Ohio Speed Limit going to 70 MPH...And Ohio Turnpike Tolls to Rise!!!

[vdeane]

Is it even legal to require payment right at the time of the traffic stop?  What if you don't have the money on hand?  And how do you get back on the Turnpike?

[Brandon]

Is it even legal to require payment right at the time of the traffic stop?  What if you don't have the money on hand?  And how do you get back on the Turnpike?

The whole thing by the municipality sounds dubious to me.  Had I been stopped like that by a municipal cop on the Turnpike, I'd have demanded to see a state trooper immediately.

[theline]

The whole operation seemed Mayberry-esque at the time. I guess they can demand payment of the fine on the spot because they had a "trial" on the spot. My wife was too intimidated by the process to raise any objection. (She was also running late to a meeting--the reason she was speeding in the first place.) I don't know what they would have done if she didn't have the cash or credit card, but I suspect they would have held her until cash was wired or brought to her.

[kkt]

In some countries, that's the etiquette for a bribe.  Cop: "The fine is $$."
Offender: "I'm in such a hurry, couldn't I just pay you here by the side of the road, officer?"

[Brandon]

In some countries, that's the etiquette for a bribe.  Cop: "The fine is $$."
Offender: "I'm in such a hurry, couldn't I just pay you here by the side of the road, officer?"

Obviously Ohio is one of those "some countries". 

[catch22]

ODOT released a PR listing the 570 miles of Interstate that will get the 70 MPH limit effective July 1. 

Link to PR (includes link to map):  http://www.dot.state.oh.us/news/Pages/State-Identifies-New-70-MPH-Speed-Zones.aspx

Interstate 70

    - From the Indiana border in the west to just outside of Wheeling, WV in the east, excluding Dayton, Columbus and Zanesville

Interstate 71

    - From the Jeremiah Morrow Bridge in southwest Ohio to just south of the border of the Cuyahoga/Medina County line in the north, excluding Columbus

Interstate 75

    From just outside of Toledo going south until just north of Dayton, excluding Findlay and Lima

Interstate 76

    From just outside Akron going east to just west of Youngstown

Interstate 77

    From just outside of Canton south to the West Virginia border

Interstate 90

    From just outside of Cleveland to the Pennsylvania border

[thenetwork]

I see Ohio is showing it's stingy colors on just how much of the 65 MPH "rural" zones get the upgrade:

- Not a single 70 MPH zone on I-271??? (come on, the first 18 miles & the Express Lanes on the other end deserve the bump!!!) 
- No 70 zone on I-76 west of Akron from at least SR-21 to I-71??? 
- No 70 zones on non-interstate rural freeways, like SR-2 west of Cleveland, or that ghost town of a stretch of freeway in Eastern Ohio called SR-11?!?!? 

It's not like these stretches are jumping 10 or 15 MPH overnight -- plus I used to drive them at 70 MPH regularly 15-20 years ago!

But on the bright side:

"ODOT is making 317 new signs to comply with the legislation and to alert motorists to the increased speed...261 are sign pieces that will simply overlay the current 65 number with the new speed limit"

So the "uniquely-styled" Ohio 65 MPH signs will live to see another day, or year,  or until the next sign replacement project. 

[vtk]

- No 70 zones on non-interstate rural freeways, like SR-2 west of Cleveland, or that ghost town of a stretch of freeway in Eastern Ohio called SR-11?!?!? 

Not a surprise, as the legislation only cleared Interstates for 70 MPH.  But aside from that, I'll observe the increase is being applied more conservatively than I previously expected.

I'm also interested in the 55 to 60 bump on some two-lane roads.  Currently, all roads with limits above 55 are 4-lane expressways or better. I presume some 4-lane divided conventional roads may be eligible for a bump to 60 as well – but not 4-lane divided expressways currently posted at 55, because apparently state law isn't a limiting factor there anyway.  I'd like to see a map of these increases, but I suspect even ODOT hasn't decided where to do that yet, and it may be an incremental process when it happens.

[seicer]

http://news.cincinnati.com/viewart/20130605/NEWS01/306050045/More-Ohio-roads-could-see-70-mph-speed-limit
More Ohio roads could go 70 MPH - like four-lane expressways and highways.

[thenetwork]

http://news.cincinnati.com/viewart/20130605/NEWS01/306050045/More-Ohio-roads-could-see-70-mph-speed-limit
More Ohio roads could go 70 MPH - like four-lane expressways and highways.

Nice to see at least one person with an ounce of common sense in Columbus.  Either that, or someone is up for re-election in the fall and they want to get at least one roadway in their district a bump up in the speed limit!!!

[vtk]

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/06/05/70-mph-speed-limits-may-apply-near-cities.html

An amendment added to the state budget bill proposes raising the speed limit from 65 to 70 mph on non-interstate freeways that are built to interstate standards and on some rural four-lane divided highways.

Those could include central Ohio roadways that are much closer to Columbus than the rural interstates that will see a similar boost on July 1.

Could, but probably won't.  In practice, the same urban/rural distinction will probably be made with the non-Interstate freeways as with the Interstates.  I don't think it makes any sense to have US 33 through Dublin at 70 MPH but not I-70 between exits 85 and 91.  But it's good to see that truly rural non-Interstate freeways like parts of US 35, OH 2, OH 11 might become eligible for 70 MPH as well.

[Sykotyk]

OH-11 definitely needs a bump. I drive that road regularly, and though it is great to have a freeway there to speed up the trip north or south of the Youngstown/Warren area, if other freeways go to 70, it needs raised as well.

Two possibilities for 60mph two-lane would be US250 from US22 to Urichsville and US36. Also, US22 west of Jefferson County (Hopedale) until near I-77. Though it gets windy in places with advisory speeds for the turns and hills, it has no stop signs or lights the entire way from I-77 east until Robinson Twp, PA.

[vtk]

Apparently the 70 MPH signs were all put up (on the Interstates) yesterday.  I drove nearly 500 miles in Ohio yesterday, but all of that was either too early or not on the right roads to see it.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/07/02/drivers-rush-to-go-70-mph.html



I actually drove right past where they put up the sign in the picture, but it was still early in the morning.

[seicer]

I came across a 70 MPH sign around 10 PM on June 30, which was quickly followed with a 65 MPH sign. I was jubilant and cheerful, then depressed and angry. I still went 75 MPH anyways.

[Crazy Volvo Guy]

Holy ****.  I thought I would never see the day.

Now to get the rest of the dominoes to fall...Oregon, IL, WI and the entire Northeast (excluding Maine, which is already working on going to 75)

[vtk]

Got my first chance to legally cruise at 70 on a familiar road yesterday. It feels right.

[signalman]

Holy ****.  I thought I would never see the day.

Now to get the rest of the dominoes to fall...Oregon, IL, WI and the entire Northeast (excluding Maine, which is already working on going to 75)

Maine is already at 75 from north of Bangor to the Canadian border

[1995hoo]

Holy ****.  I thought I would never see the day.

Now to get the rest of the dominoes to fall...Oregon, IL, WI and the entire Northeast (excluding Maine, which is already working on going to 75)

Maine is already at 75 from north of Bangor to the Canadian border

There was another proposal this year to expand that, or at least to allow for expansion (meaning it would be permitted but not required).

[Crazy Volvo Guy]

There was another proposal this year to expand that, or at least to allow for expansion (meaning it would be permitted but not required).

This is what I was referring to when I said "working on" going to 75.  I knew about Bangor to Houlton.

[PurdueBill]

Got a photo of a revised Ohio two-line sign today.



Those old signs (that once had 65 in the middle box and 55 trucks in the now-removed lower box) take a licking and keep on ticking.

[vtk]

I was going to post about that, but never got around to mocking up an illustration. Now we have a photo so I don't have to.

[cpzilliacus]

TOLLROADSnews: Ohio Turnpike raising tolls 2.7%/year for 10 years, borrowing $1 billion most for free roads

[1995hoo]

There was another proposal this year to expand that, or at least to allow for expansion (meaning it would be permitted but not required).

This is what I was referring to when I said "working on" going to 75.  I knew about Bangor to Houlton.

Yeah, I thought signalman misunderstood.

[signalman]

There was another proposal this year to expand that, or at least to allow for expansion (meaning it would be permitted but not required).

This is what I was referring to when I said "working on" going to 75.  I knew about Bangor to Houlton.

Yeah, I thought signalman misunderstood.

Yup, I did.  Sorry for the misunderstanding.  I do admit that I thought it was odd that a road enthusiaist was unaware of the 75 mph section in Maine.  But I suppose it is possible.  I know I don't necessarily stay up to date on everything that goes on road wise in sections of the country that I never or rarely travel to.

[vtk]

And here's the other shoe.

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/news/Pages/Higher-Speed-Limits-May-be-Coming-to-a-Roadway-Near-You.aspx

The gist:

• "Rural divided highways"  to 60 miles per hour (194 miles of roadway)
• "Rural expressways without traffic control signals"  to 65 miles per hour (15 miles of roadway)
• "Rural freeways"  to 70 miles per hour (398 miles of roadway)

District-by-district listings of which roads will have increased speed limits are available on the ODOT site linked above.