**Moved** Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

Gas should go up that high or higher. I agree it would reduce driving as well as force efficiency. However I doubt people in general will drive more efficiently. With a 50mpg car, driving it like a maniaci gives you something in the 40's. When they are stepping up from a 16mpg domestic, it is more than enough to get 40's.

A great example of this is already in place with our friends in the EU. Petrol is already much higher than in the states. Cars in general are more efficient. Diesel is a big seller because of its efficiency. However, even with small efficient diesel cars, people can still drive like a crazy person. But their crazy driving in an efficient car is better than the same in a non efficient car.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

The speed limit on the Long Island Expressway is 55. The average actual speed on the road is 75 to 80. If everyone really drove at 55 the conjestion, due to more cars spending more time on the road would make it permanently gridlocked. Higher speeds are essential to move the volumes of cars we have through efficiently.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

i was here when speed limit was reduced to 55 mph to save energy (the way we treated Carter is abhorrent. he was so right on so many levels but sadly, 30 years ahead of the game) and i saw very little reduction in speed. maybe from 75 to 65-70 mph if that, but for the most part, it was ignored.

as far as the current speed limits. i drive whatever speed i want and i dont care what anyone else thinks of it. i frequently do 60 mph in a 70 mph zone and why not?? trucks are limited to 60 mph on the same road so its not like i am alone here.

i dont hypermile. not enough discipline in me to do it for more than a few minutes at a time (i use CC 95% of the time while driving IN TOWN), i get decent mileage by NOT DRIVING LIKE AN IDIOT

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

Make that $20 gal fossil fuel cost with the "extra" going for long-term thinking such as light and high speed rail, walking & bicycle routes. Too many people drive now by substituting oil for knowledge. Time to apply the knowledge.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

The other option is to reduce the volume of cars. Our current system of long distance commuting with one passenger per car is unsustainable.

Tom

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

studies show that higher posted speed limits do not increase the thru-put of a road that has traffic levels beyond its capacity.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

That may be true, but if a road is at 95% capacity at an average speed of 70mph, it will go beyond capacity at an average speed of 55mph. The L.I.E. is always near capacity.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

obviously the most efficient high speed network in the country!!

we also have freeways where it appears that everyone is doing 70 mph, but the stats actually show the average speed to be more like 45 mph at 90% capacity.

i think L.I.E is a very accurate term here.

let me ask you this? your post assumes that a given stretch of freeway has the same road capacity which can be changed by the average speed on the road? studies show this to not be true. lower speed limits reduces safe following distance which allows a greater density of cars . maybe this is the reason why?

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

The capacity when defined as the number of cars on the road will even decrease slightly at higher mph because of cars entering and exiting, and safe distances for merging. The capacity when measured by cars in a section over a period of time goes up. This is because the cars at higher speed spend less time on that section of road. Lowering the speed limit reduces the capacity of a section of road for a period of time.

In sections like west texas where the speed is 80 mph, there is much excess capacity and cars can safely travel at that speed and much slower. Its when a section is near designed capacity that variations of speed between cars becomes more dangerous. In over capacity situations, the traffic entering and exiting lowers the speed of all traffic on the road. In this case the traffic not the speed limit sets the maximum speed. So in an overcapacity situation the throughput of cars is independent of speed limit.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

Everyone in California goes at least 80+ in 65mph zones. I've seen this on the 405, the 57, the 101, 680, 880, hell even I-5 and I-10. Nobody needs a 55mph speed limit if they want to drive slow. just stay out of the left lane. I drive 75+ mph in my prius all the time when im on the freeway and still avg about 50mpg.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

Fortunately the 2010 Prius can manage that. With the larger engine you can maintain a faster average speed and still hit the 50mpg mark than you could in the smaller engined GenII. When I stay at 75mph plus I drop into the 45mpg zone or much worse when I run the 17" rims. Ugg

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

yeah i forgot about that. i drove my dad's 2004 before, hit 80mph, and his avg mpg dropped from 54 to 47 lol. its a combination of less drag and more hp in the 2010.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

You know why? It only takes one person traveling at a low speed to back up traffic for miles. Traffic is a very complex subject, in fact one person going slow can cause a ripple effect for miles. Just like a rubbernecker who slows down can delay everyone, so can a couple of people driving slow - especially if they fail to move right. (solution? higher minimums, more enforcement for violating minimums, shifting enforcement of speeders to those exceeding 90mph rather than handing out tickets to people going 85) See the quoted post below:

now if this person does so in the right lane and is not violating the law (ie stays above any minimums, posted or unposted, usually 40mph in a 65 zone, 55 in an 80 zone) they may just be causing minor inconvenience.....doing so in a left or even center lane, however, and you start to be a hazard to commuters, emergency vehicles, everyone that uses the road.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

I see this quite regularly on Norcal freeways. When someone is traveling really slow in the far right lane there is inevitably a minor to wild ripple in traffic as people go around the slow car. This wouldn't normally sound like a problem but human nature dictates that you do not allow other cars to get in front of you so then you will inevitably see 2 cars racing about to see who is going to be in front while they try to get around the slow vehicle. One will eventually cut off the other and then the horns and middle fingers appear. To me this can be a disruption in traffic and obviously unsafe for everyone in the area. The situation is compounded when multiple lanes are involved as more people start shifting to the left lanes to get around cars that are now shifting from the right lanes. God forbid you come across one of those rare folk who are traveling at 50mph or slower in a 65mph zone (most drivers doing 75mph), at night and with crappy brake lights. lol

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

That would also totally wreck the economy. US couldn't handle $4 without a recession ... let alone $10.

I prefer 40 mph max speeds. This way we can reduce steel, have much more efficient and cheaper EVs. Speed is just an addiction - just like the oil addiction.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

is it my imagination, or has the gen III model brought in more mainstream (faster) drivers?

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

Yes, it's moving beyond being a cult car.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

ahhhh, the double edged sword.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

Yep, here in long island, all the major highways are 55 - go into queens and some actually drop to 50.

Not that it matters, because no one is actually doing 50 or 55. It's 65mph minimum unless traffic forces you to go slower.

I once tried doing 55 on the LIE, even in the right-most lane. It was absolultely terrifying. People come right up to your bumper, you can see them get all flustered and they cut right around you, some very fast and very close. It was an accident waiting to happen.

So yeah, dont do 55 even on highways marked 55 if you value your life. Getting all uppity about it being the "speed LIMIT" means nothing when youre the only one that cares, or someone sideswipes you and sends you into a tailspin.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

The worst I've ever seen was a couple years ago on the northern state expressway, a 55mph 2 lane highway here in LI. Just like the LIE, on a normal day, everyone is doing 65-80.

So on the right lane was a school bus going 55 - thats fine, no one but the biggest douche is going to tailgate a schoolbus. In the left lane, directly side by side with the bus was a prius. He matched the speed of the schoolbus perfectly, and this effectively boxed out everyone on the road and forced everyone to do 55. I cant believe this was anything but intentional since it went on for a good 10-15 miles, but the result was a HUGE line of cars backed up and tailgating each other, constantly shifting back and forth trying to get around, but neither the bus nor the prius would budge. A few SUVs got REALLY close to the prius, almost as if they were going to literally push him out of the way.

It was absolutely aggravating, and 55 can be really, really slow if youre late to work. If you're really dead set on doing 55 in a 55, please please PLEASE do it in the right lane only.