From: jfox@hooksett.East.Sun.COM (John Fox - SunExpress IR)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: NJ's Guv Jim says no to 65, was Re: sp
Date: 30 Sep 1992 21:20:02 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Distribution: world
Reply-To: jfox@hooksett.East.Sun.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: hooksett.east.sun.com

In article 29323@watson.ibm.com, lpickup@xanadu.btv.ibm.com (Lance Pickup) writes:
> In article <1992Sep30.030621.9627@cabot.balltown.cma.COM>, welty@cabot.balltown.cma.COM (richard welty) writes:
> |> In article <1992Sep29.181822.28330@watson.ibm.com> lpickup@vnet.ibm.com writes:
> |> >In article <1992Sep29.155533.7838@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>, whs70@dancer.uucp (22501-sohl) writes:
> |> >|>                                             Those that favor keeping
> |> >|> it 55 rely on the old theory that if the everyone is driving 65 now when
> |> >|> the limit is 55, then they will all go 75 if the limit is 65.  That
> |> >|> has not proven to be the case at all in those states (over 40)
> |> >|> that now have 65.
> |>
> |> >It hasn't??  Not that I'm against 65 or anything, but in the states
> |> >that I've driven in which have 65 (mostly VT, NH and the states down
> |> >the east coast: VA, NC, SC) people sure aren't going 65!
> |>
> |> i've got news for you.  here in NY, and in PA (both 55 states where i
> |> drive a lot) they're not going 65 either.  they're going between
> |> 65 and 70 (10 to 15 over.)
> |>
> |> the statistics show that when the speed limit went up 10 mph  (from
> |> 55 to 65) the average speed went up 2 to 3 mph.  not quite what the
> |> doomsayers were predicting.
> 
> Okay, let me be more specific.  Admittedly I don't have access to
> these "statistics" that are being quoted that say the speed went up
> a few miles per hour (and I'm not saying that they aren't real either!)
> but my experience has been that before the speed limit change, the
> average speed "appeared" to be about 10 miles above the speed limit
> (i.e. 65).  Now that the speed limit is 65, it still "appears" to
> be 10 miles above the speed limit (i.e. 75).  What is my definition
> of "appears?"  Well, I typically go about that fast, and I find
> that about half the cars I pass, and half the cars pass me,
> so I figure I'm about average.  Granted, not a highly scientific
> analsys, but at least it's my own perception, and I can trust that
> a lot more than I can some propaganda some special interest group
> or another may be floating my way.
> 
> I think that I would have noticed that I was driving faster than
> most cars if I was the only one who drove 10 mph faster when they
> raised the speed limit.  But that has not been the case with me.
> What I have noticed is that it pretty much seems the same as it
> used to be.  Take this for what it's worth--just one guy's
> perceptions.  Sometimes though that gives a better indication of
> what is actually going on than some published statistics from who
> knows where!
> 
> --
>     ...Lance
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Lance Pickup                VNET/IBM Internet: lpickup@btv
> IBM/Vendor Systems                   Internet: lpickup@vnet.ibm.com
> Technology Products
> Burlington, VT                          Phone: (802) 769-7104 (tie 446)
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------


I'll add my own perception. I live in NH and work in Mass. The route I
travel is posted 65 in NH, and 55 when I cross the Mass border (Rt 93
for those familar).
With traffic pretty consistant thru the whole route, I find the traffic
stays at roughly 65-75 regardless of where you are, and what the posted
limit it. If we follow the previous noter's logic, you would expect the
traffic to slow accordingly crossing into Mass, and speed up accordingly
going the other way. That's just not the case. People have a comfortable
speed, and seek to drive it, rather than some arbitrary figure above
whatever is posted!


John


















































Newsgroups: rec.autos