Here is the link (unfortunately you need to provide 'information- zip code, sex, age) to see the article, but it can be faked)
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepu...t24-speed.html
Speed limit changes on Tempe's radar
Mar. 23, 2005 11:36 PM
To hack apart a perfectly good Sammy Hagar song, you "can't drive 55" on city streets.
But if some of the proposed speed limit changes get past the Tempe City Council tonight, you won't be able to drive 45 mph, either.
The council will consider three plans to homogenize and lower speed limits on major city streets. Two would affect a few stretches of road around the city. A third would lower all limits near downtown to 35 mph and the rest around the city to 40 mph. advertisement
It's fine to simplify speed limits, but lowering them fights the ingrained Valley habit of driving 45 mph.
Before everyone freaks out about safety, this proposal has nothing to do with narrow roads in neighborhoods. We're talking about the major traffic arteries through our community that are flat, straight and, for the most part, six lanes.
You know, the ones most people cruise along at 45 mph.
The most traveled roads in Tempe carry cars to Phoenix and other East Valley municipalities. Slowing down these folks probably won't improve long waits in traffic.
Furthermore, inattentive drivers in slowed or stopped traffic cause most of Tempe's wrecks, not those who are flying above the speed limit.
Which means there is little public safety justification to lower speed limits.
If the purpose were truly to make streets consistent, you would think the proposal would be to make all major streets 45 mph, excluding school zones, of course. That's the common limit in municipalities that adjoin Tempe.
True, Tempe has a focus on pedestrian travel, and high-density urban development may necessitate some lower limits in the future. But not now.
We hope the council listens to Sammy, or rather, the poor paraphrase of his song. It's going to cost too much in education and enforcement to get people to drive slower than 45.
I think it would be great to have lower speed limits. Contrary to the editorial, when speed limits are 45mph, everyone is driving 50-55mph, there is no ingrained habit of 45mph - the ingraned habit is get from one light to the next as fast you can to beat the next guy to the front of the line, and while your at it run the light since you are already going so fast. Also these 'major traffic' arteries are on a 1 mile grid and are the only way to to get around outside of those 1mi blocks, so bicycles can't only stick to the 'residential' streets. And if one want to go longer distances like to a different city or across town, one can easily jump on one of many of the freeways in the city which are never more than several miles from one of these 'major arteries'.
I like the last quote "It's going to cost too much in education and enforcement to get people to drive slower than 45." considering that very few folks do drive slower than 45mph as it is today.
Al