Should I-17 speed limit be raised to 60 MPH? (Black Canyon City: tax, moving)

[sunluv]

Obviously the higher the posted speed, the greater the individual and collective risk. Doesn't matter that some here have not had accidents-yet. Using your experience at whizzing through traffic at high speeds as a basis for increasing the limit isn't a compelling argument at all. Quite the contrary. Drivers speed sufficently on all highways already, and more of that isn't a wise choice.

17 as currently configured has the correct speed limit, factoring in the narrowness and curvatures as well as the extra 10 or so mph many add to the limit.

I could care less if some know alls here claim they regularly do 75 and believe that they are great drivers. An immutable truth in physics is that margins for error are invariably and greatly diminished at higher speeds and their luck could change tomorrow.

FYI I drive on the faster side but under control, and know better than to push the envelope any further.

[swbrotha100]

Originally Posted by CodyW

As far as I know, the speed limit on all freeways in the valley is 65, except where it is unsafe to do so.

The areas that are 55, to my knowledge, are:

I-17 from Cactus Rd and south - Lanes are narrower than on other valley freeways, high traffic volume.

AZ-51 from the mini stack to Glendale - The 51 started out as a project managed by the city of Phoenix, and the oldest stretch of this road suffers from narrower lanes, much like the 17 does.

I-10 through the bends around downtown and the airport - Simply for safety reasons. These curves are rather sharp and heavily traveled.


I'm probably missing a very, but overall ADOT has done a good job of posting 65 MPH speed limits throughout the valley, where it is safe to do so.

All of I-10 in the valley (excluding construction zones) is now 65 mph.

[CodyW]

Originally Posted by swbrotha100

All of I-10 in the valley (excluding construction zones) is now 65 mph.

You sure? I believe I remember the yellow 55 MPH caution signs through the turns on my last trip to the airport a couple of weeks ago.

[swbrotha100]

The yellow signs are advisory signs, not speed limit signs. I-10 had the speed limit raised at about the same time that all of Loop 202 was bumped up to 65. I used to drive in this area almost every day the last 3 years.

Some video proof (back in 2010, the freeway photo radar is long gone now):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHP82...yer_detailpage

[locolobo13]

Originally Posted by sunluv

Obviously the higher the posted speed, the greater the individual and collective risk. Doesn't matter that some here have not had accidents-yet. Using your experience at whizzing through traffic at high speeds as a basis for increasing the limit isn't a compelling argument at all. Quite the contrary. Drivers speed sufficently on all highways already, and more of that isn't a wise choice.

Using the same reasoning we should set all highway speed limits to 50mph. That would get us into the an optimum fuel saving speed and be really slow.

[sunluv]

Originally Posted by locolobo13

Using the same reasoning we should set all highway speed limits to 50mph. That would get us into the an optimum fuel saving speed and be really slow.

lol that's it, use an extreme unreasonable example to unsuccessfully try to make a point. fail

There will always have to be a balance between slower (safety) and practicality (faster). We're already at a good balance, which is in fact already slightly skewed towards too fast. Cars go plenty fast on the freeways here already.

In fact one of the things I and others have noticed is the artificial, self-imposed sense of rushing and urgency so many drivers here have, both on local and freeway. Which increases risk substantially and saves what, 2-4 minutes getting somewhere? Mindless

[Sunni2012]

when i was in AZ a month ago..it seemed everyone drove careful. Most seemed to be driving the speed limit ...but im used to MA driving and its 65 highway and most if not all are doing 80 plus aggresively. AZ was much more laid back

agreed no reason to raise the speed limit, usually the speed limit also reflects getting the best mpg

[locolobo13]

Originally Posted by sunluv

lol that's it, use an extreme unreasonable example to unsuccessfully try to make a point. fail

There will always have to be a balance between slower (safety) and practicality (faster). We're already at a good balance, which is in fact already slightly skewed towards too fast. Cars go plenty fast on the freeways here already.

In fact one of the things I and others have noticed is the artificial, self-imposed sense of rushing and urgency so many drivers here have, both on local and freeway. Which increases risk substantially and saves what, 2-4 minutes getting somewhere? Mindless

50 mph isn't slow. It is almost 75 feet per second. It is only slow in the context of our modern freeways. In a 10 hr day you can cover 500 mi. What more do you want?

Nor is it an extreme example. Once upon a time I did drive my vehicle at 50 to save gas and money. I'm talking driving between cities at 50 not just a short jaunt. But in reality 50 mph would only be safer if everybody drove at or near that speed.

BTW: I still think 65 would be fine along I17 in town. I realize I'm in the minority here but my opinion hasn't changed.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by sunluv

There will always have to be a balance between slower (safety) and practicality (faster). We're already at a good balance, which is in fact already slightly skewed towards too fast. Cars go plenty fast on the freeways here already.

That's a matter of opinion, and a lot of it depends on where you're from. Many from the Midwest will claim Phoenix drivers are too fast and aggressive ... but somebody from New York might say we're mellow, laid back, and courteous. Californians tend to think we drive too slowly here.

Originally Posted by sunluv

In fact one of the things I and others have noticed is the artificial, self-imposed sense of rushing and urgency so many drivers here have, both on local and freeway. Which increases risk substantially and saves what, 2-4 minutes getting somewhere? Mindless

Two to four minutes could be a matter of life or death for somebody who has to rush a loved one to the hospital, or hurry home for an emergency, or be on time for work. What business is it of yours anyway if somebody is in a hurry? If you're on a freeway & think people are driving too fast, you need to be in the far right lane because that would make you a slower driver ... and Arizona law states that slower traffic must keep to the right. I tend to agree that driving fast on surface streets carries a higher risk for unsafe travel ... however, freeways were designed for faster speeds, and those who refuse to keep up with the pace are the unsafe ones & are putting themselves at a higher risk for accidents.

[swbrotha100]

On the Arizona DOT website, there are plans to widen I-17 south of Loop 101. If/when that ever happens, the speed limit may be posted at 65 mph.