Minimum speed limits

[MillTheRoadgeek]

Being in Virginia, minimum speed limits aren't common.
I've seen them out in pictures, and realized that minimum speed limit signs don't work, since people may stop in certain cases or get caught in traffic jams. So, what is their purpose? Try to speed up commuters and keep them up? Only use them on rural highways? Or are other stops exemptions? 

Sound off below.

[cl94]

Being in Virginia, minimum speed limits aren't common.
I've seen them out in pictures, and realized that minimum speed limit signs don't work, since people may stop in certain cases or get caught in traffic jams. So, what is their purpose? Try to speed up commuters and keep them up? Only use them on rural highways? Or are other stops exemptions? 

Sound off below.

Provide an easier reason to pull over/ticket people for going too slow and blocking traffic. New York typically doesn't use them, but the LIE and I-787 have them to keep traffic moving. The LIE in particular is so over capacity that a small issue, such as a person driving slow, can create a ripple effect causing traffic jams along the entire length of the expressway lasting for hours. Of course, they won't pull you over if you can't safely go the minimum speed due to traffic or weather conditions.

[SignGeek101]

How many states actually post minimum signs? I know here in Canada, Quebec I believe is the only place to sign them on their Autoroutes.

[cl94]

How many states actually post minimum signs? I know here in Canada, Quebec I believe is the only place to sign them on their Autoroutes.

Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Vermont have posted signs. It is possible that more states have them.

[Mapmikey]

How many states actually post minimum signs? I know here in Canada, Quebec I believe is the only place to sign them on their Autoroutes.

Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Vermont have posted signs. It is possible that more states have them.

South Carolina has had them since at least the late 1960s...

Mike

[corco]

Utah uses them, but sometimes with a "when conditions permit" banner

[Pink Jazz]

Being in Virginia, minimum speed limits aren't common.
I've seen them out in pictures, and realized that minimum speed limit signs don't work, since people may stop in certain cases or get caught in traffic jams. So, what is their purpose? Try to speed up commuters and keep them up? Only use them on rural highways? Or are other stops exemptions? 

Sound off below.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel has a 40 mph minimum speed limit.

[peterj920]

Wisconsin used to post a minimum speed of 45 along Milwaukee freeways.  The signs were taken down and weren't replaced a few years ago. 

[UCFKnights]

Being in Virginia, minimum speed limits aren't common.
I've seen them out in pictures, and realized that minimum speed limit signs don't work, since people may stop in certain cases or get caught in traffic jams. So, what is their purpose? Try to speed up commuters and keep them up? Only use them on rural highways? Or are other stops exemptions? 

Sound off below.

The purpose is to reduce speed differential. They only apply if traffic conditions permit, but if the road is going 70 and you're at 40... it can be pretty dangerous when people come up on you. I believe Florida has a statewide law 15mph under the speed limit is a minimum unless posted otherwise. It also generally applies for lower speed vehices... a [street legal] golf cart can operate on roads with speed limits up to 30mph as the maximum speed is generally 15-19mph. A scooter with a top speed of 40mph cannot operate on roads above 55mph.

[hotdogPi]

New Hampshire has minimum speed limits (usually 45), too.

[Brandon]

How many states actually post minimum signs? I know here in Canada, Quebec I believe is the only place to sign them on their Autoroutes.

Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Vermont have posted signs. It is possible that more states have them.

Illinois is 45 mph.  Michigan is 55 mph on 70 mph roads.  Iowa has a minimum of 40 mph.

[jeffandnicole]

...a [street legal] golf cart can operate on roads with speed limits up to 30mph as the maximum speed is generally 15-19mph. A scooter with a top speed of 40mph cannot operate on roads above 55mph.

Street Legal Golf Carts in Florida can be driven on roads in the travel lanes up to 35 mph, and the golf carts are permitted to go up to 25 mph. 

Non-street legal golf carts can drive on shoulders marked for golf carts.  The cart's permitted max speed is 20 mph.

[xcellntbuy]

Driving along Interstate 20 east of Atlanta, the speed limit is 70 mph and the posted minimum, often on a separate sign, is 40 mph.

[roadman65]

That makes absolutely no sense at all!  If there is a back up, you cannot do the minimum, of course.  Plus many times I want to do a specific speed limit and you get a bunch of idiots in front of you just driving slow for the heck of it, or must slow down to peek their curiosity to see why a cop pulled over another vehicle or something.  Believe it or not, many times people want to drive faster but cannot do to side by side morons blocking the road.

[cl94]

That makes absolutely no sense at all!  If there is a back up, you cannot do the minimum, of course.  Plus many times I want to do a specific speed limit and you get a bunch of idiots in front of you just driving slow for the heck of it, or must slow down to peek their curiosity to see why a cop pulled over another vehicle or something.  Believe it or not, many times people want to drive faster but cannot do to side by side morons blocking the road.

I agree. If they did that in New York, you wouldn't be able to get everywhere because everything would be LOS F.

[lordsutch]

Georgia has a 40 mph minimum posted fairly frequently on freeways in rural/suburban areas at least; unlike most states that post minimums, I've never seen it posted on a combined sign.

[Brandon]

^^ A combined sign like this?

https://goo.gl/maps/pnMKHKhqio82

[cl94]

^^ A combined sign like this?

https://goo.gl/maps/pnMKHKhqio82

I think they're referring more to signs like this that have no separation.

[formulanone]

That makes absolutely no sense at all!  If there is a back up, you cannot do the minimum, of course.  Plus many times I want to do a specific speed limit and you get a bunch of idiots in front of you just driving slow for the heck of it, or must slow down to peek their curiosity to see why a cop pulled over another vehicle or something.  Believe it or not, many times people want to drive faster but cannot do to side by side morons blocking the road.

I think the point of minimum speed limits was to prevent folks in clapped-out beaters using a tow cord to pull another rambling wreck with a bad alternator, so as not to hold up the flow of I-95.

It wasn't about enforcement during reduced levels of service; you know, when the patrol cars are stopping folks for HOV violations.

[vdeane]

Provide an easier reason to pull over/ticket people for going too slow and blocking traffic. New York typically doesn't use them, but the LIE and I-787 have them to keep traffic moving.

NY 27 and NY 135 have them too.

The LIE in particular is so over capacity that a small issue, such as a person driving slow, can create a ripple effect causing traffic jams along the entire length of the expressway lasting for hours. Of course, they won't pull you over if you can't safely go the minimum speed due to traffic or weather conditions.

That's something I've always been concerned about.  I've always wondered what happens if traffic or weather forces one to go below the minimum and then encounter a cop doing speed enforcement.

[noelbotevera]

CT had them on I-95. In 2009 or 2010, the speed limit was 65 and minimum was 40. This was east of New Haven. A 25 mph buffer isn't quite the best...

[lordsutch]

I think they're referring more to signs like this that have no separation.

Yep. Georgia (almost?) exclusively posts separate, independently-mounted minimum speed signs, often well away from the nearest speed limit sign. See e.g. here, where the nearest speed limit signs are several miles away.

[Mergingtraffic]

CT had them on I-95. In 2009 or 2010, the speed limit was 65 and minimum was 40. This was east of New Haven. A 25 mph buffer isn't quite the best...

When CT had 55mph statewide the minimum was 40mph but when sections were increased to 65mph, the minimum stayed at 40mph, they should've increased it to at least 45mph.

I don't think you'll get ticketed if going under 40 in a traffic jam or snow conditions...probably in good weather when a bozo is a road hazard doing welllll below everyone else.

PS...to the above NYC posts....when I drive in NYC, I find if you follow the rules of the road, you're fine, but when you are allowed to right turn on red and don't and just sit there, cut in to another lane, stop in the lane for some reason, or just pokey, etc etc is when people honk at you.

[Revive 755]

Missouri used to post a minimum of 40.

[GCrites]

I remember there used to be a Minimum 40 sign on US-33 northbound just south of I-70 in Columbus -- right before a stoplight.