Possible 80mph speed limit in Arizona

[M. Brown]

Right hurr

[Allan]

I wish we had an 80 mph speed limit. In Michigan it's only 70, although I find myself going 80-90 most of the time.

[M. Brown]

Seriously. In AZ there should be no speed limit at all.

[Brickell]

would it make that much of a difference?

80 is close to the de facto speed limit in most of florida's major roads. would people go 90 if the limit was 80? Perhaps, but I think 80 is a natural upper limit for most people.

[Fruit Cove]

there is a city in arizona called phoenix, i dont think 80 would be too good for their speed limit.

[M. Brown]

^of course they wouldnt have 80 in the urban parts of the state.

[colin]

The law dictates that speed limits must be how fast 80% of the drivers are going.

Although I like the law, it's a little misleading. Safety concerns will keep them from raising the speed limit on many of the interstates, and the highways will remain the same.

The stretch of road mentioned in the article, I-10 between Tucson and Phoenix, is packed on the weekends, and there is currently a plan to widen it to six lanes. Construction has been going on for several months now to widen it from Cortaro Road (where the third lane now drops off) to the Pinal County line. It's dangerous already with the amount of 18-wheelers on this stretch of road that, when confronted with a slow-moving vehicle, have to pass, and are quickly swarmed with drivers behind them following as closely as possible. As Calexico says: "The line's getting long on the lost highway"

I-8 is a different story. That is a desolate, boring road with little traffic and almost no towns that should have a 80 or 85 speed limit. I've never gone below 85 on it on trips to Yuma and am usually passed by a few people along the way (only a few because there's just no one to pass you). It's also rarely patrolled, as opposed to I-10 between Tucson and Phoenix, where there's always at least one highway patrol trooper on the 100-mile stretch.

I-17 would also probably not go up because of its blind curves and steep grades. It's currently 75 for much of the route to Flagstaff, but I've found it hard to go that fast for much of it, especially when you have to stay left because of trucks moving at 55 because of the hills.

I-40 also shouldn't go up because of the amount of traffic along it. They've had to install truck lanes at two places (near Kingman, and I think near Winslow) because of the volumes, and I just don't see a 80 or 85 speed limit helping anything but an increase in accidents.

This is just a ploy to please a few yokels who aren't thinking of the adverse effects on an election year (Napolitano, the gov., is up soon). Just like Prop. 200 (fines and jailtime for government employees who provide services to illegal immigrants without first asking for ID) the reality wasn't really thought through with the legislation, which just seems to be a legacy here in AZ. The cowboy mentality still perserveres I suppose.

JMHO