Brandon School District bus driver Cindy Phillips isn’t happy about the changing speed limits on Oakland County’s gravel roads.
‘At 25 mph or 35 mph, we have enough trouble trying to get people to see us,? said Phillips. ‘All the drivers here are feeling pretty concerned about it. We’re going to have to be extra vigilant.?
Phillips is referring to a revised state law, enacted by state legislature in March, that determines speed limits by the number of vehicle access points such as side roads, alleys and driveways. Under the revised law, which went into effect Nov. 9, speed limits are lowered as the number of access points increases.
About 283 gravel road segments in Oakland County, previously posted as 25 mph zones, were affected.
‘I think it’s less safe for kids,? said Phillips, ‘even overall, just as far as the road condition (being unfit for such high speeds).. I think someone didn’t think this through.?
Phillips is not alone in her opinion.
Lawmakers representing frustrated constituents in Oakland County have been scrambling to revamp the language of the law, allowing area roads to maintain their 25 mph limits.
Supporting the amendment is State Representative Jim Marleau, (R- 46th district), who voted in favor of the change initially.
‘Not a single person voted against it,? said Thadd Gormas, chief of staff and spokesperson for Marleau.
Gormas said the change was initially intended to lower speed limits and the resulting new higher speed limits on gravel roads is an ‘unintended consequence.?
‘Our hope is to regain some local control over the decision-making process,? said Gormas.
Spearheading the change last March was the Michigan State Police Department, following their study of rural roads.
Oakland County 25 mile speed limit was illegal on rural roads, it was based on a 1949 law,? 1st Lt. Thad Peterson, Michigan State Police, Traffic Services commander told The Citizen last month.
‘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 according to the State Police extensive study, people drive faster when there is 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- productive, but the 55 mph will be safer.?
Sgt. Tim McIsaac of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Brandon Substation agreed with Peterson that safety is the job of law enforcement, but disagreed with the new speed limits.
‘We’re in the safety business and I really think it’s unsafe,? said McIsaac, adding he has yet to hear any local law enforcement officials who support the law.
‘I don’t think a lot of these roads are made for or maintained to go these speeds,? said McIsaac. ‘I think Oakland County has special circumstances because our gravel roads are really heavily populated.?
Craig Bryson, public information officer for the Road Commission for Oakland County, agreed.
‘We have, I think, more than any other county in the state, more populous townships here. We have townships that are essentially large suburbs,? said Bryson.
Bryson told The Citizen in November the RCOC was not in favor of the change in speed limits. ‘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.?
Despite his opposition to the decision, Bryson said the RCOC originally intended to have all the newly outdated speed postings removed by the end of November. However, said Bryson, with the new push to amend the language of the law, the removal of those signs has been put on hold until January.
‘We support the efforts to change the language,? said Bryson. ‘We’re working with (lawmakers) to try and change the language. We have tried to come up with various solutions.?
‘I thought it was bad legislation,? said Brandon Township Supervisor Ron Lapp. ‘I’m hopeful they will change it.?
‘I urge every resident in Brandon Township to call, write or email legislators to tell them how disappointed (residents) are.?
It was the same story in Groveland Township, where Supervisor Bob DePalma said he and his staff had been fielding calls from people upset about the higher speed limits and unsure of who was responsible.
‘I haven’t heard a single positive comment,? said DePalma. ‘Unfortunately this is completely out of the hands of local government.?
DePalma echoed the concerns of many who said the gravel roads just weren’t designed to be navigated at such accelerated speeds.
‘Leaving them all unposted at 55 mph …is just unrealistic,? said DePalma. ‘If you were going 55 mph you could be cresting hills and becoming airborne.?
And though DePalma had confidence that a majority of drivers would only go a speed they felt was safe, he expressed concern that some would see the higher limit as permission to drive dangerously fast.
‘I think what (lawmakers) did is a bad idea. I think more flexibility should be implemented,? said DePalma.
While the legal language is revisited and the lawmakers plead their case in buildings far removed from the gravel roads of Oakland County, Phillips said bus drivers like herself will keep a close eye on the kids.
‘It would just be too devastating (if there was an accident),? said Phillips. ‘That speed limit is unsafe. I think 55 mph on M-15 is too much. It’s bad enough out there, I can’t even imagine, on the back roads, how that will play out.?
As of yet, Phillips has not seen any change in speed limits on her route, and said she hopes it will stay that way.
‘I’m sure the drivers will, if they see changes, I’m sure they’ll talk to the kids,? said Phillips. ‘It’s our responsibility, of course.?
‘Our kids getting on and off the buses are not the only ones using those roads. You have people walking? jogging,? said Phillips.
‘We have to be very careful,? agreed McIsaac. Just please keep safety in mind. (Ask yourself) would you be able to stop if a child ran out in front of your car??
‘Every bus driver will do everything is his or her power to keep the kids safe,? said Phillips. ‘No matter what the speed limit is.?