Pursuit to address “flaws” in how Michigan sets local roadway speed limits is moving forward at the statehouse.
Michigan law states that an engineering and safety study be conducted to modify a speed limit. Additionally, speeds on state and local roads must be rounded up to the nearest multiple of 5 mph of the 85th percentile standard.
‘Flexibility’ when setting speed limits
The House Transportation, Mobility and Infrastructure Committee voted 10-1 to advance a bill to update how the state observes the 85th percentile speed rule – the speed at or below which 85 % of vehicles travel in free-flowing traffic.
Specifically, his bill would give the state flexibility to round down the 85th percentile speed when necessary. Local officials could set the speed to a multiple of 5 mph within 5 mph of the 85th percentile instead of the nearest 5 mph.
Rep. Bradley Slagh, R-Zeeland, uses the example of the 85th percentile speed on a roadway with an average speed of 37.6 mph. His bill would give the state flexibility to set the speed at 35, instead of being required to bump it up to 40 mph.
“I’ve listened to community officials who are frustrated by the existing method because it bases local speed limits solely on metrics, not on common sense factors such as pedestrian safety, road visibility obstructions, or proximity to parks and playgrounds,” Slagh said in a previous released statement. “We must make this very simple change to state law to empower communities to keep all road users safer.”
The legislation, HB4012, also would remove the requirement of an engineering and safety study to be conducted to alter a speed limit. Instead, a modified speed limit could be determined in accordance with traffic engineering practices that provide “an objective analysis of the characteristics of the highway.”
Additionally, the bill would permit a speed limit to be set below the 85th percentile if an engineering and safety study showed a situation with hazards to public safety that are not reflected by the 85th percentile speed. A speed limit could not be set below the 50th percentile speed.
HB4012 can now be considered by the full House. LL
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