A local legislator introduced a bill Tuesday that would give city governments a voice in potential speed limit changes.
The bill comes after state officials announced that speed limits on sections of two state-owned roadways in East Lansing would be increased, without giving city officials a say in the matter.
"These are communities that have the day-to-day experience managing, enforcing and living on these roads," said State Rep. Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, who introduced the bill. "The state can look at it with their data and say it appears to have this traffic on it, but if they don't know there is a school on these roads or a day care, then they don't have the information they need and the city's voice would be invaluable."
Current state laws allow counties and townships to add input on potential speed limit changes, but cities are left out of the process, an oversight East Lansing Deputy City Manager Jean Golden said is unacceptable.
"We talked with Representative Whitmer about the problems with the current law when this whole thing developed," Golden said.
Under the proposed changes, Saginaw Street from Hagadorn Road to Coolidge Road will change from 35 to 45 mph. Also, East Grand River Avenue will increase from 25 to 35 mph between Cowley Avenue and Delta Street and between Bogue Street and the eastern city limits. The Grand River Avenue speed limit through downtown will remain 25 mph.
The legislation will not affect the changes being proposed in East Lansing now, but could stop these types of problems from happening again, Golden said.
"Usually, laws don't apply retroactively," she said. "We're going to have to deal with our situation under the current law."
Sgt. Gary Megge of the Michigan State Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit is spearheading the proposed change, using the nationally recognized 85th-percentile method for determining speed limits.
During the summer, he administered the test on the two streets, which sets the ideal speed limit according to the speed at or below that which 85 percent of drivers travel.
The state police then give their recommendations to the Michigan Department of Transportation, which issues the official changes.
Megge did not return phone calls made to his office Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. MDOT spokesperson Kari Arend also did not return calls made to her Wednesday afternoon.
East Lansing City Councilmember Vic Loomis said the new legislation would do exactly what city officials have asked the state departments to do in this debate: let the people decide.
"For every one person that has either written me or e-mailed me saying that (the speed limits) should be increased, there are 10 saying it shouldn't," Loomis said. "People who live here know the community best."
Don Jordan can be reached at jordand3@msu.edu.
