Referendum to Raise Speed Limits?

[yzsofst]

I was talking to a friend the other day about how ridiculous 65 is on the freeway when the natural flow of traffic is often 80 +/- 5mph. What if we just decided to raise everything by 10mph?

I would leave residential alone. Where your kids play, etc. But freeways should be at least 75 and undivided two lane highways in the middle of nowhere could be at least 65, no?

I would still get plenty of tickets even with those limits but at least the fines would be lower! At least until they create more "court fees" to balance the income loss... Then a referendum to limit court fees!

Any takers? arty

 

[DTM74]

I would entertain 75mph in the middle of nowhere but I doubt it would happen here in the bay. I could see it on hwy 5 on that boring stretch to LA, i.e. All of it

 

[byke]

Only on the boring stretches and only if they bump it for big rigs too.

 

[yzsofst]

Yeah, it's already 70 out in the valley in some places. Hell, hwy 5 should be the autobahn of CA.

I say big rigs get the same % bump. All about relative speed, right?

 

[Loki1000R]

i'm in

 

[amphora001]

Big rigs are a different beast, and I'm not sure it make sense for them to increase their speed. Have you seen one big rig trying to pass another on Hwy5? It's like watching 2 turtles racing.

My problem with Bay area road is that the traffic doesn't flow. Lane 1, 2, 3, and 4 travel exactly at the same speed. I like LA roads where it's not uncommon to see a car passing at 100 on lane 1, but lane 2 and 3 are causing lane at speed limit and lane 4 is for getting ready to exit. I've noticed that bay area drivers will cut into lane 1 no matter how fast someone else is traveling already causing them to brake suddenly.

 

[RickM]

Big rigs are a different beast, and I'm not sure it make sense for them to increase their speed. Have you seen one big rig trying to pass another on Hwy5? It's like watching 2 turtles racing.

My problem with Bay area road is that the traffic doesn't flow. Lane 1, 2, 3, and 4 travel exactly at the same speed. I like LA roads where it's not uncommon to see a car passing at 100 on lane 1, but lane 2 and 3 are causing lane at speed limit and lane 4 is for getting ready to exit. I've noticed that bay area drivers will cut into lane 1 no matter how fast someone else is traveling already causing them to brake suddenly.

The reason big rigs pass each other so slowly is because they don't want to risk a ticket going too much over the limit to pass the other rig and risk a ticket. If the speed limits are equalized to cars ( like in other states) they wouldn't have to pass so slowly and hold up the rest of the traffic.

 

[Strigoi]

I was talking to a friend the other day about how ridiculous 65 is on the freeway when the natural flow of traffic is often 80 +/- 5mph.

I rarely see the majority of traffic going those speeds on 680 around Concord. I usually cruise about 70 and that's going with the flow of traffic or slowly passing damn near all the time.

I was coming back from the Amon Amarth show in Sacramento a few weeks ago and had the CHP flash me with their side lights for running 73-74mph. It was better than getting pulled over or ticketed. He then proceeded to pull over a Tahoe that was running probably 80mph that went by me maybe 30 seconds earlier.

 

[yzsofst]

Was 80 unsafe? Usually I'd argue no. Seems to me traffic is often in the 75 range or higher.

And even that isn't the point. I said 10mph. So you would have been almost exactly at that. He shouldn't have flashed you at all! Certainly couldn't have written you a citation, like he should have.

LEO's are supposed to enforce the law, they are also tax collectors and indirectly make insurance companies money. So, I expect a lot of status quo opposition.

Hell, some counties get 73% of their revenue from traffic citations where 50% of traffic drives over the limit. I'd call that artificially low with a good reason to keep it that way.

Dense traffic aside, no reason an 8 or 10 lane freeway should be only 10mph faster than a 2 lane twisty mountain road. And around here we are stuck going 5mph in commute traffic so I'm really only talking about the weekend!

Here's an article about artificially low speed limits. Raise the speed limit for safer roads!

http://priceonomics.com/is-every-speed-limit-too-low/

I'm seriously thinking about an online petition of some kind. See where it goes...

 

[kangaroo]

how about a nice round number like 100!

 

[yzsofst]

I would be cool with that too if everybody else would stay right!

This is mostly about not getting written up for something 85% of us do every time we get on the road.

While I do enjoy triple digits, it isn't 85% of the time

 

[kangaroo]

Wait until the worrywarts chime on how dangerous that will be. We're not Germans. Our roads aren't good enough. The cars are not good enough. The training is not good enough. Our reaction times aren't good enough... wah wah wah

 

[canyonrat]

We live in the age of electronics. The diamond lanes have hours of use. Speed limits should modulate. Trucks need to be limited to certain times of the day. Etc. It need to be looked at in a broad sense.

 

[UDRider]

I've noticed that bay area drivers will cut into lane 1 no matter how fast someone else is traveling already causing them to brake suddenly.

Yeah I can't figure out the motivation behind it either. It's like ego trip or something. MUST BE IN FAST LANE, even though they are going same speed as car to the right, but now blocking a lane.

Another one changing lanes to be first car at a light, no matter what. Then accelerating way slower then car/bike they didn't want to be behind.

 

[yzsofst]

Everyone wants to be the leader, even if they're holding everybody else back :|

 

[caideN]

The "Speed Limit" is already 80MPH. Most, if not all LEOs don't even stop cars going 80. If the posted speed limit was 80MPH, slow scary drivers will be forced to go 80 MPH where they will cause many accidents. I personally think it's fine the way it is.

The "Fast lane" has an unwritten rule where you must go 80MPH OR you get the horn, high beamed, and cut off.

 

[Randy B]

The reason big rigs pass each other so slowly is because they don't want to risk a ticket going too much over the limit to pass the other rig and risk a ticket.

Actually it has more to do with the governors they have than not wanting to go any faster. Not all trucks have the same speed set on the governor and with the varying weights and the terrain it can end up for making a long pass. I used to drive a big rig and have been in that situation on both ends of it. It would piss me off to no end when I was almost passed a guy and then we would flatten out and I couldn't get back over to let the traffic go. What a PITA.

 

[yzsofst]

The "Speed Limit" is already 80MPH. Most, if not all LEOs don't even stop cars going 80. If the posted speed limit was 80MPH, slow scary drivers will be forced to go 80 MPH where they will cause many accidents. I personally think it's fine the way it is.

The "Fast lane" has an unwritten rule where you must go 80MPH OR you get the horn, high beamed, and cut off.

I've gotten one for 76 and my gf just got one for 73. So it might usually be looked over but not always.

Maybe if the limit was 80 the people who want to go 65 would sit in the right lane.

 

[caideN]

^ Oh, of course it'll happen. It's just rare. People get speeding tickets because they're somehow attracting the LEO. If there's 5 cars going 80MPH on a freeway with light traffic, the LEO will most likely leave them alone. If there's a car going 80MPH in moderate traffic and cutting people off, that car will get the speeding ticket.

For example: I got a 80 in 65 ticket years ago for merging from the freeway entrance all the way to the fast lane (5 lanes) in one move. That caught the LEOs attention and he gave me a speeding ticket but not for unsafe lane change etc.

 

[ilikefood]

Yeah, it's already 70 out in the valley in some places. Hell, hwy 5 should be the autobahn of CA.

Forget speed limits; on I-5 we should start with a "keep right except to pass" rule (and its stringent enforcement). I caged it to/from LA a couple times, and I've never seen so many left-lane-blocking morons anywhere.