Which remaing Northeast 65 state is most likely to raise their speed limit.

[froggie]

The US 7 Super 2 was 55 when there in 1999.  I am guessing VT allows limited access two lanes to be and other than part of US 7 in Rutland I do not think the state has four lane divided non freeways to post a 55 with at grades.

There's about a mile or so of US 2 in St. Johnsbury that is 4-lanes divided and also 55 MPH.  This is the 4-lane part of the section that shadyjay mentioned in his post.

And yes, VTrans can and (occasionally) will post 55 MPH on 2-lane limited-access highways.  Besides the aforementioned route segments, this also includes VT 63 and VT 279.

Even MA and NH allow 55 on two lanes with intersections

My experience with NH and 55 MPH is that they will generally only do it where the roadway has improved geometry (i.e. gentler curves) and wider shoulders.  I was recently on a stretch of NH 10 that didn't have full 10ft shoulders and was still signed 55, but they weren't narrow shoulders either.

US 2 might be a super 2 in theory, but it still has at grades (and a ton of them at that) and allows bikes/peds. The section west of I-89 near the islands is a designated bike route. US 2 near St. Johnsbury bans bikes/peds and is considered by the state to be limited access. The key for Vermont allowing 55 on a 2 lane is no driveway access.

VTrans' general definition of limited-access does not explicitly prohibit bikes/peds.

[cl94]

Even MA and NH allow 55 on two lanes with intersections

My experience with NH and 55 MPH is that they will generally only do it where the roadway has improved geometry (i.e. gentler curves) and wider shoulders.  I was recently on a stretch of NH 10 that didn't have full 10ft shoulders and was still signed 55, but they weren't narrow shoulders either.

That is generally my experience in NH as well. MA can be a little more random with how it applies the 55, but this is also the state that lowers the speed limit for every little curve.

VTrans' general definition of limited-access does not explicitly prohibit bikes/peds.

Well aware of the fact, hence why there's always a bikes/peds prohibited sign. Similar to why Vermont posts "unsafe to pass"/"no passing zone" more than other states, as that's the only way they can legally prevent people from passing.

[RobbieL2415]

CT hands down 100%.  CT was the last state to raise it's limit to 65 over objections saying "our roads weren't designed for above 55mph" even though there's pics of I-95 having a 60mph limit in the 1970s. 

CT was also one of the last states to allow right turn on red. 

The land of steady habits.

All of this seems to contradict your answer to the topic question.

CT is the land of steady habits.  Until 20 years ago, we had 40 MPH speed limits on urban interstates.  A perfectly suitable stretch of highway for 65 (I-84 Exit 25A-33) is still signed at 55 MPH 20 years after similar stretches were raised to 65.  We have local state routes signed at 25 MPH in lightly populated areas.  We still have 95% of our highways with sequential exit numbers, and in the 1980's, when we re-signed highways, we went with reflective button copy that was of 1960's vintage.  And we were the almost the last state to allow Sunday liquor sales, and had closing times at our liquor stores of 8PM as of about 10 years ago.  Yet, ironically, we have among the most left-wing progressive politicians representing us.

I bet the Waterbury to Farmington stretch is 55 as a political consolation to those who opposed the raise to 65.

Also, CT used to prohibit car dealerships from opening on Sundays.

[Duke87]

Rhode Island also has rural areas...basically anything beyond about 10 miles west of Providence.  But I'm hard pressed to think of any RI surface roads with a 55 limit.

I've clinched Rhode Island and I don't recall there being any. RI pretty much copies CT on speed limits - rural 2 lane roads are typically 40 or 45, with the occasional 50 if the road is improved to the highest standards the state will improve a 2 lane road to. But no 55s.

That said, every other state in the continental US has 2 lane roads posted at 55 or better. Including MA, NH, and VT, which while they all post it very sparingly do have a nonzero number of 55 zones on 2 lane roads.

[cl94]

Rhode Island also has rural areas...basically anything beyond about 10 miles west of Providence.  But I'm hard pressed to think of any RI surface roads with a 55 limit.

I've clinched Rhode Island and I don't recall there being any. RI pretty much copies CT on speed limits - rural 2 lane roads are typically 40 or 45, with the occasional 50 if the road is improved to the highest standards the state will improve a 2 lane road to. But no 55s.

That said, every other state in the continental US has 2 lane roads posted at 55 or better. Including MA, NH, and VT, which while they all post it very sparingly do have a nonzero number of 55 zones on 2 lane roads.

VT is almost certainly in single digits. I can only recall a handful. The only non-Super 2 55 zones in MA I can think of are west of I-91. There's one on SR 43 that's a continuation of NY's 55 zone, a couple on US 7 between Great Barrington and the CT border, and at least one on SR 9 in the Berkshires.

[hotdogPi]

The only non-Super 2 55 zones in MA I can think of are west of I-91. There's one on SR 43 that's a continuation of NY's 55 zone, a couple on US 7 between Great Barrington and the CT border, and at least one on SR 9 in the Berkshires.

I believe US 1 between MA 133 and MA 113 in northeastern Massachusetts is 55 mph.

[RobbieL2415]

The only non-Super 2 55 zones in MA I can think of are west of I-91. There's one on SR 43 that's a continuation of NY's 55 zone, a couple on US 7 between Great Barrington and the CT border, and at least one on SR 9 in the Berkshires.

I believe US 1 between MA 133 and MA 113 in northeastern Massachusetts is 55 mph.

There's plenty of 55mph surface zones across the state.

[cpzilliacus]

That said, every other state in the continental US has 2 lane roads posted at 55 or better. Including MA, NH, and VT, which while they all post it very sparingly do have a nonzero number of 55 zones on 2 lane roads.

Even Maryland has a few 2 lane arterial highways with posted 55 MPH limits, though I can only name two offhand - MD-234 (Budds Creek Road) in Charles and St. Mary's Counties and U.S. 15 (Catoctin Mountain Highway) south of U.S. 340 in Frederick County.

[froggie]

^ Also MD 67, a stretch of MD 23 north of Bel Air, and US 113 (the remaining 2-lane portion of the latter).

[1995hoo]

^ Also MD 67, a stretch of MD 23 north of Bel Air, and US 113 (the remaining 2-lane portion of the latter).

US-219 south of I-68 is another, or at least it was the last time I was through that way (Street View confirms this). I don't remember whether it was posted at 55 all the way down to Accident.

US-220 heading north from I-68 towards Bedford was posted at 55 in Maryland on our most recent trip to the Omni Bedford Springs.

[tckma]

CT was also one of the last states to allow right turn on red. 

When was this?

Other states need to be aware of these kinds of discrepancies... when I took my permit test in 1994 in New York, the drivers' manual taught as though right on red was allowed throughout the known universe unless there was a "no turn on red" sign.  Other things had caveats, e.g., "If the speed limit is not posted on any road <i>in New York State</i>, the speed limit is 55."  (emphasis added by me).

Not that someone who has a learner's permit from NYS is going to go driving out of state until they have a driver's license... But when I transferred my drivers' license between states (NY -> MA, then MA -> NH, then NH -> MA, then MA -> VA, and finally VA -> MD), no state gave me ANY information about subtle "gotchas" of differences in their state's driving laws.  No Turn On Red statewide would definitely have caught me off guard.  I've done right on red many times in Connecticut and never have been pulled over.

In fact, I've never been pulled over for anything that was different in driving laws between the state/province I was driving in and New York State (where I learned to drive, took my permit test, and road test).  I took my motorcycle permit test and subsequent road test in Massachusetts -- the only difference there was that MA seemed to focus on rotaries for their test (I get it, they have a lot of rotaries, but the rules there for navigating them are no different than in other states), whereas NY seemed overly concerned with my ability to calculate a blood alcohol content based on weight, time, and number of drinks, a skill I have never actually needed.

Anyway... I'm going off on a tangent here.

[vdeane]

when I took my permit test in 1994 in New York, the drivers' manual taught as though right on red was allowed throughout the known universe unless there was a "no turn on red" sign.

Wow, that's pretty bad, considering that it's not even allowed throughout the entire state much less the known universe thanks to NYC.

[jeffandnicole]

CT was also one of the last states to allow right turn on red. 

When was this?

Mid 1970's...so you probably weren't even born yet.

Other states need to be aware of these kinds of discrepancies... when I took my permit test in 1994 in New York, the drivers' manual taught as though right on red was allowed throughout the known universe unless there was a "no turn on red" sign...

...No Turn On Red statewide would definitely have caught me off guard.  I've done right on red many times in Connecticut and never have been pulled over.

While you've exaggerated (other countries do things differently, and don't expect right turns on red to be permitted in countries where you drive on the left), the fact that you took your drivers' test about 20 years after Connecticut permitted Right Turns On Red is probably why New York or any other state didn't make you aware of such a discrepancy, and why you have never been pulled over for such.

But when I transferred my drivers' license between states (NY -> MA, then MA -> NH, then NH -> MA, then MA -> VA, and finally VA -> MD), no state gave me ANY information about subtle "gotchas" of differences in their state's driving laws.

This is actually a big issue.  NJ used to require a test from people moving into the state, but people constantly complained they have driven for 10, 20, 30, 40 whatever years, and are failing the test.  NJ should've said...well good, then you need a refresher because your driving sucks, but instead they eliminated the test.  I'm quite sure many of the poor drivers with NJ tags originally lived out of NJ, moved here, and never learned or relearned the proper way to drive.

[1995hoo]

....

Not that someone who has a learner's permit from NYS is going to go driving out of state until they have a driver's license... ....

Why not? When I had my learner's permit (Virginia), I drove most of the way to New York on a family trip during spring break. My father had me pull off at the last service area we passed on the Jersey Turnpike and he then drove the rest of the way across Staten Island and into Brooklyn. I believe on the way home he pulled off at the first service area we reached and then I drove the rest of the way.

[PHLBOS]

CT was also one of the last states to allow right turn on red. 

When was this?

Mid 1970's...so you probably weren't even born yet.

Massachusetts didn't allow RIGHT ON RED until 1978.  At the time, it was reported that it was the last state to enact such... supposedly for energy conservation reasons (less idling at at light = less gas being burned).

[roadman65]

when I took my permit test in 1994 in New York, the drivers' manual taught as though right on red was allowed throughout the known universe unless there was a "no turn on red" sign.

Wow, that's pretty bad, considering that it's not even allowed throughout the entire state much less the known universe thanks to NYC.

I think that was done when NY State to get upstate and Long Island to have RTOR status they enacted a law stating that a municipality with a population of over 2 million people was not allowed to have that privilege.

Anyway, NYC is a wide enough universe to be said that No Turns on Red still exist in the United States and that MA was the last to go along with it all.

However, was it not NJ and CT that were last in abolishing the 55 max on freeways?  If I remember correctly Christine Whitman was the holdout why NJ would not get it sooner and the reason why NJ has the double fines in the 65 zones because that was a bargaining chip that she reluctantly went along with to for the rest of Trenton to get her to allow it (that is if that was finally implemented when she was still in office)?

[cpzilliacus]

Massachusetts didn't allow RIGHT ON RED until 1978.  At the time, it was reported that it was the last state to enact such... supposedly for energy conservation reasons (less idling at at light = less gas being burned).

The District of Columbia retained a de-facto ban on right-turn-on-red well into the 1980's.  D.C. did not ban the turn, but installed a NO TURN ON RED sign at every movement at every intersection in D.C. (except those under jurisdiction of the National Park Service or the Architect of the Capitol) where traffic could possibly turn right on red. 

There was a threat by Congress to pass a law forbidding the D.C. municipal government from installing or maintaining any such signage (Congress had and has the power to do that), so many of them were removed, and others were replaced by NO TURN ON RED 7AM TO 7PM signs.

[02 Park Ave]

I believe that PA allows left turns on red from one-way streets into one-way streets.  Does any other state or commonwealth permit this movement?

[1995hoo]

I believe that PA allows left turns on red from one-way streets into one-way streets.  Does any other state or commonwealth permit this movement?

Most of them do.

[jeffandnicole]

when I took my permit test in 1994 in New York, the drivers' manual taught as though right on red was allowed throughout the known universe unless there was a "no turn on red" sign.

Wow, that's pretty bad, considering that it's not even allowed throughout the entire state much less the known universe thanks to NYC.

I think that was done when NY State to get upstate and Long Island to have RTOR status they enacted a law stating that a municipality with a population of over 2 million people was not allowed to have that privilege.

Anyway, NYC is a wide enough universe to be said that No Turns on Red still exist in the United States and that MA was the last to go along with it all.

However, was it not NJ and CT that were last in abolishing the 55 max on freeways?  If I remember correctly Christine Whitman was the holdout why NJ would not get it sooner and the reason why NJ has the double fines in the 65 zones because that was a bargaining chip that she reluctantly went along with to for the rest of Trenton to get her to allow it (that is if that was finally implemented when she was still in office)?

Pretty much true, although it should be pointed out that Whitman was the one that finally enacted it.  Since the NMSL was modified a decade prior, Governors Kean and Florio were holdouts as well. 

The 'Double Fines' was an unfortunate compromise, but oddly enough probably works in our favor today.  It's also an oddly worded law. At the time, it really did keep people driving close to the speed limit.  The doubled fines in 65 mph zones for speeding don't kick in until you're cited for 10 mph or more over the limit.  However, on 55 mph and lower roadways, there's still doubled fines when cited for going 20 mph or greater over the limit.   (There's no regular 60 mph zones in the state)

If you're cited for speeding 74 mph or less in a 65 zone, the fine is only $85, and some cops will reduce your actual violation to that zone.  If you are cited for speeding in the 20 - 24 mph range (when the 'doubled fine' is automatic), the fine is *only* $200.  In some other states, they'll throw the book at you.  And there's no surcharges (I don't believe), unlike other states where a $25 fine is really 4 times that once that surcharges are added.

Here's NJ's violation schedule: https://www.njcourts.gov/attorneys/assets/violations/part1bc.pdf

[PHLBOS]

Massachusetts didn't allow RIGHT ON RED until 1978.  At the time, it was reported that it was the last state to enact such... supposedly for energy conservation reasons (less idling at at light = less gas being burned).

The District of Columbia retained a de-facto ban on right-turn-on-red well into the 1980's.  D.C. did not ban the turn, but installed a NO TURN ON RED sign at every movement at every intersection in D.C. (except those under jurisdiction of the National Park Service or the Architect of the Capitol) where traffic could possibly turn right on red.

Similarly, when MA first allowed RIGHT ON RED, a whole bunch of NO TURN ON RED signs were posted at almost every traffic signal as well.  Within a couple of years, a few of them were later taken down.

[jeffandnicole]

I believe that PA allows left turns on red from one-way streets into one-way streets.  Does any other state or commonwealth permit this movement?

45 states do in total.

[cl94]

I believe that PA allows left turns on red from one-way streets into one-way streets.  Does any other state or commonwealth permit this movement?

45 states do in total.

Only states that ban it are CT, ME, MO, NH, NJ, NC, RI, and SD, plus DC. Allowed everywhere else.

[RobbieL2415]

....

Not that someone who has a learner's permit from NYS is going to go driving out of state until they have a driver's license... ....

Why not? When I had my learner's permit (Virginia), I drove most of the way to New York on a family trip during spring break. My father had me pull off at the last service area we passed on the Jersey Turnpike and he then drove the rest of the way across Staten Island and into Brooklyn. I believe on the way home he pulled off at the first service area we reached and then I drove the rest of the way.

Out of state permit holders aren't allowed to drive within the limits of NYC or on surrounding parkways.

[corco]

I believe that PA allows left turns on red from one-way streets into one-way streets.  Does any other state or commonwealth permit this movement?

Most of them do.

Heck, in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington it is legal to turn left from a two way street onto a one way street on red! Though most drivers don't realize this.