Wisconsin speed limit to 70? (Milwaukee, Green Bay: gated, living in, moving)

[CowsAndBeer]

Originally Posted by SmittyXCWRU

I'm from Ohio and live in Wisconsin. Making the drive back and forth every now and then, the drivers are pretty much the same on the freeway in every state along my trip except Illinois, which is in it's own category. In Illinois, the speed limits are absurd, people completely ignore them, and they actually have signs in some of their construction sites that simply say "obey speed limit" instead of lowering it any. In Wisconsin the norm seems to be about 67 in a 65, which is about what I'll do.

Ohio just increased its highway speed limit from 65 to 70 in the rural parts and there doesn't seem to have been a mad rush to do 90 instead of 80; mostly people just do 72 instead of 67.

The only driving quirk I've noticed is how courteous drivers have been. This is the only place I've lived where cars will regularly stop at green lights for me while I'm out running. Apart from that, Wisconsin doesn't seem to drive much differently than anyone else. And like everywhere else, they're fed up with those crazy drivers from ____ . Here it's Illinois whereas at home it was always the Michigan drivers. I imagine in Michigan they're probably all annoyed by those Ohio drivers. Some things never change.

My experience to a "T." The people above have some sort of weird axe to grind. Outside of Chicagoland, every state in the Upper Midwest has similar drivers. If anything, Wisconsin has the most passive and courteous. I'm not saying this is an advantage (it's a disadvantage for me, because I like driving faster like in Chicago traffic), but what you state above is the straight-up truth.

[HyperionGap]

I don't mind the max highway speed being 65, but whats the deal with areas of Milwaukee where it is only 55 or 50 mph? That's completely retarded and there's no reason it shouldn't maintain 65 all the way through. There are no sharp curves, steep hills, etc.

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by SmittyXCWRU

I'm from Ohio and live in Wisconsin. Making the drive back and forth every now and then, the drivers are pretty much the same on the freeway in every state along my trip except Illinois, which is in it's own category. In Illinois, the speed limits are absurd, people completely ignore them, and they actually have signs in some of their construction sites that simply say "obey speed limit" instead of lowering it any. In Wisconsin the norm seems to be about 67 in a 65, which is about what I'll do.

Ohio just increased its highway speed limit from 65 to 70 in the rural parts and there doesn't seem to have been a mad rush to do 90 instead of 80; mostly people just do 72 instead of 67.

The only driving quirk I've noticed is how courteous drivers have been. This is the only place I've lived where cars will regularly stop at green lights for me while I'm out running. Apart from that, Wisconsin doesn't seem to drive much differently than anyone else. And like everywhere else, they're fed up with those crazy drivers from ____ . Here it's Illinois whereas at home it was always the Michigan drivers. I imagine in Michigan they're probably all annoyed by those Ohio drivers. Some things never change.

How courteous other drivers have been? In what state, Wisconsin?! Wisconsinites are some of the most self-absorbed, passive-aggressive drivers that the highways have ever known. Rural 2 lanes and interstates aren't horrible, but anything in remotely populated areas in the southern part of the state, forget it.

Crosswalks in Wisconsin, are a complete joke. I don't even know why they bother to paint crosswalks or bother with signs, when drivers will do everything in their power to mow you down. If someone does stop, it usually results in a near rear end crash with screeching brakes and blasting horns. Go out west to California or Arizona, and people actually stop for them. The law is more or less the same in Wisconsin, it's the people who aren't. Even police will blow right through crosswalks with pedestrians walking in them. If you "force" a Wisconsin motorist to slow down while you are in a crosswalk, expect a horn and one-finger salute.

There is the famous rolling roadblock of ignoramus drivers, 3 abreast at 50mph.

Also, it's weird that Wisconsinites seem to have one range of speed. Have you ever heard of "everything's a dollar" stores? Well, Wisconsin is the "Everything's 50mph state". They'll go 50 in a 25, 50 in a 35, 50 in a 45, 50 in a 55 (moving to the left lane), and might tap it up to 60 in a 65, but that only if they are driving downhill with a 40 knot tailwind. And there aren't many hills.

Then there is the split personality disorder of Milwaukee to Illinois commuters. Here's how the usual morning commute goes. Get on highway (50mph until south of airport). Maybe bump up to 60. Faster than 60 is pure luck, because of all the people hosing up the highway with the rolling roadblock at 58. You can pass 100 cars (requiring passing on the right) on the way to Illinois, but in the first few miles of the Tri-State Tollway, those same 100 cars that were farting along at 58mph, will now suddenly decide that they want to go 95, and they will mow you down and expect you to move into the farthest right lane, because they can't be arsed to move to the left lane and pass all of those "high speed" Illinois drivers who are going 70 in a 55. The evening commute is just as bizarre. It's 85, 90, even a full blown 100mph all the way to the border, then suddenly... back to Wisconsin speed. In the left lane.

[CowsAndBeer]

^ You are completely clueless. Have you ever driven around the Midwest for comparison purposes? It's pretty much identical in every state across the region, except 1) way more chaotic in Chicagoland, and 2) Wisconsin holds drivers closer to the speed limit, so traffic averages lower speeds. I've been driving considerable miles around the region for coming up on 30 years, and you straight-up don't know what you're talking about.

HyperionGap, totally agree - when it's busy (rush hour, events) people can't go faster except in bursts anyway, and the rest of the time, there's no reason for it beyond Wisconsin's pathological efforts to hold everyone's speed to the absolute minimum regardless of conditions.

[HyperionGap]

Originally Posted by 43north87west

Crosswalks in Wisconsin, are a complete joke. I don't even know why they bother to paint crosswalks or bother with signs, when drivers will do everything in their power to mow you down. If someone does stop, it usually results in a near rear end crash with screeching brakes and blasting horns. Go out west to California or Arizona, and people actually stop for them. The law is more or less the same in Wisconsin, it's the people who aren't. Even police will blow right through crosswalks with pedestrians walking in them. If you "force" a Wisconsin motorist to slow down while you are in a crosswalk, expect a horn and one-finger salute.

This was definitely something I noticed when I first moved here. Many people think its scary to be a pedestrian in LA, but in Milwaukee I don't even expect people to stop and let me cross and if I'm lucky they will slow down if I'm already in the intersection.

[iNviNciBL3]

Originally Posted by 43north87west

There is the famous rolling roadblock of ignoramus drivers, 3 abreast at 50mph.

Also, it's weird that Wisconsinites seem to have one range of speed. Have you ever heard of "everything's a dollar" stores? Well, Wisconsin is the "Everything's 50mph state". They'll go 50 in a 25, 50 in a 35, 50 in a 45, 50 in a 55 (moving to the left lane), and might tap it up to 60 in a 65, but that only if they are driving downhill with a 40 knot tailwind. And there aren't many hills.

Idk about that, i remember somewhere on 94 i was going 75 in a 65 and people were flying past me. i probably had to kick it up to 85-90 to keep up with the flow.

[CowsAndBeer]

^ Dude simply has an axe to grind. Probably a Chicagoan who had to move across the border to afford a house and now he has a long commute through an "enemy" state.

[ram2]

Originally Posted by SmittyXCWRU

I'm from Ohio and live in Wisconsin. Making the drive back and forth every now and then, the drivers are pretty much the same on the freeway in every state along my trip except Illinois, which is in it's own category. In Illinois, the speed limits are absurd, people completely ignore them, and they actually have signs in some of their construction sites that simply say "obey speed limit" instead of lowering it any. In Wisconsin the norm seems to be about 67 in a 65, which is about what I'll do.

Ohio just increased its highway speed limit from 65 to 70 in the rural parts and there doesn't seem to have been a mad rush to do 90 instead of 80; mostly people just do 72 instead of 67.

The only driving quirk I've noticed is how courteous drivers have been. This is the only place I've lived where cars will regularly stop at green lights for me while I'm out running. Apart from that, Wisconsin doesn't seem to drive much differently than anyone else. And like everywhere else, they're fed up with those crazy drivers from ____ . Here it's Illinois whereas at home it was always the Michigan drivers. I imagine in Michigan they're probably all annoyed by those Ohio drivers. Some things never change.

When driving in Michigan, the Illinois drivers are afraid to go 70mph even thought it is legal.

[ram2]

Originally Posted by 43north87west

Also, it's weird that Wisconsinites seem to have one range of speed. Have you ever heard of "everything's a dollar" stores? Well, Wisconsin is the "Everything's 50mph state". They'll go 50 in a 25, 50 in a 35, 50 in a 45, 50 in a 55 (moving to the left lane), and might tap it up to 60 in a 65, but that only if they are driving downhill with a 40 knot tailwind. And there aren't many hills.

Ohio drivers are like that also. Buckeye drivers are afraid to go faster than 65 on a freeway, but when the freeway speed limit drops they continue to drive at whatever speed they were cruising at.

[CowsAndBeer]

Right, the differences between Midwestern drivers via state is unremarkable beyond driving in Chicagoland.