Speed limits across the US are on the rise! Up-to-date state-to-state info & news...

rotarykid

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here is where recent attempts to raise maximums is as of rght now.....


Montana raises truck speed limit to 70 mph on interstates

By Keith Goble, Land Line state legislative editor | 5/15/2019
21

Montana is the most recent state to act this year to make speed-limit changes. Gov. Steve Bullock has signed into law a bill to raise truck speed limits.

Previously HB393, the new law will raise the speed limit for trucks on interstate highways from 65 mph to 70 mph throughout the day. Truck speed limits on all noninterstate highways will be set at 65 mph for all hours of the day.

State highways now are limited to 60 mph during the day and 55 mph at night. Cars are allowed to travel 65 mph on noninterstate highways and up to 80 mph on rural interstate highways.

“Speed limits should be set to keep traffic flowing freely. Currently trucks are set at 10 mph below the rest of traffic, which causes congestion on our highways,”

Rep. Joshua Kassmier, R-Fort Benton, testified during a recent hearing. “It is my belief that allowing traffic to flow more freely is in the best interest of everyone’s safety.”

OOIDA
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association says roadways are safest when all vehicles are allowed to travel at the same rate of speed. The Association does not advocate for a specific speed limit.

“Our members are opposed to differential speed limits because they are counterproductive to safety, limit the ability of truck drivers to fully control their vehicles, and negatively impact the behavior of other drivers and vehicles,” Matousek communicated to Kassmier.

“Ultimately, they create more interactions between cars and trucks, which leads to dangerous passing, aggressive driving, and an increase in the number of accidents.”

Matousek adds that different passenger vehicle and truck speed limits are also a contributing factor to increased congestion and inefficiencies with local, regional, and national goods movement.

Action elsewhere
Legislators around the nation have taken action this year to boost speed limits for all vehicles or – as in the case of Arkansas – to enact speed limit differentials for cars and trucks.

Arkansas
One new law is intended to speed up conversion to higher speed limits on certain highways around the state. A change will also reintroduce a speed differential in the state.

A 2-year old Arkansas law permits the State Highway Commission to increase speed limits only after completing an engineering and traffic investigation. The maximum speed limits on controlled-access highways can be 75 mph.

This year’s revision to statute mandates a 75 mph speed limit on freeways outside urban areas. The large truck speed limit, however, will be set at 70 mph.

Speed limits on urban freeways will be set at 65 mph for all vehicles.

The changes are scheduled to take effect in July 2020.

The new rule states that a stretch of roadway would revert to its previous maximum only after an engineering and traffic investigation that finds the new maximum is unsafe.

Kentucky
A new law adds Interstate 165 to the list of highways and parkways in the state with 70 mph speed limits posted. Faster travel for all vehicles is also authorized for the entire length of the highway.

In addition, 70 mph travel is allowed for the entire length of the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway Extension. Currently, 70 mph travel is allowed along the parkway from I-64 to the beginning of the Mountain Parkway Extension in Wolfe County. Elsewhere on the affected parkway, a 65 mph speed limit is posted.

Oklahoma
One new law amends rules on speed limits for the state’s turnpike system and interstate highways.

Oklahoma already permits all vehicles to travel at 75 mph on four-lane divided highways, including interstates. A 2016 state law, however, permits higher posted speeds after a state Department of Transportation engineering and traffic investigation.

The rule change authorizes the speed limit on the turnpike system to be raised to 80 mph – up from 75. The new law also permits the maximum posted speed on rural interstate highways to be increased from 70 to 75 mph.

West Virginia
The Legislature approved a resolution that could result in a change to the posted speed on the state’s fastest highways.

House Concurrent Resolution 32 gives the state DOT authority to increase the speed limit on interstate highways from 70 mph to 75 mph. Specifically, the measure grants the agency authority to make changes “where appropriate” on interstates.
 
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rotarykid

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heat wave above 100*F causes Germany to put 75mph limit on autobahn

A heat wave of above 40*C across Germany has precipitated the government to put into place a tempory 120km/hr speed limit in effected areas seeing high temps sustained above 100*F to prevent road damage from the softer than normal roads this heat produces....

....Plans are that once the heat wave is over the german government will allow unlimited speed sections to again be allowed as before....

Heat wave in Europe forces authorities to impose speed limits on the autobahn


By Associated Press
Published: June 26, 2019 10:01 a.m. ET 8


BERLIN (AP) — Large parts of western and central Europe sweltered in scorching weather Wednesday, with German authorities imposing autobahn speed limits amid fears of buckling road surfaces and some French schools staying closed as a precaution.

Authorities have warned that temperatures could top 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in parts of the continent over the coming days as a plume of dry, hot air moves north from Africa.

The transport ministry in Germany’s eastern Saxony-Anhalt state said it has imposed speed limits of 100 kph or 120 kph (62 mph or 75 mph) on several short stretches of highway until further notice.

Those stretches usually have no speed limit, but officials fear they might crack in the heat and endanger drivers.

Professor Hannah Cloke, a natural hazards researcher at Britain’s University of Reading, said the heat along with a build-up of humidity is a “potentially lethal combination.”

“Children, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions are particularly at risk,” she said.

Around France, some schools have been closed because of the high temperatures, which are expected to go up to 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) in the Paris area later this week and bake much of the country, from the Pyrenees in the southwest to the German border in the northeast.

Such temperatures are rare in France, where most homes and many buildings do not have air conditioning.

In Paris, authorities banned older cars from the city for the day as the heat wave aggravates the city’s pollution.

Regional authorities estimate the measure put into place Wednesday affects nearly 60% of vehicles circulating in the Paris region, including many delivery trucks and older cars with higher emissions than newer models. Violators face fines.

French charities and local officials are providing extra help for the elderly, the homeless and the sick this week, remembering that some 15,000 people, many of them elderly, died in France during a 2003 heat wave.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe cited the heat wave as evidence of climate destabilization and vowed to step up the government’s fight against climate change.

With temperatures in Milan forecast to hit 40 C, an aid group said it was preparing to distribute 10,000 bottles of free water to the homeless and other needy people.

About half of Spain’s provinces are on alert for high temperatures, which are expected to rise as the weekend approaches.

The northeastern city of Zaragoza was forecast to be the hottest on Wednesday at 39 C, building to 44 C on Saturday, according to the government weather agency AEMET.

In southwestern Europe, however, some people had other reasons to complain during their summer vacation: the Portuguese capital Lisbon, on Europe’s Atlantic coast, awoke cloudy and wet Wednesday.
 
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romad

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Looks like there will be a lot of spurrillen in the Autobahn! Something similar happened in Summer 1976 when I was there; we called it "the summer the Autobahns melted!"
 

rotarykid

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San Mateo, California Dumps Red Light Cameras

Scamera operaters caugth again using dishonesty to increase revenue and make travel less safe for all who must travel!


San Mateo, California Dumps Red Light Cameras


Shortened yellow light refunds and lack of safety benefit spurred San Mateo, California to pull the plug on red light cameras.

San Mateo City Council....

The vast majority of California cities that have experimented with red light cameras have come to regret their decision.

The city council in San Mateo voted unanimously on Monday to become the latest jurisdiction to abandon photo enforcement after it came to light 985 tickets worth $472,800 were issued at an intersection with the yellow warning light set to an illegally short duration.

The yellow light had been shortened from the state-mandated 3.6 second minimum to 3.4 seconds at the camera-enforced intersection of Saratoga Drive and Hillsdale Boulevard between December 4, 2018, and May 20, 2019. While 0.2 seconds does not sound like much, tiny changes in timing have a massive impact on violations.

A Texas Transportation Institute study found that the majority of straight-through red light violations happen when a driver misjudges the end of the yellow light by less than 0.25 seconds (view chart).

The study also confirmed that longer yellows reduced accidents (view report).

"This error raised some concern from staff regarding the accuracy of the other intersections and an immediate audit and suspension of the program was initiated citywide," city manager Drew Corbett wrote in a memo to the city council.

"During this review time, staff has concluded that the effectiveness of the program has decreased over time and that the public safety benefit is not significantly impacted by this labor-intensive and complicated program."

San Mateo will issue refunds to anyone affected by the shortened yellow, as it has done once before. In 2015, the city had been caught using similarly short yellows.

"Although the two occurrences of yellow light timing errors are distinctly different, staff believes operating a technical and highly sophisticated automatic photo enforcement system with exceptionally strict standards that continue to change over time will inevitably yield additional human or technological errors," Corbett wrote.

Redflex Traffic Systems of Australia has been in charge of the program since 2005, issuing tickets at three intersections.

In just the past six years, Redflex issued 27,708 automated tickets worth over $13 million.

Despite the firm's promise that these tickets would lead to a reduction in accidents, city staff found otherwise examining sixteen years of data.

"Neither the number of total collisions, number of red light collisions, nor the number of collisions occurring at the three photo enforced intersections have changed significantly over time," Corbett explained.

San Mateo's photo ticketing program will terminate on October 20, joining the following cities that have dropped red light cameras:

Belmont,
Bell Gardens,
Berkeley,
Burlingame,
Cerritos,
Compton,
Corona,
Costa Mesa,
Cupertino,

El Cajon,
Davis,
El Monte,
Escondido,
Emeryville,
Fairfield,
Fresno,
Fullerton,
Gardena,
Glendale,
Grand Terrace,
Hayward, Highland,
Indian Wells,

Irvine,
Laguna Woods,
Lancaster,
Loma Linda,
Los Angeles,
Long Beach,
Marysville,
Maywood,
Menlo Park
Montclair,

Moreno Valley,
Napa,
Oakland,
Paramount,
Pasadena,
Poway,
Rancho Cucamonga,
Redlands,
Redwood City,
Rocklin, Roseville,
Rowland Heights,

San Bernardino,
San Carlos,
San Diego,
San Jose (photo radar),
San Juan Capistrano,
Santa Fe Springs,
Santa Maria,
Santa Rosa,
South Gate,

Stockton,
Union City,
Upland,
Vista,
Walnut,
Whittier,
Yuba City
and Yucaipa.

The city councils of Laguna Niguel and Orange passed ordinances banning cameras in 2011.

Residents of Anaheim, Murrieta and Newport Beach voted to ban red light cameras at the ballot box.
 

rotarykid

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Ontario soon will be raising speed limits on three highways to 110 km/h for pilot pr

Ontario's speed limit increasing soon on three freeways,.....


....Ontario soon will be raising speed limits on three highways to 110 km/h for pilot program....

4 days ago - On a divided highway that has no stop signs or side roads to slow for, ... Ontario's two-year trial to increase speed limits to 110 km/h on three ..


TORONTO -- Ontario will be raising speed limits to 110 kilometres an hour on sections of three 400-series highways as part of a pilot program that could lead to limits being increased across the province.

Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek, who announced the pilot Friday, said the government will also be holding consultations on the project that's set to begin in mid-September.

"Our government believes that increasing speed limits will bring posted limits in line with other jurisdictions and go along with how people currently are driving," he said. "The pilot is a first step as a move forward to gather information for a permanent decision."


The province's current maximum speed limit is 100 kilometres an hour on 400-series highways.

The pilot will run on Highway 402 between London and Sarnia, the Queen Elizabeth Way between Hamilton to St. Catharines, and Highway 417 from Ottawa to the Ontario-Quebec border.

An additional stretch of highway in Northern Ontario that has not yet been identified will also be part of the program.

Yurek said the province's street-racing rules -- which apply at speeds greater than 150 kilometres an hour -- will remain the same.

"This pilot, along with consultations, will allow the province to monitor changes in average speed, travel volumes, and other factors to determine the effects of an increased posted speed limit in the pilot areas," he said.

Yurek, who has said the 400-series highways can safely handle traffic at 120 kilometres per hour, noted that safety will be the priority of the project.

The minister said he doesn't think increasing the speed limit will encourage drivers to boost their speed beyond the posted limit, but police will be watching for dangerous drivers.

"Law enforcement have the tools, and we're going to be supportive of them then enforcing the proper speed limits," he said.

The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police has said they are eager to participate in the government's consultations, noting that raising limits has to keep public safety, not driver convenience, top of mind.

NDP transportation and highways critic Jennifer French said the government is increasing highway speed limits at the same time that it's cutting the Ontario Provincial Police budget by $46 million.

"People rely on OPP officers to monitor our highways, and to stop people who drive dangerously and put everyone at risk," French said in a statement. "With one hand, the Ford government is slashing the OPP budget for highway safety enforcement, and with the other, it is raising speed limits. This is an unbalanced approach."

Green party Leader Mike Schreiner said he supports an "evidence-based" review of highway speed limits. Premier Doug Ford continues to chase policies that grab headlines but don't address pressing issues, he added.

"Such a review must be driven by experts and not by Doug Ford's need for immediate gratification," he said in a statement. "These are some of the busiest highways in North America, and so an investigation into the possibility of raising speed limits could be worthwhile, particularly if we can learn from the experiences of other jurisdictions."

Six other provinces currently have posted speed limits of at least 110 kilometres per hour on some of their highways.

Alberta introduced a 110 kilometre per hour speed limit on some highways in 1993, Nova Scotia made a similar move in 1997 and New Brunswick followed in 2001.

Certain divided multi-lane highways in British Columbia have speed limits of 120 km/hr -- the highest permitted speeds in the country.

We are listening to the people who drive Ontario's roads and highways to hear their thoughts on raising speed limits.
 

ATR

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I actually drove on a few of the roads listed when I visited Toronto last year. People were definitely going a bit faster than the posted speed limit. I recall doing 110-120kph to keep up with traffic.
 

imbrian

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speed limit signs with black borders around the edges are optional anyway
 

rotarykid

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Arkansas Department of Transportation "75cars/70trucks to take effect after 7/2020

The Arkansas Department of Transportation says 75cars/70trucks likely to take effect in limited fashion on Arkansas four-lane controlled access highways sometime next summer after limit increase act takes effect across the state next July.....

KAIT chnnl 8 news

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KAIT) -Drivers are going to be able give their cars a little more gas.

Act 784 raises the speed limit to 75 miles an hour on four-lane controlled access highways, but it won’t go into effect until July 1, 2020.

The controlled access highways must also be divided by a median strip and in rural areas.
The speed limit will be 70 miles per hour for commercial vehicles.

But, the increases won’t happen for every four-lane highway.

Danny Straessle with the Arkansas Department of Transportation says in the next year before the increases take effect, the department will be working on engineering and traffic safety studies to determine which roads might be good candidates.

“Just because everyone wants the speed limit to be raised, you can’t do so across the board,” Straessle said.

“The reason is, you have to take into account the geometry of the highway, how many vehicles travel that highway on a regular basis, how congested is it, and then through what type of populous areas do those highways pass.”

Straessle told Region 8 News that roads in our area like Interstate 555 and Interstate 40 could see changes.
 

rotarykid

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Speed limits increase, split speeds eliminated in Knoxville, Tenn., area

Pollution related lowered speed limits ended in the Knoxville, TN region end of Oct/2019....going back to pre-emissions 70mph speed limits across the region doing away with split slower for trucks limits 65/55 to meet emissions standards in effect since 2004.....


Pollution related lowered speed limits ended with Speed limits increased, split speeds eliminated in Knoxville, Tenn., area

OCTOBER 30, 2019•Tyson Fisher

Speed limits have increased on sections of Interstate 40 and Interstate 640 in Knox County, Tenn. Additionally, split speed limits have been eliminated.

According to the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the following speed limits have changed:

I-40 from mile marker 367.8 (between the I-40/I-75 split at Watt Road) and mile marker 385.2 (near the I-40/I-640 split) goes from 65/55 mph or 55 mph, to 65 mph throughout.

Tennessee speed limitsI-40 from mile marker 385.2 to mile marker 390.2 (near Cherry Street exit) goes from 55 mph to 60 mph.

I-40 from mile marker 390.2 to mile marker 395.7 (between Asheville Highway exit and Strawberry Plains exits) goes from 65/55 mph to 65 mph speed limit throughout.

I-40 from mile marker 395.7 to mile marker 409.7 (past the Sevierville exit) goes from 65/55 mph or 70 mph, to 70 mph throughout.

I-640 from mile marker 0.0 (at the I-40 split) to mile marker 3.6 goes from 55 mph to 65 mph.

I-640 from mile marker 3.6 to 10.6 (at the I-40 split) goes from 55 mph to 65 mph.

TDOT spokesman Mark Nagi told Land Line that the department began reducing speed limits to improve air quality in 2004. As a result, speeds were reduced from 70 mph to a split 65/55 mph in the Knoxville area.

Several years later, the area has obtained full compliance with the current National Ambient Air Quality Standards, according to TDOT. Consequently, the department reviewed posted speed limits in the Knoxville area.

TDOT found that 87% to 98% of motorists were already going over the 55 mph speed limit.

The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices advises posted speeds to be within 5 mph of the 85th percentile speed. In this case, that speed is between 67-75 mph, regardless of the speeds posted.

“In some spots, over 25% of all traffic was traveling above that critical speed (15 mph over limit),” Nagi said.

“According to crash data, with the exception of a part of I-40 in downtown Knoxville, crash rates are below the statewide average in the study area.”

Signs reflecting the updated speeds have been installed in affected areas.
 
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New Mickey

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I can attest to the effect of the 80 mph limit in Utah: NONE. I drive that corridor all the time. The justification for the raised limit was to match what people were doing anyway. It has made absolutely no difference to driving speeds. In fact, when I go 80 I'm passing 90% of the vehicles.

No effect on safety either. If anything it's better. (Less drowsy driving.) But it kills fuel economy, of course.
 

GoFaster

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The 110 km/h limits on certain roads in Ontario has made no difference either. Actual traffic speeds - typically still 120 km/h give or take - haven't changed appreciably.
 

rotarykid

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Colorado's Default state highway limit law increase signed raising limit to 70mph...

Colorado gov. has signed a bill raising the state's default highway speed limit from 65 to 70 mph where CDOT says it's safe to do so.....new law takes affect on July 1,....
 
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Hyde7278

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A little off topic but a guy was pulled over in MI doing 180mph in his 2016 dodge.
Speeding has increased during the Coronavirus since the are a lot les people on the roads.
 

romad

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A little off topic but a guy was pulled over in MI doing 180mph in his 2016 dodge.
Speeding has increased during the Coronavirus since the are a lot les people on the roads.
180 MPH?! What did they use to stop him, a spike strip?
 

rotarykid

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I just read an article which stated Oklahoma had posted some stretches of thier toll freeways to 80mph, this does not match anything I have read...

Can someone in the region verify that maximum is still 75 or on that some remote section might have been raised to 80???? thanks
 

Fix_Until_Broke

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Sorry about that - didn't realize it was a "members only" kind of a thing...Copy/Paste below


All, as of right now there are proposed changes to how speed limits are set in the USA. Specifically, the requirement to set speed limits at the speed at which 85% of drivers feel comfortable is proposed to be removed. This would allow anti-driving advocates to lower speed limits without regard for reality.

What do you need to do?
How to Post Your Comments to the Federal Register
A reminder of four critical things:
  1. Post before May 14th, when the public comment period ends,
  2. Post in your own words, using the information above as guidance,
  3. Remember your audience, which includes the authors of the MUTCD, the Biden Administration, and members of Congress, and
  4. Get every pro-driving person you know to post in opposition to the proposed speed limit and stop sign rules.
Link on where to post comments:
Regulations.gov

 

Diesl

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Are there any plans to increase speed limits in Illinois? I was on the highway only a handful of times since early 2020, but from recent experience it seems the generally accepted highway speed is now 80mph - 1 1/2 years ago it was more like 70-75 -, and quite a few people are going close to 90. This is in the Chicago area.

Are the limits going to adapt to the new reality, or do you think speeds will come down again? Traffic density seems to be back at normal levels already (unfortunately).
 

rotarykid

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I would never take for granted what we have achieved in the posting of more realistic
based safe speed posted limits . The insurance industry will always be a threat to keeping of safe real 85th percentile speed limits posted anywhere because they cost them lost enforcement point based surcharge monies. ...
 
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