Subject:
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Re: Can't Drive 65 (was 'Re: Tolerance of vice')
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Mon, 29 Oct 2001 18:19:14 GMT
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Viewed:
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592 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Larry Pieniazek writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Christopher L. Weeks writes:
>
> <snip>
>
> The theory of how to set speeds isn't just some neato thing I dreamed up,
> it's commonly accepted practice, as outlined in Transportation Engineering
> texts... you can look it up or take my word for it (I remember reading it in
> mine, and again in some Michigan DOT documentation I happened to be
> reviewing when I was on an MDOT project). Whichever you choose.
Hmm Civil engineering. This does work for some roads, but, for most, the
85th percentile speed just keeps rising (if my memory serves my right). For
most roads, all the 85th percentile rule shows is that 15 percent of drivers
are willing to break the speed limit.
>
> > Larry is claiming that residents of an area shouldn't 'artificially' lower the
> > speed limit so that they can post officers and ticket travellers-through. I
> > think that whoever owns the road should set the speed limits and the fines for
> > violating them. And I think generally that small roads should be owned by
> > those who own land on the road cooperatively. And I would have guessed that
> > Larry agreed with that.
>
> I DO!
>
> *If* we're talking about private roads, that is. With private roads, the
> owners of course can set whatever rules they like, and people will vote with
> their feet (or in this case, their steering wheels :-) ). But we're talking
> about PUBLIC roads here. Hence, the drivers of the road are as good an
> approximation of the owners as you're likely to get, certainly far better
> than any random bureaucrat would be.
In the UK, speed limits are not set by "bureaucrats" but by traffic
engineers in consultation with road users and the more general public – I
suggest you lobby for the same system in the USA. We have national speed
limits (70mph on a motorway) these reflect the design criteria of the roads.
Most road accidents here are caused by inexperienced adolescents, I doubt
de-restricting speed limits would improve that? The biggest cause of road
related deaths (in the UK) are drivers driving too fast for the road
conditions, I doubt de-restricting speed limits would improve that either?
Is you proposal for all roads, or only trunk routes?
Scott A
> > So how do we mix political issues and engineering
> > issues and come out with a good solution.
>
> Privatize the roads? :-) Said tongue in cheek of course. I don't advocate
> privatizing the roads till all the easier stuff is done first. Which may
> never come to pass, I'm realistic enough to realise that.
>
> ++Lar (the one and only, accept no substitutes)
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Message has 1 Reply:
Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Can't Drive 65 (was 'Re: Tolerance of vice')
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| In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Christopher L. Weeks writes: <snip> The theory of how to set speeds isn't just some neato thing I dreamed up, it's commonly accepted practice, as outlined in Transportation Engineering texts... you can look it up or take (...) (23 years ago, 29-Oct-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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