HB-5944, As Passed House, December 2, 2004

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE BILL No. 5944

 

May 26, 2004, Introduced by Reps. Palmer, Hummel, Garfield, Meyer, Taub, Milosch, DeRoche, Ehardt, Sak, Sheen, Brandenburg, Vander Veen, Tabor, Stahl and Casperson and referred to the Committee on Transportation.

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1949 PA 300, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Michigan vehicle code,"                                                    

                                                                                

    by amending section 629 (MCL 257.629), as amended by 1988 PA                

                                                                                

    368.                                                                        

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 629.  (1)  Local authorities  A local authority may                    

                                                                                

2   establish or increase the prima facie speed limits on highways              

                                                                                

3   under  their  its jurisdiction subject to the following                     

                                                                                

4   limitations:                                                                

                                                                                

5       (a) A highway within a business or residential district on                  

                                                                                

6   which the prima facie speed limit is increased shall be                     

                                                                                

7   designated a through highway at the entrance to which vehicles              

                                                                                

8   shall be required to stop before entering, except that, where 2             

                                                                                

9   of these through highways intersect, a local  authorities                   

                                                                                

10  authority may require traffic on only 1 highway to stop before              

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   entering the intersection.                                                  

                                                                                

2       (b)  The  A local  authorities  authority shall place and                   

                                                                                

3   maintain, upon all through highways  in  on which the permissible           

                                                                                

4   speed is increased, adequate signs giving notice of the special             

                                                                                

5   regulations and shall also place and maintain upon each highway             

                                                                                

6   intersecting a through highway  ,  appropriate signs  which shall           

                                                                                

7   be  that are reflectorized or illuminated at night.                         

                                                                                

8       (c)  Local authorities  A local authority may establish prima               

                                                                                

9   facie lawful speed limits on highways outside of business or                

                                                                                

10  residential districts  which  that shall not be less than 25                

                                                                                

11  miles per hour, except as provided in subsection (4).                       

                                                                                

12      (d) Before a local authority increases or decreases the prima               

                                                                                

13  facie speed limit on a state trunk line highway within a school             

                                                                                

14  zone, the local authority shall confer with the state                       

                                                                                

15  transportation department, the department of state police, and              

                                                                                

16  the school board of the affected school district.                           

                                                                                

17      (2) The state transportation commission may establish the                   

                                                                                

18  speed  which  that shall be prima facie lawful upon all trunk               

                                                                                

19  line highways outside of business districts and located within              

                                                                                

20  cities and villages and outside of school zones, as follows:                

                                                                                

21      (a) A written copy of the authorization or determination                    

                                                                                

22  shall be filed in the office of the county clerk of the county or           

                                                                                

23  counties where the highway is located;  and  a certified copy of            

                                                                                

24  the authorization or determination shall be prima facie evidence            

                                                                                

25  in all courts of the issuance of the authorization or                       

                                                                                

26  determination.                                                              

                                                                                

27      (b) When the state transportation commission increases the                  


                                                                                

1   speed upon a trunk line highway as provided in this act, subject            

                                                                                

2   to section 627a, the state transportation department shall place            

                                                                                

3   and maintain upon these highways adequate signs giving notice of            

                                                                                

4   the permissible speed fixed by the state transportation                     

                                                                                

5   commission.                                                                 

                                                                                

6       (3)  Local authorities are authorized to  A local authority                 

                                                                                

7   may decrease the prima facie speed limits in public parks under             

                                                                                

8   their  its jurisdiction.  A decrease in the prima facie speed              

                                                                                

9   limits  shall be  is binding when adequate signs  are duly                  

                                                                                

10  posted  giving notice of the reduced speeds are posted.                     

                                                                                

11      (4)  Local authorities are authorized to  A local authority                 

                                                                                

12  may decrease the prima facie speed limits to not less than 15               

                                                                                

13  miles an hour on each street or highway under  their  its                   

                                                                                

14  jurisdiction  which  that is adjacent to a publicly owned park or           

                                                                                

15  playground.  A decrease in the prima facie speed limits  shall              

                                                                                

16  be  is binding when adequate signs  are duly posted  giving                 

                                                                                

17  notice of the reduced speeds are posted.  As used in this                   

                                                                                

18  subsection, "local authority" includes the county road commission           

                                                                                

19  with the concurrence of the township board of a township for a              

                                                                                

20  street or highway within the boundaries of the township.                    

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

22  the director of the department of state police determine, upon              

                                                                                

23  the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation, that the             

                                                                                

24  speed of vehicular traffic on an unimproved road is greater than            

                                                                                

25  is reasonable or safe under the conditions found to exist at an             

                                                                                

26  intersection or other place or upon a part of the highway, those            

                                                                                

27  officials acting by a majority vote may decrease the prima facie            


                                                                                

1   speed limit to not less than 25 miles per hour on that unimproved           

                                                                                

2   road located within the limits of the township, and that                    

                                                                                

3   decreased speed limit shall be effective at the times determined            

                                                                                

4   when appropriate signs giving notice of the speed limit are                 

                                                                                

5   erected at the intersection or other place or part of the                   

                                                                                

6   highway.  As used in this subsection, "county road commission"              

                                                                                

7   means the board of county road commissioners elected or appointed           

                                                                                

8   pursuant to section 6 of chapter IV of 1909 PA 283, MCL 224.6,              

                                                                                

9   or, in the case of a charter county with a population of                    

                                                                                

10  2,000,000 or more with an elected county executive that does not            

                                                                                

11  have a board of county road commissioners, the county executive.            

                                                                                

12  As used in this subsection, "unimproved road" means gravel or               

                                                                                

13  otherwise nonpaved roads only.                                              

                                                                                

14      (6)  (5)  The maximum rates of speed allowed  pursuant to                   

                                                                                

15  under this section are subject to the maximum rate established              

                                                                                

16  pursuant to section 629b.                                                   

                                                                                

17      (7)  (6)  A person who exceeds a lawful speed limit                         

                                                                                

18  established  pursuant to  under this section is responsible for a           

                                                                                

19  civil infraction.                                                           

                                                                                

20      (8)  (7)  As used in this section, "local authority" means                  

                                                                                

21  the governing body of a city or village, except as provided in              

                                                                                

22  subsection (4).