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If reducing speed is really desired, there are other ways: - make roads narrower (either by optical illusion with narrower painted lanes or physically) - redu

by athenot 10y ago

If reducing speed is really desired, there are other ways: - make roads narrower (either by optical illusion with narrower painted lanes or physically) - reduce stretches of straight road: traffic circles are great at breaking up a straight line - remove all straight lines from highways, making them perpetually in a slight curve. This is something that has been done in many place in Europe for newer highways. This breaks up the monotony of being on a straight stretch of highway and therefore feeling the need to drive faster. As an example, notice the slight curves in the limited access highway (A5) and compare to the 2-lane road that runs parallel to it (D605) in segments of straight lines: https://www.google.com/maps/place/A5,+France/@48.4802471,2.7953364,12z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x47ee948c507acd09:0x3c978e6c3b47deb9!8m2!3d48.2729269!4d3.8765452 https://www.google.com/maps/place/A5,+France/@48.4802471,2.7...

wffurr 10y ago
The bottom line of the article gets it totally backwards: "Raise speed limits, make roads safer." It should really be "design roads for lower speeds, make roads safer".
- loeg 10y ago
  They aren't mutually exclusive. Existing roads are wide and straight and have too-low speed limits. Revamping them to be lower speed roads takes more money than just fixing the sign.
wvenable 10y ago
Reducing accidents, injuries, and fatalities are is what really desired -- not reducing speed. This seems to be an argument for making roads more dangerous because people slow down when things are dangerous. The government recently increased the speed limit on a long highway I take a few times a year. Honestly a lot of people were driving at or below the limit and I felt no reason to speed. The highway also seemed to move better and felt a lot safer with fewer lane changes needed.
zip1234 10y ago
+1 for narrow roads. By my house there are suuuper wide roads with no houses on them, but 3-4 turn-offs into subdivisions. The roads have 20ft on either side of them that is mowed grass and huge shoulders. The subdivisions usually have turn lanes into them. Everyone goes 55-60 because the road is designed that way. The actual speed limit: 40. Lesson: Design the road for the speed limit that is intended.
- mason240 10y ago
  Actual lesson: Post the speed limit the road was designed for.
tunesmith 10y ago
This is what made the article a maddening experience to read, for me. Thankfully the article called out to these practices just a smidge at the very end. But it seems wrongheaded to focus on 85/15 out of safety, in areas where the safety concerns are for surrounding property, bikers, and pedestrians. I'd love to see more emphasis on designing roads for intended speed limits.

by athenot 10y ago

wffurr 10y ago

The bottom line of the article gets it totally backwards: "Raise speed limits, make roads safer." It should really be "design roads for lower speeds, make roads safer".

loeg 10y ago
They aren't mutually exclusive. Existing roads are wide and straight and have too-low speed limits. Revamping them to be lower speed roads takes more money than just fixing the sign.

wvenable 10y ago

Reducing accidents, injuries, and fatalities are is what really desired -- not reducing speed. This seems to be an argument for making roads more dangerous because people slow down when things are dangerous. The government recently increased the speed limit on a long highway I take a few times a year. Honestly a lot of people were driving at or below the limit and I felt no reason to speed. The highway also seemed to move better and felt a lot safer with fewer lane changes needed.

zip1234 10y ago

+1 for narrow roads. By my house there are suuuper wide roads with no houses on them, but 3-4 turn-offs into subdivisions. The roads have 20ft on either side of them that is mowed grass and huge shoulders. The subdivisions usually have turn lanes into them. Everyone goes 55-60 because the road is designed that way. The actual speed limit: 40. Lesson: Design the road for the speed limit that is intended.

mason240 10y ago
Actual lesson: Post the speed limit the road was designed for.

tunesmith 10y ago

This is what made the article a maddening experience to read, for me. Thankfully the article called out to these practices just a smidge at the very end. But it seems wrongheaded to focus on 85/15 out of safety, in areas where the safety concerns are for surrounding property, bikers, and pedestrians. I'd love to see more emphasis on designing roads for intended speed limits.