🚀 go-pugleaf

Scott M. Kozel wrote in message <36C650BA.2A2B@richmond.infi.net>...
>"Douglas A. Willinger" <dougwill@idt.net> wrote:
>>
>> Scott M. Kozel wrote in message <36C637AC.276A@richmond.infi.net>...
>> >cpatz@ibm.net (C. P. Zilliacus) wrote:
>>
>> >The 22-mile Virginia side was 65 mph, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge was 60
>> >mph, the 30 miles from MD 210 Indian Head Highway to MD 97 Georgia
>> >Avenue was 70 mph, the winding section through Rock Creek Park was 50
>> >mph, and thence to the Cabin John Bridge and across to Virginia was 60
>> >mph.  These speed limits seemed to match the design speed of the
>> >highway, based on horizontal and vertical curvature, and stopping sight
>> >distance.
>>
>> As well as the average vehicle of the time, some one third of a century
ago-
>> given the advancements automobiles in general regarding their tires.
brakes
>> and suspensions.  Up to a certain point of traffic density, you can add
5-15
>> mph to the above pre-1973/4 speeds, as attested by the 60-70 mph traffic
>> speeds along the curvy sections of the Capital Beltway between Georgia
>> Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue, and 65-80 mph elsewhere.
>
>Yes, but traffic volumes on the Beltway have tripled since then.  It now
>carries volumes ranging from 190,000 to 225,000 vehicles per day.

Has not the Beltway also been widened during this time, though admittingly
not being tripled in capacity?

>Hence, a 55 to 60 mph speed limit today is appropriate.

55 or 60 mph may be a perfectly appropriate speed upon the Beltway, even in
the far left hand lane under certain traffic conditions; indeed the
appropriate speed may be even lower, again, due to due to traffic/weather
conditions.   If for instance I enter the Beltway eastbound from Rt. 355
south at 4:30 PM on a weekday (an especially dreadful ramp insofar that one
can not see the traffic conditions upon the eastbound Beltway before being
committed to entering it) and encounter heavy traffic flowing at say 35 mph,
than 35 mph is about the speed limit for those conditions to hold to.

However, is placing a set speed limit lower than what is appropriate under
better conditions involving the average car and driver, and to enforce it
when such faster speeds are appropriate for such, and not involving
tailgating, weaving, or even a speed differential of more than 5-10 mph an
appropriate policy?  Should someone be ticketed for say 65-70 mph in light
traffic density on any portion of the Beltway involving none of these
offenses, especially when we consider that anyone foolish enough to drive 70
mph (or any speed relative to the conditions) when a lower speed is
appropriate would probably be committing a host of violations, such as
tailgating, weaving/unsafe lane changes?  Indeed, does not setting the limit
below the speed at which the vast majority of people drive safely divert
valuable law enforcement resources AWAY from targeting tailgating,
weaving/unsafe lane changes, let alone the inefficencies of "clustering"
promoted by such conservative speed laws?  (Indeed how many tickets on
limited access divided highways are written for tailgating, unsafe lane
changes, etc. are written, reletive to the number of tickets for
"speeding"?)  Is not a posted speed limit the limit for optimum conditions-
thus it is illegal to drive more than 55 or 60 mph in a 65 or 70 mph speed
limit posted zone if driving over 55 or 60 mph is unsafe for the conditions
involved?

Of course, one must also ask, if it also wise policy to continually ignore
the most needed roads directly relevant to why the Beltway is so overloaded,
namely the utter lack of a comprehensive highway network for Washington,
D.C.?

Douglas A. Willinger
Takoma Park Highway Design Studio