Recommendations

R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S

EDUCATION

Goal: Establish at least two educational programs a year to foster and teach bicycle and pedestrian safety within the community.

1. Facilitate an annual bicycle rodeo event to teach bicycle skills and safety to students.

2. Educate students about proper walking and bicycling etiquette through in-school and after-school bicycle and pedestrian safety education. a. If not existing, establish an after-school club. b. Utilize the Walk! Bike! Fun! Curricula to help students understand the rules of the road. c. Identify the need for a bicycle fleet.

3. Develop a school district safety campaign to build awareness of students walking and bicycling to and from school, and to encourage safe driving behavior among parents and passersby.

4. Design a parent workshop to provide tools, resources and support needed to encourage parents and other community members to begin walking and bicycling for transportation.

5. Create a family-oriented educational training program that builds upon the school safety campaign (#3) such as a family biking class and/or family biking guide to teach basic bicycle maintenance, safety checks, etc.

ENCOURAGEMENT

Goal: Explore strategies to promote walking and bicycling through the identification of safe routes, organizing events, rewarding participation and educating adults.

1. Edit the Waubun-Ogema-White Earth Public School District Transportation and Wellness policies to include language that is not only supportive but actively promotes walking and biking to and from school as long as students routes are deemed safe and within a reasonable distance to the school as defined in the MnDOT Walk / Bike Zone concept.

2. Develop informational messages to be included in the monthly school newsletter or email blast, encouraging students to walk or bike to school and highlighting associated health benefits.

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3. Explore the development of a remote school bus drop site. Explore / develop a competition or challenge to reward students by tracking the number of times they walk or bike to school (within one-half mile). Such a competition should also allow the children that take the bus (over one-half mile) to participate in some way as well, preferably by having them do some sort of physical fitness activity like walking on school grounds, etc.

4. Participate in International Walk and Bike to School Days to encourage students and their families to try walking or biking to school.

5. Investigate the need and/or feasibility of a walking school bus for students within one-half mile of the school and/or within Ogema city limits.

ENFORCEMENT

Goal: Address traffic and safety concerns by identifying and implementing enforcement measures within the school walk and bike zone.

1. Increase the prevalence of traffic law enforcement in strategic locations during student morning arrival and afternoon dismissal.

2. Identify the most effective form of automated speed feedback sign to be placed on U.S. Highway 59 for speeding traffic from both the north and south.

3. Investigate the possibility of having an adult crossing guard at the intersection of U.S. Highway 59,

County Highway 18 and 370th (Kolb) Street.

ENGINEERING

Goal: Improve the existing infrastructure within the City of Ogema to ensure active transportation is encouraged and made safe.

1. With MnDOT, coordinate and investigate the possible installation of a more robust, lighted, pedestrian-activated crosswalk beacon with a proven high yielding / stopping rate like a Highintensity Activated crossWalK (HAWK) beacon or a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) at the intersection of U.S. Highway 59, County Highway 18 and 370th (Kolb) Street. Install any potential electrical conduit with the repaving of U.S. Highway 59 in 2016 keeping in mind

Engineering suggestion #2.

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2. Coordinate and investigate with MnDOT about the potential safety benefits of realigning the crosswalk at the intersection of U.S. Highway 59, County Highway 18 and 370th (Kolb) Street. From the northwest corner of this intersection, it is suggested that a crosswalk be installed perpendicular to U.S. Highway 59 so that it terminates on the north side of 370th (Kolb) Street. From this point, a second crosswalk would be installed heading south to cross 370th (Kolb) Street and connect to the existing sidewalk on the east side of U.S. Highway 59 and the proposed sidewalk to head east on the south side of 370th (Kolb) Street. Incorporate Engineering suggestion #1.

3. With MnDOT, coordinate and investigate the possibility of implementing a transitional speed limit of 45 mph on U.S. Highway 59 prior to traffic entering Ogema from both the north and south so that drivers are more likely to comply with the 40 mph speed limit as they traverse the city.

4. With MnDOT, coordinate and investigate replacing the current street light at the at intersection of

U.S. Highway 59, County Highway 18 and 370th (Kolb) Street with a more robust streetlight(s) that is(are) preferably situated to emphasize drivers’ perception of pedestrians crossing U.S. Highway 59.

5. With MnDOT, coordinate and investigate the addition of a second crosswalk at Uran Ave and the school entrance to not only serve the residences on the northeast side of Ogema but to also aid in the evacuation of school students to the Ogema Firehouse in case of an emergency on the

Canadian-Pacific Railroad tracks that lie just 625 feet west of the Ogema School building. The importance of safely evacuating the school was reinforced by the March 23, 2016 train derailment and propane tanker explosion in nearby Callaway, Minnesota.

6. Investigate gateway and other traffic calming features on U.S. Highway 59 to better control traffic speed on the highway as it traverses the City of Ogema. A possible inexpensive treatment could be the installation of gore striping in the shoulders, in appropriate locations, that help to emphasize the perception of speed to passing drivers.

7. Investigate the creation of a “School Zone” on U.S. Highway 59 that further reduces the speed limit when students are arriving and departing school.

8. Investigate the formal development of the crude, makeshift footpath that currently connects Eagle

Drive to school property.

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9. Where practical, set sidewalks as far back as possible from the roadway curb to create a buffer between pedestrians and motor vehicle traffic. Such buffers can reduce traffic stress on pedestrians and make walking safer and more enjoyable. These buffers are even more important on busier roadways with higher traffic volumes, faster vehicle speeds and/or significant heavy truck traffic.

This is of particular importance on U.S. Highway 59.

10. Clean sidewalk along U.S. Highway 59 of excessive sand and debris and develop a maintenance plan for debris and snow removal on this and other sidewalks in Ogema that do not front private property.

11. With MnDOT, coordinate the reconstruction and installation of new sidewalk along U.S. Highway 59 during the planned repaving of the highway.

12. With MnDOT, coordinate to install new sidewalks along U.S. Highway 59; on the west side between Feather Street connecting to the sidewalk south of the Ogema School entrance at Uran

Ave and on the east side between Feather Street and 370th (Kolb) Street.

13. Coordinate with Becker County to investigate the reduction of the speed limit on County Highway 18 from a point west of the train tracks to U.S. Highway 59, from the current 55 mph to 30 mph so that vehicle speeds are greatly reduced near school grounds. A 30 mph speed limit on County

Highway 18 in this location would be consistent with other county highway speed limits within

Ogema city limits.

14. Coordinate with Becker County to install a new sidewalk along the south side of 370th (Kolb) Street from U.S. Highway 59 to Sunnyside Ave and on the west side of Sunnyside Ave / 4th Street to Main

Street. Placement of sidewalks on the selected sides of the streets is just a recommendation and is based on the observed space seen behind the curb, possible wetlands issues, the location of residences at the outreaches of town (County Highway 34 / 4th Street south of Main Street) and an effort to avoid pedestrians crossing over the predominant traffic movements at the intersection of

Main Street and 4th Street.

15. Coordinate with Becker County to install new crosswalks at the intersection of 4th and Main Street, crossing 4th Street on the north side of Main Street and crossing Main Street on the west side of 4th

Street.

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16. Coordinate with Becker County to install a new sidewalk along the east side of 4th Street to

Ontario Street. Placement of sidewalks on the selected sides of the streets is just a recommendation and is based on possible wetlands issues, the location of residences at the outreaches of town (County Highway 34 / 4th Street south of Main Street) and an effort to avoid pedestrians crossing over the predominant traffic movements at the intersection of Main Street and 4th Street.

17. Maintain the narrow width and investigate reducing the speed limit on Feather, Eagle, Oak,

Ontario, Beaulieu (alley), 2nd and 3rd Streets and Uran Ave to 20 mph.

18. Coordinate with Becker County to investigate a complete streets reconstruction and narrowing of

Main Street between U.S. Highway 59 and 3rd Streets with boulevard / planting strip between the sidewalk and the roadway, as well as marked crosswalks at the intersection with U.S. Highway 59 and another at the intersection with 3rd Street.

19. Coordinate with Becker County to redesign existing sidewalks on Main Street so that curb ramps line up with the crosswalks and meet contemporary Americans with Disabilities Act standards, namely the Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG).

20. Reduce or remove the excess width of the curb cuts leading into the gas station at the corner of U.S.

Highway 59 and Main Street.

21. Investigate giving the edge of 2nd Street some better definition between Oak and Main Streets.

22. Investigate the installation of more robust and strategically-placed street lighting at the intersection of U.S. Highway 59, County Highway 18 and 370th (Kolb) Street to improve the conspicuousness of pedestrians crossing U.S. Highway 59 to drivers.

23. Investigate improving the mechanics of the school bus loading/unloading area and the parent pickup and drop-off on the school grounds to make it safer for students walking and biking to and from school, and for those being dropped of and picked up by family vehicle and school buses alike.

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EVALUATION

Goal: Evaluate the effectiveness of programming by tracking baseline data and, in addition, actively work on improvement, based on results.

1. Administer the student travel tallies at least once per year to track the number of students walking and bicycling in comparison to the 2014 baseline results.

2. Administer a parent survey questionnaire once every two to three years to track and analyze school travel behaviors and parents’ perceptions.

3. Explore establishing baseline health data (possibly already gathered) to evaluate possible health improvements over time related to SRTS improvements.

OTHER

Goal: Create partnerships with local businesses and organizations to increase support and encouragement of active transportation.

1. Identify opportunities or partners to fund bicycle helmets for educational events, like bike rodeos and/or Walk! Bike! Fun! training events.

Goal: Work to ensure all City policies and ordinances are supportive of active transportation.

2. If not already in place, the city should create an ordinance that mandates the preservation of sidewalks installed within the public right-of-way regarding maintenance and clearance of those sidewalks by adjacent property owners during snow and other weather events.

3. Ensure that existing sidewalks are properly cleared of snow and identify snow storage areas that do not impede walking and bicycling to school. This is particularly important at the corners of intersections.

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