TOWNSHIP SPEED RESTRICTIONS
House Bill 5990
Sponsor: Rep. Ruth Ann Jamnnick
Committee: Transportation
Complete to 5-2-02
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 5990 AS INTRODUCED 5-2-02
House Bill 5990 would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to allow township boards in six counties to participate in the speed-limit setting process, under certain circumstances.
Currently under the law, the State Transportation Commission, or a county road commission with respect to highways under its jurisdiction, and the director of the Department of State Police, jointly determine safe speeds, based on an engineering and traffic investigation. House Bill 5990 would retain this provision, and also specify that an eligible township board that wished to be part of the speed-limit setting process with respect to county highways within a township, would be required to notify, in writing, the county road commission (or the county board of commissioners, if there were no county road commission). Then, if the county road commission, the township board, and the director of the Department of State Police determined after an engineering and traffic investigation that the speed of vehicle traffic on a county highway was not reasonable or safe, the officials, acting by a majority vote, could establish a reasonable and safe maximum or minimum speed limit. The speed limit would be in effect when appropriate signs gave notice of the speed limit. The bill also specifies that a township board that did not wish to continue as part of the process could give written notice to the county road commission.
Definition. Under the bill, "eligible township" means a township in Kent, Lapeer, Leelanau, Marquette, Washtenaw, or Wayne counties.
Sunset. House Bill 5990 specifies that this subsection would not apply beginning two years after the effective date of the act, should the legislation be enacted into law.
Further, the bill would delete provisions that make reference to a traffic speed study conducted by the Departments of Transportation and State Police between July 31 and December 15, 1996, to determine whether the speed limit could be safely raised from 65 miles per hour to 70 miles per hour, on five test zones of freeway miles.
Finally, the bill updates the law to specify that the maximum speed limit on all freeways would be 70 miles per hour except that the Transportation Department could designate up to 170 miles of freeway in the state on which the speed limit was less than 70 miles per hour. Currently under the law, the maximum speed limit on all freeways is 65 miles an hour, and the transportation department can designate up to 170 miles of freeway that is less than 65 miles per hour.
MCL 257.628
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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.