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RESO 25-128 - Adopting Pedestrian Crossing PolicyRESOLUTION NO. 25-128 A RESOLUTION ADOPTING A PEDESTRIAN CROSSING POLICY WHEREAS, the City of Golden Valley understands that public safety is paramount and supports the Traffic Safety Committee's efforts to improve pedestrian safety through a transparent, data-driven process; and WHEREAS, the City does not currently have standard criteria to determine where pedestrian crossings should be installed and what type of crossing is warranted; and WHEREAS, the City’s work to develop uniform standards conforms to the requirements from the Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, and builds upon similar work completed by peer communities; and WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes the importance of consistent, equitable pedestrian safety improvements throughout the City. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GOLDEN VALLEY, MINNESOTA that this Council adopts the Pedestrian Crossing Policy attached hereto as Exhibit A. Passed by the City Council of the City of Golden Valley, Minnesota this 16th day of December, 2025. ____________________________ Gillian Rosenquist, Mayor Pro Tempore Attested: ____________________ Theresa Schyma, City Clerk Docusign Envelope ID: 0091429B-3F80-4023-95AC-5376109D23BA O FFICIAL C ITY P OLICY C ITY OF G OLDEN V ALLEY General Information Policy Title: Pedestrian Crossing Policy Department: Engineering Policy Owner (job title): City Engineer Policy ID: TBD Council Approval Date: 12/16/2025 Resolution Number: 25-128 Effective Date: 1/1/2026 ☒New ☐Updated Policy Overview Policy Description: This policy provides guidance to ensure consistent application and treatment of pedestrian crossings throughout the city. Purpose & Scope: Pedestrian crossings are an integral part of transportation infrastructure that promote safety. Their effectiveness requires careful consideration and review, including adherence to accepted guidelines, industry standards, and good engineering practices including the consideration of crash history. This policy establishes guidelines and considerations for consistent and equitable installation of marked crosswalks. This policy applies to all roadways under the City’s jurisdiction. It does not apply to State, County, or private roadways in the City. This Policy is intended solely to guide City staff in the planning, design, operation, and maintenance of pedestrian crossing facilities. It does not create obligations applicable to members of the public. Nevertheless, pedestrian crossing facilities are only effective if all right-of-way users comply with traffic laws. This includes stopping at stop signs, yielding to pedestrians crossing in marked crosswalks or at intersections without marked crosswalks, and remaining stopped until pedestrians have cleared their lane. Likewise, pedestrians must comply with traffic laws by crossing at intersections or within marked crosswalks and by not unexpectedly leaving a curb or other place of safety into the path of a vehicle. Definitions: •Controlled Crossing: A pedestrian crossing at a location where traffic control (i.e., traffic signal or stop sign) is present. •School Zone: Signed segments of street or highway in close proximity to school grounds where children have access to the roadway or where a school crossing is in place. •School Crossing: a crossing location where 10 or more student pedestrians per hour are crossing. •Uncontrolled Crossings: A pedestrian crossing location where sidewalks or designated walkways intersect a roadway at a location where no traffic control (i.e., traffic signal or stop sign) is present. These common crossing types occur at intersections (where they may be marked or unmarked) and at non-intersection or midblock locations (where they must be marked as crossings). Related Documents, Materials & Resources: •MN Statute 169.011 – Subdivision 20. Crosswalk: •MN Statute 169.21 – Subdivision 2. Rights in Absence of Signal: Resolution No. 25-128 (Exhibit A)-2-December 16, 2025Docusign Envelope ID: 0091429B-3F80-4023-95AC-5376109D23BA Policy I.Policy The City of Golden Valley may consider installing marked crosswalks where there is significant conflict between vehicles and pedestrians. Installations must comply with State Law, the Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MnMUTCD), current engineering best practices, and this policy's guidelines. The Engineering Department, led by the City Engineer, shall administer and implement the Pedestrian Crossing Policy for all city-controlled roadways in Golden Valley. The City Engineer shall ensure that staff members use consistent criteria and engineering judgment to address pedestrian crossings, except on State, County, or private roadways. II.Authority This policy follows Minnesota State Statutes, chapter 169 and is administered by the City Engineer for roadways under the City's jurisdiction. III.Responsibilities A.The City Engineer serves as the policy owner and holds primary responsibility for reviewing, approving, and overseeing the installation of pedestrian crossings. B.Engineering Department staff shall evaluate candidate locations, conduct site-specific reviews, and recommend installations based on established guidelines. C.Where the installation of marked crosswalks is under consideration on roadways outside the City’s jurisdiction (County or State), the City will forward pedestrian crossing requests to and work collaboratively with the appropriate agencies to evaluate and implement improvements where warranted. At these locations, the decision of whether a crossing is installed is ultimately made by the agency that has jurisdiction. D.Staff shall collaborate with adjacent schools, businesses, housing developments, and other significant pedestrian generators to understand crossing needs. IV.Determination Factors for Installing Pedestrian Crossings City staff shall use the following factors to determine whether to install marked pedestrian crossings and related treatments: A.Presence of multi-use trails or school crossings. B.Number of pedestrians or bicyclists crossing per hour (pph) during the peak hour. 1.Staff count children, older adults, and pedestrians with disabilities as 1.5 persons each for volume thresholds. C.Roadway geometry, including the configuration and lane design of intersections. D.Volume and speed of vehicular traffic. E.Crash history at the site or along the corridor. F.Designation of the location as a school crossing (defined by 10 or more student pedestrians per hour), a school zone, or part of a Safe Routes to School Plan. G.Whether the location serves a multi-use trail, such as the Luce Line Trail. H.Equity considerations including areas with: 1.Higher populations of youth, older adults, and people with disabilities. Resolution No. 25-128 (Exhibit A)-3-December 16, 2025Docusign Envelope ID: 0091429B-3F80-4023-95AC-5376109D23BA 2.Proximity to schools or other senior/youth pedestrian generators. 3.High public-transit use. 4.A history of pedestrian or bicyclist crashes. V.Crossings at Stop-Controlled Intersections A.For approaches to intersections controlled by stop signs, the following criteria shall be used to evaluate whether a crossing is appropriate: 1.Proximity to a school crossing, school zone, or Safe Routes to School crossing. 2.Multi-use trail crossing. 3.Combined pedestrian (including bicyclist) volumes of 60 or more per hour during peak hours, as well as vehicular daily volumes of 3,000 or more. Based on the above guidelines, City staff should install a standard crosswalk marking if they determine that a marked crossing at a location controlled by a stop sign is appropriate. If one approach to an all-way stop- controlled intersection meets the criteria for a marked crosswalk, City staff should consider marking all approaches with existing pedestrian facilities, unless they prohibit crossing on an approach. VI.Crossing Treatment Selection and Installation A.Staff shall review uncontrolled crossing locations using the Uncontrolled Pedestrian Crossing Location Treatment Flowchart (Figure 1); if appropriate, staff shall apply the Decision Guide for Crossing Treatments (Table 1) to select additional treatments such as in-roadway signs or Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs). B.At roundabout-controlled intersections, staff shall follow roundabout design standards in MnDOT's Facility Design Guide instead of the uncontrolled crossing guidelines. C.Engineering Department staff shall install marked crosswalks at signalized and stop-controlled intersections per established design standards. D.Where warranted by stop sign-controlled crosswalk criteria, staff shall install standard crosswalk markings and, if one approach qualifies at an all-way stop, consider marking all approaches with pedestrian facilities unless crossing is prohibited. VII.References This policy is based on the review and compilation of crossing research and policies, including, but not limited to: FHWA Guide for Improving Pedestrian Safety at Uncontrolled Crossing Locations; MnDOT Technical Memorandum No. 15-01-T- 01, the Dakota County Pedestrian Crossing Safety Assessment; Hennepin County Unsignalized Crosswalk Enhancement Evaluation; City of Edina Pedestrian Crossing Policy; City of Maplewood Crossing Policy. Resolution No. 25-128 (Exhibit A)-4-December 16, 2025Docusign Envelope ID: 0091429B-3F80-4023-95AC-5376109D23BA No Action Recommended Direct Pedestrians to Nearest Marked or Protected Crossing? Go to Table 1 ADT ≥1,000 vpd (1) School Crossing*, School Zone**, or Safe Routes to School Plan***? Multi-Use Trail Crossing? Adequate Stopping Sight Distance? (8x speed limit) Meets Minimum Pedestrian Volume Thresholds? (2) Nearest Marked or Protected Crossing ≥ 300’ away? (4)(6) Feasible to Remove Sight Distance Obstruction? Location Directly Serves a Key Destination or Active Transportation Facility? (3) N N N N N Feasible Not Feasible Y (1) Exception to the 1,000 vpd minimum roadway volume threshold may be made for School Crossings* where the peak hour traffic exceeds 10% of daily traffic (2) Minimum Pedestrian Volume Thresholds: • 20 pedestrians per hour**** in any one hour, or • 18 pedestrians per hour**** in any two hours, or • 15 pedestrians per hour**** in any three hours * School Crossing: A location where 10 or more student pedestrians cross per hour. ** School Zone: Signed segment of a street or highway in close proximity to school grounds where children have access to the roadway or where a school crossing is in place. *** Crossing is a part of a City-approved Safe Routes to School Plan. **** Children, older adults, and pedestrians with disabilities count 1.5 times towards volume thresholds. (3) Key destinations must be existing (or proposed per staff review to be compliant) and could include, but are not limited to, a school, hospital, senior center, recreation or community center, library, bus stop, transit center and/or other land use subject to staff review. Active Transportation facilities include multi-use trails or shared use paths. (4) The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) defines an approximate three minute out-of-direction walk as the threshold where risk-taking behaviors by multimodal users occur because pedestrians naturally want to travel along the quickest and most direct path. Using the Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices’ (MnMUTCD) 3.5 ft/s travel speed for pedestrians, this equates to 630 feet, or 315 feet in either direction from the crosswalk (for travel to nearest crossing and back). The MnMUTCD states that the minimum distance allowable between crossing locations is 300 feet. (5) The nearest marked crossing or protected crossing should have existing pedestrian facility connections to the proposed crossing location. City of Golden Valley Pedestrian Crossing Policy Figure 1. Uncontrolled Pedestrian Crossing Location Treatment Flowchart Y Start Here N YN Y Y Y Y Resolution No. 25-128 (Exhibit A)-5-December 16, 2025Docusign Envelope ID: 0091429B-3F80-4023-95AC-5376109D23BA Roadway Configuration # of lanes crossed to reach a refuge(1) Roadway ADT and Posted Speed 1,000-4,000 vpd 4,000-9,000 vpd (2) 9,000-12,000 vpd 12,000-15,000 vpd > 15,000 vpd ≤ 30 mph 35 mph 40 mph ≤ 30 mph 35 mph 40 mph ≤ 30 mph 35 mph 40 mph ≤ 30 mph 35 mph 40 mph ≤ 30 mph 35 mph 40 mph 2 Lanes with & without Refuge Island (1)1 or 2 A A A A B A A B D B C D C C D 3 Lanes with Refuge Island (1)1 or 2 A A A A B B A B D B D D D D D 3 Lanes without Refuge Island (1)3 A B B C C C C C D C D E D E F 4 Lanes with Refuge Island (1)2 B B D B D D D D E D E F 4 Lanes without Refuge Island (1)4 C C D C D E D E F E E F 5 Lanes with Refuge Island (1)2 or 3 E E E E E F E F F 5 Lanes without Refuge Island (1)5 E E F E F F F F F Notes: (1) To be considered a pedestrian refuge island, the roadway median must have a width of at least 6 ft (10-12 ft preferred) (2) Additional treatments may be considered if suitable gaps in traffic for safe crossing are not available Treatment Descriptions A Install Marked Crosswalk with Roadside Signs Specific Guidance: Install marked crosswalk with signs mounted on the side of the roadway (W11-2 and W16-7P) with standard advance pedestrian warning signs (W11-2); use S1-1 signs for School crossing locations. Parking restrictions and pedestrian lighting should be considered to improve pedestrian visibility where feasible. B Install Marked Crosswalk with Roadside and In-Road Signs and Stop Bars Specific Guidance: All items included in Treatment A, plus “Stop Here for Pedestrians” (R1-5) signs and stop bars should be included. “State Law – Stop for Pedestrian” (R1-6) signs mounted in-roadway can be considered on roadways with a traffic volume over 4,000 vehicles per day and where over 50 pedestrians per day are expected. In-roadway signs shall be placed on the centerline of the roadway and should not be placed at mid-block crossing locations. In-roadway signs can be used seasonally and removed during the winter or be used only during certain times of the day (i.e. at school crossings). C Install Marked Crosswalk with Signs and Geometric Improvements to Increase Visibility and Reduce Exposure Specific Guidance: All items included in Treatment A and B, plus curb extensions or median refuge islands to shorten the pedestrian crossing distance and increase pedestrian visibility to motorists should be considered where feasible D Install Marked Crosswalk with Signs and Pedestrian Activated Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) and/or Geometric Improvements to Increase Pedestrian Visibility and Reduce Exposure Specific Guidance: All items included in Treatment A and B, plus pedestrian activated RRFBs. In addition, geometric improvements such as curb extensions or median refuge islands to shorten the pedestrian crossing distance and increase pedestrian visibility to motorists should be considered where feasible. E Install Marked Crosswalk with Signs and Pedestrian Activated Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs), enhanced LED pedestrian crossing warning signage, and/ or Geometric Improvements to Increase Pedestrian Visibility and Reduce Exposure Specific Guidance: All items included in Treatment A and Treatment D, but with enhanced LED pedestrian crossing warning signage. F Do Not Install Uncontrolled Crossing. Consider HAWK Beacon, Pedestrian Traffic Signal, or Grade-separated Crossing. Specific Guidance: Consider HAWK Beacon, pedestrian traffic signal, or grade-separated crossing. The application of these treatments will consider corridor signal progression, existing grades, physical constraints, and other engineering factors. Consider Lane Reduction: Review the roadway volumes to determine if a lane reduction can be implemented prior to potential crossing improvements City of Golden Valley Pedestrian Crossing Policy Table 1. Decision Guide for Crossing Treatments Resolution No. 25-128 (Exhibit A)-6-December 16, 2025Docusign Envelope ID: 0091429B-3F80-4023-95AC-5376109D23BA