
3. No parking on Cedar.
4. Center median with landscaping.
5. Designated bike lane.
6. Additional pedestrian activated signals between lighted intersections, particularly at bus stop locations and near Carbones and Supervalu.
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