January 11, 2024 – ROCHESTER, MINN. – The Public Works Department is seeking feedback from residents living in the vicinity of Valley Drive NW on the traffic issues and concerns in their neighborhood. Teammates will meet with neighbors on January 24 from 6:45 to 8:00 p.m. at Harriet Bishop Elementary School (406 36 Street NW). This an open house event with no set presentation time.

No traffic calming solutions will be presented on January 24. Rather, city teammates will use the insights and perspectives of neighbors to fully understand the traffic concerns and to help inform potential traffic calming solutions. Additional neighborhood meetings will be scheduled once potential solutions are identified.

The project website is available at: https://tinyurl.com/CofR-NTMP

Residents of the impacted area petitioned for Valley Drive NW to be considered for the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program. Concerns outlined in the petition include excessive speeding vehicles and concerns for pedestrian and cyclist safety. A 2023 traffic study confirmed many vehicles exceed the speed limit in the residential neighborhood.

The goal of the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program is to work closely with neighborhood residents in order to identify various traffic concerns, conduct appropriate studies to quantify any problems, develop criteria for prioritizing projects, and implement solutions in order to rectify safety concerns and lower traffic speeds. Traffic calming will improve the safety of all road users, and create more pleasant neighborhoods for the residents of Rochester.