Most substantial reductions in speed limit (over time)

[jakeroot]

Part of my commute (when I drive) takes me down Airport Way in Seattle; it parallels I-5 from the south end of Boeing Field (KBFI), narrows through Georgetown, and then widens out again into a five lane arterial through Seattle's SODO.

* Currently, the speed limit is 35 from the Boeing Access Road until it reached KBFI's passenger terminal, before dropping to 30; it drops further to 25 in Goergetown, before increasing to 30 again and remaining there.
* In previous years, the limit was 45 from the Boeing Access Road, stayed there until Georgetown when it dropped to 30, then increased to 35 after that, before dropping to 30 again shortly north of Spokane St.

If you're following along, there is this long, almost completely straight stretch of four lane arterial paralleling an airport that was decreased from 45 to 30. I think this is the largest single speed limit decrease that I've seen not related to any specific infrastructure changes.

Now, realistically, the limit change has not had any affect. SPD does not enforce the limit and most traffic regularly exceeds 50 mph; 60 to 70 is not uncommon (yes, more than twice the limit) from the Boeing Access Road into Georgetown. The change was not a money-grab (again: the limit is not enforced -- I have never seen any police in this area), or because the city feared for pedestrians or because of a high accident rate. No, it was changed because of city policy that sought to reduce arterial limits across the city. And that's fine, as long as it doesn't become a revenue stream. But it still resulted in situations like this, where the limit is so hilariously low that neither regular traffic nor police even recognize it as legitimate. Before, at 45, it was a bit more reasonable. Still probably not enforced, though.

So, this begs the question: what roads in your area have seen the most substantial reductions in their speed limit (over time)? This can be because of policy decisions at city hall, because the road was rebuilt, or any reason really.

I'm going into this question assuming that, by and large, most places do not have examples of speed reductions at all. If anything, in most places, speed limits have been the same for decades, with little change. Still, I'm curious what kind of examples are out there. I'm assuming there are streets in similarly-urban cities, like Chicago, Portland, Denver, Boston, and/or San Francisco that have seen large reductions to this degree, I just don't know precisely where (if at all).

[hotdogPi]

Cambridge, MA tried making this street and two others 10 mph in a pilot program as part of a "shared street". It failed; after six months, it reverted to what it was before. I believe it has no posted speed limit signs, so it's the default limit for thickly settled streets (25 mph inside Cambridge city limits).

[SkyPesos]

A 45 to 20 drop during school arrival/dismissal times are pretty common in my area.

For an example on a freeway, I-70 drops from 65 to 45 when crossing from OH into WV.

[Max Rockatansky]

Dropping from 70 MPH to 35 MPH on US 95 entering Searchlight, NV was always pretty jarring.

[hotdogPi]

This thread is about temporal drops, not spatial drops.

[sprjus4]

To put it in basic terms, it's a thread about speed limits that were artificially reduced. Not a drop in speed limit as one travels from one section to another.

[Max Rockatansky]

This thread is about temporal drops, not spatial drops.

I don't know if you realize this, but you are by far the most frequent person on this forum to nanny post.  I really don't think you get how annoying it is and how it makes you look to a lot of us in the community (perhaps lends itself to one your complaints yesterday).  What makes you think it is necessary for you to police threads when you aren't a moderator? 

[hotdogPi]

This thread is about temporal drops, not spatial drops.

I don't know if you realize this, but you are by far the most frequent person on this forum to nanny post.  I really don't think you get how annoying it is and how it makes you look to a lot of us in the community (perhaps lends itself to one your complaints yesterday).  What makes you think it is necessary for you to police threads when you aren't a moderator?

I had no idea at all. Sorry.

[vdeane]

This used to be 45.

[webny99]

This thread is about temporal drops, not spatial drops.

I don't know if you realize this, but you are by far the most frequent person on this forum to nanny post.  I really don't think you get how annoying it is and how it makes you look to a lot of us in the community (perhaps lends itself to one your complaints yesterday).  What makes you think it is necessary for you to police threads when you aren't a moderator?

I think this was worth pointing out, though, considering that I was about to post "drops from 55 mph to 30 mph are quite common in NY" but now (and after reading the OP more closely) I realize that's not what the thread is about.

[webny99]

An actual submission for the thread would be the infamous NY 198, which used to be 45 (may have even been 55 going back further) and is now 30 mph after a fatal accident.

[jakeroot]

A 45 to 20 drop during school arrival/dismissal times are pretty common in my area.
For an example on a freeway, I-70 drops from 65 to 45 when crossing from OH into WV.

Dropping from 70 MPH to 35 MPH on US 95 entering Searchlight, NV was always pretty jarring.

This thread is about temporal drops, not spatial drops.

I don't know if you realize this, but you are by far the most frequent person on this forum to nanny post.  I really don't think you get how annoying it is and how it makes you look to a lot of us in the community (perhaps lends itself to one your complaints yesterday).  What makes you think it is necessary for you to police threads when you aren't a moderator?

I think this was worth pointing out, though, considering that I was about to post "drops from 55 mph to 30 mph are quite common in NY" but now (and after reading the OP more closely) I realize that's not what the thread is about.

Yeah, he is correct, I am referring to decreases in the limit year to year, not just high-to-low at a specific place. There are already plenty of threads about jarring drops in the limit from one spot to another, I am thinking over time, where entire roads have seen reductions for whatever reason.

[jakeroot]

An actual submission for the thread would be the infamous NY 198, which used to be 45 (may have even been 55 going back further) and is now 30 mph after a fatal accident.

That's an excellent example, yes. I remember reading about that road when the limit was decreased and thinking that was a pretty massive decrease.

This used to be 45.

Funny, that road was recently posted in the "guess the speed limit" challenge thread. Another steep decrease out of New York!

Cambridge, MA tried making this street and two others 10 mph in a pilot program as part of a "shared street". It failed; after six months, it reverted to what it was before. I believe it has no posted speed limit signs, so it's the default limit for thickly settled streets (25 mph inside Cambridge city limits).

Wow. 10 mph wouldn't even be a legal limit here in WA, you cannot lower limits to below 20 here.

[Rothman]

This thread is about temporal drops, not spatial drops.

I don't know if you realize this, but you are by far the most frequent person on this forum to nanny post.  I really don't think you get how annoying it is and how it makes you look to a lot of us in the community (perhaps lends itself to one your complaints yesterday).  What makes you think it is necessary for you to police threads when you aren't a moderator?

I had no idea at all. Sorry.

*not the worst nanny poster*

[vdeane]

An actual submission for the thread would be the infamous NY 198, which used to be 45 (may have even been 55 going back further) and is now 30 mph after a fatal accident.

50, actually, so it does top Washington Avenue for NY.

An actual submission for the thread would be the infamous NY 198, which used to be 45 (may have even been 55 going back further) and is now 30 mph after a fatal accident.

That's an excellent example, yes. I remember reading about that road when the limit was decreased and thinking that was a pretty massive decrease.

This used to be 45.

Funny, that road was recently posted in the "guess the speed limit" challenge thread. Another steep decrease out of New York!

Cambridge, MA tried making this street and two others 10 mph in a pilot program as part of a "shared street". It failed; after six months, it reverted to what it was before. I believe it has no posted speed limit signs, so it's the default limit for thickly settled streets (25 mph inside Cambridge city limits).

Wow. 10 mph wouldn't even be a legal limit here in WA, you cannot lower limits to below 20 here.

What's odd is that 10 mph is on a warning sign, not a regulatory signs (especially as warning signs are rare in MA, with MassDOT preferring to drop the actual speed limit so that the police can write tickets); were there any regulatory "speed limit 10" signs?

10 wouldn't be legal in NY for an actual speed limit, either.  30 is the lowest possible for a normal speed zone (set municipality-wide or for an area - which is why it's so common in cities and villages around the state), 25 is the lowest for a linear speed limit (ie, traditional speed limits that apply to a specific portion of road), and 15 the lowest for a school zone.

[jakeroot]

An actual submission for the thread would be the infamous NY 198, which used to be 45 (may have even been 55 going back further) and is now 30 mph after a fatal accident.

50, actually, so it does top Washington Avenue for NY.

That is insane. I'm very curious to know if it's heavily enforced and/or adhered to.

[webny99]

An actual submission for the thread would be the infamous NY 198, which used to be 45 (may have even been 55 going back further) and is now 30 mph after a fatal accident.

50, actually, so it does top Washington Avenue for NY.

That is insane. I'm very curious to know if it's heavily enforced and/or adhered to.

Definitely not adhered to (it is NY after all!) - I haven't been on it enough to speak to how heavily enforced it is but I would guess not too crazy given how clearly egregious it is.

[cockroachking]

30 is the lowest possible for a normal speed zone (set municipality-wide or for an area - which is why it's so common in cities and villages around the state)

Does that mean NYC was granted an exemption for its citywide 25 mph default?

Anway, here is one (NY of course) that dropped from 55 to 35, and another (55, 35).

An actual submission for the thread would be the infamous NY 198, which used to be 45 (may have even been 55 going back further) and is now 30 mph after a fatal accident.

50, actually, so it does top Washington Avenue for NY.

That is insane. I'm very curious to know if it's heavily enforced and/or adhered to.

85th percentile speeds range from 42-48 now (30mph limit - 2018), down from 55-60 (50mph limit - 2011), according to the Traffic Data Viewer.

[steviep24]

The former NY 252A (Paul Rd.) was once 55 from Marshall Rd. to NY383. The section from Marshall Rd to Beahan Rd. was reduced to 45 during the late 80s, the remainder reduced to 45 in the early 2000s. Also, all passing zones were removed from this road.


https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1071528,-77.7030826,3a,75y,279.43h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sd2Cp4YmsQ6i-3Im13eakjg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

[jeffandnicole]

85th percentile speeds range from 42-48 now (30mph limit - 2018), down from 55-60 (50mph limit - 2011), according to the Traffic Data Viewer.

Just wondering...how can the 85th percentile be a range? Shouldn't it just be a single number?

[hotdogPi]

85th percentile speeds range from 42-48 now (30mph limit - 2018), down from 55-60 (50mph limit - 2011), according to the Traffic Data Viewer.

Just wondering...how can the 85th percentile be a range? Shouldn't it just be a single number?

Just a guess: it could be a 95% confidence interval, or it could depend on time of day and/or day of week.

[cockroachking]

85th percentile speeds range from 42-48 now (30mph limit - 2018), down from 55-60 (50mph limit - 2011), according to the Traffic Data Viewer.

Just wondering...how can the 85th percentile be a range? Shouldn't it just be a single number?

NYS has speed statistics on 4 different segments of NY-198. I put it in a range so I wouldn't have to type out the remainder of this post.

Segment 1 (I-190 to Grant St):
2011 - 60mph
2018 - 48mph

Segment 2 (Grant St to Elmwood Ave):
2011 - N/A
2018 - 48mph

Segment 3 (Elmwood Ave to NY-384):
2011 - 57mph
2018 - 44mph

Segment 4 (NY-384 to Parkside Ave):
2011 - 55mph
2018 - 42mph

The remainder of the route to NY-5 does not have speed statistics.

[jeffandnicole]

85th percentile speeds range from 42-48 now (30mph limit - 2018), down from 55-60 (50mph limit - 2011), according to the Traffic Data Viewer.

Just wondering...how can the 85th percentile be a range? Shouldn't it just be a single number?

NYS has speed statistics on 4 different segments of NY-198. I put it in a range so I wouldn't have to type out the remainder of this post.

Segment 1 (I-190 to Grant St):
2011 - 60mph
2018 - 48mph

Segment 2 (Grant St to Elmwood Ave):
2011 - N/A
2018 - 48mph

Segment 3 (Elmwood Ave to NY-384):
2011 - 57mph
2018 - 44mph

Segment 4 (NY-384 to Parkside Ave):
2011 - 55mph
2018 - 42mph

The remainder of the route to NY-5 does not have speed statistics.

Ah, got it.

[vdeane]

An actual submission for the thread would be the infamous NY 198, which used to be 45 (may have even been 55 going back further) and is now 30 mph after a fatal accident.

50, actually, so it does top Washington Avenue for NY.

That is insane. I'm very curious to know if it's heavily enforced and/or adhered to.

Definitely not adhered to (it is NY after all!) - I haven't been on it enough to speak to how heavily enforced it is but I would guess not too crazy given how clearly egregious it is.

I believe there were some enforcement blitzes early on, though I'm not sure what the state of that is now.

30 is the lowest possible for a normal speed zone (set municipality-wide or for an area - which is why it's so common in cities and villages around the state)

Does that mean NYC was granted an exemption for its citywide 25 mph default?

Anway, here is one (NY of course) that dropped from 55 to 35, and another (55, 35).

Correct, NYC got an exemption a few years ago.  Now there's a package of bills in the legislature to lower NYC's exemption to 20 (Sammy's Law) and allow everyone else to go down to 25, among other things.

[doorknob60]

There are more roads than I can count that were reduced from 45 to 35 in Bend, OR. Which is not super significant in a vacuum, but some of them are a little baffling to me, like US-20/Greenwood Ave around Pilot Butte, and the segment of 3rd St over the railroad tracks. And with how many have been lowered, it feels kinda significant. Seems like every time I visit, I find a new one.

There is one spot that was reduced from 45 to 25, but it also coincided with replacing a signal with an overpass. Seems silly to me to reduce the speed limit when adding grade separation, but there is a 10 MPH advisory curve at the end of the overpass, so that's probably the reason.

I'm struggling to think of anything very dramatic in the Boise area, pretty much just 5 MPH changes. I can actually think of just as many speed limits that have been raised as lowered. A handful of suburban arterials without constant driveways have been raised from 35 to 40 for example. There are some rural 2 lane 50 MPH roads that have been upgraded to 5 lane suburban style roads along with new development, and when that happens the limit is usually lowered to 45.

I did find one, but there is a caveat. The speed limit I believe is currently 25 on the east end of Parkcenter Blvd. It used to be 45. However, the big caveat is a new bypass was built to the south, which has a speed limit of 40. The old road is now meant for local residential traffic, and many new homes have been built in the time since, hence the 25 MPH limit (I believe it was 30 for a while in between). You can see in GSV that the road looks nothing like it used to. So the speed limit for through traffic (using the bypass) hasn't been impacted much.

Boise is a city where I don't find much desire to speed on the city streets. If I do speed, it's usually only a few MPH over. There are only a couple stretches where I consistently go 5 over (shorter stretches where the speed limit absolutely should be 35, but it's posted 30 because of the surrounding segments), and on those I may hit 10 over if I'm in a hurry. Again, only a couple streets. Most streets around Boise are pretty consistently posted, and at a reasonable level, so it's easy to just get in the flow of sticking to the limit. So many cities I've been to where that's not the case. I do speed some on the freeways (0-10 over just depending on the flow of traffic), because it's a freeway.