Speed Limits That Are Too High

[kphoger]

I would do 25 for small roads without a double yellow line and 30 for roads with a double yellow line.

What does the presence or absence of a yellow line have to do with it?

I don't see why this street necessarily deserves a higher speed limit than this one.

[hotdogPi]

I have no problem with people treating residential roads as minor collector roads and driving 35-40 MPH through them as shortcuts, as long as visibility is good. One 40-MPH car per 20 seconds or so is not enough to block access to and from driveways, and using alternate routes reduces congestion on the main roads.

35 to 40 is highly inappropriate for residential or neighborhood streets. Too many variables to go such a speed.

Roads where such speeds could be considered appropriate should be posted as such.

It's probably because I'm used to suburban residential roads, not urban ones.

I'm mostly thinking of roads like this one (although this particular one isn't an alternate route to anywhere). I wouldn't recommend going 35-40 on streets that are less than 1/4 mile long, as you'll just have to slow down again to turn.

[kphoger]

I think 30 is too high for any residential street with uncontrolled intersections.

[jakeroot]

I would do 25 for small roads without a double yellow line and 30 for roads with a double yellow line.

What does the presence or absence of a yellow line have to do with it?

I don't see why this street necessarily deserves a higher speed limit than this one.

For setting limits, IMO, nothing.

For encouraging lower speeds, probably everything.

Example: a stretch of E. Aloha St in Seattle was lowered from 30 to 20 a few years ago. To accomplish this, they removed the center line to make it at least appear more residential: before / after.

[jakeroot]

I have no problem with people treating residential roads as minor collector roads and driving 35-40 MPH through them as shortcuts, as long as visibility is good. One 40-MPH car per 20 seconds or so is not enough to block access to and from driveways, and using alternate routes reduces congestion on the main roads.

35 to 40 is highly inappropriate for residential or neighborhood streets. Too many variables to go such a speed.

Roads where such speeds could be considered appropriate should be posted as such.

It's probably because I'm used to suburban residential roads, not urban ones.

I'm mostly thinking of roads like this one (although this particular one isn't an alternate route to anywhere). I wouldn't recommend going 35-40 on streets that are less than 1/4 mile long, as you'll just have to slow down again to turn.

Suburban roads are a tough situation: not quite urban enough to warrant 20 across the board, but certainly not rural enough to permit default limits of 35+.

In the case of your example, I would need to see it in person, but 30 seems like about the fastest I'd be comfortable going: no center line, soft shoulder, adjacent housing, limited visibility from vegetation, etc.

I think 30 is too high for any residential street with uncontrolled intersections.

In the case of Seattle, all residential/neighborhood streets are 95% uncontrolled. These roads are default 20, posted only higher as necessary (but this being extremely rare).

[andrepoiy]

In the Toronto area, most residential streets are 40 km/h, and there's a push to lower all residential streets to 30 km/h.

There is a suburb called Richmond Hill, where all the old streets have a limit of 50 km/h. (The new subdivisions are 40). I feel like 50 is a bit high for those streets.