If everybody but you is going 10-20mph and you’re actually holding up traffic and making others around you angry . . . have you considered you may feel good about obeying the law, but aren’t going to influence or change other people’s behavior?
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The bottom line is, “If you build it they will come.” so applied to expressways, if you build more capacity, you’ll attract more users until you reach the point that continued usage is unacceptable.
The result in the North East, where further highway expansion is impossible, has been a “Return to the city” (Gentrification) by those who can afford it or a clustering around Suburban Villages with access high speed Public Transportation and a displacement of lower income folks to the less well located Suburbs.
For those of you who have never experienced routine 2 hour commutes even after the highways have been expanded to their maximum, I suggest you carefully look at these cities because this is your future and it ain’t with more or larger roads.
Then it’s really an enforcement issue, to get the “flow of traffic” more in line with speed limits.
Those that should be enforcing the law aren’t doing their job.
Until then, I will drive as I see fit, obeying the “Keep right except when overtaking” signs, driving at or just under what is on the posted speed limit signs.
If you, personally, feel like passing me at 65mph in a 55, hopefully soon you will reap the consequences.
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In St. Paul the highway patrol quit routine traffic stops because it was causing more back ups and more accidents. Except for a stretch that goes down to 55 then 45, they pretty much leave it alone and life was better.
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As far as speed limits and enforcement go, you seem to be a VERY bitter and spiteful person
I’m not sure how someone else getting a ticket personally benefits you
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Similarly, the NJSP routinely ignore people driving up to 75 mph on our 65 mph interstates. If you hit 80 mph, they will probably pull you over, but the cars that they seem to go after most often are those who are driving in the center or left lane, below the prevailing speed–and their policies are just fine with me.
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The point is moot, nobody will convince anyone on here to change the speed they normally drive, rather it be fast or slow, it just ain’t happening, not worth anyone’s time debating the subject…
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You haven’t a clue. You’d have to have 5-10 THOUSAND traffic police on the road. Not going to happen.
If you’re the ONLY one NOT going the speed limit, then you are a danger to yourself and everyone around you. Come to the Boston area and try it yourself. Let us know how it went.
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Only some?
Are you agreeing with my criticism of @ChrisTheTireWhisperer . . . or are you implying I’m as misguided as he apparently is?
It didn’t come across very clearly, imo
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Do you care to explain that comment?
Or fold up like a two-dollar suitcase
Yes, I think your attitudes in regards to the speed limits are misguided
And you seem to derive pleasure when others get ticketed
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I deny your reality and substitute one of my own !
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It’s a fairly simple problem that can’t be corrected by more lanes unless a highway would become hundreds of lanes wide. Drivers will try to pass slower moving traffic in the right lane and then cut in ahead back to a right lane to the exit that they want to take. This slows down all of the left lanes to the speed of the right lanes. The cars cutting in back to the right have to slow down again when they do this, and this slows all of the cars behind them.
So a 10 lane wide highway will go as slowly as the right most lane of cars wanting to take that exit.
One solution is to block cars from entering a highway until traffic jams clear up. Another would be to block drivers who slow down to cut in to the right lane at the end from using the highway. Another would be to monitor vehicle that frequently use the exit or section of highway that is congested and restrict their access until it clears up.
Better to have the jams at the entrance ramps and have a fast moving highway than to let everyone on and have the whole thing backed up to a crawl.
In which regards?
Your claims that going slower is better when it’s been shown that difference in speed is a major contributor to traffic accidents, which your plan creates.
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[quote=“texases, post:76, topic:197955”]going slower is better
[/quote]
If - everyone gets on board.
If everyone can adopt the mentality to drive at or just below posted.
EG:
i95 in CT is zoned mostly 55mph, 40 minimum.
If everyone drove in the upper two-thirds of that zone (betweem 48-52mph), traffic would not clump because it would have time to pass through the infrastructure as engineered.
You’re apparently trying to change everybody else’s behavior
HOw about accepting that you can’t do that
How about considering trying to change your perception of others, instead?
You’re stressing out about things you’re not in a position to change, anyways
Some entrance ramps in California have a stop light that meters traffic entering the highway. One car is released and the next held for a short time period. This seems something like what you suggest.
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Yes they have those in Minnesota. It’s a boon to the signal light folks. A previous governor had them shut off for a while and we hardly noticed the difference. Even in heavy stopped traffic they still meter in more cars to take their place in the stopped traffic. They go from fast to slow but never stop. Ya can’t back traffic up on a ramp for a mile before the whole thing shuts down. The solution is to keep the traffic flowing at top speed. A bus entering, a guy on the side of the road, or fender bender, and the whole thing breaks down. Easy to watch now with drones and cameras.