Texas and Utah set to raise speed limits

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/23/2356.asp

Speed limits are set to rise in the coming weeks in both Utah and Dallas, Texas. The Utah Department of Transportation has now been granted full legal authority to set the maximum speed limit on a test stretch of Interstate 15 according to recognized engineering safety standards, including a consideration of the actual speed at which the majority of traffic is moving in safety. As the road is already posted at 75 MPH, this means the agency could either choose to join Texas in posting an 80 MPH speed limit or become the nation's fastest road by setting an 85 MPH limit. Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. (R) signed the legislation authorizing the speed limit increase on March 18.

In Dallas, the North Texas Tollway Authority plans to increase the maximum speed limit on large stretches of the Bush Turnpike and Dallas North Tollway from 60 to 70 MPH. A series of investigative reports by WFAA-TV over the past six months had revealed that the authority violated state laws requiring that speed limits be set according to recognized engineering safety standards. The authority never conducted any such studies.

The artificially low speed limits turned the 22.5 miles of toll road into a bonanza for the cities in their path, including Dallas, Frisco, Garland, Irving and Plano. With just four miles of toll road under its jurisdiction, Irving police issued $375,000 worth of tickets in a year. Garland with only two miles of road generated $400,000 in revenue, WFAA reported.

"I don't believe the speed limits have, in any way, set a traffic trap for motorists," NTTA spokesman Sherita Coffelt told WFAA.


With gas pushing $4/gal, is this really a good time to be raising speed limits?

That damn road is nothing but a speed trap.

Let me tell you what happens: fucking numbnuts Repuke politicians promise to cut taxes and expand services to get elected, which sounds good except for the minor sticking point that it can't be done. Fuckers then call the DOT and tell them the speed limit on road X is too high and needs to be lowered. They do so, and next thing you know, every cop in town is sitting on that road busting speeders instead of patrolling the streets preventing crime like they're supposed to be doing.

It is not the motorist's responsibility to save the city from an irresponsible politician.

And as for "raising" speed limits...if everyone was going 75 before when it was legal, and they go 75 after it's raised to that, is that going to change the amount of fuel consumed?

...the money the states are taking from them to pay for the money the states lost to the fed. gov. who is pouring it all into Iraq and Halliburton, et. al.

Plus, aren't all the cops in the Reserves and in Iraq?

Looks like we'll all be moving to Iraq, does anyone know a good realtor?

$375,000 worth of tickets in a year isn't evidence of a speed trap?

And I am with you on the absurdity of raising the speed limit with gas prices soaring. One more proof there isn't an energy crisis. Just a profit taking crisis.

They are equal in stupidity.

came in 11 at night, four or five lanes, road empty, down a hill and he got me for 85.

yup

Truckers are slowing down...out of necessity...getting more MPGs out of that 4.25 a gallon diesel at 55-60 than at 75-80. Others are conserving and stretching as well...and it took the price of gas to get this high for it to start happening. Yet, there are still asshats out there driving Hummers and believing that driving is a right and no one dare tell them how much to drive and how fast.

In our state the locals, except for the City of Chicago, has any jurisdiction on the Interstates...that's loaded with State Troopers or the Tollways have their own traffic cops. Even the state highways, the locals defer to the state and county mounties on those roads...making plenty from the fools who do 5 over on a sidestreet or writing parking tickets and booting cars with out of area plates (they collect a lot more that way then with speeding tickets).

The only caveat about raising the limit to 85 is that there are always going to be dipshits who see that as a minimum...blasting their engines at 100mph and not having full control of their vehicle at that speed. I'm more concerned with the 2am drunk or drowsy driver rolling along at that speed than what happens as far as consumption. If anything, I would imagine traffic within the metroplex is like many other cities and during the day the congestion keeps speed limits down.

:kick:

arbitrary speed limits. At one point it was 55, two miles down the road it would be 60, then 65, then down to 50 and so on from Houston to Lufkin. My brother had the same problem from Dallas to Lufkin.