Brandon Twp.- Township officials are seeking a second opinion on the speed limit for a section of M-15.
The board approved a motion to request a speed study be conducted by the Michigan State Police on the stretch of M-15 between South Street and Glass Road. The board is specifically concerned with the area near Brandon High School, McDonald’s and St. Anne Church.
‘The board would like to see the speed limit there at 45 instead of 50,? said Supervisor Kathy Thurman. ‘We then can enforce a slower speed and hopefully, fewer accidents will occur.?
Speed limits are set by the Michigan State Police based on the 85th percentile, meaning the speed at which 85 percent of drivers are traveling at, or below on a section of road. MDOT determined that the 85th percentile speed for southbound M-15 at the location in question is 52 mph, while it is 51 mph for northbound. The results led MDOT officials to recommend keeping the 50 mph speed limit, but also to note the township could pursue an official speed study by the Michigan State Police.
MSP Sgt. Ted Stone said anyone can request a speed study, including citizens. During the process, state police analyze physical characteristics of a roadway, including the number of driveways, lanes, and sidewalks. Crash history is taken into account, including the number and types of crashes. Traffic in the area is then monitored as police document the speeds drivers are actually traveling. Speed studies are doing during non-peak traffic times and in good weather, as speed limits are set for optimum conditions. Speed limit recommendations are then set on the aforementioned 85th percentile.
‘What we find is that when you set the speed at that point, it allows for the best flow of traffic, fewer crashes, and fewer differences in speed,? said Stone. ‘Slower people speed up a little and faster people slow down a little.?
He notes that oftentimes, when municipalities request a speed study, officials are looking for a reduction in the speed limit, but MSP warns them that it is possible the speed limit may be raised as a result of the study and they must consent to that.
The township first requested a speed study after two fatal crashes occurred within five months of each other in front of McDonald’s, in the 900 block of S. Ortonville Road, in 2013.
Donald Ruks, 58, of Ortonville was killed shortly after 3 p.m. Oct. 2, 2013 when the 1999 Honda Valkyrie motorcycle he was driving northbound on M-15 struck a 2004 Volkswagen Golf. The 21-year-old Ortonville woman driving the Golf was attempting to turn left out of the McDonald’s and drove directly into the path of the motorcycle. The woman was uninjured.
On May 24, 2013 Dr. Nabil Awad El-Shamaa, a 74-year-old retired Troy doctor, was killed at the same location on M-15 when the driver of a 1999 Chrysler Town and Country van turned left into the McDonald’s. El-Shamaa, who was driving a 2001 Acura northbound, struck the Chrysler, then went left of center and struck a southbound 2008 Chevy Silverado pick-up truck driven by a 33-year-old Texas resident.
Both El-Shamaa and the Texas resident were transported to Genesys Regional Medical Center in Grand Blanc. El-Shamaa was pronounced deceased at the hospital at 9:21 a.m. The Texas resident was listed in stable condition. The driver of the Chrysler, a 31-year-old Holly resident, had four children in her vehicle, all under the age of 6. None of the occupants of the Chrysler were injured.
Alcohol was not a factor in either of the fatal crashes.
According to the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), from 2008-2012, there were 323 reported accidents on M-15 between Seymour Lake Road and South Street in Brandon Township. Of those, none were fatal; four caused incapacitating injuries; 59 caused other injuries; and 260 were property damage only. M-15 on this stretch is classified as medium congestion by SEMCOG. Jeff Horne of MDOT said the number of driveway approaches on a stretch of road increases turning conflict points.