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Re: Why it's set at 55 m.p.h...



Rick Paquin (rickp@infi.net) wrote:
: I do not normally speed unless the traffic is moving greater than the
: speed limit.  Even then, I never exceed 9 miles above the limit,
: however, the idea that the roads are built for perhaps 10 mph greater
: than the set limit (or the limit is 10mph below the safe limit for the
: road)  irritates me.

: What ever happened to honesty with respect to our government?  If a
: road is safe at 45 then what right does the government have to set the
: limit lower, thus anticipating people are going to speed.  This is
: highly disfunctional and encourages speeding since the public cannot
: trust the honest judgement of the government as to what is safe and
: not safe.

: I think I have the right (considering the amount of tax money I've put
: into the road system) to have the government or highway authority set
: the limit of speed accurately with respect to the safe travel of the
: road and not fudge it so as to compensate for  people who are not law
: biding to begin with or to lower it because it's in what the
: government defines as an urban area.  There are many roads where 55 is
: too slow, but it MUST be set at 55 because it's within a magic
: boundary of a city.  Go out of that magic boundary and it increases to
: 65.  Also, there are many roads out in very open spaces where 80 could
: be deemed safe, but the government doesn't permit ANY speed over 65.
: Try driving in western Kansas and you'll know what I mean.

: We need accurate speed limits, no politics, and VERY STRICT
: consequences when an accident does occur due to improper speed.    

: Why not try a new approach.  Let's get rid of the ticket writing
: police and set the speed limits to the true accuracy of safe travel.
: If someone get's in an accident due to speed in excess of the
: recommended speed, they should then pay for all the damage, whether to
: the other parties or to any other entity that may own damaged propery.
: A drivers licence should be revoked for 6 months.  Let this be
: mandatory and for "prevention" purposes, spend huge sums of money to
: advertise this.  Now watch the speeders slow down!


   All excellent, logical points.  I also stay at 9 mph over the limit
because the point jump in Maryland at 10 over.  However, I think a high
speed limit, like 75, which is SAFE in most places would be inappropriate
in the right lane where merging traffic enters and exits the road. 
Collector/Distributor lanes would be neccessary like one finds on I-270
and on I-95 at 212 and 198.  These could be set at 60, maybe, which is
about as fast as a truck or old Yugo can get up to by the end of the ramp. 
I've long dreamed of lane-specific speed limits set at realistic levels. 
For I-95 where there are no C/D lanes, it could be 75 in lane one, then
70, 65, and 60.  What do you think? 

         ~~~~     Jonathan
        ~c--oo    thonhazz@clark.net
             >
            -





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