Safe Road Zone

Driving a few miles an hour over the speed limit might not seem like a big deal. But when it’s along a residential stretch of road flanked by schools and peppered with heavy foot traffic, excessive speeds are a serious concern. With constant calls about speeding and reckless driving, both the city and its residents have legitimate concern for public safety. That’s why changes are coming, thanks to the Safe Road Zone grant. Keep reading to learn more about how and why Anoka is taking steps to get drivers to slow down.

The Need for Slower Speeds

Exceeding speed limits through town is not uncommon. But one Anoka straightaway seems to attract more speeders than most others: County State Aid Highway 1 (CSAH 1) corridor that comprises Fifth Avenue and East River Road, from Main Street to Ninth Avenue. And speeding here is especially problematic and concerning, given the location and landmarks.

“It’s a section of roadway that’s got three or four schools,” Police Captain Tom Schneider explained. “And it’s a 30-mph zone. People generally don’t come close to driving that; they drive well above that.”

With kids walking to and from school, there’s an excessive amount of foot traffic along this corridor. But that’s not all.

“There’s also the Anoka Aquatic Center located off 7^th Avenue that kids are walking to during the summertime,” Assistant City Engineer Ben Nelson added. “There’s a private school south of the Fred Moore Campus, and then there’s Goodrich Field that hosts all the high school events. So, there’s a lot going on right there.”

Driver feedback school zone speed limit signs are posted in this area, but even those aren’t always effective, Nelson noted, as they’re only on when students are going to or leaving school.

“During the summertime, you never see those signs on because there’s no school in session,” Nelson said. “People ask why we don’t just have them on 24/7, but it’s not our jurisdiction.”   

And despite the 35-mph speed limit through downtown Anoka and a speed reduction coming into Anoka from Coon Rapids, Schneider and Nelson said drivers are speeding in both directions.

The Safe Road Zone Grant

So, what’s a city to do? Thanks to a Safe Road Zone grant from the State of Minnesota, the City of Anoka will be installing dynamic speed signs and stationing extra patrols to ensure drivers are adhering to established speed laws. This is the first grant Anoka has received for a Safe Road Zone, which includes the development and delivery of public awareness and education campaigns. And city staff intend on taking full advantage of the opportunity.

“Our previous police chief applied for the grant,” Nelson explained, noting that the city was awarded an enforcement portion and an awareness portion, each with its own purpose.  The enforcement grant is being used to fund additional officer hours along the corridor.

“We have several traffic details where I put a couple officers in place to specifically monitor the speeds on that road,” Schneider said.

The awareness portion of the grant will be used to fund projects aimed at informing the public, through social media campaigns and additional signage, of the city’s plans to increase safety by reducing speeds.

“To help assist with this, we’ll be installing a couple dynamic speed signs that are feedback signs, showing the speed you are going,” Nelson began. “And then there will be some LED-enhanced static signs placed on the boulevard to highlight that the speed reduces as you’re coming westbound on East River Road from Coon Rapids.”

Previously, speed signs were only allowed in school zones. But because of the Safe Road Zone grant and the need for dynamic signs down this stretch, Anoka County made an exception and offered its support for the project.

“It was a team effort between the city, the City of Coon Rapids, and Anoka County for this grant,” Nelson said. “We received the funds here in Anoka, but we work with everybody on the signage.”

Slow Down in Town

While the Safe Road Zone grant has provided the city with funding for much-needed speed limit signs, residents will not see them all over town. “Signage for this corridor was only done because we received these grant funds,” Nelson explained.

But that doesn’t mean that speed limits aren’t being enforced elsewhere throughout Anoka. In fact, even if no speed limit sign is posted, a maximum speed is still assigned to every residential road, per MN state statute.

“Based on the city’s sign policy, Anoka does not put up speed limit signs in neighborhoods,” he said, “because MN Statute 169.14 establishes that all residential speed limits are 30 mph, unless otherwise posted.”

Simple Message

As the City of Anoka implements this project to get drivers to slow down along this stretch of road, it’s worth noting that anyone speeding through this corridor or elsewhere in town may be issued a citation. And some of those come with hefty fines.

Even beyond this grant project, the city’s message is simple.

“We just need drivers to slow down,” Schneider stated, matter-of-factly. “That’s really it.”

For more information on this and other projects, events, and happenings, visit the City of Anoka website.