Groveland Twp.- After state transportation officials dumped a proposed traffic light at the intersection of Oakwood Road and M-15 earlier this year, at least one local official says the light issue should be rekindled.
At 4:45 p.m., on Sept. 1, township supervisor Robert DePalma was northbound on M-15 approaching the Oakwood Road intersection when a vehicle pulled out in front of him. DePalma was riding his motorcycle at the time and swerved and missed the car driven by a Fenton man.
‘I laid my bike on its side to miss the car,? said DePalma, who suffered a concussion in the accident. ‘It (the intersection) remains the worst in the township.?
Since the accident DePalma, along with the M-15 task force a group of municipalities whose communities are along M-15 have pushed for a traffic light at Oakwood Road and M-15.
DePalma’s accident was just one of many according to data received from Traffic Improvement Association (TIA). Between 2000 and 2004, 98 accidents occurred at the intersection which includes 16 so far in 2004. Both Brandon and Groveland townships along with the Village of Ortonville are all members of the Traffic Improvement Association, which provides traffic data to municipalities, law enforcement agencies, and school districts in order to assist in solving community traffic problems.
‘I’m not convinced all the accidents were reported,? said DePalma. ‘I’m sure some were just minor and drivers never reported the incident.?
The group of Hubbell, Roth and Clark, Inc., will analyze the crash data and appeal to the Michigan Department of Transportation for a traffic light at the intersection if the report warrants the change.
‘We’re looking at the traffic and a signal warrant study,? said Richard Beaubien, Associate/Transportation Director for Hubbell, Roth & Clark, consultant to local governments in southeast Michigan.
The consultants focused on crash patterns that occurred at a right angle or accidents that are a broadside collision. Rear end crashes do increases with a traffic light, says Beaubien, however they are often less severe.
‘If we find a pattern in the 16 (accidents), then we’ll bring that to the attention of MDOT.
In January 2003, DePalma along with Ortonville Village Manager Paul Zelenak requested a traffic data study of the intersection by TIA.
The effort stalled on Feb. 23, when MDOT notified both Groveland Township and the Village of Ortonville that after a lengthy study the intersection did not warrant a signal.
The original study was initiated by DePalma and Zelenak as a twofold effort to provide a traffic signal at the intersection to encourage Oakwood traffic to enter M-15 at that light, rather than through downtown streets from Mill to M-15.
TIA Traffic Engineer Bob DeCorte completed the study and found that while they were unable to estimate the amount of traffic diverted through town, data did suggested that a light at the Oakwood Road intersection appeared to meet at least four of the 11 MDOT warrants to justify a signal.
‘We don’t want heavy trucks heading downtown,? he said.
After turning down the request for the light, MDOT traffic engineer Allen Schneck expressed understanding of Zelenak’s concerns about the volume of traffic routing through the village, but stated traffic reassignment cannot be based on speculation, but on hard numbers.
‘As communities develop motorists tend to take a path of lease resistance, but that may not be the easiest path,? said Schneck, referring to the downtown traffic.
‘In time as development increases a signal may meet the developmental criteria.?