Legislation to restore the 25 mile-per-hour speed limits on local gravel roads was approved by the Michigan House Nov. 30 and is awaiting confirmation in state Senate either this week or next.
‘This is good in that it allows residents to retain the 25 (mph speed limit) they already have,? said Craig Bryson, spokesman for the Road Commission for Oakland County.
State senators Mike Bishop (R-Rochester) and Nancy Cassis along with state representatives Jim Marleau (R-Lake Orion) and John Stakoe worked together on Senate Bill 248, which restores the speed limits on gravel roads that were in effect prior to Nov. 9 and allows locals to request an increase if they choose.
‘The key is that we want to create an environment where local officials can set proper standards,? Bishop said.
‘This bill maintains the ability for our local officials to protect against unsafe increases on gravel roads,? Marleau said.
SB 248 passed the House 57-42.
‘I did not think it would be that easy to get support from other legislators, but apparently they were able to do that,? Bryson said. ‘I’m also surprised the state police didn’t make a bigger fuss.?
On Monday night, Bishop said the bill is currently going through a senate committee and he sees the process wrapping up quickly. ‘It’s going to have to be soon,? he said. ‘We’ve got 10 days left in this lame duck session.?
Early last month, Public Act 85 of 2006, a new state law backed by the Michigan State Police and signed by the governor in April, increased the 25 mph limits on 283 gravel road segments in Oakland County.
Earlier this year, both Bishop and Marleau voted in favor of this new law.
Bishop said he originally voted in favor of the law because he was told there would still be local control. He was upset to learn that wouldn’t be the case.
‘In this case, I’m concerned I was misled in a purposeful way,? the senator said. ‘I got a completely different answer at the time.?
As a result of the new law, 248 gravel roads county-wide went from a posted 25 mph to an unposted maximum allowable speed of 55 mph. Thirty-two increased to a posted 45 mph while the remaining three segments went to a posted 35 mph.
In Oxford Township, 20 segments of posted 25 mph gravel road are slated to increase to an unposted 55 mph. Two more segments will be posted 45 mph.
In Addison Township, 19 road segments posted at 25 mph are set to increase to an unposted 55 mph.
Such changes caused much outcry from the public, particularly those living on affected gravel roads.
The road commission is waiting until after Jan. 1, 2007 to take down the 25 mph signs just in case SB 248 passes the senate and gets signed into law by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
‘It’s not at all clear where the governor stands on this,? Bryson said. ‘The state police may have her ear more than they have the legislature’s ear.?
Although SB 248 allows all the existing 25 mph gravel roads to stay posted with that speed limit, it only does so until January 2009 when the legislation sunsets.
‘It will take specific action of the legislature and the governor to extend that again in two years,? explained Bryson, meaning the whole issue of the 25 mph gravel roads will have to reviewed and voted on again in order to keep them. Whether it will turn into another battle in two years depends on the state police, according to Bryson.
‘If they stridently fight it, it could be an issue,? he said. ‘If let it go, it probably won’t be.?
‘Maybe it will just be housekeeping,? Bryson said.
So why the time limit? ‘What I heard was there were some legislators who weren’t really supportive of this amendment and only agreed to go along with it if there was some kind of a time limit,? Bryson said.
SB 248 only protects existing 25 mph gravel roads.
In order for other gravel roads to qualify for a 25 mph posting they must now have 60 or more vehicular access points ? side streets, driveways, private roads ? intersecting it within a half-mile, according to Public Act 85.
‘The amendment does not allow for additional (25 mph postings), it just sort of grandfathers in the existing ones,? Bryson said. ‘It probably about the best compromise anybody could have come up with.?
‘The challenge is going to be in the future when the next stretch of road develops and the people who build houses along it ask why they can’t have 25 (mph) when people down the road do,? he noted.
If approved, SB248 allows locals to request a speed limit increase from the road commission if they choose.
‘If the community thinks the speed should be higher, they can ask the road commission to review the situation and, if justified, raise the speed limit,? Bryson said.
Considering the public outcry to keep the 25 mph limits, Bryson said, ‘I don’t think we’re going to have a whole lotta call for that.?
Lake Orion Review reporter Colin Baumgartner contributed to this story.