What the Fark 4: It's not unusual to be strange anymore

[Jimjamesak]

That's cruising speed for the Illinois Tollway. You need to speed up if you want to pass.

I could do 85 on I-5 from Olympia to Vancouver without even anyone blinking at me.

[Twitch Boy]

Re: What the Fark 4: It's not unusual to be strange anymore

I back off at 80, if only because the MX-5 is pulling 4000 RPM in top gear at that speed (5-speed, no overdrive gear.)

If I hit 80 in the Wrangler it's off a cliff.

Plus Colorado drivers are all doing 10 under and forming rolling roadblocks with semis.

[Kepler]

Re: What the Fark 4: It's not unusual to be strange anymore

Submitted with no comment.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: What the Fark 4: It's not unusual to be strange anymore

Didn’t realize how fast she was going my ****ing ***. At about 85 I get the, “oh crap I’m going too fast felling.”

I beg to differ, as some people (a late great-aunt comes to mind in her later years) don't have that sort of perception.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: What the Fark 4: It's not unusual to be strange anymore

I briefly pushed 100 on a long, flat stretch of unsigned back road in Keweenaw County once or twice, in my younger, slightly dumber years. I also did Brockway Mountain Drive (lots of ups/downs/curves, with a pretty sheer drop-off to the left) in the 55-60 range. That was enough. And I didn't even do it in a flashy, RWD sports car!

Did the same in Montana once, just to see if I could actually get it up that high. With some of those speed limits y'all have out west, I'm shocked people would even want to go above that. Heck, I remember passing people in South Dakota going the limit when it was 75.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: What the Fark 4: It's not unusual to be strange anymore

I’m actually of the mind we should open up the highway system like the autobahn and do dynamic speed limits. Grossly over-enforce the “stay out of the left lane” rules.

At least between the major cities.

I'd be cool with that. Some of these left lane hogs around here are terrible.

[joecct]

I'd be cool with that. Some of these left lane hogs around here are terrible.

Driving I95 between Delaware and Baltimore the far right lane is frequently the fastest.

[Kepler]

Re: What the Fark 4: It's not unusual to be strange anymore

Driving I95 between Delaware and Baltimore the far right lane is frequently the fastest.

The break down lane?

I hate I-95.

[joecct]

The break down lane?

I hate I-95.

Well, it could be if you dodged the debris and didn't mind the rumble strip.

I95 is a necessary evil for us on the East Coast. Kudos to NJ for widening the turnpike from Exit 6 to Exit 9.

CT Turnpike needs to be nuked.

[Kepler]

Re: What the Fark 4: It's not unusual to be strange anymore

Well, it could be if you dodged the debris and didn't mind the rumble strip.

I95 is a necessary evil for us on the East Coast. Kudos to NJ for widening the turnpike from Exit 6 to Exit 9.

CT Turnpike needs to be nuked.

CT has the Hutch -- prettiest highway on the Eastern seaboard (though an East Coast 8 is a West Coast 3).

I-95 is hell on earth. The only thing I've seen remotely as bad is the QEW. F-cking Canadians at rush hour -- they drive with the patience of New Yorkers and the ability of New Englanders.

[joecct]

CT has the Hutch -- prettiest highway on the Eastern seaboard (though an East Coast 8 is a West Coast 3).

I-95 is hell on earth. The only thing I've seen remotely as bad is the QEW. F-cking Canadians at rush hour -- they drive with the patience of New Yorkers and the ability of New Englanders.

Slight correction - NY has the Hutch. CT has the Merritt and Wilbur Cross. It needs to be 1 lane wider.

If I'm headed to Mass., it's the Merritt. If I'm headed to Providence, it's I95.

[Kepler]

Re: What the Fark 4: It's not unusual to be strange anymore

Slight correction - NY has the Hutch. CT has the Merritt and Wilbur Cross. It needs to be 1 lane wider.

If I'm headed to Mass., it's the Merritt. If I'm headed to Providence, it's I95.

Does the Hutch become the Merrit at the NY/CT border? If so, I should remember that.

The Taconic is pretty, too. I saw a severed dog's head on the Taconic stuck on a post on the median at 1 in the morning driving up to Albany with a girlfriend in 1988. I drove on for 5 minutes in silence and then said "did you s--" and she said "yep" and then we didn't speak again for over an hour.

[aparch]

I’m actually of the mind we should open up the highway system like the autobahn and do dynamic speed limits. Grossly over-enforce the “stay out of the left lane” rules.

At least between the major cities.

I missed this earlier. Michigan actually adjusted some stretched of their speed limits based on 85th percentile testing. They radar'd traffic in the rural expressways and trunkline highways and gave yes or no approval to raise the speed limits to 75 MPH on expressways and 65 on rural state and US highways.

Funny thing is a heavily traffic'd corridor in the Central UP did not see their speed limits bumped (when, they likely should have) due to (in my opinion) the heavy semi-truck traffic actually behaving closer to the speed limit throughout those stretches of highway.



I believe the Illinois Tollway and IDOT also performed some form of 85th percentile testing when deciding to raise their speed limits, but they only bumped it to 70 on rural expressways. ISTHA has an extensive camera/traffic monitoring system on stretches of I-90, 294, 355, and 88 that already gathers traffic speeds without the need for specialized radaring.

[Kepler]

Re: What the Fark 4: It's not unusual to be strange anymore

I missed this earlier. Michigan actually adjusted some stretched of their speed limits based on 85th percentile testing. They radar'd traffic in the rural expressways and trunkline highways and gave yes or no approval to raise the speed limits to 75 MPH on expressways and 65 on rural state and US highways.

Funny thing is a heavily traffic'd corridor in the Central UP did not see their speed limits bumped (when, they likely should have) due to (in my opinion) the heavy semi-truck traffic actually behaving closer to the speed limit throughout those stretches of highway.



I believe the Illinois Tollway and IDOT also performed some form of 85th percentile testing when deciding to raise their speed limits, but they only bumped it to 70 on rural expressways. ISTHA has an extensive camera/traffic monitoring system on stretches of I-90, 294, 355, and 88 that already gathers traffic speeds without the need for specialized radaring.

IINM, AZ, NV and WY have all done this and some of the speed increases have been pretty steep. I'm not sure if there are actual posted 75s anywhere in the west but if there are they are in places like this in NV:



High desert straight climbs are even more stunning than the famous flat straights in CA and AZ because the horizon runs much farther.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: What the Fark 4: It's not unusual to be strange anymore

IINM, AZ, NV and WY have all done this and some of the speed increases have been pretty steep. I'm not sure if there are actual posted 75s anywhere in the west but if there are they are in places like this in NV:



High desert straight climbs are even more stunning than the famous flat straights in CA and AZ because the horizon runs much farther.

There is 80 MPH signage on parts of I-15 in southern Utah. No posted limits in most of northern AZ on the route to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I rented a Camaro convertible for that trip, and it was great.