Least Common Speed Limit

[vdeane]

Regarding Texas, it's worth noting that the law allowing for 80 on I-10 and I-20 specifically allows for it in certain counties only.  The other law allowing up to 85 on roads "designed to accommodate travel at that established speed or a higher speed" was specifically written for the TX 130.  There also used to be environmental limits in the DFW area.  That's why it's broken out by county.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States_by_jurisdiction#80_and_85_mph_limits

Regarding the map, are they ever going to put Washington back to 70 as the state DOT declined to post any 75 zones?

[jeffandnicole]

The problem with both of Wikipedia's US speed limits articles is that people can't seem to treat them as overview articles that give the general sense of how things are in a given state and instead want to load them up with too much minute precision to be useful. Sometimes the singular exception can be significant, as in the case of the 85-mph speed limit in Texas. But people go overboard. Look at the North Carolina section of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States_by_jurisdiction. Trying to rein in that sort of excessive trivia is always an uphill battle on Wikipedia, though.

Yep, or just aren't accurate.  For New Jersey, the first line is: "New Jersey's only statutory speed limits are 50 mph rural, 25 mph urban. Since the state is largely suburbanized, it ranges between 25 and 50 mph depending the jurisdiction of the road and whether the municipality is township, village, town, borough or city status.".  The type of municipality has no bearing on what the speed limit can be.  Also, there's a 35 mph statutory limit that's not referenced here.

[deathtopumpkins]

The problem with both of Wikipedia's US speed limits articles is that people can't seem to treat them as overview articles that give the general sense of how things are in a given state and instead want to load them up with too much minute precision to be useful. Sometimes the singular exception can be significant, as in the case of the 85-mph speed limit in Texas. But people go overboard. Look at the North Carolina section of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States_by_jurisdiction. Trying to rein in that sort of excessive trivia is always an uphill battle on Wikipedia, though.

Yep, or just aren't accurate.  For New Jersey, the first line is: "New Jersey's only statutory speed limits are 50 mph rural, 25 mph urban. Since the state is largely suburbanized, it ranges between 25 and 50 mph depending the jurisdiction of the road and whether the municipality is township, village, town, borough or city status.".  The type of municipality has no bearing on what the speed limit can be.  Also, there's a 35 mph statutory limit that's not referenced here.

You should update it then!

[doorknob60]

There’s places that post 2 lane rural highways at 70 mph? That’s new to me, only seen them at up to 55. Wouldn’t 70 be a bit fast, since there’s no median and turn radius aren’t as restrictive as interstates?

Uh.  Yeah.  Texas, Oklahoma, Nevada........ plenty of states.

Even Oregon of all states (though only on US-95).

And yeah, 70 is very reasonable on these highways. They are usually low traffic, high visibility, fairly straight and flat. I'm often pushing close to 80 on some of these and feel perfectly safe doing so.

[StogieGuy7]

Even Oregon of all states (though only on US-95).

And yeah, 70 is very reasonable on these highways. They are usually low traffic, high visibility, fairly straight and flat. I'm often pushing close to 80 on some of these and feel perfectly safe doing so.

That's surprising to me, but really quite appropriate.  The bad part about OR is that so many miles of interstate aren't posted that high.

[kphoger]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States

This link has an informative table of normal speed limits by state and road type, for anyone that's interested.

Also, this is a great map - but why is Texas broken down by county?

The answer is that only specific counties are allowed by law to have higher speed limits in Texas.  It really is a county-by-county thing in Texas.  Is there any other state that breaks down the maximum speed limit by county legislatively like that?

Regarding Texas, it's worth noting that the law allowing for 80 on I-10 and I-20 specifically allows for it in certain counties only.  The other law allowing up to 85 on roads "designed to accommodate travel at that established speed or a higher speed" was specifically written for the TX 130.  There also used to be environmental limits in the DFW area.  That's why it's broken out by county.

Exactly.

There's places that post 2 lane rural highways at 70 mph? That's new to me, only seen them at up to 55. Wouldn't 70 be a bit fast, since there's no median and turn radius aren't as restrictive as interstates?

Uh.  Yeah.  Texas, Oklahoma, Nevada........ plenty of states.

I've seen 65 in Utah.

Well yeah, so have I.  But I was replying with states I could think of with 70 mph on two-lane highways.

[jeffandnicole]

The problem with both of Wikipedia's US speed limits articles is that people can't seem to treat them as overview articles that give the general sense of how things are in a given state and instead want to load them up with too much minute precision to be useful. Sometimes the singular exception can be significant, as in the case of the 85-mph speed limit in Texas. But people go overboard. Look at the North Carolina section of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States_by_jurisdiction. Trying to rein in that sort of excessive trivia is always an uphill battle on Wikipedia, though.

Yep, or just aren't accurate.  For New Jersey, the first line is: "New Jersey's only statutory speed limits are 50 mph rural, 25 mph urban. Since the state is largely suburbanized, it ranges between 25 and 50 mph depending the jurisdiction of the road and whether the municipality is township, village, town, borough or city status.".  The type of municipality has no bearing on what the speed limit can be.  Also, there's a 35 mph statutory limit that's not referenced here.

You should update it then!

Not worth the time.  Whoever made the original quote would just go back and replace it. 

[Pink Jazz]

Here is Arizona:


20 - Rare, found in some narrow streets in small towns.
25 - Very Common, found in most residential areas.
30 - Common, found in some larger neighborhoods and major roads in downtown areas.
35 - Common, found in some major roads in downtown areas.
40 - Somewhat Common, found on some city arterials.
45 - Very Common, found on most city arterials.
50 - Somewhat Common, found on some rural arterials.
55 - Very Common, found on many rural two-lane roads, and substandard urban freeways.
60 - Very Rare, only known example is SR 238.
65 - Very common, found on most urban freeways, mountainous rural freeways, and rural expressways and parkways, and some rural two-lane roads.
70 - No known examples.
75 - Very common, found on most rural Interstates.

[jakeroot]

Regarding the map, are they ever going to put Washington back to 70 as the state DOT declined to post any 75 zones?

The map's description is "[m]aximum state speed limits in the United States as of January 2017"; technically the maximum state speed limit in Washington, per RCW 46.61.410, is 75. It's just not posted. As far as I know, WA is the only state where the legal-maximum limit is not posted. So, point being, it's an unusual case but I think it would be incorrect to show it as 70 when the state does allow 75.

[vdeane]

I would take "maximum state speed limits" to be the maximum POSTED.  And if we're going by what the law says, the Texas law doesn't say anything about counties when it says specifically engineered roads can be 85, so they shouldn't be split if that was the intent.

Washington isn't unique - Alaska can post up to 75 on freeways.  It's not 75 on the map, though.

[sprjus4]

^

Mississippi state law permits up to 80 mph on toll roads, however that limit is not posted on any roadway in the state, nor does a toll road exist in the state.

Using that logic, should Mississippi be marked for 80 mph despite the highest actual limit posted is 70 mph?

[jakeroot]

As I originally said in my post, my understanding was that the map reflected limits that could be posted, not necessarily limits that were posted. But if there are too many examples of actual posted limits being below some statutorily-permitted speed, then clearly the map should reflect actual posted limits.

Mississippi state law permits up to 80 mph on toll roads, however that limit is not posted on any roadway in the state, nor does a toll road exist in the state.

That strikes me as incredibly bizarre.

[1995hoo]

Didn't West Virginia allow their DOT to post 75-mph limits a few years back, but similar to Washington State, the DOT hasn't done so?

[deathtopumpkins]

Didn't West Virginia allow their DOT to post 75-mph limits a few years back, but similar to Washington State, the DOT hasn't done so?

Yes, and such is mentioned in the Wikipedia article in question, but the map still shows it as 70. So there's another example.

Looks to me like Washington is the only state where that map reflects the maximum allowable rather than the maximum posted.

[hotdogPi]

The problem with both of Wikipedia's US speed limits articles is that people can't seem to treat them as overview articles that give the general sense of how things are in a given state and instead want to load them up with too much minute precision to be useful. Sometimes the singular exception can be significant, as in the case of the 85-mph speed limit in Texas. But people go overboard. Look at the North Carolina section of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States_by_jurisdiction. Trying to rein in that sort of excessive trivia is always an uphill battle on Wikipedia, though.

Yep, or just aren't accurate.  For New Jersey, the first line is: "New Jersey's only statutory speed limits are 50 mph rural, 25 mph urban. Since the state is largely suburbanized, it ranges between 25 and 50 mph depending the jurisdiction of the road and whether the municipality is township, village, town, borough or city status.".  The type of municipality has no bearing on what the speed limit can be.  Also, there's a 35 mph statutory limit that's not referenced here.

You should update it then!

Not worth the time.  Whoever made the original quote would just go back and replace it.

Give the source as the law itself, and it shouldn't be challenged.

[1995hoo]

Didn't West Virginia allow their DOT to post 75-mph limits a few years back, but similar to Washington State, the DOT hasn't done so?

Yes, and such is mentioned in the Wikipedia article in question, but the map still shows it as 70. So there's another example.

Looks to me like Washington is the only state where that map reflects the maximum allowable rather than the maximum posted.

I have no clue how (nor really any ability) to edit a Wikipedia image (although I have uploaded photos once or twice), so I can't be of any help in updating that map. I wonder if this is something that should be raised on the talk page over there. The "Speed limits in the United States by jurisdiction" article has a discussion of the article getting too long (I've commented there and noted similar points to the ones I made here about excessive minutia), but the map itself has not been an object of discussion.

[Scott5114]

Mississippi state law permits up to 80 mph on toll roads, however that limit is not posted on any roadway in the state, nor does a toll road exist in the state.

That strikes me as incredibly bizarre.

Since NMSL repeal, toll roads in Oklahoma have always been posted +5 above non-toll freeways. Right now, that means 80 for turnpikes and 75 for other freeways; before the most recent change it was 75 for turnpikes and 70 for freeways.

Could be that Mississippi intends on a similar structure if they ever build a toll road, they just haven't yet.

[sprjus4]

Since NMSL repeal, toll roads in Oklahoma have always been posted +5 above non-toll freeways. Right now, that means 80 for turnpikes and 75 for other freeways; before the most recent change it was 75 for turnpikes and 70 for freeways.

Well granted, most turnpike mileage is still posted at 75 mph. Only limited mileage on the best designed roads have been increased to 80 mph.

[Pink Jazz]

Since NMSL repeal, toll roads in Oklahoma have always been posted +5 above non-toll freeways. Right now, that means 80 for turnpikes and 75 for other freeways; before the most recent change it was 75 for turnpikes and 70 for freeways.

Well granted, most turnpike mileage is still posted at 75 mph. Only limited mileage on the best designed roads have been increased to 80 mph.

In Puerto Rico only toll roads are posted higher than 55 mph, although in theory any freeway can legally be posted up to 65 mph by statute.

[kphoger]

Since NMSL repeal, toll roads in Oklahoma have always been posted +5 above non-toll freeways. Right now, that means 80 for turnpikes and 75 for other freeways; before the most recent change it was 75 for turnpikes and 70 for freeways.

Well granted, most turnpike mileage is still posted at 75 mph. Only limited mileage on the best designed roads have been increased to 80 mph.

So no 80 on the Cimarron?

[sprjus4]

Since NMSL repeal, toll roads in Oklahoma have always been posted +5 above non-toll freeways. Right now, that means 80 for turnpikes and 75 for other freeways; before the most recent change it was 75 for turnpikes and 70 for freeways.

Well granted, most turnpike mileage is still posted at 75 mph. Only limited mileage on the best designed roads have been increased to 80 mph.

So no 80 on the Cimarron?

I don't believe so, no.

[interstatefan990]

Since everyone is doing these, figured I'd do New York:

20 MPH: Not too common, mostly used in school zones

25 MPH: Fairly common, now the default for NYC and also used in some school zones and lower-speed town roads

30 MPH: Very common, used on basically any non-freeway highway within a population center that has frequent driveways and intersections, and on most residential roads as well

35 MPH: Less common, used where 30 would be too slow but anything higher is too fast

40 MPH: Also less common, used mostly on arterials connecting residents to a town center or business area, and/or where 45 is too fast

45 MPH: Fairly common, used on roads approaching or passing through a town that has less frequent driveways and intersections, small parts of some expressways, and some windy rural routes

50 MPH: Uncommon, mostly used where 55 is just a tad too fast, includes but is not limited to expressways in and around NYC and on some stretches of parkway and state routes

55 MPH: Very common, this is the statewide maximum for undivided two lane roads. Used on many rural state routes, parkways, and interstates

60 MPH: Not used

65 MPH: Very common, used on rural and intercity Interstates.

70 MPH: Not used, even though it would make perfect sense in some places

75 MPH: Not used. Introduced as a bill in the 2013-2014 legislative session and was dropped like a hot potato

80 MPH: The stuff of my dreams

[RobbieL2415]

CT:
5, 10, 15: Private roads and some DOT maintenance roads and other state-owned facilities
20: Very rare, maybe used in state parks or narrow town roads
25: Ubiquitous
30: Ubiquitous
35: Ubiquitous
40: Ubiquitous
45: Reserved for through routes
50: Reserved for through routes, used extensively on urban sections of freeway
55: Maximum statutory speed limit for all at-grade roadways, currently not used on any. Used extensively on semi-urban stretches of freeway
60: Not used
65: Maximum statutory speed limit for all limited-access highways. Used where 50-55 does not apply.

[andrepoiy]

Ontario:

30 km/h: Some residential areas
40 km/h: Default residential and downtown street limit
50 km/h: Default speed limit if unposted; usually for narrow, busy arterial roads
60 km/h: Normal busy arterial roads
70 km/h: Less busy artieral roads
80 km/h: Default rural speed limit
90 km/h: Freeway limit in twisty/narrow areas, also used on some rural throughfares
100 km/h: Default freeway speed limit
110 km/h: Currently exists on two stretches of freeway as a part of a pilot project - probably the rarest limit in the province

[vdeane]

110 km/h: Currently exists on two stretches of freeway as a part of a pilot project - probably the rarest limit in the province

Aren't there three?  Part of ON 417, part of ON 402, and part of the QEW?