Brandon Twp.-Traveling at 55 mph may be fine for some roadways, but on the unpaved section of Granger Road in front of Doug and Linda Barach’s home it’s just too fast.
‘We live near a curve where people already take it too fast,? says Linda. ‘They fishtail around the corner.?
Granger Road is just one of about 283 gravel road segments in Oakland County previously posted as 25 mph zones that will be altered as of Nov. 9, because of a change in state law.
State law previously allowed 25 mph signs posted for areas that were not business districts and where at least 300 feet of road frontage were ‘Dwellings or dwellings and buildings in use for businesses.?
The revised law, enacted by state legislature in March, determines speed limits by the number of vehicle access points such as side road, alleys and driveways. Under the revised law, speed limits are lowered as the number of access points increases.
The new speed, 55 mph, has the Barach’s concerned.
‘I’m totally opposed,? says Linda, who had only first heard of the change last Wednesday.
Linda said she and her husband, Doug, have lived in their home on Granger Road between Glass and Kent roads for about three years. In their opinion, says Linda, traffic already travels down the dirt road too quickly, and changing the speed limit to 55 mph can only make things worse.
‘They come around this corner and a lot of them will put the hammer down,? agrees Doug. Both say legalizing the speeding that is already occurring in the area will only make things worse.
‘If I had kids I’d be really worried about it,? says Doug.
It’s a reaction Craig Bryson, public information officer for the Road Commission for Oakland County, says he expected.
‘People are not happy, as we anticipated,? says Bryson.
Bryson says the RCOC opposed the change, which will hit Oakland County particularly hard.
‘We were the only county in the state that had taken advantage of the law as it previously existed,? says Bryson.
The RCOC was ‘not in favor of this change,? says Bryson. ‘We actively opposed it. We tried to persuade legislators to (leave the law as it was). It was a very, very uphill battle, and we were not able to get much traction.?
Bryson says he sympathizes with families living along affected roads.
‘This is one of the more emotional issues for people who live on gravel roads,? said Bryson.
The Michigan State Police studied the rural road traffic issues which prompted the change.
‘Oakland County 25 mile speed limit was illegal on rural roads, it was based on a 1949 law,? said 1st Lt. Thad Peterson, Michigan State Police, Traffic Services commander.
‘Other communities, statewide asked if they could also post similar speed limits. From that lawmakers asked the State Police to make uniform the speed on rural roads.?
Peterson said that following the State Police extensive study people drive faster when you have an artificially low speed limit, like those of 25 mph on rural roads.
‘The fact is the road functions the same and people will be safer with the higher speed limits. Our job is to make roads more safe, this change seems counter production but the 55 mph will be safer.?

The OCRC gives the following formula for determining new speed limits::
nRoads with 60 or more access points within half a mile can have a posted limit if 25 mph.
nRoads with 45 to 59 access points within half a mile will be 35 mph.
nRoads with 30 to 44 access points in half a mile will be 45 mph.
nRoads with fewer than 30 access points will not have a posted limit, allowing drivers to go 55 mph.
‘We wanted more 25 mph signs posted,? says Linda, who says she was shocked to learn a speed of 55 mph would be condoned on the road.
‘That speed creates more pot holes,? says Linda. Doug expresses concerns for families nearby with hidden driveways, as well as kids waiting for the school bus as traffic whizzes past.
‘There’s isn’t even enough (straight road) to get to 55 mph,? says Doug as he motions toward one of the road’s many curves.
And while Bryson says he disagrees with the law, he says the RCOC will aim to have all the signs changed by the end of the month.
‘For us,? says Bryson, ‘the bottom line is we have no choice. While we don’t support it, we will do what the state law says.?
The Baraschs, however, won’t. They will, they say, drive well under what the limit of what revided law will allow.
‘We will not drive faster,? says Doug. For he and Linda, a change in the law of traffic does not change the laws of physics, which they say do not allow for safely maneuvering a vehicle down their winding, residential road at 55 mph.