When Austin Ditzler leaves his Wayzata neighborhood, he takes Hollybrook Road to Central Avenue, where he often sits and waits … and waits … and waits for a break in traffic to make a left or right turn.
It’s been that way for the past four years since the Minnesota Department of Transportation took down a static “no turn on red” sign that prevented drivers on the ramp from westbound Hwy. 12 from turning right onto Central Avenue, also known as County Road 101. The agency replaced the static sign with an electronic version that illuminates a couple of hours in the mornings and for 45 minutes during the evening rush.
The problem, Ditzler says, is that Hollybrook Road is only a few hundred feet north and slightly downhill from the busy Central Avenue/Hwy. 12 interchange. Hollybrook serves as the only way in and out of a neighborhood of several townhouses, apartment buildings and residences.
When the electronic no-turn-on-red sign is off, traffic pours off the freeway, Ditzler said. That compounded with incessant southbound traffic on County 101 “makes it dangerous and difficult for us to exit Hollybrook.”
The electronic sign operates from 7 to 9:15 a.m. and 4:45 to 5:30 p.m. weekdays. The sign also illuminates if a pedestrian pushes a button to activate it, said MnDOT spokesman Jesse Johnson.
Ditzler said he and others in his neighborhood want the old static sign back, but at the very least they want the electronic sign activated from 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. He has the support of Wayzata Police Chief Mark Schultz.
“Our agency does recognize that this is a challenging area to safely enter 101 from Hollybrook,” the chief said. While his department does traffic enforcement when the sign is activated, “I would support the installation of a permanent no-turn-on-red sign,” Schultz said.
That’s not likely to happen, Johnson said.
