Grand Haven, MI (WGHN) – You may have seen the posts on social media about a statewide protest starting today through Sunday on local high traffic bridges in the state. A group called 50501 Michigan, put out the post. They state that they are a group “dedicated to mobilizing citizens on political and humanitarian issues.”
The Grand Haven Tribune reached out to Nichole Hudson, director of the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety and Hudson who respects the right to protest warns that any protest on Grand Haven’s drawbridge could cause safety hazards.
The Grand Haven Bridge which is managed by the Michigan Department of Transportation malfunctioned Thursday during several tests and that caused traffic to back up in both directions.
There are laws on the books about blocking, obstructing and interfering with the normal flow of traffic whether it be vehicular, streetcar, or pedestrian traffic on a public street or highway by means of a barricade, object, device, or by their person.
Also Article VI (6)of Grand Haven’s city ordinance states that it’s unlawful for any person to “stand, sit, kneel, or walk on the traveled portion of any roadway, except when necessary to avoid contact with a vehicle lawfully on the roadway” or “interfere with anyone’s use of public streets, sidewalks, public places, or any areas open to the general public.”
The Grand Haven Bridge does have sidewalks on the bridge.
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