What states (that you've driven in) have the best speed limits?
I'll start. I've driven in PA, NY, NJ, CT, MD, WV, and VA. (Unfortunately, for now, that's all.) I'd put them in this order (best to worst):
- West Virginia
- Virginia
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- New York
- Connecticut
Yours?
Oregon is the worst by a mile out west given how absurdly slow it can be. I do like the 70 MPH speed limits on a lot of Nevada US Routes given they are actually appropriate for the design of the road.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 21, 2021, 01:16:16 AM
Oregon is the worst by a mile out west given how absurdly slow it can be. I do like the 70 MPH speed limits on a lot of Nevada US Routes given they are actually appropriate for the design of the road.
In Oregon they post 65 MPH speed limits on I-5 and everyone follows them. In California, they post 70 MPH and people drive faster. Texas does the best of any state in which I have driven. Nevada is pretty good as well. Reasonable laws that are largely followed are probably better than unreasonable laws that are largely ignored.
Out of the states I'm most commonly in here in the Midwest, Michigan is probably the best. You get up to 75 on I-75 (heh) when you start to get further north, otherwise it is mostly 70 downstate, unless the road design is genuinely insufficient for that speed (ex. I-196 west of US-131 in Grand Rapids). The two-lane roads have okay limits IIRC.
Illinois has them generally set too slow. I don't think any two-lane road in the state can have a limit above 55, which is stupid. Many of the highways in Chicagoland have limits arbitrarily low at 55 still. I also find that even surface streets in my area have them set too low.
Wisconsin seems acceptable in comparison, but I think it varies a lot by region.
Wyoming is pretty good for a western state with their 80 mph interstate speeds and 70 mph limits on many/most 2-lane rural highways. Same goes for Montana.
Colorado's are generally a bit too low relative to states nearby but nothing like the eastern US. Also their nanny limits on mountain roads are annoying.
Utah is nice with its rural 80 and urban 70 limits on most interstates, but the refusal to post anything above 65 on any non-interstate, including 2-lane roads and freeways both, can get annoying.
Idaho is fine but they really stretch the definition of "urban" when setting interstate speed limits, which are capped at 65 in those areas. I-15 does not need to drop all the way from 80 to 65 through Pocatello.
Quote from: US 89 on February 21, 2021, 10:02:48 AM
Idaho is fine but they really stretch the definition of "urban" when setting interstate speed limits, which are capped at 65 in those areas. I-15 does not need to drop all the way from 80 to 65 through Pocatello.
Oh, man... PA does the same thing, except their urban speed limit is only
55 mph. The 55 mph zone on I-90 through Erie is truly painful. Traffic normally does 65-70 and it
still feels like you're crawling.
Here (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1125346,-79.9729251,3a,75y,249.81h,81.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sU6jb8Kwzu3YefbfduDkz_Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1) is an example of what it's like.
Quote from: webny99 on February 21, 2021, 10:13:30 AM
Quote from: US 89 on February 21, 2021, 10:02:48 AM
Idaho is fine but they really stretch the definition of "urban" when setting interstate speed limits, which are capped at 65 in those areas. I-15 does not need to drop all the way from 80 to 65 through Pocatello.
Oh, man... PA does the same thing, except their urban speed limit is only 55 mph. The 55 mph zone on I-90 through Erie is truly painful. Traffic normally does 65-70 and it still feels like you're crawling. Here (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1125346,-79.9729251,3a,75y,249.81h,81.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sU6jb8Kwzu3YefbfduDkz_Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1) is an example of what it's like.
Don't forget PA's 55 mph zones for substandard rural freeways, examples being much of free I-70 and I-78 between Lenhartsville and Fogelsville (the Berks County portion currently being reconstructed and the Lehigh County part planned). This is inconsistent though as much of I-83 meets the same standards but is signed at 65 mph, and the PA Turnpike NE Extension is at 70 mph with practically no inside shoulder. In all cases cars are usually doing 70-80 mph with trucks 65-70 mph, regardless of the posted limits or standards of construction.
As far as states I've traveled in, Tennessee does well with their limits, with 70 mph well into urban areas. The Virginias aren't too bad either. Connecticut, however...45 mph on I-84 in Waterbury? Really?
Tennessee: https://www.google.com/maps/@36.0769524,-86.6943952,3a,75y,336.11h,81.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1su4TMf5ENCKOL8MeWBW8BdQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1
Connecticut: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.5511142,-73.0557175,3a,75y,101.21h,82.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sIfanfeMXEukFXBpjEHAuYA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1
Nevada's 80 mph speed limit on rural portions of I-15 and I-80 are fantastic. I've always thought Colorado did a reasonable job with their speed limits. Most rural interstates are 75 and people seem to not cruise in the left-lane, so the traffic flows fairly well.
My main experience with NY (I-88 → NY 206 → NY 79 → NY 96B → NY 17 → I-88) is that they post 55 everywhere on surface roads, while Massachusetts would probably post 35 for the same road due to the twists and turns.
Quote from: JoePCool14 on February 21, 2021, 09:27:06 AM
Wisconsin seems acceptable in comparison, but I think it varies a lot by region.
Wisconsin needs to allow two lane roads to be posted above 55. Part of the Milwaukee area, I-894 in particular, could also be higher than 55.
Missouri is decent, with some two lane roads being posted at 65, however they don't always post higher quality expressways at 70 (US 60 between Poplar Bluff and Sikeston), and some of the urban 60 mph sections drag on too long.
Nebraska is fairly decent now with I-80 at 75, other four lane roads at 70, and rural two lane state highways at 65. Could use to allow county roads be higher though - seems wrong that the speed limit goes down just because a state highway is decommissioned (old US 77 south of Wahoo being an example).
Quote from: democratic nole on February 21, 2021, 12:13:12 PM
I've always thought Colorado did a reasonable job with their speed limits. Most rural interstates are 75 and people seem to not cruise in the left-lane, so the traffic flows fairly well.
I would agree, although I feel like the 55 zone north of downtown Denver goes for a little too long and could be bumped up to 65 pretty quickly after passing US36. I-76 and I-70 east of Denver (and maybe I-25 from Pueblo to Trinidad) could go up to 80, but I doubt that happens anytime soon.
Chris
Quote from: Crown Victoria on February 21, 2021, 10:36:06 AM
Quote from: webny99 on February 21, 2021, 10:13:30 AM
Quote from: US 89 on February 21, 2021, 10:02:48 AM
Idaho is fine but they really stretch the definition of "urban" when setting interstate speed limits, which are capped at 65 in those areas. I-15 does not need to drop all the way from 80 to 65 through Pocatello.
Oh, man... PA does the same thing, except their urban speed limit is only 55 mph. The 55 mph zone on I-90 through Erie is truly painful. Traffic normally does 65-70 and it still feels like you're crawling. Here (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1125346,-79.9729251,3a,75y,249.81h,81.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sU6jb8Kwzu3YefbfduDkz_Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1) is an example of what it's like.
Don't forget PA's 55 mph zones for substandard rural freeways, examples being much of free I-70 and I-78 between Lenhartsville and Fogelsville (the Berks County portion currently being reconstructed and the Lehigh County part planned). This is inconsistent though as much of I-83 meets the same standards but is signed at 65 mph, and the PA Turnpike NE Extension is at 70 mph with practically no inside shoulder. In all cases cars are usually doing 70-80 mph with trucks 65-70 mph, regardless of the posted limits or standards of construction.
That 55 section from the Maryland line to the Turnpike is downright painful.
Quote from: 1 on February 21, 2021, 12:15:49 PM
My main experience with NY (I-88 → NY 206 → NY 79 → NY 96B → NY 17 → I-88) is that they post 55 everywhere on surface roads, while Massachusetts would probably post 35 for the same road due to the twists and turns.
Yes, NY is good about defaulting to 55 mph in rural areas, but not suburban or urban ones. Part of this is because MA is more densely-populated, and much of it would probably qualify as suburban by NY standards.
Gotta give this one to Texas... I don't think it requires any explanation.
Quote from: Revive 755 on February 21, 2021, 12:46:49 PMNebraska is fairly decent now with I-80 at 75, other four lane roads at 70, and rural two lane state highways at 65. Could use to allow county roads be higher though - seems wrong that the speed limit goes down just because a state highway is decommissioned (old US 77 south of Wahoo being an example).
To me, I-80 in Nebraska ought to be 80 mph west of US 81, but that's about it.
Quote from: Revive 755 on February 21, 2021, 12:46:49 PM
Quote from: JoePCool14 on February 21, 2021, 09:27:06 AM
Wisconsin seems acceptable in comparison, but I think it varies a lot by region.
Wisconsin needs to allow two lane roads to be posted above 55. Part of the Milwaukee area, I-894 in particular, could also be higher than 55.
The two-lane issue definitely crossed my mind. Wisconsin is probably only slightly better than Illinois, maybe. I won't say anything about I-894 though. I've driven it a few times recently, and I felt like it was a chaotic rat race, at least in the east-west section. It's probably okay at 55 in its current state.
Of the states in which I have driven often enough to have a valid opinion–which seems to me to be what the thread's subject line envisions–I'd have to say Florida, mainly because I think they're more reasonable about urban and suburban speed limits than a lot of other East Coast states. I can think of multiple segments of suburban Interstates in Florida that are posted at 70 mph but would be posted at 55 mph in many other East Coast states.
I don't feel that I've done enough driving west of the Mississippi to be able to have a valid comment about states there, although I liked having 65-mph speed limits on two-lane roads.
My rankings:
Louisiana
Mississippi
West Virginia
Maryland
Maine
Pennsylvania
New Hampshire
Vermont
Delaware (much improved now that I-95 is 65)
Virginia (allow radar detectors and this goes up)
New York (Raise the LIE to 65 and this improves drastically)
New Jersey
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
DC
Connecticut (some of the most RIDICULOUSLY slow urban and suburban speed limits)
GDOT is better now than it has been in the past, about 5-6 years ago they increased a lot of the urban and suburban freeway speed limits such as from 55 to 65, or from 65 to 70. The highest allowable speed limit remains at 70 though, which doesn't help rural freeways that may justify a higher speed.
And Georgia speed limits are definitely better than Carolina speed limits, both SC and NC. I'm not familiar enough with other states to make further comparisons though. Although as a teenager I did have the opportunity to drive Interstates in Texas the year they started posting 80 mph speed limits.
Indiana could do a better job.
Kentucky has 55 MPH on several state and US highways that I barely feel comfortable going 45 on.
SM-G950U
Quote from: ibthebigd on February 21, 2021, 06:52:26 PM
Indiana could do a better job.
I-465, which is entirely 55 MPH, would have a 70 MPH speed limit in Michigan
Minnesota is pretty average. 70 might be a bit slow on 90 and 94 west of St. Cloud especially if you're coming from the higher limits in the Dakotas, but I've never felt like it was too slow on I-35. 65 on at-grade expressways is fast enough. 60 on most rural state 2-laners thanks to state level intervention, and a bunch of urban 55 mileage has been pushed up to 60.
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on February 21, 2021, 03:26:56 PM
My rankings:
Louisiana
Mississippi
West Virginia
Maryland
Maine
Pennsylvania
New Hampshire
Vermont
Delaware (much improved now that I-95 is 65)
Virginia (allow radar detectors and this goes up)
New York (Raise the LIE to 65 and this improves drastically)
New Jersey
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
DC
Connecticut (some of the most RIDICULOUSLY slow urban and suburban speed limits)
Wouldn't the point of this thread be the states where we believe speed limits are appropriate?
Then why would you care about using a radar detector if they're appropriate?
Quote from: jayhawkco on February 21, 2021, 01:15:23 PM
Quote from: democratic nole on February 21, 2021, 12:13:12 PM
I've always thought Colorado did a reasonable job with their speed limits. Most rural interstates are 75 and people seem to not cruise in the left-lane, so the traffic flows fairly well.
I would agree, although I feel like the 55 zone north of downtown Denver goes for a little too long and could be bumped up to 65 pretty quickly after passing US36. I-76 and I-70 east of Denver (and maybe I-25 from Pueblo to Trinidad) could go up to 80, but I doubt that happens anytime soon.
Chris
Colorado does a good job at keeping their speed limits as "safely" high as possible. If there is a stretch of road that needs a slower limit (i.e. a winding stretch of road), they "temporarily" lower the speed in that immediate area before it returns to normal speeds. In recent years, the have actually raised the limits in some areas to match the average speed (Much of Glenwood Canyon on I-70 is now 60 MPH).
Wyoming is an interesting state. I recently drove US-191 from Utah to I-80. They will put up a few Speed Limit 70 signs, but in most areas where you need to slow down (curves) to a safe speed, there were no signs except for *maybe* an advisory speed on a curve sign.
Utah has generous speed limits in most areas as.well.
Quote from: sprjus4 on February 21, 2021, 01:57:42 PM
Gotta give this one to Texas... I don't think it requires any explanation.
Yup. Thread over. No other state really compares.
Texas.
The upper speed limits (80 on the freeway, 75 on the two-laners) are allowed on a county-by-county basis, rather than as a blanket across the whole state.
I've only driven a couple of Texas freeway segments that I thought had speed limits too high, as most appear to be completely appropriate. I've also rarely driven a highway segment at all in Texas that I thought had a speed limit too low.
Especially in the areas I drive in, a lot of two-lane highways are 70 or 75 mph. The ones that lack wide shoulders or good geometry carry an appropriately lower speed limit such as 60 or 65 mph, with advisory speeds on the curvier bits.
In-town speed limits along the highway seem to be appropriate, in my experience. Even highways that just barely touch the outskirts get 50 or 55 mph, which is still decently fast but alerts you to the possibility of turning traffic.
Texas also seems to adjust the speed limit up or down occasionally, depending on the situation, which makes me assume they actually think about the number on the sign.
Quote from: CoreySamson on February 21, 2021, 11:34:47 PM
Quote from: sprjus4 on February 21, 2021, 01:57:42 PM
Gotta give this one to Texas... I don't think it requires any explanation.
Yup. Thread over. No other state really compares.
Except that you're overlooking the subject line: "Best speed limits
in states you've driven in." Those of us who have been to Texas but have not driven in that state, especially those of us who have not been to Texas since prior to the National Speed Limit being repealed, have ample reason to refer to other states, as to those of us who have never been to Texas. (I was last on a road in Texas in August 1990, on a charter bus from Denton to DFW Airport. I was last in Texas at all in September 2015 on a Southwest flight from DCA to ABQ that landed at DAL per Southwest's usual pattern; I didn't get off the plane.)
For a state east of the Mississippi, Michigan definitely has the most reasonable freeway speed limits, including 70 mph on nice wide freeways in urban areas. Like it or not, it's actually realistic - unlike how Illinois sets speed limits in most places. Wisconsin had to be dragged into the 70 mph limit (even IL beat them) but they now post 70 pretty liberally. I'd like to see the limits on 2 lane roads raised where it's open country. There are plenty of rural highways that could easily be 65 mph. Indiana misses the mark on too many suburban interstates - set too low.
States that are a joke include CT, NJ, RI and NY (which, for it's size, is atrocious). Not to mention all the obnoxious speed traps that cops in NY state set up. Hiding, sneaking around, they pursue speeders with a vigor that I wish they'd apply to real criminals in that state. VA was always a laggard on speed limits when compared with neighboring states. But NY or CT make it look like Montana.
Haven't driven in Oregon in many years but the posts I see here complaining about low limits seem legitimate to me. Best states anywhere seem to be: TX, WY, NV, UT, SD, MT.
Quote from: StogieGuy7 on February 22, 2021, 02:41:57 PM
.... VA was always a laggard on speed limits when compared with neighboring states. ...
....
I don't entirely agree with this, even as a longtime resident of Virginia. True, it took Virginia a long time to allow 70-mph speed limits again, but the state that was really a laggard compared to surrounding states was Maryland. Maryland didn't even post 65-mph speed limits anywhere, despite the change to the National Speed Limit allowing them in rural areas, until sometime in 1995 (the year the National Speed Limit was finally repealed).
Quote from: StogieGuy7 on February 22, 2021, 02:41:57 PM
Haven't driven in Oregon in many years but the posts I see here complaining about low limits seem legitimate to me. Best states anywhere seem to be: TX, WY, NV, UT, SD, MT.
I'd add CO to that list, and honestly, might remove WY. Sometimes the potholes are so bad on I-80 in spring/early summer that it scares me a little bit to let it rip. I wouldn't lower the speed limit per se, but one has to be pretty darn aware of the road when the possibility exists of popping a tire at 80 mph.
Chris
My only issue with Texas is freeway limits. Most freeways are capped at 75 there, with a few exceptions (I-10 and 20 in West Texas and Austin's beltway are 80, while TX-130 is 85). I feel like a lot of highways there would be 80 in other states out west (I-40, I-27, most of 10) and parts of West Texas have freeways that are probably better suited to 85mph than TX-130 is. Other than that, Texas seems like a lead-footed heaven.
Quote from: Ketchup99 on February 22, 2021, 03:53:02 PM
parts of West Texas have freeways that are probably better suited to 85mph than TX-130 is.
Well yeah, but do you know the history of that 85mph speed limit? It's unique for a reason.
Quote from: kphoger on February 22, 2021, 04:07:17 PM
Quote from: Ketchup99 on February 22, 2021, 03:53:02 PM
parts of West Texas have freeways that are probably better suited to 85mph than TX-130 is.
Well yeah, but do you know the history of that 85mph speed limit? It's unique for a reason.
I know the law says roads have to be special-built for an 85 limit. But there are other roads that, even though they were not designed for 85, could be safe at 85.
Quote from: Ketchup99 on February 22, 2021, 04:28:07 PM
Quote from: kphoger on February 22, 2021, 04:07:17 PM
Quote from: Ketchup99 on February 22, 2021, 03:53:02 PM
parts of West Texas have freeways that are probably better suited to 85mph than TX-130 is.
Well yeah, but do you know the history of that 85mph speed limit? It's unique for a reason.
I know the law says roads have to be special-built for an 85 limit. But there are other roads that, even though they were not designed for 85, could be safe at 85.
The 85 mph speed limit was part of the deal made with the state to build the highway in the first place. If the state of Texas wouldn't allow 85 mph on it, then it wasn't going to get built. That sort of strong-arm tactic was unique to TX-130, which is why you don't see it on any other highway in the state. The legislation allowing it was custom-written with TX-130 specifically in mind.
Quote from: kphoger on February 22, 2021, 02:11:55 PM
The upper speed limits (80 on the freeway, 75 on the two-laners) are allowed on a county-by-county basis, rather than as a blanket across the whole state.
70 mph is statutory, though 75 mph is permitted on any roadway, anywhere in the state.
80 mph is what is legislatively restricted to various counties along I-10 and a small portion of I-20. Honestly, this ought to be revised to permit any interstate highway, allowing additional segments around the state to be raised.
Quote from: StogieGuy7 on February 22, 2021, 02:41:57 PM
Indiana misses the mark on too many suburban interstates - set too low.
Indian also needs to set its rural expressways higher - most of US 41 should be 65 (and probably would be if it was on the other side of the Illinois border).
(edited to fix quoting error)
Quote from: sprjus4 on February 22, 2021, 07:16:19 PM
Quote from: kphoger on February 22, 2021, 02:11:55 PM
The upper speed limits (80 on the freeway, 75 on the two-laners) are allowed on a county-by-county basis, rather than as a blanket across the whole state.
70 mph is statutory, though 75 mph is permitted on any roadway, anywhere in the state.
80 mph is what is legislatively restricted to various counties along I-10 and a small portion of I-20. Honestly, this ought to be revised to permit any interstate highway, allowing additional segments around the state to be raised.
Ah, thank you for the clarification.
For those who are new to the party: A lot of info on Texas' higher speed limits can be found
in this thread (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=8267.msg191045#msg191045).
My home state of Texas is my vote. Once you leave anytown USA, they waste no time getting you back up to 75. Now I will say there are a lot of roads in Texas that I think the speed limit is too high for the design speed, but I think there are far more highways that have a lower speed limit than what it is designed for.
The flip would be New Mexico. The rural speed limits are good, but once you get into town it gets ridiculous. I was driving to Roswell last year and we were 5 miles outside of town and the speed limit dropped to 45. There was nothing out there to slow down for. Also, Nevada, you can run into many 25 mph speed limits in small towns along US-95. Again, there is nothing in this town to slow down for, except writing a ticket.
Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on February 23, 2021, 10:18:54 AM
Also, Nevada, you can run into many 25 mph speed limits in small towns along US-95. Again, there is nothing in this town to slow down for, except writing a ticket.
I am not a fan of Nevada town speed limits. Sure, when you're out in bumfuck nowhere the limits are mostly reasonable - in fact, NV is one of the few states to allow 70 on 2-laners - but the speed limit drops around towns are too low and last way too long. The series of gradually lowering speed limits coming into Ely from the east on US 6/50/93 is almost impossible to stick to because each drop is about a mile before where it should be. The 25 mph speed limit on US 93 in McGill is also particularly egregious.
Quote from: US 89 on February 23, 2021, 11:45:46 AM
... series of gradually lowering speed limits ... each drop is about a mile before where it should be.
Big pet peeve. In such a case, I'd be much more likely to obey each one if they were all just shifted one sign in.
Quote from: CoreySamson on February 21, 2021, 11:34:47 PM
Quote from: sprjus4 on February 21, 2021, 01:57:42 PM
Gotta give this one to Texas... I don't think it requires any explanation.
Yup. Thread over. No other state really compares.
I'm not sure. I think some of their postings are just a smidge too high. 75 on an undivided road seems faintly ridiculous, considering how disastrous a poorly-executed pass would be at that speed. Of course, I imagine traffic count is taken into consideration in such situations, but whenever I drive in Texas I find myself driving under the limit more frequently than in other states.
Oklahoma does a lot of terrible things with their roads but our speed limits feel right to me. Kansas likewise posts fairly sensible limits, in my experience.
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 23, 2021, 04:07:21 PM
Quote from: CoreySamson on February 21, 2021, 11:34:47 PM
Quote from: sprjus4 on February 21, 2021, 01:57:42 PM
Gotta give this one to Texas... I don't think it requires any explanation.
Yup. Thread over. No other state really compares.
I'm not sure. I think some of their postings are just a smidge too high. 75 on an undivided road seems faintly ridiculous, considering how disastrous a poorly-executed pass would be at that speed. Of course, I imagine traffic count is taken into consideration in such situations, but whenever I drive in Texas I find myself driving under the limit more frequently than in other states.
Oklahoma does a lot of terrible things with their roads but our speed limits feel right to me. Kansas likewise posts fairly sensible limits, in my experience.
Are the 70mph stretches of two-lane highway in Oklahoma all that much better, though? I've only driven one of them, in the western part of the state (was it US-64 or US-412?), and I couldn't help but think the highway was too poorly constructed to have that high of a speed limit. In contrast, I've hardly ever had that sort of thought when driving 75 on Texas highways.
Quote from: sprjus4 on February 21, 2021, 01:57:42 PM
Gotta give this one to Texas... I don't think it requires any explanation.
Agreed. No explanation needed.
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 23, 2021, 04:07:21 PM
Quote from: CoreySamson on February 21, 2021, 11:34:47 PM
Quote from: sprjus4 on February 21, 2021, 01:57:42 PM
Gotta give this one to Texas... I don't think it requires any explanation.
Yup. Thread over. No other state really compares.
I'm not sure. I think some of their postings are just a smidge too high. 75 on an undivided road seems faintly ridiculous, considering how disastrous a poorly-executed pass would be at that speed. Of course, I imagine traffic count is taken into consideration in such situations, but whenever I drive in Texas I find myself driving under the limit more frequently than in other states.
Wouldn't that be the definition of a 'best' speed limit though? It's supposed to be at a point where you shouldn't exceed it.
The 65 mph limits extend too far outside of Houston for me to gush about Texas to the extent others do. I liked Idaho quite a bit.
Quote from: kphoger on February 23, 2021, 04:20:34 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 23, 2021, 04:07:21 PM
Quote from: CoreySamson on February 21, 2021, 11:34:47 PM
Quote from: sprjus4 on February 21, 2021, 01:57:42 PM
Gotta give this one to Texas... I don't think it requires any explanation.
Yup. Thread over. No other state really compares.
I'm not sure. I think some of their postings are just a smidge too high. 75 on an undivided road seems faintly ridiculous, considering how disastrous a poorly-executed pass would be at that speed. Of course, I imagine traffic count is taken into consideration in such situations, but whenever I drive in Texas I find myself driving under the limit more frequently than in other states.
Oklahoma does a lot of terrible things with their roads but our speed limits feel right to me. Kansas likewise posts fairly sensible limits, in my experience.
Are the 70mph stretches of two-lane highway in Oklahoma all that much better, though? I've only driven one of them, in the western part of the state (was it US-64 or US-412?), and I couldn't help but think the highway was too poorly constructed to have that high of a speed limit. In contrast, I've hardly ever had that sort of thought when driving 75 on Texas highways.
I haven't checked out any 70 mph two-lanes in Oklahoma since they raised the limit on them. In general I feel like 65 is probably better for two-lane roads, especially around here.
Quote from: TXtoNJ on February 23, 2021, 07:02:50 PM
The 65 mph limits extend too far outside of Houston for me to gush about Texas to the extent others do. I liked Idaho quite a bit.
Houston is honestly the exception and its due to previous environmental limits. I wouldn't say it represents the entire state as a whole.
Quote from: sprjus4 on February 23, 2021, 07:09:57 PM
Quote from: TXtoNJ on February 23, 2021, 07:02:50 PM
The 65 mph limits extend too far outside of Houston for me to gush about Texas to the extent others do. I liked Idaho quite a bit.
Houston is honestly the exception and its due to previous environmental limits. I wouldn't say it represents the entire state as a whole.
Dallas has the same EPA restrictions, but most urban freeways have been upped to 70 mph (as if you could hit that in most hours of the day).
Quote from: sprjus4 on February 23, 2021, 07:09:57 PM
Quote from: TXtoNJ on February 23, 2021, 07:02:50 PM
The 65 mph limits extend too far outside of Houston for me to gush about Texas to the extent others do. I liked Idaho quite a bit.
Houston is honestly the exception and its due to previous environmental limits. I wouldn't say it represents the entire state as a whole.
I'm guessing that sometime within the next 10-15 years they might raise some of those limits since the environmental rules aren't in effect anymore.
Quote from: Caps81943 on February 21, 2021, 01:39:17 PM
Quote from: Crown Victoria on February 21, 2021, 10:36:06 AM
Quote from: webny99 on February 21, 2021, 10:13:30 AM
Quote from: US 89 on February 21, 2021, 10:02:48 AM
Idaho is fine but they really stretch the definition of "urban" when setting interstate speed limits, which are capped at 65 in those areas. I-15 does not need to drop all the way from 80 to 65 through Pocatello.
Oh, man... PA does the same thing, except their urban speed limit is only 55 mph. The 55 mph zone on I-90 through Erie is truly painful. Traffic normally does 65-70 and it still feels like you're crawling. Here (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1125346,-79.9729251,3a,75y,249.81h,81.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sU6jb8Kwzu3YefbfduDkz_Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1) is an example of what it's like.
Don't forget PA's 55 mph zones for substandard rural freeways, examples being much of free I-70 and I-78 between Lenhartsville and Fogelsville (the Berks County portion currently being reconstructed and the Lehigh County part planned). This is inconsistent though as much of I-83 meets the same standards but is signed at 65 mph, and the PA Turnpike NE Extension is at 70 mph with practically no inside shoulder. In all cases cars are usually doing 70-80 mph with trucks 65-70 mph, regardless of the posted limits or standards of construction.
That 55 section from the Maryland line to the Turnpike is downright painful.
Yes, that 55 zone is awful. PA's urban speed limits are just generally awful. And the "55 next 36 miles" coming into Wilkes-Barre on I-81 North over Warrior Gap is just straight demoralizing. I'm good with a 55 zone in a city but PennDOT seemingly loves signing anything within 10 miles of a city as 55.
I was talking with some friends the other day about how reluctant PennDOT seems to be to post short 65 zones, but found a counter-example in US 222's Kutztown Bypass being signed as 65.
I look to our neighboring states WV and OH that allow 65 on divided highways like US 48. I'm not sure PA has a 4-lane divided highway that is not already limited access up to the spec of US 48 though.
PA, How many times can we see a 55-45 drop coming in from NY State on a 2 Lane Road. Just seems like our backroads are, in general, slow.
I do love the new-ish 70 zones though. The turnpike, I-380, I-99, I-80, and US 15 are all great now.
Quote from: CoreySamson on February 23, 2021, 10:39:39 PM
I'm guessing that sometime within the next 10-15 years they might raise some of those limits since the environmental rules aren't in effect anymore.
Hopefully, though I-10 out to Winnie was recently
lowered from 75 mph to 65 mph a few years ago, for no actual good reason besides "safety" despite the fact everybody still drives 75 - 85 mph through there without any problems.
At least Dallas has mostly upped to 70 mph in the past decade.
Quote from: Caps81943 on February 21, 2021, 01:39:17 PM
Quote from: Crown Victoria on February 21, 2021, 10:36:06 AM
Quote from: webny99 on February 21, 2021, 10:13:30 AM
Quote from: US 89 on February 21, 2021, 10:02:48 AM
Idaho is fine but they really stretch the definition of "urban" when setting interstate speed limits, which are capped at 65 in those areas. I-15 does not need to drop all the way from 80 to 65 through Pocatello.
Oh, man... PA does the same thing, except their urban speed limit is only 55 mph. The 55 mph zone on I-90 through Erie is truly painful. Traffic normally does 65-70 and it still feels like you're crawling. Here (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1125346,-79.9729251,3a,75y,249.81h,81.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sU6jb8Kwzu3YefbfduDkz_Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1) is an example of what it's like.
Don't forget PA's 55 mph zones for substandard rural freeways, examples being much of free I-70 and I-78 between Lenhartsville and Fogelsville (the Berks County portion currently being reconstructed and the Lehigh County part planned). This is inconsistent though as much of I-83 meets the same standards but is signed at 65 mph, and the PA Turnpike NE Extension is at 70 mph with practically no inside shoulder. In all cases cars are usually doing 70-80 mph with trucks 65-70 mph, regardless of the posted limits or standards of construction.
That 55 section from the Maryland line to the Turnpike is downright painful.
The Balt-Wash parkway? Is that what you're talking about? Cause that entire stretch is a 4-lane freeway with curbs and gutters and is 55mph.
Quote from: tolbs17 on February 23, 2021, 11:16:01 PM
Quote from: Caps81943 on February 21, 2021, 01:39:17 PM
Quote from: Crown Victoria on February 21, 2021, 10:36:06 AM
Quote from: webny99 on February 21, 2021, 10:13:30 AM
Quote from: US 89 on February 21, 2021, 10:02:48 AM
Idaho is fine but they really stretch the definition of "urban" when setting interstate speed limits, which are capped at 65 in those areas. I-15 does not need to drop all the way from 80 to 65 through Pocatello.
Oh, man... PA does the same thing, except their urban speed limit is only 55 mph. The 55 mph zone on I-90 through Erie is truly painful. Traffic normally does 65-70 and it still feels like you're crawling. Here (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1125346,-79.9729251,3a,75y,249.81h,81.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sU6jb8Kwzu3YefbfduDkz_Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1) is an example of what it's like.
Don't forget PA's 55 mph zones for substandard rural freeways, examples being much of free I-70 and I-78 between Lenhartsville and Fogelsville (the Berks County portion currently being reconstructed and the Lehigh County part planned). This is inconsistent though as much of I-83 meets the same standards but is signed at 65 mph, and the PA Turnpike NE Extension is at 70 mph with practically no inside shoulder. In all cases cars are usually doing 70-80 mph with trucks 65-70 mph, regardless of the posted limits or standards of construction.
That 55 section from the Maryland line to the Turnpike is downright painful.
The Balt-Wash parkway? Is that what you're talking about? Cause that entire stretch is a 4-lane freeway with curbs and gutters and is 55mph.
I-70 in Pennsylvania between the Maryland state line and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Rural interstate highway with a 55 mph speed limit for over 20 miles that is universally ignored. That segment should at least be 65 mph. The speed limit immediately increases from 55 mph to 70 mph upon entering Maryland.
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 23, 2021, 07:09:08 PM
I haven't checked out any 70 mph two-lanes in Oklahoma since they raised the limit on them. In general I feel like 65 is probably better for two-lane roads, especially around here.
I hadn't realized Oklahoma raised any two-lanes to 70! Do you know which ones and when this happened? I've been trying to track states' maximum speed limits by road type and wasn't aware of any above 65 in OK.
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 23, 2021, 07:09:08 PM
In general I feel like 65 is probably better for two-lane roads, especially around here.
The difference, though, is that Oklahoma has a lot more small towns out in the middle of nowhere than most western states - and even then, the remaining rural parts of the state still have plenty of farming and ranching activity to generate
some level of traffic.
A lot of rural highways in inland western states, by contrast, go through very desolate terrain and you might go over 50 miles without seeing a town. Hell, you might not even pass another car on some of them. On roads like that, 70 is absolutely reasonable, and it's quite annoying to see your limit drop from 70 to 65 just because you crossed an arbitrary line with no change in road geometry.
Quote from: sbeaver44 on February 23, 2021, 11:11:25 PM
Quote from: Caps81943 on February 21, 2021, 01:39:17 PM
Quote from: Crown Victoria on February 21, 2021, 10:36:06 AM
Quote from: webny99 on February 21, 2021, 10:13:30 AM
Quote from: US 89 on February 21, 2021, 10:02:48 AM
Idaho is fine but they really stretch the definition of "urban" when setting interstate speed limits, which are capped at 65 in those areas. I-15 does not need to drop all the way from 80 to 65 through Pocatello.
Oh, man... PA does the same thing, except their urban speed limit is only 55 mph. The 55 mph zone on I-90 through Erie is truly painful. Traffic normally does 65-70 and it still feels like you're crawling. Here (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1125346,-79.9729251,3a,75y,249.81h,81.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sU6jb8Kwzu3YefbfduDkz_Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1) is an example of what it's like.
Don't forget PA's 55 mph zones for substandard rural freeways, examples being much of free I-70 and I-78 between Lenhartsville and Fogelsville (the Berks County portion currently being reconstructed and the Lehigh County part planned). This is inconsistent though as much of I-83 meets the same standards but is signed at 65 mph, and the PA Turnpike NE Extension is at 70 mph with practically no inside shoulder. In all cases cars are usually doing 70-80 mph with trucks 65-70 mph, regardless of the posted limits or standards of construction.
That 55 section from the Maryland line to the Turnpike is downright painful.
Yes, that 55 zone is awful. PA's urban speed limits are just generally awful. And the "55 next 36 miles" coming into Wilkes-Barre on I-81 North over Warrior Gap is just straight demoralizing. I'm good with a 55 zone in a city but PennDOT seemingly loves signing anything within 10 miles of a city as 55.
I was talking with some friends the other day about how reluctant PennDOT seems to be to post short 65 zones, but found a counter-example in US 222's Kutztown Bypass being signed as 65.
I look to our neighboring states WV and OH that allow 65 on divided highways like US 48. I'm not sure PA has a 4-lane divided highway that is not already limited access up to the spec of US 48 though.
PA, How many times can we see a 55-45 drop coming in from NY State on a 2 Lane Road. Just seems like our backroads are, in general, slow.
I do love the new-ish 70 zones though. The turnpike, I-380, I-99, I-80, and US 15 are all great now.
One thing I wish Pennsylvania would do is raise the maximum to 65, regardless of road type. There are a bunch of divided roads which could and should be 65 - or at least 60 - and although we don't have a ton, there are plenty of back roads in the middle of nowhere on which 60 or, in some cases, 65 would be a reasonable speed limit.
PA does have a few divided highways like US-48 - US-22 from Altoona to Pittsburgh (although admittedly it's a little lower in quality) and US119: https://www.google.com/maps/@40.081048,-79.5616142,3a,75y,204.22h,90.42t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s0ZJF_laHLcg6gZQ0SLmm3w!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D0ZJF_laHLcg6gZQ0SLmm3w%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dsearch.revgeo_and_fetch.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D96%26h%3D64%26yaw%3D226.99216%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192
The 70 zones... maybe it's a function of my never having driven before they were installed, but they still feel slow. I wish they would be upped to 75 or 80, which would be more appropriate on some of these highways like I-80.
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on February 24, 2021, 08:50:37 AM
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 23, 2021, 07:09:08 PM
I haven't checked out any 70 mph two-lanes in Oklahoma since they raised the limit on them. In general I feel like 65 is probably better for two-lane roads, especially around here.
I hadn't realized Oklahoma raised any two-lanes to 70! Do you know which ones and when this happened? I've been trying to track states' maximum speed limits by road type and wasn't aware of any above 65 in OK.
It caught me by surprise too, as I didn't realize they existed until I was on one.
Quote from: US 89 on February 24, 2021, 09:01:35 AM
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 23, 2021, 07:09:08 PM
In general I feel like 65 is probably better for two-lane roads, especially around here.
The difference, though, is that Oklahoma has a lot more small towns out in the middle of nowhere than most western states - and even then, the remaining rural parts of the state still have plenty of farming and ranching activity to generate some level of traffic.
A lot of rural highways in inland western states, by contrast, go through very desolate terrain and you might go over 50 miles without seeing a town. Hell, you might not even pass another car on some of them. On roads like that, 70 is absolutely reasonable, and it's quite annoying to see your limit drop from 70 to 65 just because you crossed an arbitrary line with no change in road geometry.
For me, it was that the Oklahoma highway didn't seem to have been constructed or surfaced as well as Texas highways. It wasn't as flat and smooth–even with relatively new pavement–as what I'm used to in Texas. Basically, 70 on that highway felt like 70 on some county road in some other state.
I always thought Texas was great at not discriminating against types of roads with their first all 70 mph max ( and 60 for trucks), and now with the 75 mph ( as 80 seems to be for a couple freeways out in West Texas) it is still good at distribution.
Then having 70 on the SA Freeways away from Downtown as well as US 75 in Dallas posted at 70 even in urban areas is great as people generally drive faster anyway in urban areas.
Quote from: kphoger on February 24, 2021, 11:01:08 AM
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on February 24, 2021, 08:50:37 AM
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 23, 2021, 07:09:08 PM
I haven't checked out any 70 mph two-lanes in Oklahoma since they raised the limit on them. In general I feel like 65 is probably better for two-lane roads, especially around here.
I hadn't realized Oklahoma raised any two-lanes to 70! Do you know which ones and when this happened? I've been trying to track states' maximum speed limits by road type and wasn't aware of any above 65 in OK.
It caught me by surprise too, as I didn't realize they existed until I was on one.
Took me a little while to find anything, as every news article that comes up searching is inevitably about the turnpikes going up to 80, but I did find this: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/OKDOT/bulletins/10e2885
Looks like US 412 went up to 70 between Boise City and Woodward. And sure enough: https://goo.gl/maps/x7THgTRyMsdiW5qd8
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on February 24, 2021, 12:52:14 PM
Looks like US 412 went up to 70 between Boise City and Woodward. And sure enough: https://goo.gl/maps/x7THgTRyMsdiW5qd8
I was on US-412 between Beaver County NS-151 and OK-46, so maybe that was it. GSV along there is mostly from 2014, so I couldn't confirm. However, now I see
this (https://goo.gl/maps/du5qYV1tkFDRPcG9A), so that was definitely the highway I'm remembering.
I guess I just don't see how
this is just fine at 70 mph (https://goo.gl/maps/MDGxFfUbgF3Asko39) but
this is 'faintly ridiculous' at 75 mph (https://goo.gl/maps/3eYwBD8qgChN5MA56).
I would say Idaho and Utah are tied for me. I give Utah points for the 70 MPH urban speed limits, and the lack of a split truck speed, but take away points for the 65 MPH non-interstate maximum (that's technically behind Oregon). Idaho now has 70 MPH on non interstates, including some 2 laners. One complaint I have about Idaho is they are quick to lower the speed limit on mountainous highways instead of using advisory speeds, but in practice it doesn't matter that much. I don't have enough experience in Utah to know if they do the same, or to the same extent.
Montana might be ahead of both of those, except for their 35 MPH work zone speed limits on interstates. I thought I misread the sign the first time I saw that! There was nothing out of the ordinary of these work zones, and most of the ones I drove through didn't have work actively happening. In Idaho they literally would have made the speed limit 70, double what MT used. Oregon would have been 45-55 most likely, and even that's annoyingly slow. I took the 35 as an advisory speed, and actually drove closer to 60-65, because 35 would get you rear ended on the interstate. If you look past that they might be the best.
Nevada is close too. If they were a little more generous with the 80 zones (like on I-15) they might actually be able to take the top for me. Texas might be a contender, but I've never been there.
Really though, most of the Mountain West states (ID, MT, UT, NV, WY, and others) are all really close, and all mostly reasonable in terms of speed limits. It's nice living here, as opposed to growing up in Bend, OR surrounded by nothing but 55 at the time.
Quote from: doorknob60 on February 24, 2021, 04:28:12 PM
One complaint I have about Idaho is they are quick to lower the speed limit on mountainous highways instead of using advisory speeds, but in practice it doesn't matter that much. I don't have enough experience in Utah to know if they do the same, or to the same extent.
I don't have enough experience on Idaho mountain roads to know what to compare Utah to, but I've always figured Utah's mountain speed limits are pretty reasonable. They won't lower limits for one or two curves, but if a particularly windy section lasts for at least a mile or so there will probably be a limit drop associated with it. I feel like the few mountain highways I've been on in southeast Idaho were like that as well.
The only particularly bad mountain speed limit I can think of in Utah is US 6/50 through the Confusion Range west of the Sevier Lake bed: while that road probably can't support 65 mph, it's posted at 35 which I remember as feeling
way too slow.
Quote from: Ketchup99 on February 24, 2021, 10:59:42 AM
Quote from: sbeaver44 on February 23, 2021, 11:11:25 PM
Quote from: Caps81943 on February 21, 2021, 01:39:17 PM
Quote from: Crown Victoria on February 21, 2021, 10:36:06 AM
Quote from: webny99 on February 21, 2021, 10:13:30 AM
Quote from: US 89 on February 21, 2021, 10:02:48 AM
Idaho is fine but they really stretch the definition of "urban" when setting interstate speed limits, which are capped at 65 in those areas. I-15 does not need to drop all the way from 80 to 65 through Pocatello.
Oh, man... PA does the same thing, except their urban speed limit is only 55 mph. The 55 mph zone on I-90 through Erie is truly painful. Traffic normally does 65-70 and it still feels like you're crawling. Here (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1125346,-79.9729251,3a,75y,249.81h,81.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sU6jb8Kwzu3YefbfduDkz_Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1) is an example of what it's like.
Don't forget PA's 55 mph zones for substandard rural freeways, examples being much of free I-70 and I-78 between Lenhartsville and Fogelsville (the Berks County portion currently being reconstructed and the Lehigh County part planned). This is inconsistent though as much of I-83 meets the same standards but is signed at 65 mph, and the PA Turnpike NE Extension is at 70 mph with practically no inside shoulder. In all cases cars are usually doing 70-80 mph with trucks 65-70 mph, regardless of the posted limits or standards of construction.
That 55 section from the Maryland line to the Turnpike is downright painful.
Yes, that 55 zone is awful. PA's urban speed limits are just generally awful. And the "55 next 36 miles" coming into Wilkes-Barre on I-81 North over Warrior Gap is just straight demoralizing. I'm good with a 55 zone in a city but PennDOT seemingly loves signing anything within 10 miles of a city as 55.
I was talking with some friends the other day about how reluctant PennDOT seems to be to post short 65 zones, but found a counter-example in US 222's Kutztown Bypass being signed as 65.
I look to our neighboring states WV and OH that allow 65 on divided highways like US 48. I'm not sure PA has a 4-lane divided highway that is not already limited access up to the spec of US 48 though.
PA, How many times can we see a 55-45 drop coming in from NY State on a 2 Lane Road. Just seems like our backroads are, in general, slow.
I do love the new-ish 70 zones though. The turnpike, I-380, I-99, I-80, and US 15 are all great now.
One thing I wish Pennsylvania would do is raise the maximum to 65, regardless of road type. There are a bunch of divided roads which could and should be 65 - or at least 60 - and although we don't have a ton, there are plenty of back roads in the middle of nowhere on which 60 or, in some cases, 65 would be a reasonable speed limit.
PA does have a few divided highways like US-48 - US-22 from Altoona to Pittsburgh (although admittedly it's a little lower in quality) and US119: https://www.google.com/maps/@40.081048,-79.5616142,3a,75y,204.22h,90.42t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s0ZJF_laHLcg6gZQ0SLmm3w!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D0ZJF_laHLcg6gZQ0SLmm3w%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dsearch.revgeo_and_fetch.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D96%26h%3D64%26yaw%3D226.99216%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192
The 70 zones... maybe it's a function of my never having driven before they were installed, but they still feel slow. I wish they would be upped to 75 or 80, which would be more appropriate on some of these highways like I-80.
I wonder if Lake-effect snows happening about half the year is one of the reasons why I-90 thru PA remains 55 MPH on half of it.
One optimal solution is to install variable speed limit LED signs across all of I-90. That would help PennDOT in keeping traffic traveling safer in the winter months while allowing for 65 MPH+ in the warmer months.
Of course, logic is illogical on the roads of the Keystone State.
Quote from: sprjus4 on February 24, 2021, 01:19:20 AM
I-70 in Pennsylvania between the Maryland state line and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Rural interstate highway with a 55 mph speed limit for over 20 miles that is universally ignored. That segment should at least be 65 mph. The speed limit immediately increases from 55 mph to 70 mph upon entering Maryland.
Yeah, it's ridiculous. I have to use the cruise control to keep my speed down there. The first time I drove it, the MD side had a work zone and was lowered to 60. It's not every day the speed limit goes up upon entering a work zone.
I think the logic is a couple of 50mph curves and substandard ramps. But a) a 50mph curve should not make it illegal to drive 65mph many miles away, and b) if Ohio can post divided roads with at-grades at 65, we can have RIRO roads at 65.
Quote from: US 89 on February 24, 2021, 06:29:21 PM
Quote from: doorknob60 on February 24, 2021, 04:28:12 PM
One complaint I have about Idaho is they are quick to lower the speed limit on mountainous highways instead of using advisory speeds, but in practice it doesn't matter that much. I don't have enough experience in Utah to know if they do the same, or to the same extent.
I don't have enough experience on Idaho mountain roads to know what to compare Utah to, but I've always figured Utah's mountain speed limits are pretty reasonable. They won't lower limits for one or two curves, but if a particularly windy section lasts for at least a mile or so there will probably be a limit drop associated with it. I feel like the few mountain highways I've been on in southeast Idaho were like that as well.
The only particularly bad mountain speed limit I can think of in Utah is US 6/50 through the Confusion Range west of the Sevier Lake bed: while that road probably can't support 65 mph, it's posted at 35 which I remember as feeling way too slow.
Sounds like the 2 states are probably pretty similar. Here's a fun example where US-93 drops from
70 to 45 at the ID/MT border. GSV Link (https://www.google.com/maps/@45.6931329,-113.9482728,3a,75y,178.54h,81.61t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s5D8eFhNok-oNtfr6pQYqog!2e0!7i13312!8i6656). But there are almost immediately curves signed with 25 MPH advisory speeds, so it's not an unreasonable speed. Just a few miles later after those curves, it pops back up to 65 (https://www.google.com/maps/@45.6590339,-113.9746082,3a,75y,152.74h,83.42t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1siGUDfMuqxEV6rH_Jz-xKuA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656).
ID-55 is an example I'm more familiar with, starting at Eagle, it's 55, 60, then drops in Horseshoe Bend, then 55, 45 for a while near Smiths Ferry, then it goes up to 65 once you're in the valley and it opens up. Where in a state like Oregon or Montana it would be the same speed pretty much the whole way it's weird to get used to, but all the speed limit drops are pretty reasonable and I don't go more than ~10 over in light traffic.
Idaho does use 35 for this too, but the only place I've seen it is ID-21 south of Lowman (https://www.google.com/maps/@44.0554547,-115.613448,13.5z), where it's very justified as someone that's driven that stretch twice. I don't have a good GSV there (old imagery) but it's even curvier than it looks on a map. It does switch to 45 partway though.
I agree that US-50/US-6 stretch feels out of place at 35. The 50 it drops to leading up to that would be perfectly fine through the whole stretch. But the drop is over a short distance so like Idaho, it's not a huge problem in practice. That section of highways reminds me of US-20 east of Burns, OR (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.7635386,-118.0511497,3a,75y,55.13h,87.82t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s7J3eR_uLNYxS7f1euf2dZQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656), which is 65 the whole way despite some curvy sections.
Quote from: thenetwork on February 24, 2021, 08:37:33 PM
I wonder if Lake-effect snows happening about half the year is one of the reasons why I-90 thru PA remains 55 MPH on half of it.
One optimal solution is to install variable speed limit LED signs across all of I-90. That would help PennDOT in keeping traffic traveling safer in the winter months while allowing for 65 MPH+ in the warmer months.
Of course, logic is illogical on the roads of the Keystone State.
Doubt it, for your last line you mentioned. Also, it's possible for lake effect snows to happen during several months of the year, but the actual occurrence is limited to a large handful of days.
Florida has 60 mph speed limits on some rural two-lane highways, such as the southern part of FL 471 and parts of US-98
Best: Texas. Reason? 70 to 75 mph on 2 lane highways in remote areas.
Next best: Colorado.
In the middle: New Mexico. I like the 70 mph limit on US 87 once you cross into NM from Texas. What I don't like is you have to slow to a literal crawl once you go through those small / medium sized towns along US 87.
Worst: Arkansas and their point blank REFUSAL to raise the limit above 55 mph on rural sections of 2 lanes (excluding the "super 2" of AR 549 just west of the roundabout). 60 mph on their 5 lane highways that can clearly support 65 and even 70 in some sections.
Tennessee: 55 mph on freeways in / around Memphis. Nobody drives 55 on the freeways. Everybody at the bare minimum is going at least 8 mph over and lots of traffic are 10-15 mph over the 55 limit.
California: any vehicle towing a trailer is capped at 55 mph. 65 would make more sense (unless you're in hilly / mountainous terrain).
Quote from: capt.ron on March 03, 2021, 03:59:12 PM
California: any vehicle towing a trailer is capped at 55 mph. 65 would make more sense (unless you're in hilly / mountainous terrain).
From what I understand, California is good about not having unnecessary 20-30 zones.
Honestly, this (https://www.google.com/maps/@31.2190016,-99.5996965,3a,15y,4.39h,88.6t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sBu15NCSWmZzdSvMqsHPquw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) makes Texas first, all by itself. In PA, this would be 35, or perhaps 40 if we were lucky.
Quote from: Ketchup99 on March 03, 2021, 04:28:09 PM
Honestly, this (https://www.google.com/maps/@31.2190016,-99.5996965,3a,15y,4.39h,88.6t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sBu15NCSWmZzdSvMqsHPquw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) makes Texas first, all by itself. In PA, this would be 35, or perhaps 40 if we were lucky.
I actually think roads like that should be lower.
Quote from: capt.ron on March 03, 2021, 03:59:12 PM
Worst: Arkansas and their point blank REFUSAL to raise the limit above 55 mph on rural sections of 2 lanes (excluding the "super 2" of AR 549 just west of the roundabout). 60 mph on their 5 lane highways that can clearly support 65 and even 70 in some sections.
State law was updated this past summer which permits 2 lane roads to go to 60 mph and 5 lane highways to 65 mph. While the main priority was getting the interstates up to 75 mph, increases on arterial roads could be coming in the near future if they haven't already.
Quote from: capt.ron on March 03, 2021, 03:59:12 PM
Tennessee: 55 mph on freeways in / around Memphis. Nobody drives 55 on the freeways. Everybody at the bare minimum is going at least 8 mph over and lots of traffic are 10-15 mph over the 55 limit.
The eastern part of the state is also bad, 55 mph maximum on any arterial roadway, even though virtually every divided highway could be 65 mph which is legally permitted by law. Interstates are a dice roll, a long stretch of I-81 south of Bristol along with the entirety of I-26 is restricted to 65 mph / 55 mph trucks for environmental and "safety" reasons despite both highways previously posted at 70 mph, and still should be today. Knoxville was also notorious with its long 55 mph stretches on I-40 / I-75 that were universally ignored, though TDOT finally increased all of those areas to 65 mph (except through Downtown Knoxville only went to 60 mph - which is perfectly reasonable given the roadway's geometry) back in 2019, along with a number of outskirt 65 mph / 55 mph trucks zones to 70 mph.
Quote from: capt.ron on March 03, 2021, 03:59:12 PM
Best: Texas. Reason? 70 to 75 mph on 2 lane highways in remote areas.
Next best: Colorado.
In the middle: New Mexico. I like the 70 mph limit on US 87 once you cross into NM from Texas. What I don't like is you have to slow to a literal crawl once you go through those small / medium sized towns along US 87.
Worst: Arkansas and their point blank REFUSAL to raise the limit above 55 mph on rural sections of 2 lanes (excluding the "super 2" of AR 549 just west of the roundabout). 60 mph on their 5 lane highways that can clearly support 65 and even 70 in some sections.
Tennessee: 55 mph on freeways in / around Memphis. Nobody drives 55 on the freeways. Everybody at the bare minimum is going at least 8 mph over and lots of traffic are 10-15 mph over the 55 limit.
California: any vehicle towing a trailer is capped at 55 mph. 65 would make more sense (unless you're in hilly / mountainous terrain).
Many of the school zones in New Mexico have a 15 MPH speed limit, including on the numbered highways.
ISTR a looonnng zone (over a mile) on US 64 between Shiprock and the AZ border. Talk about an agonizing 5 minutes. At least in a 25+ zone, you can still set the cruise control.
Quote from: thenetwork on March 03, 2021, 07:26:09 PM
Many of the school zones in New Mexico have a 15 MPH speed limit, including on the numbered highways.
ISTR a looonnng zone (over a mile) on US 64 between Shiprock and the AZ border. Talk about an agonizing 5 minutes. At least in a 25+ zone, you can still set the cruise control.
That stretch is within the Navajo Nation. Might be a tribal thing. Don't know about the others.
Quote from: thenetwork on March 03, 2021, 07:26:09 PM
Many of the school zones in New Mexico have a 15 MPH speed limit, including on the numbered highways.
Oh yeah, here's my favorite:
Des Moines (https://goo.gl/maps/MLLT3sCRuLyBBjJq5), with a 15mph school zone on a four-lane US highway. The high school in town serves grades 7—12, and had a 2018 total enrollment of 48 students. (Freedom School, originally just a homeschool and later incorporated as a satellite private school for low-income children, hasn't been in operation since 2002.)
Also.....
Arrow FAIL (https://goo.gl/maps/xrkgpdcKpB1Ydxxa9).
Quote from: kphoger on March 04, 2021, 09:21:45 AM
Also..... Arrow FAIL (https://goo.gl/maps/xrkgpdcKpB1Ydxxa9).
Ironically, it's pointing to the post office.
Quote from: 1995hoo on February 21, 2021, 03:25:50 PM
I don't feel that I've done enough driving west of the Mississippi to be able to have a valid comment about states there, although I liked having 65-mph speed limits on two-lane roads.
You'll like even more 75-mph speed limits on many two-lanes in Texas (even some in east Texas near the Louisiana border), as well as many rural freeways. Oddly enough, I find the 80mph limits on some west Texas Interstates less helpful, too much truck traffic (except on I-10 east of the I-20 split) for you to maintain 80mph+ speeds. As for 85mph on part of TX 130 ... been there, done that, not going out of my way to experience it again.
I found 80 was so brutal on my gas mileage that it started to be not worth it. I also think my car really tops out at 75 in terms of performance and 80 felt like it was a struggle for it.
The reason I like 80 limits isn't that I actually want to maintain 85 all the time, but rather that if I need to go fast for whatever reason, or just feel like it, I don't have to be on the lookout for little cars between the trees in the median every second. Usually I'm happy cruising at around 80, but even that, with PA's 65-70 limits, is pushing it a little.
Quote from: Ketchup99 on March 05, 2021, 08:55:10 AM
The reason I like 80 limits isn't that I actually want to maintain 85 all the time, but rather that if I need to go fast for whatever reason, or just feel like it, I don't have to be on the lookout for little cars between the trees in the median every second. Usually I'm happy cruising at around 80, but even that, with PA's 65-70 limits, is pushing it a little.
Right, I usually keep it about 80-82 on highways with a speed limit of either 75 or 80 (and some 70s). But if the limit is 80, that's completely stress free and I don't have to worry about cops at all. I'm rarely pushing 85-90. But I occasionally will and it's nice to be able to without too much risk.
Quote from: doorknob60 on March 05, 2021, 01:15:27 PM
Quote from: Ketchup99 on March 05, 2021, 08:55:10 AM
The reason I like 80 limits isn't that I actually want to maintain 85 all the time, but rather that if I need to go fast for whatever reason, or just feel like it, I don't have to be on the lookout for little cars between the trees in the median every second. Usually I'm happy cruising at around 80, but even that, with PA's 65-70 limits, is pushing it a little.
Right, I usually keep it about 80-82 on highways with a speed limit of either 75 or 80 (and some 70s). But if the limit is 80, that's completely stress free and I don't have to worry about cops at all. I'm rarely pushing 85-90. But I occasionally will and it's nice to be able to without too much risk.
I wish more people thought this way, regardless of what the posted speed limit is. I can think of any number of times on I-66 between Haymarket and Linden, which is a segment with a 70-mph speed limit, when I've been doing 70 mph and have actually been going somewhat faster than most of the other traffic around me, and then everyone else slams on the brakes when they see a cop. I don't hit the brakes. Why should I, if I'm going the speed limit?
I suppose there would be some validity to the idea that if I find I'm going a bit faster than most of the other traffic, then there's a chance my speedometer might be reading a little low such that I'm actually going above 70 mph. Every time I've passed one of those "YOUR SPEED" signs the number displayed has agreed with the speedometer, though. Of course those things may not be calibrated properly either, but the odds that every one of them would be off by the same amount, such that if my speedometer is inaccurate they would also be inaccurate by that same amount, seem very low.
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 05, 2021, 02:13:03 PM
Quote from: doorknob60 on March 05, 2021, 01:15:27 PM
Quote from: Ketchup99 on March 05, 2021, 08:55:10 AM
The reason I like 80 limits isn't that I actually want to maintain 85 all the time, but rather that if I need to go fast for whatever reason, or just feel like it, I don't have to be on the lookout for little cars between the trees in the median every second. Usually I'm happy cruising at around 80, but even that, with PA's 65-70 limits, is pushing it a little.
Right, I usually keep it about 80-82 on highways with a speed limit of either 75 or 80 (and some 70s). But if the limit is 80, that's completely stress free and I don't have to worry about cops at all. I'm rarely pushing 85-90. But I occasionally will and it's nice to be able to without too much risk.
I wish more people thought this way, regardless of what the posted speed limit is. I can think of any number of times on I-66 between Haymarket and Linden, which is a segment with a 70-mph speed limit, when I've been doing 70 mph and have actually been going somewhat faster than most of the other traffic around me, and then everyone else slams on the brakes when they see a cop. I don't hit the brakes. Why should I, if I'm going the speed limit?
I suppose there would be some validity to the idea that if I find I'm going a bit faster than most of the other traffic, then there's a chance my speedometer might be reading a little low such that I'm actually going above 70 mph. Every time I've passed one of those "YOUR SPEED" signs the number displayed has agreed with the speedometer, though. Of course those things may not be calibrated properly either, but the odds that every one of them would be off by the same amount, such that if my speedometer is inaccurate they would also be inaccurate by that same amount, seem very low.
Maybe all those "YOUR SPEED" contraptions got together and decided they would all read the same amount wrong! :-D
Yes, that drives me crazy all the time. The hitting the brakes. Makes me think something is wrong but its just because a bozo thinks the cop will give them a ticket for driving the speed limit.
Another note, I drive a 5.0 Mustang that actually does better on gas the higher the speed, so 80 mph is not a problem for me. I also drive an RV that tops out at 77 mph so I always know when I get on a highway with an 80 limit, I can't speed even if I wanted to. Very comforting.
I've always wondered how much leeway cops do give in 75 and 80 zones. I'm only familiar with 55/65/70 (general rule in my experience: 55 could mean anything, 65 and 70 mean 80). If I drive past a cop at, say, 84 in a 75, or 89 in an 80 (or 94 on that toll road in Austin), how will that play out?
Yikes I haven't been to many states with good speed limits. Maine is decent I guess.
Quote from: Ketchup99 on March 05, 2021, 10:15:51 PM
I've always wondered how much leeway cops do give in 75 and 80 zones. I'm only familiar with 55/65/70 (general rule in my experience: 55 could mean anything, 65 and 70 mean 80). If I drive past a cop at, say, 84 in a 75, or 89 in an 80 (or 94 on that toll road in Austin), how will that play out?
My experience in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas is that speed enforcement is rare because reasonable people mostly follow reasonable laws. They are mostly into dumbass enforcement. The same basically goes in California, especially in the east. As a good rule, you are safe from speed enforcement at less than 10% above the posted maximum speed. Hotpencil Hannah, a traffic officer with the Sacramento City Police back in the 1970s, told me that anyone cited for less than about 7 MPH over the posted speed limit should take it to court. He regularly set the RADAR to beep at 10MPH above the posted 35MPH limit in front of my parents' house, but didn't stop everyone even then. The street may have been slightly underposted at 35MPH, so he wanted to make sure that people were actually violating the law before he stopped them.
I'd echo Texas because the limits are actually reasonable limits as opposed to some arbitrary driving speed that many will exceed. Wyoming isn't bad either now that the better two lanes are 70.
Montana sets blanket speed limits by state law and requires a heavy burden of proof to modify them, so you get silly things like a 70 MPH speed limit on top of the Beartooth Highway that don't provide any guidance on what would conceivably be a safe driving speed, and that seems dangerous.