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Royal Oak keeps Normandy speed limit at 25 mph, orders low-cost calming measures
Summary
After nearly two hours of public comment and discussion, the Royal Oak City Commission voted 6–1 to keep Normandy Road’s posted speed at 25 mph and direct staff to add parking-stall striping, plant trees and move a warning sign to improve safety before any speed change is considered.
The Royal Oak City Commission voted 6–1 on Feb. 10 to keep the posted speed limit on Normandy Road between Coolidge and Crooks at 25 miles per hour and to direct the engineering department to implement lower-cost traffic-calming measures.
The decision followed a presentation from City Engineer Donahue, who said an engineering study using Michigan’s percentile-based method recommended a 30 mph limit because drivers’ 80th-percentile speeds were higher than the current limit. Donahue cautioned the commissioners that installing left-turn signals or other infrastructure would require grant funding or capital improvements and noted that nationally recommended traffic-calming features had produced only “minor improvement” in similar corridors.
Residents urged the commission to retain 25 mph. Patrick McGee said raising the limit “is a bad decision” for a park-adjacent street; James Kenny cited the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, arguing higher posted limits lead to more deaths. David Straub and other neighbors urged converting unused parking lanes into a bike lane or using striping instead of raising speed limits.
Commissioner Coelho moved — and Commissioner Macy seconded — a motion to keep Normandy at 25 mph, move the “prepare to stop when flashing” sign closer to a viaduct, paint parking stalls to make parking lanes visually narrower, and plant trees along the easement. The commission debated the legal context under Michigan law, including the 80th- and 50th-percentile speed rules and the narrow exception to post lower limits when an identified hazard exists.
After extended exchange about enforcement and whether additional traffic-calming could reset the percentile analysis, the commission approved the motion. The mayor explained the city engineer can pursue low-cost improvements administratively and return with data later; the motion passed 6–1.
The action requires the engineering department to evaluate locations for trees (taking utilities and easements into account), stripe parking stalls, and reposition the warning sign; funding sources mentioned during the discussion included potential highway safety grants, road millage, and CDBG funds. The commission did not raise the posted speed limit at this meeting and did not set a specific follow-up deadline for a new study.
