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MICHIGAN Archives

February 16, 2012

NMA Michigan Alert: New Law May Affect License Renewal

Yesterday Gov. Snyder signed Senate Bill 130, which reduces from six to three the number of unpaid parking tickets that a city needs before it can petition a court to prevent renewal of a Michigan driver’s license. The bill takes effect May 15th, so Michigan drivers have until then to reduce the number of unanswered tickets in any one city to two or less.

After that date, cities with aggressive revenue-recovery programs will begin obtaining court orders preventing license renewal. Once the Secretary of State has suspended a license, drivers must pay an additional $45 fee to reinstate it.

The three-ticket law remains in effect through 2017, after which it reverts to six. Michigan members with outstanding parking tickets may want to take steps now to avoid license renewal problems down the road.

Posted by National Motorists Association 
November 7, 2011

NMA Michigan Alert: Time to Get Serious about Speed Limits

State Sens. Rick Jones and Mike Nofs recently introduced Senate Bill 795 in order to close loopholes in Public Act 85, which requires speed limits to be set in accordance with proven engineering principles.
 
Some cities have claimed exemptions from PA 85 in order to run speed traps in zones with unlawfully low posted speeds. The issue most recently surfaced in East Lansing where the efforts of NMA member Jim Walker helped increase posted speeds along a well-known speed trap.
 
Specifically, the bill states that:
 
A speed limit established under this chapter shall be posted at a multiple of 5 miles per hour and shall be within 5 miles per hour of the eighty-fifth percentile speed of free-flowing traffic on the fastest portion of that highway segment. However, the speed limit shall not be posted at less than the seventy-fifth percentile speed of free-flowing traffic on the fastest portion of that highway segment.
 
The National Motorists Association supports setting speed limits based on the 85th percentile speed of free-flowing traffic, as referenced in the bill. (Learn more about the NMA’s positions on speed limits.) Setting speed limits based on sound engineering principles and traffic studies also helps increase highway safety, as seen here.
 
Setting speeds this way effectively shuts down speed traps, which thrive when limits are posted too low for prevailing traffic speeds. (Learn more about the NMA’s arguments against speed traps.) We therefore, wholeheartedly support this bill and encourage you to as well.
 
The bill is currently under review in the Senate Committee on Transportation. We urge you to contact committee members below and let them know what you think.

Sen.Tom Casperson
Sen.Mike Kowall
Sen. Jack Brandenburg
Sen. Phil Pavlov
Sen. Goeff Hansen
Sen. John J Gleason
Sen. Morris Hood III
 
Too many Michigan motorists have been victimized. If passed, this bill will help end speed traps and make Michigan’s roads safer for everyone.

Posted by National Motorists Association 
October 27, 2011

NMA Michigan Alert: Jim Walker to Appear on Lansing News Tonight

Michigan member Jim Walker is once again standing up for motorists’ rights.

Watch him tonight in a special report on the WILX (Channel 10 in Lansing) 6:00 p.m. newscast. Titled “Street Justice,” the report highlights a stretch of Grand River Avenue in East Lansing that Jim describes as “one of Michigan’s most vicious speed traps.” The report will also include comments from Lt. Gary Megge of the Michigan State Police.  This isn't the first time the two have fought against unfair speed-limit policies in Michigan.

According to Jim, the lawful Traffic Control Order on this section specifies a legal limit of 35 mph, but it’s posted at 25 mph, prompting a rancorous conflict between the city and the state.

Jim hopes this coverage will put enough pressure on the Michigan Department of Transportation to put the 35 mph signs back up. We hope so, too.

You can also watch the report online at www.wilx.com tonight at 6:00 p.m.

Thanks, Jim, for all of your hard work on behalf of Michigan motorists.

Posted by National Motorists Association 


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