Revamping Michigan Speed Limit

[okc1975]

Michigan has a 70 MPH in most cities in metro areas.  I would like to drop the speed limit to 65 mph on I-696 from US 24/M-10 Interchange (Exit 8-9) to I-75 Interchange, I-475 in Flint, I-75 from Exit 115-118. I-675 in Saginaw, I-75 from Exit 149 AB-Exit 155, I-94 from M-14 Interchange to US 12 (Exit 185), I-94 from US 24 to US 12 then 60 MPH from US 12 to M-53 in downtown Detroit, back to 65 mph from M-53 to I-696 Interchange.  I-75 from I-696 Interchange to I-94 at 65 MPH. I-94 to M-39 would be 60 MPH. Then from M-39 to US 24 back to 65 MPH.  US 23 from M-14 North Exit to I-94 at 65 MPH.  I-94: M-60 to US 127 in Jackson at 65 MPH.  US 127 from I-96 to East Lansing Rd at 65 MPH and I-496 from US 127 to Exit 1 at 65 MPH.  I-196 would be at 55 MPH from I-96 Interchange to Exit 75.  Exit 75 to M-6 Interchange would be 65 MPH.  US 131 from Exit 72-M-11 Interchange would be at 65 MPH and then M-11 to I-96 would be at 60 MPH.  Entire Stretch on Southfield & Lodge Freeways would be at 60 MPH.   This are for safety reasons.  For ALL Michigan 2 lane highways would increase to 60 MPH except some highways.  US 131 from State Line to Schoolcraft would be 65 MPH.  US 31 from Holland to Grand Haven at 65 MPH.  M-20 from Soaring Eagle Casino to M-30 North would be at 65 MPH.  M-115 from US 10 to US 31 would be at 65 Mph except in Cadillac area. M-13 from North of Bay City to I-75 would be at 65 MPH.  Areas have more than 4 lanes with or without center lane should be at 65 MPH if it is safe to do so.  Michigan State Police need to stop people for speeding!  When the speed limit says 60-65-70 MPH, It means that speed limit!!

[agentsteel53]

[extremely dense block of text]

resistance is futile.

[Brandon]

{Wordy rant about lowing speed limits and having tougher enforcement.}

To quote Doctor Evil, "How 'bout no, you crazy Dutch bastard!?"

Such wishes and desires belong in the Fictional Ghetto.

[JREwing78]

I'll attest that the Michigan State Police does, in fact, stop people for speeding. But there's not that many of them, and they tend to concentrate on the ones speeding greater than 10 mph over the limit.

[HandsomeRob]

US 31 from Holland to Grand Haven at 65 MPH

Only if you want everyone on it to die a fiery explodey death. That road's not safe at 55, why would you want people going faster?

[Alps]

Formatting is cool and funny.

[Brandon]

I'll attest that the Michigan State Police does, in fact, stop people for speeding. But there's not that many of them, and they tend to concentrate on the ones speeding greater than 10 mph over the limit.

Usually much faster than 10 over the limit, especially in the SE part of the state.  The joke goes: the limit is 70 mph, traffic is flying by a state trooper with a radar gun on the side of the freeway at 85 mph.  He's only waiting for people doing 100 mph or better.

[getemngo]

You've been a member for 4 years, but this is your first post. Your username has "OKC" in it but you're talking about Michigan. Who are you? Are you a spambot that's both gained sentience and forgotten to advertise anything?

For ALL Michigan 2 lane highways would increase to 60 MPH except some highways.

I think this is my favorite sentence.

[1995hoo]

Almost reminds me of ethanman62187, except ethanman's posts were more coherent!

[colinstu]

Almost reminds me of ethanman62187, except ethanman's posts were more coherent!

No parclo no care

No intelligence no care

Don't see what changing all these limits would do.

[ftballfan]

M-231 should be 60 or 65 when it opens, to entice people to use it instead of the choked US-31 through Grand Haven. Most of M-115 should get bumped to 65 as well. All UP state highways should get bumped up to 65 outside of urban areas.

[Molandfreak]

I can't believe I actually took the time to read that word-for-word. I wish you would've said which towns these are in/elaborated on why you want the speed limits down in the areas you mentioned, as I might've actually taken the time to look some of these up in google maps.

All UP state highways should get bumped up to 65 outside of urban areas.

I don't know if 65 is safe at night on the windy backroads. All of the U.S. highways, M-28, M-35, and M-38 are certainly 65-ready from my experience with them, and I would fully support a 65 mph limit on these roads.

[texaskdog]

I still like "Reasonable & Prudent"  Drive to what is safe for the conditions of the road.

[getemngo]

All UP state highways should get bumped up to 65 outside of urban areas.

I don't know if 65 is safe at night on the windy backroads. All of the U.S. highways, M-28, M-35, and M-38 are certainly 65-ready from my experience with them, and I would fully support a 65 mph limit on these roads.

M-35 is horrendously slow and winding between Gwinn and Negaunee. (Good thing M-553 is much nicer and parallels it!) I'd keep it at 55 for Keweenaw County, M-203, M-26 from Painesdale to Dollar Bay, M-94 west of US 41, M-28 from Marquette to Munising, M-123 through the Tahquamenon Falls area, M-134, a few of the <10 mile highways, and maybe M-95. I haven't clinched M-64, M-69, or the far western reaches of US 2, but everything else rural could probably be raised.

[Molandfreak]

I'd keep it at 55 for Keweenaw County,

I don't know if it's necessary by any means, but U.S. 41 could definitely be raised to 65 in Keweenaw.

[getemngo]

I'd keep it at 55 for Keweenaw County,

I don't know if it's necessary by any means, but U.S. 41 could definitely be raised to 65 in Keweenaw.

I would definitely widen it first through the stretch from Copper Harbor south (can't remember how far it lasts - maybe to Lac La Belle Rd or so?) that has almost no shoulders and trees very close to the edge.

[JREwing78]

I'm typically for raising speed limits, but the Keweenaw has significant, compelling reasons NOT to raise speed limits on its roads.

For example, the 12-mile stretch of US-41 immediately south of Copper Harbor has been preserved as a Copper Country Trail Scenic Heritage Route & National Byway. There's no major commercial or government installation requiring an upgraded highway, nor are there any significant population centers north of Calumet. The road has significant natural beauty on this stretch that helps draw visitors to the region. It is simply inappropriate to expand the road or raise the existing speed limit.

The stretch between Calumet and Hancock, however, has been widened and constructed to safely support higher-speed and heavy truck traffic, and it's appropriate here to raise the limit to 65mph.

M-26 between Hancock and Calumet goes through too many populated areas, and the stretch north of Phoenix has compelling natural beauty precluding the necessity of a higher-speed road (much like the US-41 section immediately south of Copper Harbor).

M-203 has both too many populated areas and significant natural beauty that precludes the necessity of a higher-speed road. Again, it's not appropriate or necessary to raise the speed limit here.

On the rest of US-41 outside of the towns, however, 65 mph limits are certainly appropriate. Ditto for most of the 2-lane state and US highways outside of towns in the UP. If the road has full-width paved shoulders and limited driveway/side-road access, 70 mph limits would be appropriate.

The bottom line is, whatever the speed limits are adjusted to, they should take into account the design standards of the highway in question. Most of the 2-lane state highways in Michigan are built to design standards that would make a 65 mph speed limit reasonable and prudent. However, particularly south of Mount Pleasant, there are a number of state highways on which 55 mph is an appropriate speed limit, and no faster, because they are not built to accommodate higher-speed traffic.

There's also quite a number of these 2-lane highways that are simply overwhelmed with traffic and need to be widened to a controlled or limited-access 4-lane highway (US-127 south of Jackson, US-131 south of Portage and north of Manton, M-72 between Traverse City & Grayling, US-223, M-40 between Holland and US-131, M-115 between Clare and M-37, US-31 north of Ludington, US-23 north of Standish, etc). Given the current behavior of Michigan's legislature, that's about as likely as the Mackinac Bridge taking flight.