A Return to 55 MPH In Conn?

[drc72]

I haven't been to the Rhode Island shore in about 10 years. The last 3 times I went I got harrassed or followed by the cops because I have CT plates. It pissed me off so screw them, I won't be spending my money on Rhode Island anymore...

I hear it's even worse down south, when you drive threw with out of state plates.

You're probably right about that, but the solution is easy... EZ pass. I've had it for years and I just cruise right through all the tolls in NY. Even in rush hour, I'll wait maybe 1 or 2 min to get through the line while the Cash Only lines are backed up for 20-25 minutes.

Your right. EZ Pass is definitely the way to go, if the state goes back to using tolls.

[runawayjim]

A lot of small towns do that, revenue for them, and they have nothing better to do. Many places also love to ticket the out-of-staters, Rhode Island shore, Maine, and Vermont come to mind.....

maine is terrible for that... the RI shore, i don't blame them. think about narragansett for a bit... 9 months is URI students (many from out of state) and the other 3 months is tourists. none of them drive properly and they all think they own the roads...

as for CT highways, they need to enforce the speed limit better. people beotch about RI drivers, but CT drivers are more dangerous if you ask me. i have never felt unsafe on a RI highway, but in CT, i have drivers doing 80+ on both sides of me. drop the speed limit to 55, allow 10 mph of leeway, and actually enforce teh speed limit. raising it simply because it's what people do anyways was a dumb idea. on 95 east of old saybrook (sometimes sooner even) during the summer is dangerous at speeds above 65, especially on weekends.

[MadVlad]

Well, I do blame them. I used to go to the Rhode Island shore about 10 times a year, and now I haven't been in over 5 years. They lost me as a tourist due to their tactics.

[runawayjim]

Well, I do blame them. I used to go to the Rhode Island shore about 10 times a year, and now I haven't been in over 5 years. They lost me as a tourist due to their tactics.

you should take a trip down there on any given weekend in the summer (preferrably a nice one). driving around down there sucks because most of the tourists don't know where they're going, but they drive like a-holes anyways. it's that "get out of my way, i've got an SUV full of kids and nothing's gonna stop me" attitude. there are literally more NJ and NY plates than RI plates (CT plates aren't as common as the NJ and NY ones for some reason, what happened to the jersey shore?). i have since found a different beach to frequent because it's more off the beaten path, so there's fewer tourists.

[Recchia]

I won't go south/west of Narragansett to go to a beach in RI. Too many cops (pulling over RI plates too) and way too much traffic on inadequate roads.

[drc72]

maine is terrible for that... the RI shore, i don't blame them. think about narragansett for a bit... 9 months is URI students (many from out of state) and the other 3 months is tourists. none of them drive properly and they all think they own the roads...

as for CT highways, they need to enforce the speed limit better. people beotch about RI drivers, but CT drivers are more dangerous if you ask me. i have never felt unsafe on a RI highway, but in CT, i have drivers doing 80+ on both sides of me. drop the speed limit to 55, allow 10 mph of leeway, and actually enforce teh speed limit. raising it simply because it's what people do anyways was a dumb idea. on 95 east of old saybrook (sometimes sooner even) during the summer is dangerous at speeds above 65, especially on weekends.

Not to start anything here, but I actually find RI roads more dangerous than CT roads. I also disagree with you on reducing it to 55MPH. There is way to many long stretches of road here than can easily support 60 to 70MPH. 55MPH is way to slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!

[runawayjim]

Not to start anything here, but I actually find RI roads more dangerous than CT roads. I also disagree with you on reducing it to 55MPH. There is way to many long stretches of road here than can easily support 60 to 70MPH. 55MPH is way to slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!

i said drivers not roads. and you'd save a lot of gas keeping your speed between 55 and 65. i think that's the point behind this, not to keep people slow.

[MadVlad]

you should take a trip down there on any given weekend in the summer (preferrably a nice one). driving around down there sucks because most of the tourists don't know where they're going, but they drive like a-holes anyways. it's that "get out of my way, i've got an SUV full of kids and nothing's gonna stop me" attitude. there are literally more NJ and NY plates than RI plates (CT plates aren't as common as the NJ and NY ones for some reason, what happened to the jersey shore?). i have since found a different beach to frequent because it's more off the beaten path, so there's fewer tourists.

Trust me, I've been down there for many wekends in the summer. That's when I'd get pulled over. And no, i wasn't doing anything, maybe just keeping speed with the rest of the cars...

[drc72]

i said drivers not roads. and you'd save a lot of gas keeping your speed between 55 and 65. i think that's the point behind this, not to keep people slow.

Good luck keeping people in between that speed. A good majority of people still do 70MPH and higher in the 55MPH zones that we do have in state. It's just to slow for some highways, except for I95 in New Haven to the NY line. You'll be lucky if you do 50MPH during rush hour on I95.

[runawayjim]

Good luck keeping people in between that speed. A good majority of people still do 70MPH and higher in the 55MPH zones that we do have in state. It's just to slow for some highways, except for I95 in New Haven to the NY line. You'll be lucky if you do 50MPH during rush hour on I95.

well, it's not something that people will adapt to easily, but if enforced, i'm sure they will after a couple $200 tickets. it might be slower than what is safe on those roads, but it still saves a ton of gas.

[SOCOM]

Good luck keeping people in between that speed. A good majority of people still do 70MPH and higher in the 55MPH zones that we do have in state. It's just to slow for some highways, except for I95 in New Haven to the NY line. You'll be lucky if you do 50MPH during rush hour on I95.

drc makes a good point. I travel rt. 8 between Bridgeport and Waterbury at least twice a month. The posted speed limit is 55mph, but no one goes anywhere near 55mph. The right lane travels at about 65mph and the left lane is 70mph+. There are tons of people who go 80mph+ as well. Not just single guys either, soccer moms, business dads, you name it. I'm guilty as well, I usually do 75-85mph for that 30 mile stretch.

[runawayjim]

drc makes a good point. I travel rt. 8 between Bridgeport and Waterbury at least twice a month. The posted speed limit is 55mph, but no one goes anywhere near 55mph. The right lane travels at about 65mph and the left lane is 70mph+. There are tons of people who go 80mph+ as well. Not just single guys either, soccer moms, business dads, you name it. I'm guilty as well, I usually do 75-85mph for that 30 mile stretch.

and they all beotch when they get pulled over because "everyone else is speeding". i don't really have sympathy for those people... it's happened to me, and it'll happen to others as well... but i'm sure if people start getting tickets for breaking the law, they'll actually obey the limit.

[SOCOM]

and they all beotch when they get pulled over because "everyone else is speeding". i don't really have sympathy for those people... it's happened to me, and it'll happen to others as well... but i'm sure if people start getting tickets for breaking the law, they'll actually obey the limit.

I don't have any sympathy either. The law is the law. If you don't want a ticket, follow the speed limit, simple as that. I've gotten plenty of tickets (probably close to 20 for speeding in the 11 years I've had my license), so I know the consequences can hurt the old wallet pretty severly. However, I don't think lowering the speed limit will do anything to deter people from speeding. People speed whether it's a 55mph zone, 45mph construction zone, or 65mph zone. Saving gas is a good reason to slow down, but in the end everyone knows it doesn't save all that much - maybe a few hundred bucks at the end of the year. For most people, that's a drop in the bucket and hardly worth slowing down for. I know I would certainly slow down if I could save $1000 to $2000 per year.

As bad as CT drivers are, and I admit we are getting worse and worse, NYC area drivers are the worst on the planet. I'm a pretty aggressive driver, but on Long Island or in NYC I'm one of the more tame drivers in comparison. Everyone's always cutting the next person off.

[runawayjim]

I don't have any sympathy either. The law is the law. If you don't want a ticket, follow the speed limit, simple as that. I've gotten plenty of tickets (probably close to 20 for speeding in the 11 years I've had my license), so I know the consequences can hurt the old wallet pretty severly. However, I don't think lowering the speed limit will do anything to deter people from speeding. People speed whether it's a 55mph zone, 45mph construction zone, or 65mph zone. Saving gas is a good reason to slow down, but in the end everyone knows it doesn't save all that much - maybe a few hundred bucks at the end of the year. For most people, that's a drop in the bucket and hardly worth slowing down for. I know I would certainly slow down if I could save $1000 to $2000 per year.

As bad as CT drivers are, and I admit we are getting worse and worse, NYC area drivers are the worst on the planet. I'm a pretty aggressive driver, but on Long Island or in NYC I'm one of the more tame drivers in comparison. Everyone's always cutting the next person off.

if you do enough driving on the highway... going 60-65 instead of 75-80 can save you quite a bit of money. my gas mileage increases from between 25-28 mpg to 32+ mpg when i do this.

i frequently travel to philly from providence to visit my fiancee when she's in grad school. driving through the NYC metro area is the worst part of the drive. in fact, it sucks once i hit the new haven area and doesn't stop sucking until i get off the garden state onto the jersey turnpike (i take the tappan zee because we all know the GW is always busy during daylight hours).

[drc72]

well, it's not something that people will adapt to easily, but if enforced, i'm sure they will after a couple $200 tickets. it might be slower than what is safe on those roads, but it still saves a ton of gas.

That's the thing, state cops don't really enforce it. But your right, if the state cracked down and actually enforced the limit, you would probably see more people obeying the speed limit. Lowering the limit from 65 to 55MPH is not the answer. All in all CT state police are a little bit more forgiving than most other states. Does RI allow you to do 10MPH over the limit or are they pretty ticket happy if you do 70MPH in a 65MPH zone?

[runawayjim]

That's the thing, state cops don't really enforce it. But your right, if the state cracked down and actually enforced the limit, you would probably see more people obeying the speed limit. Lowering the limit from 65 to 55MPH is not the answer. All in all CT state police are a little more forgiving than most other states. Does RI allow you to do 10MPH over the limit or are they pretty ticket happy if you do 70MPH in a 65MPH zone?

i rarely see RI state cops on the highway... but i've passed them at 75.

in fact, in most states, you can do 10 mph over and not have a problem. the problem is when the 10 mph brings you over 70. at that point, it's questionable and usually arbitrarily up to the cop to pull you over. i know of people getting pulled over in CT for doing 68, for doing 73, for doing 76... and then stupid me for doing 81 (although the cars in front of me were all going faster, i just happened to be the lucky one at the end of the pack). CT cops were much stricter when they first increased the speed limit to 65, they were making their arbitrary max 70 instead of 75.

but i think all states in the area need to step up their enforcement of the limits, even if they keep people at 75 and below. i can't tell you how many people i see going well in excess of 75, especially in CT between RI and the thames river.

[drc72]

i rarely see RI state cops on the highway... but i've passed them at 75.

in fact, in most states, you can do 10 mph over and not have a problem. the problem is when the 10 mph brings you over 70. at that point, it's questionable and usually arbitrarily up to the cop to pull you over. i know of people getting pulled over in CT for doing 68, for doing 73, for doing 76... and then stupid me for doing 81 (although the cars in front of me were all going faster, i just happened to be the lucky one at the end of the pack). CT cops were much stricter when they first increased the speed limit to 65, they were making their arbitrary max 70 instead of 75.

but i think all states in the area need to step up their enforcement of the limits, even if they keep people at 75 and below. i can't tell you how many people i see going well in excess of 75, especially in CT between RI and the thames river.

I've passed cops at or below 70MPH and have never been pulled over. Although I am careful at the 75MPH mark, I have passed cops a few times at that speed and have not been pulled over. That's just after I realized that I already passed the cops at that speed.

[runawayjim]

I've passed cops at or below 70MPH and have never been pulled over. Although I am careful at the 75MPH mark, I have passed cops a few times at that speed and have not been pulled over. That's just after I realized that I already passed the cops at that speed.

i once was not paying attention and nearly passed a cop while i was doing 90. oops. he wasn't a speed trap and wasn't paying attention to me or i would've gotten pulled over.

it was early on when they enforced it more strictly... now they've basically said "screw it" and let people get away with much more. remember, i've only been in RI for 2.5 years... before that, i was in CT since birth.

[MadVlad]

Speeding is a BS charge anyways. It's a big song and dance to get revenue. I can see speeding is a problem if it's a school zone or a tight curve, but on straight-aways, 65 is crap.. The state feeds us this nonsense that anything over that is dangerous... whatever, I'm not buying it. They want to make money, and they use this ploy to do it. It's like prostitution, a victimless crime, set just to soak money out of people.

[runawayjim]

Speeding is a BS charge anyways. It's a big song and dance to get revenue. I can see speeding is a problem if it's a school zone or a tight curve, but on straight-aways, 65 is crap.. The state feeds us this nonsense that anything over that is dangerous... whatever, I'm not buying it. They want to make money, and they use this ploy to do it. It's like prostitution, a victimless crime, set just to soak money out of people.

there are speeds that are safe and speeds that are unsafe. people doing 75-80 on a straight-away might be safe if there's no turns, curves, hills, or chance of something stopping suddenly.

i was in a pretty severe accident because of someone who was blatantly disobeying the speed limit and not even travelling at the same speed of traffic. traffic was crawling on 95N in niantic (max we hit was 55) on easter sunday last year. cars all came to a pretty quick stop, the people that hit me were tryign to weave in and out at speeds greater than everyone else. had they been weaving at slower speeds, they wouldn't have hit me (they also pushed me into the car in front of them and because of it caused the person they cut off to hit them).

i don't consider speeds greater than 75 to be too safe anywhere in CT because you never know what's around the bend (there are very few very straight shots of highway in CT that are also flat and not in a dense area).

there are victims of speeding, people get into accidents because their cars can't react quickly enough because they're speeding. sometimes these accidents hurt other law-abiding citizens. those are the victims. you can't compare it to prostitution, i'm sorry.

[fivedayrental]

I just don't see 55 statewide. I usually 72-75 on 84 around Danbury, even through a 1 1/2 mile portion where the limit is 50 (between the eastbound 7 South exit, 7 northbound merging traffic and exit 4). I go alot faster than most people by about 10 mph but it doesn't really matter since I have never seen a cop on 84 in the 6 years I have been driving.

[MadVlad]

there are speeds that are safe and speeds that are unsafe. people doing 75-80 on a straight-away might be safe if there's no turns, curves, hills, or chance of something stopping suddenly.

i was in a pretty severe accident because of someone who was blatantly disobeying the speed limit and not even travelling at the same speed of traffic. traffic was crawling on 95N in niantic (max we hit was 55) on easter sunday last year. cars all came to a pretty quick stop, the people that hit me were tryign to weave in and out at speeds greater than everyone else. had they been weaving at slower speeds, they wouldn't have hit me (they also pushed me into the car in front of them and because of it caused the person they cut off to hit them).

i don't consider speeds greater than 75 to be too safe anywhere in CT because you never know what's around the bend (there are very few very straight shots of highway in CT that are also flat and not in a dense area).

there are victims of speeding, people get into accidents because their cars can't react quickly enough because they're speeding. sometimes these accidents hurt other law-abiding citizens. those are the victims. you can't compare it to prostitution, i'm sorry.

Well, that's different, in that case, that reeks of reckless driving to me. I'm certainly not advocating going 80 mph, but in normal circumsatnces, going 80 on a regular highway is no big deal.

[drc72]

Well, that's different, in that case, that reeks of reckless driving to me. I'm certainly not advocating going 80 mph, but in normal circumsatnces, going 80 on a regular highway is no big deal.

I have to agree, doing 80MPH on some CT highways makes for a great cruising speed. There's no reason why CT couldn't have a 75MPH speed limit on certain highways. The Merit parkway can easily support a 65MPH speed limit. I rarely ever see people doing 55MPH there anyways, and I usually get passed easily doing 70MPH on the Merit. I laugh everytime I see the 55MPH sign.

[runawayjim]

I have to agree, doing 80MPH on some CT highways makes for a great cruising speed. There's no reason why CT couldn't have a 75MPH speed limit on certain highways. The Merit parkway can easily support a 65MPH speed limit. I rarely ever see people doing 55MPH there anyways. I usually get passed easily doing 70MPH on the Merit. I laugh everytime I see the 55MPH sign.

ok, that's where i disagree... the merritt cannot support 65 most of the time. at night and other low traffic times, maybe, but most of the time, no. the lanes on the merritt are much more narrow than on 95 and the road is really curvy with very few straight-aways.

[drc72]

ok, that's where i disagree... the merritt cannot support 65 most of the time. at night and other low traffic times, maybe, but most of the time, no. the lanes on the merritt are much more narrow than on 95 and the road is really curvy with very few straight-aways.

The curvey areas are more towards the NY state line, and it would probably best to leave it at 55MPH on that stretch of highway.