HOUSE BILL No. 6224

 

September 22, 2004, Introduced by Rep. Jamnick and referred to the Committee on Transportation.

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1949 PA 300, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Michigan vehicle code,"                                                    

                                                                                

    by amending section 628 (MCL 257.628), as amended by 2003 PA 65.            

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 628.  (1) If the state transportation commission and                   

                                                                                

2   the director of the department of state police jointly determine            

                                                                                

3   upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation that             

                                                                                

4   the speed of vehicular traffic on a state trunk line highway is             

                                                                                

5   greater or less than is reasonable or safe under the conditions             

                                                                                

6   found to exist at an intersection or other place or upon a part             

                                                                                

7   of the highway, the officials acting jointly may determine and              

                                                                                

8   declare a reasonable and safe maximum or minimum speed limit on             

                                                                                

9   that state trunk line highway or intersection that shall be                 

                                                                                

10  effective at the times determined when appropriate signs giving             

                                                                                

11  notice of the speed limit are erected at the intersection or                

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   other place or part of the highway.                                         

                                                                                

2       (2) If the county road commission, the township board, and                  

                                                                                

3   the director of the department of state police unanimously                  

                                                                                

4   determine upon the basis of an engineering and traffic                      

                                                                                

5   investigation that the speed of vehicular traffic on a county               

                                                                                

6   highway is greater or less than is reasonable or safe under the             

                                                                                

7   conditions found to exist at an intersection or other place or              

                                                                                

8   upon a part of the highway, the officials acting unanimously may            

                                                                                

9   establish a reasonable and safe maximum or minimum speed limit at           

                                                                                

10  that intersection or on that county highway that shall be                   

                                                                                

11  effective at the times determined when appropriate signs giving             

                                                                                

12  notice of the speed limit are erected at the intersection or                

                                                                                

13  other place or part of the highway.  A township board that does             

                                                                                

14  not wish to continue as part of the process provided by this                

                                                                                

15  subsection shall notify in writing the county road commission.              

                                                                                

16  As used in this subsection, "county road commission" means the              

                                                                                

17  board of county road commissioners elected or appointed  pursuant           

                                                                                

18  to  under section 6 of chapter IV of 1909 PA 283, MCL 224.6, or,            

                                                                                

19  in the case of a charter county with a population of 2,000,000 or           

                                                                                

20  more with an elected county executive that does not have a board            

                                                                                

21  of county road commissioners, the county executive.                         

                                                                                

22      (3) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the maximum               

                                                                                

23  speed limit on all paved highways or parts of highways upon which           

                                                                                

24  a maximum speed limit is not otherwise fixed under this act shall           

                                                                                

25  be 55 miles per hour.  The maximum speed limit on an unpaved                

                                                                                

26  state trunk line or county highway shall be 45 miles per hour               

                                                                                

27  unless a lower speed limit is fixed and posted.  As used in this            


                                                                                

1   subsection, "paved" means a road surface with a firm, solid                 

                                                                                

2   surface composed of concrete, macadam, asphalt, or a similar                

                                                                                

3   material.                                                                   

                                                                                

4       (4)  (3)  If a superintendent of a school district determines               

                                                                                

5   that the speed of vehicular traffic on a state trunk line or                

                                                                                

6   county highway, which is within 1,000 feet of a school in the               

                                                                                

7   school district of which that person is the superintendent, is              

                                                                                

8   greater or less than is reasonable or safe, the officials                   

                                                                                

9   identified in subsection (1) or (2), as appropriate, shall                  

                                                                                

10  include the superintendent of the school district affected in               

                                                                                

11  acting jointly in determining and declaring a reasonable and safe           

                                                                                

12  maximum or minimum speed limit on that state trunk line or county           

                                                                                

13  highway.   The maximum speed limit on all highways or parts of              

                                                                                

14  highways upon which a maximum speed limit is not otherwise fixed            

                                                                                

15  under this act shall be 55 miles per hour.                                  

                                                                                

16      (5)  (4)  In the case of a county highway of not less than 1                

                                                                                

17  mile with residential lots with road frontage of 300 feet or less           

                                                                                

18  along either side of the highway for the length of that part of             

                                                                                

19  the highway that is under review for a proposed change in the               

                                                                                

20  speed limit, the township board may petition the county road                

                                                                                

21  commission or in charter counties where there is no road                    

                                                                                

22  commission, but there is a county board of commissioners, the               

                                                                                

23  township board may petition the county board of commissioners for           

                                                                                

24  a proposed change in the speed limit.  The county road commission           

                                                                                

25  or in charter counties where there is no road commission, but               

                                                                                

26  there is a county board of commissioners, the township board may            

                                                                                

27  petition the county board of commissioners to approve the                   


                                                                                

1   proposed change in the speed limit without the necessity of an              

                                                                                

2   engineering and traffic investigation.                                      

                                                                                

3       (6)  (5)  The speed limit on a county highway or an                         

                                                                                

4   interconnected group of county highways of not more than 1 mile             

                                                                                

5   in total length that connect with the county road system by a               

                                                                                

6   single entrance and exit shall be 25 miles per hour unless a                

                                                                                

7   different speed limit is fixed and posted.                                  

                                                                                

8       (7)  (6)  If upon investigation the state transportation                    

                                                                                

9   commission or county road commission and the director of the                

                                                                                

10  department of state police find it in the interest of public                

                                                                                

11  safety, they may order the township board, or city or village               

                                                                                

12  officials to erect and maintain, take down, or regulate the speed           

                                                                                

13  control signs, signals, or devices as directed, and in default of           

                                                                                

14  an order the state transportation commission or county road                 

                                                                                

15  commission may cause the designated signs, signals, and devices             

                                                                                

16  to be erected and maintained, taken down, regulated, or                     

                                                                                

17  controlled, in the manner previously directed, and pay for the              

                                                                                

18  erecting and maintenance, removal, regulation, or control of the            

                                                                                

19  sign, signal, or device out of the highway fund designated.                 

                                                                                

20      (8)  (7)  A public record of all speed control signs,                       

                                                                                

21  signals, or devices authorized under this section shall be filed            

                                                                                

22  in the office of the county clerk of the county in which the                

                                                                                

23  highway is located, and a certified copy shall be prima facie               

                                                                                

24  evidence in all courts of the issuance of the authorization.  The           

                                                                                

25  public record with the county clerk shall not be required as                

                                                                                

26  prima facie evidence of authorization in the case of signs                  

                                                                                

27  erected or placed temporarily for the control of speed or                   


                                                                                

1   direction of traffic at points where construction, repairs, or              

                                                                                

2   maintenance of highways is in progress, or along a temporary                

                                                                                

3   alternate route established to avoid the construction, repair, or           

                                                                                

4   maintenance of a highway, if the signs are of uniform design                

                                                                                

5   approved by the state transportation commission and the director            

                                                                                

6   of the department of state police and clearly indicate a special            

                                                                                

7   control, when proved in court that the temporary traffic-control            

                                                                                

8   sign was placed by the state transportation commission or on the            

                                                                                

9   authority of the state transportation commission and the director           

                                                                                

10  of the department of state police or by the county road                     

                                                                                

11  commission or on the authority of the county road commission, at            

                                                                                

12  a specified location.                                                       

                                                                                

13      (9)  (8)  A person who fails to observe an authorized speed                 

                                                                                

14  or traffic control sign, signal, or device is responsible for a             

                                                                                

15  civil infraction.                                                           

                                                                                

16      (10)  (9)  Except as otherwise provided in this section, the                

                                                                                

17  maximum speed limit on all freeways shall be 70 miles per hour              

                                                                                

18  except that the state transportation department may designate not           

                                                                                

19  more than 170 miles of freeway in this state on which the speed             

                                                                                

20  limit may be less than 70 miles per hour.  The minimum speed                

                                                                                

21  limit on all freeways shall be 45 miles per hour except if                  

                                                                                

22  reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or in compliance              

                                                                                

23  with law or in compliance with a special permit issued by an                

                                                                                

24  appropriate authority.                                                      

                                                                                

25      (11)  (10)  The maximum rates of speed allowed  pursuant to                 

                                                                                

26  under this section are subject to the maximum rates established             

                                                                                

27  under section 629b, section 627(5) to (7) for certain vehicles              


                                                                                

1   and vehicle combinations, and section 629(4).                               

                                                                                

2       (12)  (11)  A citation or civil infraction determination for                

                                                                                

3   exceeding a lawful maximum speed limit of 55 miles per hour by              

                                                                                

4   driving 65 miles per hour or less shall not be considered by any            

                                                                                

5   person in establishing automobile insurance eligibility or                  

                                                                                

6   automobile insurance rates.