Current state speed limit increase proposals

[jeffandnicole]

I would caution about that bill in Vermont, and this article isn't as well written as you think.

That bill, sponsored by James McCollough, was first introduced in 2020 as bill H.627.  It went nowhere.

Bills have a tendency to be reintroduced each year after they were first written.  For many things, as long as an elected official remains in office, they tend to have their same bills reintroduced year after year, and most likely nothing will ever become of them. 

For the writer of the article, he probably did a quick search on speed limit bills in 2021, came up with what he got, and didn't research any further, which would reveal that some of these bills just tend to languish year after year.

I'm not going to really go thru each state mentioned, but unless it popped up this year already, chances are these are just old proposals that keep popping up without too much hope of succeeding.

I'm more interested in the NH bill that, if I'm reading it correctly, allows 60 mph on 2-lane roads. That's much more of a game-changer to me than the limit increasing another 5 mph on interstates!

Unless I'm mistaken currently the only states east of the Mississippi that allow higher than 55 on 2-lane roads are Florida (60) and Michigan (65).

In absolute technical terms, NJ allows it.  They only have statutory limits of 25, 35 & 50 mph when the roadway doesn't have a signed speed limit, and the "65 mph implementation act" which doesn't apply anymore.  There's nothing that states 55 mph is the top limit that can be used on any type of roadway. Are we going to see anything higher than 55 mph on a 2 lane roadway in NJ?  Nah.  But if someone wanted to push the issue, it's there for the pushing.

A 75 mph NJ Turnpike (easily the 85th percentile speed) would sure be something to see.

The last time anything was referenced about a higher speed limit, I believe a spokesperson said "the limit is fine as is".  Which was safety speak for "We have a speed limit on that road?  Surprises the hell out of me".

[Mike2357]

Actually the 85th percentile speed of the Jersey Turnpike is over 80 mph. And most NJ highways are far below that %tile.

https://www.nj.com/data/2018/08/should_the_speed_limit_on_njs_highways_be_higher_we_used_a_radar_gun_to_find_the_answer.html

[Roadgeekteen]

Actually the 85th percentile speed of the Jersey Turnpike is over 80 mph. And most NJ highways are far below that %tile.

https://www.nj.com/data/2018/08/should_the_speed_limit_on_njs_highways_be_higher_we_used_a_radar_gun_to_find_the_answer.html

I was just on I-80 in New Jersey west of I-287, police enforcement was heavy and most cars went around 70.

[Mike2357]

Actually the 85th percentile speed of the Jersey Turnpike is over 80 mph. And most NJ highways are far below that %tile.

https://www.nj.com/data/2018/08/should_the_speed_limit_on_njs_highways_be_higher_we_used_a_radar_gun_to_find_the_answer.html

I was just on I-80 in New Jersey west of I-287, police enforcement was heavy and most cars went around 70.

Well west of Roxbury I-80 is decently curvy, so 65 mph is reasonable, but it could still be bumped to 75 mph.