Speed Limits on Long Island (New York, Oyster Bay: live, dangerous, club)
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Location: Prince Georges County, MD (formerly Long Island, NY)
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I'm saying a prayer that this thread remains constructive and doesn't turn into a war zone (there are two posters in mind...)
But some roads here on Long Island seem like they could use a bump in the speed limit (some requiring minor modifications):
The LIE from the Queens border to exit 38 should be 60MPH. Past Exit 38, it should be 65MPH. After you pass exit 46 (if not, 49), the limit could really be 70MPH.
I read online that the Northern State Parkway east of exit 37A was actually designed for 75MPH, so 65MPH is more than reasonable. I think they'd have to extend the acceleration/deceleration lanes, though. I'd also convert some tight exits into diamond interchanges to reduce high speed weaving.
The Wantagh Parkway should easily be 65MPH (just fix a couple of weaving spots, and extend the accel/decel lanes).
The Meadowbrook Parkway between exit M3 and M7 could also be 65MPH.
The Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway was designed to be an interstate (I-287 across the sound), so 65MPH shouldn't be a problem.
What do you guys think? Any others you can suggest?
I'm saying a prayer that this thread remains constructive and doesn't turn into a war zone (there are two posters in mind...)
But some roads here on Long Island seem like they could use a bump in the speed limit (some requiring minor modifications):
The LIE from the Queens border to exit 38 should be 60MPH. Past Exit 38, it should be 65MPH. After you pass exit 46 (if not, 49), the limit could really be 70MPH.
I read online that the Northern State Parkway east of exit 37A was actually designed for 75MPH, so 65MPH is more than reasonable. I think they'd have to extend the acceleration/deceleration lanes, though. I'd also convert some tight exits into diamond interchanges to reduce high speed weaving.
The Wantagh Parkway should easily be 65MPH (just fix a couple of weaving spots, and extend the accel/decel lanes).
The Meadowbrook Parkway between exit M3 and M7 could also be 65MPH.
The Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway was designed to be an interstate (I-287 across the sound), so 65MPH shouldn't be a problem.
What do you guys think? Any others you can suggest?
This is all a recipe for disaster. If the speed limit is 55, most drivers go at least 10-15 mph over the limit. If you now want to change it to 65-70, we're now talking at least 75-80. There are so many reckless drivers out there, kids driving as soon as they turn 16, foreigners who can't understand what the signs mean, drivers relying on GPS, drivers more interested in their gadgets rather than eyes on the road, and way too many cars on the road.
Maybe those roads were designed as such when there were far fewer cars on the road.
I dont want to hear about the safety of today's cars. That is only relevant when you have good drivers. As everyone knows Long Islanders are impatient, aggressive and dangerous drivers.
Keep the speed limit as it is and enforce it. That will save lives.
The increase in speed limits is not necessary. We are not talking about most people driving significant multi hour commutes. For the most part during rush hour, you could not even go today's speed limits so the discussion of raising the speed limit is really not relevant to most daily commuters.
I have always said that speeders have a perception that they are really saving time by going fast...the chart below assumes you could drive at noted speed for your whole trip on the LIE (hardly likely)...and what do you save from NYCity to Riverhead...a whopping 20 minutes...and most people dont even do that distance per day.
Raising the speed limit is totally unnecessary
Location: Prince Georges County, MD (formerly Long Island, NY)
1,558 posts, read 2,710,287 times
Reputation: 1651
Quote:
Originally Posted by dman72
I do think the speed limit on most of the LIE should be bumped, but then enforced to within 5MPH of the limit.
Right now it appears that cops don't enforce anything over 70 under any circumstances, and sometimes it seems like 75 is the real limit.
East of exit 63 there's no reason the speed limit should be 70 mph and enforced.
If I receall correctly, the speed limit used to be 60MPH to exit 48, then 65MPH all the way to Riverhead. My understanding is that the limits were lowered because of the energy/fuel crisis, or something like that.
KEEPING IT MOVING: As early as 1961, "safe and reasonable" speeds along the Long Island Expressway were established at 50 MPH in Queens, 60 MPH in Nassau and 65 MPH in Suffolk (when it opened). Five years later, 40 MPH minimum-speed signs were posted along the expressway as part of a campaign to keep traffic moving. The 60 MPH and 65 MPH signs were replaced with 55 MPH signs in 1974.
In 1999, State Senator Owen Johnson (R-Babylon) and Assemblyman Robert Sweeney (D-Lindenhurst) introduced bills that would raise the speed limit on the Long Island Expressway to 65 MPH between EXIT 40 in Jericho and EXIT 73 in Riverhead. Johnson and Sweeney found support among upstate legislators who wanted to revert to the pre-1973 law, which set the state maximum freeway speeds at 65 MPH and let the NYSDOT determine these speeds. However, downstate legislators, led by Assembly Speaker Silver (D-Manhattan), held that the State Legislature, not the NYSDOT, determine speeds on each route segment. Despite qualified support from the LIA and the Automobile Club of New York for the new 65 MPH limit, the legislation was killed.
I dont want to hear about the safety of today's cars. That is only relevant when you have good drivers. As everyone knows Long Islanders are impatient, aggressive and dangerous drivers.
Keep the speed limit as it is and enforce it. That will save lives.
I must say, VERY good points. However, the problem is that the majority of folks driving do not possess the skills necessary to drive that fast safely. Someone who is hyper, running late, etc. will always speed. Then we have the others who are in no rush whatsover and will drive the posted limit, even in the passing lanes. Higher speed limits would lead to more carnage, especially on the parkways where one little slip and you're hitting the trees. The Northern State east of Exit 37, while scenic, is an extremely dangerous stretch of asphalt. Body parts are scattered amongst the foliage almost every weekend morning from someone who drank too much and made a mistake.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigjretrac
I'm saying a prayer that this thread remains constructive and doesn't turn into a war zone (there are two posters in mind...)
But some roads here on Long Island seem like they could use a bump in the speed limit (some requiring minor modifications):
The LIE from the Queens border to exit 38 should be 60MPH. Past Exit 38, it should be 65MPH. After you pass exit 46 (if not, 49), the limit could really be 70MPH.
I read online that the Northern State Parkway east of exit 37A was actually designed for 75MPH, so 65MPH is more than reasonable. I think they'd have to extend the acceleration/deceleration lanes, though. I'd also convert some tight exits into diamond interchanges to reduce high speed weaving.
The Wantagh Parkway should easily be 65MPH (just fix a couple of weaving spots, and extend the accel/decel lanes).
The Meadowbrook Parkway between exit M3 and M7 could also be 65MPH.
The Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway was designed to be an interstate (I-287 across the sound), so 65MPH shouldn't be a problem.
What do you guys think? Any others you can suggest?
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