Dangerous Curves Highway 11 from Kona to Naalehu at Night (places, driving)

[Grassyknoll]

brandxxx;61380270 I drive from Pahala to Kona at least 3 times per week, sometimes multiple times a day. Yes, I exceed the limit, but 35 Mph, seems a little too safe.

35 mph for much of the highway from Miloli'i to Kealakekua seems a bit restrictive. Particularly when you note that much of Ali'i Drive is rated at 30 and that road is right through a congested beach-strip with numerous joggers, bicyclists and tourists walking around cluelessly. About the only folks going anywhere near 35 on the Mamalahoa are tourists, who then raise the ire of locals when they have a huge line of cars stacked up behind them.
If the County isn't going to raise the speed limit on the Mamalahoa, they should at least put up better signage advertising the turnouts and passing lanes to encourage slow moving vehicles to allow others to pass.

[Salty Water]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

Perhaps writing in English will help the newbies with your cause.

Bingo. I was thing along those lines as well.

[Futuremauian]

Originally Posted by Salty Water

Bingo. I was thing along those lines as well.

Ditto.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by Grassyknoll

35 mph for much of the highway from Miloli'i to Kealakekua seems a bit restrictive. Particularly when you note that much of Ali'i Drive is rated at 30 and that road is right through a congested beach-strip with numerous joggers ...

I think it's sensible. Make the limit higher and people will go even faster. The primary hazard I see is for cars pulling onto the highway from residential access roads.

Ali'i drive should be 20 mph.

[prospectheightsresident]

Originally Posted by Arktikos

I think it's sensible. Make the limit higher and people will go even faster. The primary hazard I see is for cars pulling onto the highway from residential access roads.

Ali'i drive should be 20 mph.

Yes, but to what end? Reckless drivers are always going to be reckless, no matter what the speed limit is. It's like in NYC where the new standard/default has been 25MPH for a while now, yet the number of traffic deaths (many of them tied to speeding) have increased (with a few exceptions) each year since the city introduced its "Vision Zero" initiative.

It's well documented that cars driving above a certain speed limit that strike pedestrians are more likely to result in pedestrian death.

While vehicles driving 20MPH would overwhelmingly reduce pedestrian traffic fatalities, such a speed limit wouldn't actually stop people from driving above 20MPH. And pedestrian deaths are overwhelmingly caused by vehicles going significantly above 20MPH. Thus, I submit that many of these lower speed limits are feel-go measures that do nothing more than limit the speed of already safe drivers (e.g. those who would obey the limit whatever it was, and they would be just fine if the limit was 25 or 30MPH, etc.).

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by prospectheightsresident

While vehicles driving 20MPH would overwhelmingly reduce pedestrian traffic fatalities, such a speed limit wouldn't actually stop people from driving above 20MPH. And pedestrian deaths are overwhelmingly caused by vehicles going significantly above 20MPH.

That is the beauty of autonomous cars - they don't speed - and have faster reaction times than people.

[prospectheightsresident]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

That is the beauty of autonomous cars - they don't speed - and have faster reaction times than people.

Oh, I agree. The hysterical, FUD reports aside, autonomous and semi-autonomous driving has already proven to be extraordinarily more safe than traditional hands on wheel steering.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by prospectheightsresident

Yes, but to what end? Reckless drivers are always going to be reckless, no matter what the speed limit is. It's like in NYC where the new standard/default has been 25MPH for a while now, yet the number of traffic deaths (many of them tied to speeding) have increased (with a few exceptions) each year since the city introduced its "Vision Zero" initiative.

It's well documented that cars driving above a certain speed limit that strike pedestrians are more likely to result in pedestrian death.

While vehicles driving 20MPH would overwhelmingly reduce pedestrian traffic fatalities, such a speed limit wouldn't actually stop people from driving above 20MPH. And pedestrian deaths are overwhelmingly caused by vehicles going significantly above 20MPH. Thus, I submit that many of these lower speed limits are feel-go measures that do nothing more than limit the speed of already safe drivers (e.g. those who would obey the limit whatever it was, and they would be just fine if the limit was 25 or 30MPH, etc.).

Good drivers have accidents too. Sure, some people will exceed speed limit regardless of what it is, but the lower the limit the lower their top speed is likely to be. Penalties in Hawaii for speeding are fairly steep once you go over a certain number of MPH above limit.

It's not just about accidents either, quality of life is a consideration. Residents and visitors alike who are not driving should not be held hostage to the desires of motorists.

The extra noise and hectic pace resulting from higher speeds is undesirable for residential areas, or where a lot of foot traffic occurs such as Ali'i drive.

"Slow down, this ain't the mainland", says the bumper sticker. But perhaps mainlanders have taken over in numbers and it is the mainland now, I don't know.

[MickeyE]

It seems like most people everywhere (not just Hawaii) has forgotten what LIMIT means.

Here's the definition:

lim·it

/ˈlimit/

noun

• 1. a point or level beyond which something does not or may not extend or pass: "the limits of presidential power"
• â–ª the terminal point or boundary of an area or movement: "the city limits" Similar boundaryborderboundary lineboundOpposite center
• â–ª the furthest extent of one's physical or mental endurance: "Mary Ann tried everyone's patience to the limit" Similar utmostbreaking pointextremitygreatest extent
• 2. a restriction on the size or amount of something permissible or possible: "an age limit" Similar maximumceilinglimitationupper limitOpposite minimum
• â–ª a speed limit: "a 30 mph limit"
• â–ª (in card games) an agreed maximum stake or bet.
• â–ª the maximum concentration of alcohol in the blood that the law allows in the driver of a motor vehicle: "the risk of drinkers inadvertently going over the limit"
• 3. a point or value that a sequence, function, or sum of a series can be made to approach progressively, until it is as close to the point or value as desired.

Suppose there's a guy who thinks "65mph LIMIT - I can handle 15mph faster OK" so he increases his speed to 80mph.

Now also suppose he runs a $30,000 HAAS CNC Milling Machine at his job. This machine (like all CNC machines) has a LIMIT switch on each axis. Does he think "that LIMIT, like the speed LIMIT, is just a suggestion. I'll remove the LIMIT switches so I can drive the machine 15 inches past the "LIMIT"."

I don't think so because he would now own that broken machine due to the cost of repairs, downtime and loss of production.


It seems like a LIMIT means whatever you want it to mean depending on the situation!
But then what do I know.........


Mickey

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by MickeyE

It seems like most people everywhere (not just Hawaii) has forgotten what LIMIT means.

Here's the definition:

Suppose there's a guy who thinks "65mph LIMIT - I can handle 15mph faster OK" so he increases his speed to 80mph.

Now also suppose he runs a $30,000 HAAS CNC Milling Machine at his job. This machine (like all CNC machines) has a LIMIT switch on each axis. Does he think "that LIMIT, like the speed LIMIT, is just a suggestion. I'll remove the LIMIT switches so I can drive the machine 15 inches past the "LIMIT"."

I don't think so because he would now own that broken machine due to the cost of repairs, downtime and loss of production.


It seems like a LIMIT means whatever you want it to mean depending on the situation!
But then what do I know.........


Mickey

Well, what I suspect we can all agree on is that there are no LIMITS to homo sapiens stupidity … just sayin’