Oregon is the slowest state in the West. No other western state has such slow speed limits. Nationally, only Hawai’i is slower.
Texas, meanwhile, is the fastest state in the country. On a two-lane rural road, for example, Oregon allows speeds no higher than 55 mph; Texas may allow 75 mph. On a four-lane freeway, Oregon may allow 65 mph; Texas freeways are often 80 mph.
When a state highway enters a city with stop lights, Oregon speed limits slow to no more than 45 mph; Texas may keep speeds as high as 75 mph. That’s right; you can be legally driving at 75 mph and suddenly have to stop at a red light.
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The fastest highway in Oregon is posted for 65 mph. While Idaho, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming have many freeways posted for 80 mph, the fastest highways in the United States are some Texas roads posted for 85 mph.
While I appreciated Texas’ rural road network, its urban roads–at least in Austin–are heavily congested. At the American Dream conference in that city, Mike Heileginstein explained what the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is doing to relieve that congestion. While the work it is doing may be effective, I can’t help but think that the political nature of the work leads to a few grand projects rather than some cost-effective programs, such as signal coordination, that are not a visible but could do more to reduce congestion.
You can find links to other presentations made at the conference here.
What are the actual average speeds driven in each state? In California I note that whether a freeway is posted at 65 or 70 the actual speed without congestion for the bulk of traffic is usually a real 75 mph as measured by my GPS system. Interestingly on my car a real 75 shows as 80 on the speedometer.
Does speed correlate with accidents? Does Texas have a higher accident rate per mile driven than lower speed states like Oregon? We are always being told that speed kills but in Germany cars frequently drive at 120 mph and greater. I have seen data in the past showing the death rate per passenger mile driven is no greater than California. However in Germany it is illegal to pass on the right, so the fast cars are always in the left lane. Could passing on the right be causing the accidents n California?
Speed kills. Texas’ auto deaths by miles traveled is 50% higher
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/general-statistics/fatalityfacts/state-by-state-overview
Probably figures that speed limits are highest in the leading “asphalt socialist” state that also deludes itself believing the “free market” is operating in everything. Well, NO. Texas voters, unwilling to raise user fees to cover the costs of maintaining roads, instead divert motor vehicle the portion of (previously) general fund sales taxes to roads, as well as most of any surplus the state gets from its oil and gas royalties funds.
Now please explain why a specific activity–purchase of motor vehicles–should be singled out for diversion of general fund sales taxes, say, as opposed to buying a couch or TV?
Also, wasn’t the Texas oil and gas royalty fund partly meant to benefit the average resident? Diverting this funding to roads benefits average residents to some extent, but then again, why is driving a privileged activity compared to anything else?
The disconnect between the self-deception that Texas is the leader in “economic freedom” in the U.S. is exposed as the huge lie it is through Texas-sized hypocriscy regarding their “asphalt socialism.” Of course, add local mandates for “free parking” (sic) and you get the leading asphalt socialists in the U.S. (“transit socialism” was caused by “asphalt socialism” by government since the 1920’s, not the other way around–transit as whole didn’t start to lose money until the late 1960’s).
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Now please explain why a specific activity–purchase of motor vehicles–should be singled out for diversion of general fund sales taxes, say, as opposed to buying a couch or TV?
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~msetty
Why not? Sales tax is divereted for all sorts of things. It makes perfect sense that the purchase of a motor vehicle would be used to plan, build and maintain roads.
to prk166
A couple points of fact. Texas has higher accident rates than other states but there are variables that account for that. Many of the fatalities occur in oil production areas of the permian basin and the eagleford shale where the workers drive on the roads drive exhausted at night. Another factor is a very large population of immigrants(1 in 5) who have not had the benefit of driver education in the US. The other factor is the sheer enormity of unlighted rural roads in Texas.
To msetty, I say that times are changing , Texas leads the way in tolled roads, HOV lanes and HOT lanes, especially in Houston. I concur with prk166 on the sales tax.
Austin is congested because there is no forgiveness in the street system. In my opinion there is no city in America with worse street connectivity than Austin. If you want to get somewhere in this city you have about three choices (I-35, Mopac, or 183). There are 1 or two other arterials that are slow going as well. If there is a wreck or obstruction on one of those roads, you’re screwed, because the streets accessing these highways are not through streets and access no other routes. Austin is a prime example of what happens when antiplanners (a.k.a NIMBY’s) are allowed to run amok. Subdivision after subdivision that connects to only 1 highway/arterial because “we don’t want people driving on OUR street.” Hence some of the worse traffic per capita in America. Congestion is what you get when you refuse to plan your roadway system.
TX also sets speed limits much closer to the engineered speeds of roadways. It’s nice when you’re in a hurry , but taking a 90 degree turn at 40mph with someone on your ass because the posted limit is 45mph can wreck your nervous system. Also, the immigrant excuse is BS. They know they are targets for local law enforcement so the drive cautiously and defensively (maybe sometimes they are going at speeds on highways that are too slow compared to the gringos going 20mph over often in excess of 95 mph). It’s the white folk that drive like maniacs down here, don’t kid yourself.
As a storm chaser, I often drive in Texas, but I try to stay away from the cities. The rural roads of Texas are quite good. The farm-to-market roads are often four lane superhighways, and these are local roads with four digit numbers. The Permian Basin is a nightmare, though, because of the heavy traffic of very large pickup trucks driven by oil workers, and the resulting somewhat damaged roadways.
The high speed limits seem to be on straight rural roads, where you can see forever and there is little traffic.
Why did msetty show up, did someone slop the hog trough?
Here in Portland the car hater zealots had the city lower the speed limits all around town on our main thoroughfares using Safety and traffic calming as there ruse. It was obvious to me that this was just a leg of their plan to social engineer the folk out of their hated cars by creating as much gridlock as possible. Their plan to create gridlock is working, but it hasn’t gotten folks out of their cars and won‘t. I’d be willing to bet it’s created more pollution, not less, for idling cars aren’t running their cleanest and they are running longer to get to their destination for the gridlock. Just a couple months ago they wanted to lower speed limits even more citing safety again, but they didn’t publicize any studies showing fewer traffic injuries for lowering speeds before. That makes me think the initial speed lowering had no effect on safety at all. If it did they would have shown the results. If that is the case then speeds should be increased back up to what they were before. The oblivious (Like the ones that stand waiting for the crosswalk light to change with their toes hanging off the curb as traffic zooms by inches away) will always be at risk, no matter the speed limit.
prk166, thank you for the link. The state with the highest deaths/mile traveled is Montanta and it does have a medium-high speed limit of 75. Runner up though is Mississippi which has a relatively leisurely 70mph speed limit. Next up is South Carolina with the same, sedate 70mph limit. Utah, with an 80mph limit, has quite low deaths/mile, about half the deaths/mile of those slower limit southern states.