Brandon Twp.-The speed limit on M-15 between Glass and Grange Hall roads will remain at 50 mph.
A speed limit study conducted last month by the Michigan Department of Transportation and Michigan State Police concluded that the majority of vehicles are traveling near the current posted limit of 50 mph.
‘Should the speed limit be artificially reduced, the compliance rate would reduce as well,? wrote Jeff Horne, traffic and safety engineer, in a letter to Township Supervisor Kathy Thurman. ‘This will lead to operational and safety concerns, since the range of vehicular speeds would vary. The data also suggests the southern limit portion of the posted 50 mph speed limit zone could be bumped up to 55 mph, based on the 85th percentile. We feel this is counterintuitive to the community’s desire and will leave the existing speed limit as is.?
Speed limits are set by the Michigan State Police based on the 85th percentile, meaning the speed at which 85 percent of drivers are traveling at, or below on a section of road. The current speed limit on M-15 from West Seymour Lake Road to 1,000 feet north of Grange Hall Road is 50 mph. The speed study, requested by Brandon Township officials due to safety concerns, was conducted June 23 between 10:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.
Horne’s letter reported the weather was sunny and 70 degrees with dry pavement conditions and light to medium traffic. Students had been out of school for summer break for more than a week.
The first speed study was conducted 300 feet north of Wolfe Road, with 144 vehicles observed, and the 85th percentile speed recorded as 51 mph. The second study was done 600 feet south of the high school drive and signalized intersection, with 167 vehicles observed and the 85th percentile speed at 55 mph. The third speed study observed 105 vehicles passing 1000 feet south of Grange Hall Road, with the 85th percentile speed at 52 mph.
‘I don’t think the number of accidents weighs heavily in their decision to change speed limits, but that is why we asked for this to be done,? said Thurman of the speed study. ‘I would have liked to have seen the speed limit lowered to 45, because I think there are too many driveway cuts in that section of M-15 that create a hazard.?
The township first requested a speed study after two fatal crashes occurred within five months of each other in front of McDonald’s, in the 900 block of S. Ortonville Road, in 2013.
Donald Ruks, 58, of Ortonville was killed shortly after 3 p.m. Oct. 2, 2013 when the 1999 Honda Valkyrie motorcycle he was driving northbound on M-15 struck a 2004 Volkswagen Golf. The 21-year-old Ortonville woman driving the Golf was attempting to turn left out of the McDonald’s and drove directly into the path of the motorcycle. The woman was uninjured.
On May 24, 2013 Dr. Nabil Awad El-Shamaa, a 74-year-old retired Troy doctor, was killed at the same location on M-15 when the driver of a 1999 Chrysler Town and Country van turned left into the McDonald’s. El-Shamaa, who was driving a 2001 Acura northbound, struck the Chrysler, then went left of center and struck a southbound 2008 Chevy Silverado pick-up truck driven by a 33-year-old Texas resident, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Chrysler, a 31-year-old Holly resident, had four children in her vehicle, all under the age of 6. None of the occupants of the Chrysler were injured.
Alcohol was not a factor in either of the fatal crashes.
According to the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), from 2008-2012, there were 323 reported accidents on M-15 between Seymour Lake Road and South Street in Brandon Township. Of those, none were fatal; four caused incapacitating injuries; 59 caused other injuries; and 260 were property damage only. M-15 on this stretch is classified as medium congestion by SEMCOG.
‘We are always looking for ways to improve safety, but the speed study is based on largest percentage of what drivers are already doing,? said Diane Cross, MDOT communications representative. ‘Citizens can always help themselves by lowering their speeds when driving through an area of concern for safety for themselves and pedestrians. The faster you go, the more likely you are to help that speed limit rise or fall. We have no changes at this time in our 5-year plan for that area of M-15.?