Dave wrote on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:05:47 -0500:

> blake murphy wrote:
>> On Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:23:04 GMT, James Silverton wrote:
>>
>>> MG wrote on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:51:43 GMT:
>>>
>>>> no...if you don't speed, you don't get caught...easy
>>> How bloody profound! Many speed limits are assigned on a
>>> basis of the squeaky wheel !
>>
>> my sympathies are with the residents in many cases. if you
>> live on an 'alternate' rush hour route, people can come
>> zipping through pretty damn fast. the proliferation of speed
>> bumps is annoying, though.

> I live on a country road that is rarely very busy, but there
> are a lot of cars that are travelling way past what is a
> reasonably safe rate of speed for the conditions. There
> lightly rolling hills, no shoulders, blind intersections and
> driveways, farm tractors and equipment, cyclists, walkers and
> wildlife. When we first moved here the speed limit was 70
> kph, and there was a horrible accident rate. There were five
> crashes in front of our house or within a few hundred feet of our
> property withing the first two years we lived here. I
> never saw any speed enforcement. The town dropped the speed
> limit down to 60 kph. It didn't slow people down, and there
> was still no enforcement. Then the they dropped the limit to
> 50 kph. I still don't see any speed enforcement, but most
> people have slowed down. There are not as many accidents, and
> it is a lot quieter, since slower moving cars don;t make as
> much noise.

I wonder if more speed limit signs would help? People (like me) tend to
forget the actual limit and choose what seems a reasonable speed if not
reminded. Once every 100 yards or meters might be reasonable. Honestly,
I'm moderately law abiding and stop before right-on-red and stop signs.

I wonder if it is still the case in Britain but there once were not as
many different limits and a 30mph area was indicated by a red reflecting
circle on lamp posts.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not