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AP reports that Montana lawmakers are drafting bills that would raise the daytime speed limit on Montana interstate highways from 75 to 80 and possibly as high as 85 mph. “I just think our roads are engineered well, and technology is such we can drive those roads safely,” says Art Wittich noting that Utah, Wyoming and Idaho have raised their speed limits above 75, and they haven't had any problems and drivers on German autobahns average about 84 mph. State Senator Scott Sales says he spent seven months working in the Bakken oil patch, driving back and forth to Bozeman regularly. “If I could drive 85 mph on the interstate, it would save an hour,” says Sales. “Eighty-five would be fine with me."
A few years ago Texas opened a 40 mile stretch on part of a toll road called the Pickle Parkway between Austin and San Antonio. The tolled bypass was supposed to help relieve the bottleneck around Austin but the highway was built so far to the east that practically nobody used it. In desperation, the state raised the toll road speed limit to 85 mph, the fastest in the nation. "The idea was that drivers could drop the top, drop the hammer, crank the music and fly right past Austin," says Wade Goodyn. "It's a beautiful, wide-open highway — but it's empty, and the builders are nearly bankrupt."
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Tuesday December 02 2014, @01:30PM
A road in great condition that is flat and straight, on a clear day? Sure, go 85 mph, just don't hit anybody. The same road at night in a snowstorm with large wind gusts? 45 mph is probably best, to ensure that a good gust of crosswind on a hidden ice patch doesn't spin you out (this happened to me going 55 mph in similar conditions in Ohio, so I know that's too fast).
A curvy mountain road, or a street through the middle of town? Heck no, 85 mph is simply dangerous.
Unfortunately, the way things are in the US you can't leave the definition of "unsafe speed" up to cops' discretion, because they can and will abuse that.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 02 2014, @02:35PM
Of course, for a mountain road, or a street through the middle of the town, those conditions are permanent, and therefore you also can put a permanent, road-specific speed limit there (indeed, for roads in the town, you have a common separate speed limit anyway). Also speed limits dependent on conditions are not uncommon (I don't know about America, but here in Germany it's quite common to have speed signs qualified e.g. with "bei Nässe" (= when wet) or a time interval (typically those are for reducing noise at night).
(Score: 2) by nitehawk214 on Tuesday December 02 2014, @02:43PM
How many interstates are curvy mountain roads?
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday December 02 2014, @03:02PM
I-90 across the Idaho panhandle to Spokane is pretty darn curvy with some excellent sheer drops off the sides. There's also a stretch of I-15 that's quite curvy where it clips the northwestern corner of Arizona. I once took that I-90 stretch at 75mph with my brother while my wife followed in another car. We grew up in the Montanan Rockies and had a blast. She grew up in Long Island and cussed me out for a solid 15 minutes once we stopped in Spokane.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Tuesday December 02 2014, @03:05PM
Not too many, but an example of one is I-93 in the White Mountains [youtube.com] of northern New Hampshire. You can't take that at 60 mph safely, and in the winter you often have to take it at closer to 35 mph.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday December 02 2014, @03:24PM
True, but you would have the consolation of contemplating the exquisite Pemigewasset River drainage as you sail off the road.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by nitehawk214 on Tuesday December 02 2014, @09:29PM
Ok fair enough, there is stretch of I-79 near my home where it curves through the hill on the way down to the Ohio river. However the posted speed limit here is 35 or 40 (though it is fun to whip around there in a sports car at 60).
So I would assume this 85 mph limit is simply 85 mph only where it is safe to do so.
And besides, with the all-too-straight roads around here, it is actually easier to go faster when the road is slightly curving, allowing drivers to see much further head in traffic. This lets people slow down earlier and reduce the "compression wave" effect of people having to slam on their breaks in traffic jams. The Germans figured this out in the 30's when building the Autobahn; Americans decided to just make the roads as straight and boring as possible. Though, i don't expect any place in Montana at all has traffic jams like the midwest cities do.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 2) by frojack on Wednesday December 03 2014, @12:40AM
Yeah we can all list a few locations where you have to slow down.
Its pointless to list them here.
But So what?
All of these places already have the yellow advisory speed signs to warn you of the sharp curve, steep descents, turning traffic etc.
That there are places such as these doesn't matter in the long run if the highway is properly signed.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by dublet on Tuesday December 02 2014, @02:50PM
As far as I'm aware, a speed limit is an upper limit to your speed, not the mandatory minimum speed over that road.
Driving to weather conditions is an important part of driving safely. French motorways for instance have a weather dependant speed limit: 130km/h if it's dry, 110km/h if it's raining.
Personally, I think speed limits are not the best way of ensuring safety. Not all vehicles can stop at the same rate, nor handle adverse conditions in the same way. It is, however, the easiest to police as it merely requires a speed camera. I'd rather have more traffic cops actually patrolling to see if drivers were driving safely.
"If anyone needs me, I'm in the angry dome. [dublet.org]"
(Score: 2) by tempest on Tuesday December 02 2014, @04:01PM
About half of Montana is just that: flat and strait, with comparatively low levels of traffic compared to most of the U.S. While everyone is keen on saying the weather is either good or bad, when I often drove a few hours between Fargo and central North Dakota there was often a "outrun the weather" effect. Going faster sometimes meant outrunning a snow storm. In winter going faster when it was clear sometimes meant I spent more time in daylight before the sun set. Over a long distance there have been times when it was that last half hour which were by far the worst (particularly with highway hypnosis), so shaving some time off isn't necessarily a bad thing when conditions are okay. Also I'm pretty sure they aren't required to have the speed limit the same across the whole state. It's not like they can't be reasonable and post a lower limit in the mountainous parts.