Speed limit must be lowered for safety of residents, drivers
The speed limit on Gotfredson Road, in Plymouth, needs to be lowered and the sooner the better.
We are well aware of the State Police/County agreement and points of access rules. What that (and not every safety organization agrees with that study) doesn't take in to account is that we as neighbors have to go out to the road to get our mail, our newspapers, cross the road to go to our neighbors homes, water our plants, cut the grass AND attempt to get out of our driveways without getting run over and killed.
The study says that people driving set the safe speed limit by the 80 percent rule. Yeah, right. The same people that speed up when asked to slow down and almost ran us over today when we were out there after a dog got hit and killed?
The neighbors dog escaped from the yard with the electric fence, it can happen to anyone. Not to mention all the kids in the neighborhood who should be able to go out and play in the country without a car or truck whizzing past them at 50-80 mph. Add people we see talking on their cell phones and texting, and it gets even better.
My husband almost got hit by a truck in the driveway — the driver swerved from something else and came onto the property nearly killing him and taking out the mailbox and bottom of the pine tree.
Two people, two years in a row, have gotten killed at the corner. Dead. Two young people, one in a car and one on a bike.
The people who try to pass on the right when we are trying to turn into our driveways. People passing because someone is driving safely. People slamming on their brakes, again, because we are turning into our driveways.
Coming out of the driveway is also dangerous with the elevation and people cannot see us. But the sign that warns of hidden driveways was taken out by the road commission. Although it has a sign warning about the road not being paved. Hmmm.
Lucas Nursery (drivers are) another grand offender. One driver almost ran my 80-year-old mother off the road, and we see them speeding up when they get to the dirt road as they use Gotfredson as a conduit to their two stores on Plymouth and Ford Roads. I have had their trucks try to pass me on the dangerous curve by the marsh…really great when someone is walking there.
How soon before one our children gets killed? How long do we have to wait for sanity and safety?
We moved out to the country years ago and can't even walk down the road with our dogs or go out to the mailbox without the fear of getting killed. And every year we complain to deaf ears — 23 years for me. It's time to lower the speed limit in residential albeit rural areas where there are families!
Sandra Suarez
Plymouth
Comments
Julie Whipple
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 1:06 a.m.
I too am a neighbor across the street from Ms. Suarez and can only confirm her statements. While we all are quite careful in walking our dogs, getting our mail, crossing the street to talk to a neighbor, it is quite unbelievable how fast cars fly down this road. And you would think when they see that there are residents, dogs and cats and especially kids in the area, that this would prompt them to slow down, unfortunately it does not. All we are asking is for drivers to SLOW DOWN when going on this route. It's not worth having to get somewhere so fast that you hit a child's dog or even worse, the child themselves. I have to say it is tempting for us to put in homemade speed bumps, or better yet, a clunker car, and just leave it in the road and then see how fast cars really go when they hit it.
Jim Walker
Sat, Aug 18, 2012 : 1:09 p.m.
People who advocate for posted speed limits arbitrarily set below the 85th percentile speed of free flowing traffic under good conditions need to recognize these things: 1) The actual 85th percentile speeds will not change by more than 3 mph, and usually by 1 mph or less. It is false to think lower posted limits will cause lower travel speeds. 2) There are not enough police officers to enforce often enough to change the actual travel speeds. Enforcement is only random and results only in revenue, NOT safety. 3) The accident rate may go up due to a less smooth traffic flow, more passing, more tailgating, more aggressive driving, etc. The Oakland County data on a large group of rural roads with some housing was very clear. Roads with 25 limits had higher accident rates than those with no posted limit that used the General Speed Limit of 55 mph. Removing the 25 signs made the roads safer. 4) There is a tremendous push in California to allow local governments to post artificially low speed limits and it has very little to do with safety. California allows speed and red light ticket cameras and the fines are $400 to $500 per violation. By setting artificially low limits below the 85th percentile speeds the cameras can be made MASSIVELY profitable because the camera companies and the cities know for sure that the actual travel speeds won't change by much. Fortunately these predatory enforcement cameras are illegal in Michigan, so we don't face this nasty issue here. 5) Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor was a fine example. Two segments with artificially low limits of 30 and 35 mph were corrected to 40 and 45 mph in April 2008. The 85th percentile speeds both before and after the change were 40 and 47 mph respectively, there was NO change in actual speeds. The predatory enforcement by Ann Arbor police for revenue is gone entirely. And the 3 year before/after accident rate went down. James C. Walker, National Motorists Association, Ann Arbor, MI
sandra suarez
Fri, Aug 17, 2012 : 10:40 p.m.
85th Percentile Rule Relaxed A new California law allows local governments to consider neighborhood quality and pedestrian safety when setting speed limits. Formerly, the so-called 85th percentile rule was the primary factor on which speed limits were based. The 85th percentile speed is the speed at or below which 85 percent of motorists drive on any given road. The theory behind the 85th percentile guideline is that most drivers will take road conditions into account and choose a reasonably safe speed. "As traffic engineers themselves freely admit, the flaw in the 85th percentile approach is that drivers are traveling at a speed they feel is safe for themselves," writes Dani Weber in the Spinning Crank, the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition's newsletter. "That speed is not necessarily safe for other road users like pedestrians and bicyclists. High speeds (over 25 mph) are directly correlated with motorists' failure to yield to pedestrians in cross- walks, high injury rates, injury severity, lack of perceived walkability, and high noise levels. " The bill, sponsored by Assembly member Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), authorizes local authorities to "consider residential density [and] pedestrian and bicyclist safety" when conducting engineering and traffic surveys. However, real change will only happen if local governments choose make use of the new latitude in setting speed limits.
Jim Walker
Thu, Aug 16, 2012 : 3:12 p.m.
Dear Ms. Suarez, The problem with your approach is that it won't work, and it would probably make the road more dangerous for everyone. In the absence of enforcement during most daylight hours (which authorities cannot afford), a lower posted speed limit will NOT reduce the actual travel speeds - particularly at the upper end of the range. The 85th percentile speed of free flowing traffic under good conditions is VERY unlikely to change by more than one mph, if that much. But, a tiny percentage of the slower vehicles may observe an artificially low limit set below the speeds most drivers find to be safe and comfortable. This disturbs smooth traffic flow and may well increase: speed variance, passing, tailgating, aggressive driving and maybe even road rage. The chances a patrol officer will witness these things and ticket the offenders more than very occasionally are close to nil. There is a very good example of what you ask for in Oakland County. Before Public Law 85 of 2006 took effect, the Michigan Vehicle Code had a very permissive definition of "Residential" areas. It took only a few houses to justify a 25 mph zone in rural areas, and that limit was routinely ignored with the negative consequences shown above. This definition was removed in 2006 and many 25 mph zones in rural Oakland County became illegal. Because of fierce local opposition, it took some time to get the signs taken down. But they were finally removed and the legal limit reverted to the General Speed Limit of 55 mph. What happened? The accident rate went down. Residents there still want their improper 25 mph signs back, but it won't happen. This is terribly counter-intuitive, but it is the known science about posted speed limits. Setting posted limits below the speeds that most drivers find to be safe and comfortable tends to increase the accident risks and does not reduce the travel speeds for most vehicles. James C. Walker, National Motorists Association, Ann Arbor, MI
BernieP
Thu, Aug 16, 2012 : 3:28 a.m.
What is this planet called Plymouth? PS - I'm all for lowering speed limits on local roads and raising them on the expressways.
sandra suarez
Fri, Aug 17, 2012 : 9:20 p.m.
It's a Plymouth mailing address but is Superior Twp.
talker
Thu, Aug 16, 2012 : 12:09 a.m.
In addition to your other efforts, why not talk to an owner/manager of Lucas. It appears that your situation would start to improve if Lucas' drivers took another route or drove slowly through residential areas.
sandra suarez
Fri, Aug 17, 2012 : 10:08 p.m.
Tried that a couple of times.
Macabre Sunset
Wed, Aug 15, 2012 : 9:22 p.m.
I can see making a case for additional patrols if there are specific violators, but, other than that, you're probably best off learning to look both ways before getting your mail or crossing the road. I'm not a big believer in electric fencing for dogs - it's far too prone to failure and gives owners a false sense of security. It sounds like your complaints aren't with the speed limit itself, but those who drive distracted or recklessly. Those people will still be reckless or distracted if the number on the sign changes.
sandra suarez
Fri, Aug 17, 2012 : 9:28 p.m.
No, my complaint IS the speed limit - 55 is not necessary in this neighborhood. Maybe way back when there were less roads, but this is way outdated.
clark
Wed, Aug 15, 2012 : 9:15 p.m.
"It's time to lower the speed limit in residential albeit rural areas where there are families!" I agree that there are certainly reckless drivers (in urban and rural areas), but the proposed solution wouldn't solve the problem. Is there any rural road that isn't a residential road? How would you propose enforcement at a time when most local police departments are cutting budgets? And often the most vocal opponents of lowered speed limits are residents themselves, who don't have a choice which road take when going to work or school. Since you've complained "to deaf ears" for 23 years, can you share why you've chosen not to move to a neighborhood inside Ann Arbor or Plymouth where the speed limit is less?
sandra suarez
Fri, Aug 17, 2012 : 9:27 p.m.
I moved from Livonia, on Newburgh. The traffic was a mess there, as well. 23 years ago there was not as much traffic but people still drove like crazy. I have 4.5 acres, two homes, and it's like paradise here save for the traffic. I am not willing to pull up stakes physically or financially when common sense can fix the problem.
Superior Twp voter
Wed, Aug 15, 2012 : 8:42 p.m.
Ms. Suarez, I am assuming you reside on the dirt portion of Gotfredson, south of Plymouth Road and north of Ford Road, as you make reference to the dirt and the dangerous curves in that portion. Technically NOT Plymouth, but rather Superior Township. Usually that portion of the road is very rough. I am by no means defending speeding/reckless driving. But the absence of paved north-south routes in that vicinity makes Gotfredson the only (busy) choice, and the "only" other N-S as Beck Road (N-S route to the east) is already way beyond capacity.
sandra suarez
Fri, Aug 17, 2012 : 9:23 p.m.
There is Prospect, Napier, Beck, and Ridge.
sandra suarez
Fri, Aug 17, 2012 : 9:22 p.m.
Yes, I know that it is Superior Twp but they listed Plymouth, as that is the legal mailing address.
xmo
Wed, Aug 15, 2012 : 8:39 p.m.
Sounds like they should close the road to automobiles. That way nobody will be in danger or killed. Those who live there would need to park there cars in commuter lots at the end of the road say at M14 and maybe Ford Road.
mgoscottie
Wed, Aug 15, 2012 : 8:28 p.m.
Maybe you could put what the speed limit is on the road currently and what you think it should be?
sandra suarez
Fri, Aug 17, 2012 : 9:20 p.m.
the limit is 55 mph - and many people go over that.