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Should speed limit be 70?
Jan. 12, 2012
Written by Paul E. Kostyu
A Southwest Ohio lawmaker wants to raise the speed limit on Ohio’s interstate highways to 70 miles an hour – five miles above the current limit. A similar 2009 attempt by other lawmakers never got out of the parking lot. But the bill by Rep. Ron Maag, R-Salem Township, may move farther down the road. That’s because the Ohio Turnpike – run independently – raised its speed limit to 70 mph.
Mister Shifter
Lewis Center
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YES, PLEASE!
Mister Shifter
Lewis Center
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I travel to Michigan often for work. Every time when I cross back into Ohio a little part inside me groans.
bjones7
Worthington Ohio
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So if it's posted to 70, then we can legally drive 75/78ish? Seeing that cops do not stop people going 70 usually. Well that works for me.
@Rus Parts out west are 75mph. Also in Texas U.S routes and most county/state roads are 70. Yet both places have a lot more space!
rus
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bjones7 said:
So if it's posted to 70, then we can legally drive 75/78ish? Seeing that cops do not stop people going 70 usually. Well that works for me.@Rus Parts out west are 75mph. Also in Texas U.S routes and most county/state roads are 70. Yet both places have a lot more space!
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manticore33
Delaware, OH
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YES! However, better still of Ohio instituted its own Autobahn. It'd bring out of town people. I have two cars capable of over 155mph and want to bury the needle.
Yeti22
Village
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Autobahn is the same as saying freeway.
It is a great system, but I think it would fail in Ohio. In Germany the drivers are educated on how to drive properly and they are considerate of other drivers. The left lane is for passing only. Until there is a change in the US driving culture every speed is dangerous.
I hit 160mph once on the A6. It didn't feel dangerous. 80mph on I-70 is frightening at times. Too many bad drivers pop out infront of you at 60mph.
turnedNOTburned
Grandview/Columbus, Ohio
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Dunno, are the extra minutes you'll save driving across the state worth the 5-8% loss in mileage? Factor in safety, accident rates, and I bet it's diminishing returns. http://mpgforspeed.com/ There's got to be some solid data out there....
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Yeti22 said:
Autobahn is the same as saying freeway.It is a great system, but I think it would fail in Ohio. In Germany the drivers are educated on how to drive properly and they are considerate of other drivers. The left lane is for passing only. Until there is a change in the US driving culture every speed is dangerous.
I hit 160mph once on the A6. It didn't feel dangerous. 80mph on I-70 is frightening at times. Too many bad drivers pop out infront of you at 60mph.
So which comes first then... the chicken or the egg?
GCrites80s
5xNW
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In the State of Ohio, it is not illegal to camp out in the left lane. That's not true in many other states, including West Virginia which has been 70 for years despite its more challenging roadways. They should institute a left-lane law when they do this.
Doing away with the split speed limit for truckers certainly helped traffic flow considerably on our rural Interstates and cut down on rage.
CooperGuy
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turnedNOTburned said:
Dunno, are the extra minutes you'll save driving across the state worth the 5-8% loss in mileage? Factor in safety, accident rates, and I bet it's diminishing returns. http://mpgforspeed.com/ There's got to be some solid data out there....
Apparently there is some data...
The Ohio Turnpike says six traffic fatalities last year made it the safest full year in the toll road’s history. The safety mark came as the 241-mile turnpike raised the speed limit to 70 mph last year. The traffic death toll was seven in 2010.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/01/10/ohio-turnpike-safest-year-ever.html
Analogue Kid
5th by West-Northwest
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Fully support 70 mph. We're surrounded on all sides (except PA) by states with 70 mph limits. Ohio actually had a 70 mph limit prior to 1974, when the national maximum speed limit law went into effect. Interstate highways are almost universally designed for a 70 mph speed as well.
One caveat is I'd rather not see 70 mph within the outer belt and in similar locations in other Ohio cities. Just on the rural stretches.
GCrites80s
5xNW
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CooperGuy said:
Yes. But only if they up the minimum legal speed by the same.
70 is a harder speed for old people and jalopies to maintain, so instituting a minimum speed law will push these drivers to the paralleling U.S. routes and out of the way of those in a hurry. The only issue for them is when the Interstate replaced the old alignment of the U.S. route or the U.S. route was abandoned when it was multiplexed with the Interstate.
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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Actually, taking the old routes can be sweet sometimes. More than once I've dodged huge backups on I-70 in Ohio and Indiana by jumping over to Rt. 40. Plus if you're not in a hurry you can check out the towns as you pass through - you tend to get a lot of county seats so you can review a lot of courthouses.
Once in a while you get a wide open stretch where you can open it up if you want. Rt. 42 outside of West Jefferson is like that, very open and empty.
GCrites80s
5xNW
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Indeed, it's way more fun to take the older routes if you've got the time.
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