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                        Methods and Practices for Setting Speed Limits: An Informational Report


            
            In This Section
        Speed Management Safety
                USLIMITS2
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                Purpose & Scope
Despite the wide-spread acceptance and use of speed limits throughout the world, there has been no consensus among practitioners concerning the methods and techniques that should be used to select the most appropriate speed limit for a particular facility. Currently, it appears unlikely that consensus will be achieved in the near future. This leaves practitioners without definitive guidance on this important issue, and in search of information that may assist them. This report provides the information necessary for practitioners to make informed decisions concerning the method that is selected for setting speed limits in their jurisdiction.

This report presents the various procedures that highway agencies can and do use to set speed limits. It is an informational report and provides a broad overview of the different speed limit setting methods that are available, but makes no specific recommendations or suggestions.

Special situations, such as advisory, school zone, and work zone speeds are discussed. Speed limit enforcement and periodic reevaluation of speed limits are discussed briefly. The design speed for the roadway will not be discussed, except as it relates to the setting of speed limits. This is because design speed is a characteristic of the roadway that is essentially "built-in" to the road, and is not easily modified.

Technical terms are defined in Appendix A.
      
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                Book:Methods and Practices for Setting Speed Limits: An Informational Report
              Background
                Purpose & Scope
                Report Organization
                The Safety of Speed
                Speed Limit Basics
                Speed Limit Sign and Placement
                Speed Study Data Collection
                Speed Limit Enforcement
                Case Studies
                Summary of Results
                References
                Appendix A: Glossary
                Appendix B: Example Traffic Control Order
                Appendix C: Illinois Policy on Setting Speed Limits
                Appendix D: Northwestern Speed Zoning Technique
                Appendix E: Speed Limits New Zealand (Road Risk Methodology) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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