SENATE BILL No. 123

 

 

January 30, 2003, Introduced by Senators PATTERSON, GILBERT, Van WOERKOM, SANBORN, JACOBS, CROPSEY, GARCIA, GOSCHKA, JELINEK, BIRKHOLZ, PRUSI, ALLEN and JOHNSON 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 2000 PA                

                                                                                

    167.                                                                        

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

2   county road commission, with respect to highways under its                  

                                                                                

3   jurisdiction,  and the director of the department of state police           

                                                                                

4   jointly determine upon the basis of an engineering and traffic              

                                                                                

5   investigation that the speed of vehicular traffic on a state                

                                                                                

6   trunk line  or county  highway is greater or less than is                   

                                                                                

7   reasonable or safe under the conditions found to exist at an                

                                                                                

8   intersection or other place or upon a part of the highway, the              

                                                                                

9   officials acting jointly may determine and declare a reasonable             

                                                                                

10  and safe maximum or minimum speed limit on that state trunk line            

                                                                                


1   , county  highway  ,  or intersection that shall be effective at           

                                                                                

2   the times determined when appropriate signs giving notice of the            

                                                                                

3   speed limit are erected at the intersection or other place or               

                                                                                

4   part of the highway.                                                        

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

6   the director of the department of state police jointly determine            

                                                                                

7   upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation that             

                                                                                

8   the speed of vehicular traffic on a county highway is greater or            

                                                                                

9   less than is reasonable or safe under the conditions found to               

                                                                                

10  exist at an intersection or other place or upon a part of the               

                                                                                

11  highway, the officials acting jointly may establish a reasonable            

                                                                                

12  and safe maximum or minimum speed limit at that intersection or             

                                                                                

13  on that county highway that shall be effective at the times                 

                                                                                

14  determined when appropriate signs giving notice of the speed                

                                                                                

15  limit are erected at the intersection or other place or part of             

                                                                                

16  the highway.                                                                

                                                                                

17      (3) If a superintendent of a school district determines that                

                                                                                

18  the speed of vehicular traffic on a state trunk line or county              

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

20  district of which that person is the superintendent, is greater             

                                                                                

21  or less than is reasonable or safe, the officials identified in             

                                                                                

22  subsection (1) or (2), as appropriate, shall include the                    

                                                                                

23  superintendent of the school district affected in acting jointly            

                                                                                

24  in determining and declaring a reasonable and safe maximum or               

                                                                                

25  minimum speed limit on that state trunk line or county highway.             

                                                                                

26  The maximum speed limit on all highways or parts of highways upon           

                                                                                

27  which a maximum speed limit is not otherwise fixed under this act           

                                                                                


1   shall be 55 miles per hour.                                                 

                                                                                

2       (4)  (2)  In the case of a county highway of not less than 1                

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

7   commission or in charter counties where there is no road                    

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

9   township board may petition the county board of commissioners for           

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

13  petition the county board of commissioners to approve the                   

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

15  engineering and traffic investigation.                                      

                                                                                

16      (5)  (3)  The speed limit on a county highway or an                         

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

20  different speed limit is fixed and posted.                                  

                                                                                

21      (6)  (4)  If upon investigation the state transportation                    

                                                                                

22  commission or county road commission and the director of the                

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

27  an order the state transportation commission or county road                 

                                                                                


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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

6       (7)  (5)  A public record of all speed control signs,                       

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

8   in the office of the county clerk of the county in which the                

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

12  prima facie evidence of authorization in the case of signs                  

                                                                                

13  erected or placed temporarily for the control of speed or                   

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

18  approved by the state transportation commission and the director            

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

22  authority of the state transportation commission and the director           

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

25  a specified location.                                                       

                                                                                

26      (8)  (6)  A person who fails to observe an authorized speed                 

                                                                                

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

                                                                                


1   civil infraction.                                                           

                                                                                

2       (9)  (7)  Except as otherwise provided in this section, the                 

                                                                                

3   maximum speed limit on all freeways shall be  65  70 miles per              

                                                                                

4   hour except that the state transportation department may                    

                                                                                

5   designate not more than 170 miles of freeway in this state on               

                                                                                

6   which the speed limit may be less than  65  70 miles per hour.              

                                                                                

7   The director of the state transportation department, in                    

                                                                                

8   consultation with the department of state police, beginning                 

                                                                                

9   July 31, 1996, shall establish five areas of freeway miles as               

                                                                                

10  test zones on which the speed limit may be increased to 70 miles            

                                                                                

11  per hour in order to conduct a study to determine whether any of            

                                                                                

12  those miles of freeway on which the speed limit is 65 miles per             

                                                                                

13  hour on June 25, 1996 may be increased to 70 miles per hour.                

                                                                                

14  Tests shall be conducted from August 1, 1996 through October 31,            

                                                                                

15  1996.  The study shall be completed by December 15, 1996 and                

                                                                                

16  shall be based on traffic congestion and other traffic safety               

                                                                                

17  issues as determined by the director of the department of state             

                                                                                

18  police or his or her designee and on engineering criteria as                

                                                                                

19  determined by the director of the state transportation department           

                                                                                

20  or his or her designee.  If the study indicates that certain                

                                                                                

21  miles of freeway are eligible for increase, the speed limit on              

                                                                                

22  those miles of freeway may be increased to 70 miles per hour.               

                                                                                

23  The minimum speed limit on all freeways shall be 45 miles per               

                                                                                

24  hour except if reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or             

                                                                                

25  in compliance with law or in compliance with a special permit               

                                                                                

26  issued by an appropriate authority.                                         

                                                                                

27      (10)  (8)  The maximum rates of speed allowed pursuant to                   

                                                                                


1   this section are subject to the maximum rates established under             

                                                                                

2   section 629b, section 627(5) to (7) for certain vehicles and                

                                                                                

3   vehicle combinations, and section 629(4).                                   

                                                                                

4       (11)  (9)  A citation or civil infraction determination for                 

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

7   person in establishing automobile insurance eligibility or                  

                                                                                

8   automobile insurance rates.