The Michigan State Police traffic specialists want to RAISE the speed limit in certain areas of Ann Arbor. Their suggestion:
"State Police traffic specialists said last spring that speed limits along the Washtenaw/Huron/Jackson corridor and on Main Street near M-14 should bump up by 5 to 10 mph depending on the spot"
Seems like a fair, good, and reasoned approach.
Not to Ann Arbor's money making machine, the Ann Arbor Ministry of Ticket Money. Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje said:
"We are probably fairly far apart. I am not interested in raising speed limits on residential streets in Ann Arbor."
Of COURSE you aren't John, it'd cut into your ticket monies. Can't have that. Despite the science behind the decision, despite the years of study that have gone into the State police's reasoning, Ann Arbor is more interested in MONEY. Don't believe it? Do you REALLY think they are doing it for safety or do you REALLY think they are doing it for revenue stream? Do you see police out on the roads pulling people over to remind them to be safe or do you see them pulling people over and writing huge tickets?
Citizens, this is GOING TO GET DONE. The state can and it sounds like WILL step in and do the right thing and raise speed limits. YCD will give the last word to State Police Lt. Thad Peterson:
"It's just trying to make the law match the behavior of the people who use our roads," Peterson said. "That's how democracy is supposed to work - the laws are supposed to represent the behavior of the majority, not make it illegal. And we know it causes less crashes when we set limits that accommodate the behavior of the driving public. The delays ... undoubtedly cause motorists to receive speeding tickets for driving at speeds that are essentially in the norm. And they'll be paying for these tickets for years, with increased insurance premiums."
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8 comments:
Although there are some homes (particularly on Jackson), for the most part those are not really residential streets.
EXACTLY, cmadler, further proof any resistance to this plan over "safety reasons" are merely crocodile tears over their real worry, feeding the Ministry of Ticket Money.
I mean the city IS planning for that huge new superstructure to be used for, well themselves, and will need steady revenue to help offset bells and whistles they'll surely order.
So what? I would much rather have coffers filled with money by those that chose to break the speed limit, than by raising taxes for everyone, including those that don't speed.
Even if you don't like the speed limit, it is the law. Those that don't abide by it, let them pay for it.
If you have a cash cow, why not? My only question, why aren't other municipalities (Ypsi, Ypsi Township) doing the same darn thing?
If you have a law on the books, enforce it. Questions, see the polls on what the majority of U.S. citizens feel on immigration. Same thing. Enforce what you have.
glimmertwinfan--
I think because you're preying on your very residents for one thing. They're already paying your taxes so to nick them again just to make more is unconscionable. We're not talking NO tickets ever again here, let's be clear, we're talking about raising the speed limit, which the experts on the State Police think would be a good thing, which the experts at MDOT think would be a good thing but the Ann Arbor City Council and Mayor dislike.
The speed limit in question is merely being brought into reality, the 85 percentile I think they called it.
This is not about safety, I'd have more respect for the Mayor or City Council if they would simply ADMIT why they want to keep them unnecessarily low instead of hiding behind safety concerns.
>> your taxes so to nick them again
They choose to be "nickable".
People that don't violate the speed laws won't have any problem about it all.
If people violate the NEWER, HIGHER speed limits about to be imposed because the city has their head in the sand, they'll get tickets.
Pretty simple really.
It appears we each take a different view on this, which, of course if fine. I think its funny that A2 politicians, in all their supposed wisdom, consistently try two 1-up the people that know better. I refer to this issue of posted speeds and a while back the rejecting the development plan of a developer who followed their process to the letter, only to have it rejected in the 11th hour.
I think that if someone feels they need to go faster than they should just leave earlier.
Someone once asked me: "sonny why in such a hurry? What are you going to do with all that time you save?"
Agreeing to disgree, and still being cool with it, glimmertwinfan, it's what separates us from the monkeys!
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