LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Transportation held a public hearing Wednesday to discuss proposed rules that would limit stays at highway rest areas and carpool lots.
- Michigan Department of Transportation held a public hearing Wednesday on proposed rules that would limit stays at highway rest areas to 48 hours.
- Homeless advocates worry the rules could hurt people experiencing homelessness, citing Michigan's shortage of 185,000 housing units for extremely low-income residents.
- MDOT says the goal is establishing short-term use expectations at rest stops after years of issues that sometimes require law enforcement calls.
The new regulations would limit vehicle parking to 48 hours, include waste disposal restrictions and pet requirements, according to Greg Losch with MDOT.
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"Our goal here is not to prohibit resting at rest areas. If you're driving along and get sleepy and see a rest area, you pull in, take a nap, we'd rather have you at a rest area than on the road. We just want to establish short term use as an expectation," Losch said.
Losch said they want short-term use because they've encountered similar issues for years at rest stops that sometimes require calling law enforcement.
"The goal is to get these rules in place, a base foundation of expectations so we can say okay what is the issue, and help guide staff to what the next steps are," Losch said.
Nick Cook, the director of public policy for the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness, attended the hearing and expressed concerns about how the rules would affect people experiencing homelessness.
"My concern from the initial proposal was what are they doing to connect these individuals to resources, how do we connect them to the homeless response system," Cook said.
Cook pointed to Michigan's housing shortage as a contributing factor to the issue.
"In Michigan right now we are short 185,000 housing units for those in extremely low income brackets and they don't have a lot of options," Cook said.
Despite his concerns, Cook said he hopes to work with MDOT to find a solution that benefits everyone.
"I look forward to working with MDOT that if these rules are put in place that we are connecting and treating people with dignity," Cook said.
Public comments on the proposed rules are being accepted until November 20. You can find information here.
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