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Aesquire
| | Posted on Monday, March 18, 2013 - 09:02 pm: | 
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Speed limits are set for multiple reasons.
A few of them, the revenue generation and busy body reasons can suck.
I know a few spots where the speed limit changes abruptly to make a speed trap. Low visibility signs, underpass, etc. Revenue generation.
The tiny town ( firehouse, cluster of homes at a crossroads ) nearby has a 30mph limit for a short stretch, and it gets used for revenue, but it's the population density and walking the dog folk that make it rational. It's a town in attitude and use, so town speed limits apply. Pedestrian and horse reasons. Good ones.
Many of our expressways, especially out west, were designed for the future, 200mph cars. Unfortunately, 200mph expressways have the same failing that flying cars do, in that most of the people that want one, can't drive. So you need a computerized traffic control system, and we don't have one of those for airliners yet.... So don't hold your breath.
But the road design is fine for high speed, no traffic blitzing, and many parts of the country still had Reasonable and Prudent laws when I was growing up. ( Nebraska, Montana, etc. )
Unfortunately the centralized Government Movement, by multiple names and faces, has greatly restricted that.
I was upset with "click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers" on NPR as they kept complaining about Montana's speed limit. The useful idiots live in Mass. Other than the one expressway through the state, there's no place to go fast, safely, in their tiny little universe. And the Xpressway isn't safe, fast. Because it's full of Mass. Drivers. ( who live in a tiny little universe.... )
In Montana, the Dakotas, etc. the next freaking town is 100 miles away. There are 6 houses between you and the next town. It's flat. 100 miles. You should get there in an hour. It's how we drove. Studies prove speed keeps you focused.
People in Urban zones control the politics, and they just can't comprehend the above paragraph as being rational and true. How dare I endanger the antelope? or whatever lives out there in flyover country. They just don't get it.
That's why speed laws have irrational values when imposed from too far above... like on a national level.
And we really need an Autoban. I'm for it.
Another reasons for speed limits..... specifically, hazard/curve speeds, is scientific and rational.... and still gets some subjective tweaking.
In NY, the engineer looks at a curve, does some calculations, figures what a crappy car can do, safely, subtracts 5 mph for luck, 5 mph for stupid, and 5 mph because he knows how stupid we are.
In CO, the engineer looks....and posts the crappy car speed.
That's why New Yorkers drive off cliffs in Colorado every year.  |
6gears
| | Posted on Monday, March 18, 2013 - 11:44 pm: |
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I went on a trip up north a few weeks back and they actually had signs on some of the curves that had a speed camera on them. If you were going to fast it blinked "YOU ARE TO FAST FOR CORNER" LOL... |
Ourdee
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2013 - 10:33 pm: |
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In Indiana the law read that if you did not move to the right for someone to pass, and they passed you on the right with an officer witnessing the act. The officer was to write a ticket for the act of failure to yield. It did not matter if the passing car was speeding. I never saw anyone wrote for it. Could explain the LLLs in Indiana. The preacher at the church I attended even preached on the failure to move to the right as being wrong.  |
Chopped_burban
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 - 05:04 pm: |
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Ah yes, always an interesting topic.... people hogging the left lane for no good reason other than being an ••••••. The above point on poor situational awareness is a big one that drives me nuts. Saw an article the other day about an estimated 16,000 fatalities likely being caused by cell phone use. I love tossing that in the gun control conversation (You want to ban my gun.... try getting off the damn cell phone while you're driving. You're more dangerous than I am). For me its just a reminder to ATGATT and ride with the assumption that everyone is trying to kill me. Works in war, works on the road. |
Chopped_burban
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 - 05:06 pm: |
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Oh wow.. I just got censored for talking about a certain type of hat. How lewd of me. Sorry about that. |
Dwardo
| | Posted on Thursday, March 28, 2013 - 12:18 pm: |
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The other observation I have is that the same asshats that block the passing lane are almost invariably the same ones who cannot control their speed within 10 mph. Unless they are flying in formation with the vehicle in the lane to their right. Then, they could qualify to fly wing with the Blue Angels. I honestly think most of the douches do it on purpose. At least in Maryland. |
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