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Will the US ever see an interstate with no speed limit again?

Started by Plutonic Panda, January 20, 2017, 10:36:01 PM

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PHLBOS

For the record, many of the northeastern states (MA, NY, PA, & CT being 4 of them) didn't even budge on increasing their speed limits (from 55 to 65) until Republican governors came in.
GPS does NOT equal GOD


mrsman

And it was the Republican congress after the 1994 election that got rid of the NMSL.

stwoodbury

Quote from: peperodriguez2710 on January 22, 2017, 06:36:50 AM
Quote from: Plutonic Panda on January 20, 2017, 10:36:01 PM
I have a question as my interest in freeways or really getting into road geeking is new, are any of the autobahns Germany tolled? What are the main differences in them vs. US interstates other than pavement.

Answering to the first, none of them are tolled as far as I know, the federal government maintains them.
The main difference I believe that it's the layout. Sure that there are sharp turns and things like that, but in general the Bundesautobahn network is quite smooth.
Other thing is the use of electronic matrix signs like this:
[spoiler]
(100 km/h speed limit, truck overtaking not allowed)

(No speed limit)[/spoiler]
which makes speed limits flexible depending on road conditions and can warn from dangers or even forbid overtaking with the use of electronic signs over each lane. So then, speed can be adjusted according to each lane purpose, the geography, meteorology or even the presence of an accident or construction works some miles ahead.
I'm sure that in my country wouldn't work, people aren't as aware of the signage as the Germans!  :spin:

None of the highways in Germany have tolls for passenger cars, but trucks do pay tolls when they cross the border. Also gas is considerably more expensive there — 6-7 dollars a gallon. Germany is closer to New Jersey than Montana in population density -both are the same size in square miles, but Germany has 80 million people-  so you would expect it to be more regulated, but Europe generally had higher speed limits on its interstate style highways. France, Netherlands, and Luxemburg have 130 km limits (80mph), Belgium 120 km/h (75 mph), and the UK 70 mph, although with the increase in 80 mph speed limits out west (Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, Texas), the US is narrowing the gap.

I lived in Germany for several years before moving to Belgium, so I drove regularly on the Autobahn around Stuttgart, Frankfurt, and Cologne (A3,4, 5, 6, 8, 61, 81).  Certain stretches of highway have no speed limits, but most do. Some are governed by electronic variable signs like the image from the previous post, but many, especially in urban areas or construction zones, simply have a fixed speed limit, enforced by cameras. Segments along following stretches did not have limits in 2008-2013: A substantial part of the A5 south of Heidelberg, the A81 south of Herrenberg (near Stuttgart), the A3 between Frankfurt and Cologne, theA6 between Mannheim and Heilbronn, and  the A4 between Aachen and Cologne. This is not exhaustive - I suspect that much of the mileage in the former DDR (East Germany) does not have limits because they tend to have less traffic, but I did not drive in that part of the country, so I don't know.

When the sign for no speed limit appears (white sign with black circle and black slashes), people step on the gas, with substantial traffic (but not all) moving in excess of a hundred miles an hour, although  the average speed is closer to 75-80 mph with a few cars driving considerably faster.  Actually the amount of traffic makes it difficult to drive all that fast. Most highways in Germany are very crowded, even in rural areas, and a "stau" (traffic jam) occurs quite often, sometimes for several kilometers at a time. Also the right lane is often a solid line of trucks (LKWs) moving at a max speed of 100 km/h. Europe moves a higher percentage of its freight by road than the US, so many roads are filled with trucks, which are frequently engaging in elephant races as they try to pass each other, to the frustration of other motorists. Also trying to overtake a slower vehicle could be exciting, especially when an Audi with angry flashing lights appears out of nowhere.

Construction of highways is not necessarily superior to what we have in the USA, at least in my opinion as a non-engineer motorist. Some are well engineered, while others like the A8 between Stuttgart and Munich are very narrow with no hard shoulder, clearly not designed for the capacity of traffic that they carry. I can't say much for the pavement, other than I saw a lot of ongoing road construction.

Another difference is that a smaller percentage of the population drives since the entry barriers are higher (18 years old, expensive driving schools, stricter car inspections) and because they have a comprehensive public transportation system that a lot of people use (hard to believe when you're stuck in a 10 km stau). A lot of companies subsidize the leasing of new cars for their employees as a way to lessen the income tax bite (apparently the government is less likely to tax an employee's auto subsidy than his/her cash income).  This means that people who do drive are in newer vehicles while people who can't manage to get a license, who can't afford a car that will pass an inspection, or who don't feel comfortable driving have other options for getting around.

jeffandnicole

Quote from: stwoodbury on March 01, 2017, 05:31:56 AM
When the sign for no speed limit appears (white sign with black circle and black slashes), people step on the gas, with substantial traffic (but not all) moving in excess of a hundred miles an hour, although  the average speed is closer to 75-80 mph with a few cars driving considerably faster.  Actually the amount of traffic makes it difficult to drive all that fast.

So is it a substantial number of vehicles driving over 100, or just a few?  You seem to contradict yourself there.

kphoger

Quote from: jeffandnicole on March 01, 2017, 08:18:27 AM
Quote from: stwoodbury on March 01, 2017, 05:31:56 AM
When the sign for no speed limit appears (white sign with black circle and black slashes), people step on the gas, with substantial traffic (but not all) moving in excess of a hundred miles an hour, although  the average speed is closer to 75-80 mph with a few cars driving considerably faster.  Actually the amount of traffic makes it difficult to drive all that fast.

So is it a substantial number of vehicles driving over 100, or just a few?  You seem to contradict yourself there.

A small percentage of a very large number is still a substantial number.  I interpreted this to mean that enough people were in the triple digits to make you take notice, but that most people don't put the pedal to the metal.  Which reflects my own experience on the Autobahn, back in the 90s.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

stwoodbury

Quote from: kphoger on March 01, 2017, 01:09:57 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on March 01, 2017, 08:18:27 AM
Quote from: stwoodbury on March 01, 2017, 05:31:56 AM
When the sign for no speed limit appears (white sign with black circle and black slashes), people step on the gas, with substantial traffic (but not all) moving in excess of a hundred miles an hour, although  the average speed is closer to 75-80 mph with a few cars driving considerably faster.  Actually the amount of traffic makes it difficult to drive all that fast.

So is it a substantial number of vehicles driving over 100, or just a few?  You seem to contradict yourself there.

A small percentage of a very large number is still a substantial number.  I interpreted this to mean that enough people were in the triple digits to make you take notice, but that most people don't put the pedal to the metal.  Which reflects my own experience on the Autobahn, back in the 90s.

That was my experience too. Most people were in the 70-80 range with a few going quite a bit faster. Also it depended on the weather and the day of the week. Sundays often had a lot more people out cruising at high speeds, especially since most trucks were not allowed on the road.

kkt

Will the US ever seen an interstate with no speed limit again?  No, probably not.  Not having any limit tends to attract every speed demon with a new muscle car for a thousand miles around.

Duke87

Quote from: Scott5114 on January 25, 2017, 10:50:23 PM
I'm with corco on this one. It's not really a partisan issue, more of a cultural one. Blue states tend to be heavily urbanized and therefore have slower speed limits as a matter of course. Red states are usually less densely populated and so higher speed limits are justified.

Cultural, yes. But saying it's a "matter of course" implies it is logical, when it isn't. In my experience the speeds at which people actually drive on highways of similar grade and quality doesn't really vary that much throughout the country. What varies a lot more is the degree to which people exceed the posted limit. In upstate New York, the posted limit is 65 but typical speeds are more like 75 and you probably won't get pulled over for going anything under 80. In west Texas, the posted limit is 80, most people more or less obey it, and it is enforced as such.
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

Plutonic Panda

Quote from: kkt on March 01, 2017, 06:50:41 PM
Will the US ever seen an interstate with no speed limit again?  No, probably not.  Not having any limit tends to attract every speed demon with a new muscle car for a thousand miles around.
Dang it. That statement is true anyways of me though I still speed pretty heavily it would allow me to do so in comfort and not constantly checking my rearview mirror.



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