TRUMAN – With upcoming pedestrian safety changes coming to the section of Highway 15 that goes through Truman, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) elected to postpone any speed sign changes until further notice during a Truman City Council meeting on Monday.

The subject had last been addressed in September, when MnDOT recommend they raise the speed limit from 30 to 35, or have a 40 mph speed transition zone from 5th Street to 1st Street N, after which the speed would then lower to 35 mph through town. This was the opposite of what Truman City Council had wanted, which was to lower the speed limit to deter faster driving.

“The whole reason we wanted it was to slow it down for the crosswalks, not speed it up,” Truman Mayor Jake Ebert said at the time.

On Monday, MnDOT District 7 Traffic Engineer Scott Thompson said he had more background information as to why MnDOT came to these conclusions.

“We walk through the safety as well as science of these studies and what various factors we consider as we complete our work,” he said.

When it comes to how fast people drive, Thompson said it often is a reaction to subconscious processing of their surroundings. People are likely to go 70 mph on a highway because there are few conflicts as they drive, there’s a large road size and also a median between them and oncoming traffic.

On the other side, even if there isn’t a posted speed limit on a crowded alleyway, people will generally go around 10 mph because of the narrow width, buildings near the road and potential for sudden changes such as a kid or dog running into the alley.

“As a result, we as motorists do these self or subconscious calculations of what is a reasonable speed as we drive along the roadway,” Thompson said. “We are picking our speed based upon that risk assessment we’re all doing internally as we drive along the road.”

With numerous studies conducted across the state and nation, Thompson said this means that solely changing the number on a speed sign does not change the general motorist’s behavior.

In their speed study, they found the 85th percentile for how fast motorists go on Highway 15 through Truman, which is 37 mph. This means 85 percent of motorists are driving at or below that speed. Thompson said there is a reason they use the higher 85th percentile instead of the middle point, the 50th percentile.

“The 50th percentile, where we’re saying 50 percent of motorists are driving faster than the [proposed] speed limit, law enforcement can’t pull 50 percent of the people over,” he said. “They can target 15 percent and that’s our goal, to make sure we’re not making everyone driving along the road an offender, but rather giving law enforcement a subset that should be reasonably held accountable for improper behavior.”

With all of this information in mind, Thompson said he knows that a sidewalk project is coming up for Truman that will include a rectangular rapid flashing beacon [RRFB] to help pedestrians cross Highway 15. Given the potential changes this could have on people going through Truman, Thompson proposed a pause for right now.

“Leave the speed limits, construct the sidewalk along with the RRFP crossing system and then get traffic time to acclimate,” he said. “We have added something that gives another indication that, folks, you’re in an urban environment, perhaps higher rates of speed aren’t appropriate, not only the sidewalk, but that crossing system as well. Then we restudy and see what kind of performance we’re seeing as a result.”

Council Member Ron Kelley said he would like to get the sidewalk in and then do another study like Thompson proposed. Thompson said it would address something citizens had concerns about.

“From the feedback I heard that was the biggest concern is, ‘What about pedestrian safety?’ That will go a long way to help address the pedestrian needs,” he said.

In other news:

— An ordinance to eliminate mileage payments for the city was approved for consideration. The ordinance will be further considered and either approved or rejected at an upcoming board meeting.

— A new employee has been added to the Truman Fire Department. Fire Chief Brandon Mosloski said they had five applicants who didn’t shake out this time but could be hired on in the future, and one that was approved on recommendation from Mosloski.