[nfbmi-talk] i have to do same for even ada surveys etc

[joe harcz Comcast]

Absolutely ridiculous' demand that Davison go through Freedom of Information request for MDOT information has city leaders fuming. Roberto Acosta | racosta1 at mlive.com

. View full size Some Davison council members are upset the city has had to file a Freedom of Information Act request to view portions of a traffic study.

Roberto Acosta | MLive.com DAVISON, MI - Leaders in Davison say it's ridiculous the city had to file a Freedom of Information Act request with the Michigan

Department of Transportation to find out why the state agency denied a request for a left-turn arrow at a busy intersection. MDOT told the city to file

a FOIA request for a traffic survey, crash data and Synchro analysis measuring traffic congestion. The city had received a letter with a summary letter

of a study the at M-15 and Flint Street intersection on the northern end of the city. You thought that they would have sent it with the letter," said Mayor

Tim Bishop. He said the city received the detailed information Wednesday, Sept. 11, following an Aug. 27 email from City Manager Michael Hart to MDOT requesting

it under the Freedom of Information Act. Having to go through the trouble of FOIAing something...to me that's absolutely ridiculous," Bishop said. The

study was conducted following rejection of a similar request in 2006 asking for a left turn arrow on a traffic signal to reduce crash incidences. Bill

Perod, FOIA coordinator for MDOT, said the state agency received a request from the city for the additional information, "but they don't have to go through

the typical process. We log the FOIA request in, but we don't make them go through the process," he said. We're going to give them the data we have. We're

not going to charge them for anything. But Bishop did not like the process the city went through to receive the information, especially regarding traffic

counts, which he said is the main reason an arrow is not being considered by MDOT at the intersection. It's just uncomfortable we have to FOIA something

from our own government agency," he said, while questioning the delay getting the information from the state agency. Three of them qualified under (MDOT's)

qualifications," said Bishop of three-quarters of the approaches at the intersection meeting the required 90 vehicles per hour count. What is so off on

that fourth one where we are getting denied the request for that turn arrow? Are we at 88, 89 or are we at 15, 16? The summary letter from MDOT to Linda

Burchell, manager of the MDOT Davison Transportation Center, states head-on crashes are down from 12 in 2006 to six in 2012 at the intersection, as well

as a reduction in traffic jams on Flint Street during the same period. Councilman Paul Hammond said aside from wanting to know about the traffic count,

"I think the summary was very clear. The answer is, 'No. We're not going to allow it.' He said MDOT is "inconsistent" in terms of traffic measures "because

we have quite a restriction at M-15 and Lapeer Road and that doesn't seem to bother them" with a left turn arrow creating some congestion. During a recent

council meeting, City Manager Hart said he wanted to have a chance to evaluate the other portions of the study so he could explain why the request was

turned down. Regarding the FOIA request the city had to file for the information, Hammond said, "I have no answer at all. MDOT has to answer that question.

I can't begin even to imagine why (a request was needed)," he said. Any comment I would have would not be too kind to MDOT.