HOUSE BILL No. 5585


     February 18, 1998, Introduced by Rep. Middleton and referred to the Committee on Transportation.


        A bill to amend 1949 PA 300, entitled

   "Michigan vehicle code,"

   by amending section 627a (MCL 257.627a), as amended by 1996 PA

   574.

               THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 1         Sec. 627a.  (1) As used in this section and section 629:

 2         (a) "Regularly scheduled school session" means that part of

 3    a day of student instruction  which  THAT is followed by a break

 4    for lunch or by a final dismissal of the student body for that

 5    day.

 6         (b) "School" means an educational institution operated by a

 7    local school district or by a private, denominational, or paro-

 8    chial organization, except an educational institution containing

 9    only grades above eighth grade.  School shall not include an

10    educational institution  which  THAT the department of education


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 1    determines either has its entire student population in residence

 2    at the institution or has its entire student population trans-

 3    ported to and from the institution by motor vehicles.

 4         (c) "School zone" means school property on which a school

 5    building is located and the area adjacent to the school property

 6     which  THAT is designated by the signs required under subsection

 7    (2).  Except as otherwise provided in subsection (5), the school

 8    zone shall extend not more than 1,000 feet from the property line

 9    of the school in each direction.

10         (2) Except as provided in subsection (4), the prima facie

11    speed limit in a school zone, which shall be in force 30 minutes

12    before the first regularly scheduled school session until school

13    commences and from dismissal until 30 minutes after the last reg-

14    ularly scheduled school session, and during a lunch period when

15    students are permitted to leave the school, shall be 25 miles an

16    hour, if permanent signs designating the school zone and the

17    speed limit in the school zone are posted at the request of the

18    school superintendent.  The  EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION

19    (7), THE signs shall conform to the Michigan manual of uniform

20    traffic control devices.

21         (3) This section  shall  DOES not apply to a limited access

22    highway or to that portion of a street or highway over which a

23    pedestrian overhead walkway is erected, if the walkway is adja-

24    cent to school property and is designed and located so as to be

25    used, and is being used, as the principal means by which students

26    of a school  which  THAT has property adjacent to the walkway

27    travel to and from the school.



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 1         (4) Local authorities may increase or decrease the prima

 2    facie speed limit within a school zone under their jurisdiction

 3    pursuant to section 629.

 4         (5) Notwithstanding the requirements for a school zone,  as

 5     defined in subsection (1)(c),  if a school is located in an area

 6    that requires school children to cross a state trunk line highway

 7    or county highway that has a speed limit of 35 miles per hour or

 8    more to attend that school, the school superintendent may submit

 9    a request to the state transportation commission, county road

10    commission, or local authority having jurisdiction over the road-

11    way, as applicable, for a school crossing as permitted under

12    section 613a.  If, based on the traffic engineering studies, the

13    road authority determines the need for a lower speed limit, the

14    road authority may designate the crossing as a school zone.

15    Before submitting a request, the school superintendent shall have

16    completed a school route plan as prescribed by section 7a-1 of

17    the Michigan manual of uniform traffic control devices.

18         (6) Notwithstanding the 25 mile per hour prima facie speed

19    limit established by subsection (2), the prima facie speed limit

20    for any street in a school zone  which  THAT has sidewalks along

21    at least 1 side of the street, which shall be in force during the

22    same periods  which  THAT a 25 mile per hour speed limit provided

23    by subsection (2) would otherwise be effective, shall be set at

24    the limit requested by the superintendent of schools with juris-

25    diction over the school within the school zone, but this limit

26    shall neither be more than 15 miles per hour below the regularly

27    posted speed limit for that street nor less than 25 miles per



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 1    hour.  Permanent signs designating the school zone and the speed

 2    limit in the school zone shall be posted.  These  EXCEPT AS PRO-

 3    VIDED IN SUBSECTION (7), THESE signs shall conform to the

 4    Michigan manual of uniform traffic control devices.

 5         (7) THE SIGNS REQUIRED UNDER SUBSECTIONS (2) AND (6) MAY

 6    DEVIATE FROM THE SPECIFICATIONS OF THE MICHIGAN MANUAL OF UNIFORM

 7    TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES ONLY BY BEARING 1 OF THE FOLLOWING ALTER-

 8    NATE LEGENDS:

 9         (A) "WHEN CHILDREN ARE PRESENT".

10         (B) "ON SCHOOL DAYS WHEN CHILDREN ARE PRESENT".




































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