Why's the NY/NJ Speed Limit for low?

[NomisR]

I was just in NY/NJ area this weekend with rental cars and I found the speed limit over there to be ridiculously low.

You have wide open interstate highway with speed limit of 55mph?  What gives?  These are roads with 10x better conditions than that of Los Angeles (I say Los Angeles because other parts of CA have better road condtions), with significantly lower traffic volume in majority of the cases (with exception of Manhattan) yet the speed limit is lower?  What makes it worse is, you have the roads littered with highway patrol and speed traps!! 

So basically, for a 50 mile journey, it takes up to an hour and a half?? When it normally woudl've taken 45 mins?  That's ridiculous!!!

The thing is, we have local roads that as higher speed limits than that!!  55mph speed limit is about safety?  Right...

and then there's crazy NY cabs that races around at 60mph in Manhattan yet drives 45mph on the freeways..   

[Eye of the Tiger]

B3c4u53 p0|171c14n5 4r3 7h3 5uxx0r5!!11!one!!12!!!!!

[giant_mtb]

It's the same here in Michigan.  55 for the highways.  It's alright.  Saves me gas, and I'm in no rush.

[BartsSVO]

$$$

That's about the only reason why speed limits are set so low anywhere in this country. My fuel economy doesn't change much between 55 and 70.

[Tave]

It's the same here in Michigan.? 55 for the highways.? It's alright.? Saves me gas, and I'm in no rush.

It costs the general economy A LOT more money to operate @ 55 mph than it does @ 75.

And are you talking Interstates or Highways?





I noticed how low the speed limits were going from DC to Boston, but I also noticed no one seemed to be paying them much attention.

[NomisR]

It costs the general economy A LOT more money to operate @ 55 mph than it does @ 75.

And are you talking Interstates or Highways?

I noticed how low the speed limits were going from DC to Boston, but I also noticed no one seemed to be paying them much attention.

I've noticed signs sayinig

KEEP RIGHT PASS LEFT

But of course, since nobody is keeping right, you can't pass left.

As for the speed limit.. nobody's driving 55 but they're still driving god awefully slow.. I would normally be driving 85 - 90 in CA in those type of conditions but the place is crawling with patrol cars.

[giant_mtb]

It costs the general economy A LOT more money to operate @ 55 mph than it does @ 75.

And are you talking Interstates or Highways?





I noticed how low the speed limits were going from DC to Boston, but I also noticed no one seemed to be paying them much attention.

I'm talkin' highways, I guess I read the original post wrong.  But yeah, our interstate/freeway limits are 65 here in MI. 

[Tave]

As for the speed limit.. nobody's driving 55 but they're still driving god awefully slow.. I would normally be driving 85 - 90 in CA in those type of conditions but the place is crawling with patrol cars.

Hmm. I must've hit it at the right time. Cruised I-95 @ 80 mph and could've gone faster. Of course if you factor in the northern burroughs of NY it was probably more like a 15 mph average. Can't decide if it was better or worse than LA gridlock.

[NomisR]

I'm talkin' highways, I guess I read the original post wrong. But yeah, our interstate/freeway limits are 65 here in MI.

What do you call freeways with tolls?  They're not free so you can't really call them freeways, or can you?  Or just interstates?  But what if they're they're not interstate but a toll freeway? 

[Colonel Cadillac]

Ugh, the low speed limits drive me absolutely nuts. There is just plain NO reason for them to be so low other than so that the state can make a ton of money off speeding tickets.

[MX793]

Were you actually on interstates or were you on highways?  Interstates are the only roads in NYS with speed limits above 55 mph.  State highways are 55 (or less).  There are spots where some interstates have speed limits lower than the usual 65 (for instance, I-81 drops to 45 in downtown Syracuse for a few miles), but they are usually 65.

[dazzleman]

The reason they give for the lower speed limits is congestion.  The same is true in southwestern Connecticut.

In the NY metropolitan area, the speed limit is 55 mph on the highways, and that includes the southern tip of New York State, northern New Jersey, and southwestern Connecticut.

Once you get further out, the speed limits increase to 65 mph on a lot of highways.

On most of those roads, the traffic is so bad a lot of times that you'd be very lucky to be able to go 55 mph steadily.  It's really a terrible place to drive.

[NomisR]

Were you actually on interstates or were you on highways? Interstates are the only roads in NYS with speed limits above 55 mph. State highways are 55 (or less). There are spots where some interstates have speed limits lower than the usual 65 (for instance, I-81 drops to 45 in downtown Syracuse for a few miles), but they are usually 65.

I was on both, but basically, I saw some sign saying NY State Speed Limit is 55mph which is why I mentioned it..

Why would they lower the speed because of congestion, wouldn't that create more congestion?  That's like banging your head against the wall because you have a headache..

[IrishGuy]

I was on both, but basically, I saw some sign saying NY State Speed Limit is 55mph which is why I mentioned it..

Why would they lower the speed because of congestion, wouldn't that create more congestion?  That's like banging your head against the wall because you have a headache..

The state speed limit is indeed 55 but I-87 up here (the Northway) is 65 as is I-90 once you leave the immediate Albany area. Usually you can find people driving 10-15 over.

And I think congestion will be congestion no matter what the speed limit is. The more cars you throw into the mix the less likely they are to be driving quick at all. During rush hour around here you can usually be found doing anywhere from 0-40 in the 55 zones.

[L. ed foote]

What do you call freeways with tolls?  They're not free so you can't really call them freeways, or can you?  Or just interstates?  But what if they're they're not interstate but a toll freeway? 

We call 'em "Thruways" here

[L. ed foote]

I've noticed signs sayinig

KEEP RIGHT PASS LEFT

But of course, since nobody is keeping right, you can't pass left.

As for the speed limit.. nobody's driving 55 but they're still driving god awefully slow.. I would normally be driving 85 - 90 in CA in those type of conditions but the place is crawling with patrol cars.

Traffic will usually clump along from 60-65.  You won't find people traveling at higher speeds until night.

[L. ed foote]

Hmm. I must've hit it at the right time. Cruised I-95 @ 80 mph and could've gone faster. Of course if you factor in the northern burroughs of NY it was probably more like a 15 mph average. Can't decide if it was better or worse than LA gridlock.

It's not suprising, I can hit triple digits on certain stretches of I-95 (New England Thruway) at certain times.  Given construction, traffic and enforcement near the Westchester/Bx border, I-95 can be a drag sometimes. 

[Tave]

It's not suprising, I can hit triple digits on certain stretches of I-95 (New England Thruway) at certain times.? Given construction, traffic and enforcement near the Westchester/Bx border, I-95 can be a drag sometimes.?

Only time I've been to NY city and I get stuck in Bronx traffic for four and a half hours. Didn't even get to do anything cool, other than scan for nice cars that were stuck with us. If I'd of been on my own I would've taken the first exit I could reach and done some exploring.

[the nameless one]

Why would they lower the speed because of congestion, wouldn't that create more congestion?? That's like banging your head against the wall because you have a headache..

The belief is that the congestion makes it unsafe for traffic to be going at a higher speed than what is posted.

[James Young]

The belief is that the congestion makes it unsafe for traffic to be going at a higher speed than what is posted.

But congestion makes higher speeds impossible.  I suppose some people believe in th Tooth Fairy though.

[the nameless one]

Multiple wrecks because people were trying to manuever at 90 MPH in heavy traffic would cause even more congestion for those who escaped the actual collision.

[James Young]

On parts of I-15 south of San Bernadino and on I-10 between Ontario and Los Angeles last Saturday the limit could have been 2 mph or 2,000 mph and it would have zero difference.  We were traveling less than my speedo even registers.

[the nameless one]

Thats when it doesn't pay to be on the road.

[dazzleman]

Thats when it doesn't pay to be on the road.

I agree.  Getting stuck in traffic sucks.  I love to drive when I can really open it up, but with a lot of traffic, it is very tedious.

[Soup DeVille]

I'm talkin' highways, I guess I read the original post wrong.? But yeah, our interstate/freeway limits are 65 here in MI.?

70 in most places.

[Soup DeVille]

What do you call freeways with tolls?? They're not free so you can't really call them freeways, or can you?? Or just interstates?? But what if they're they're not interstate but a toll freeway??

turnpikes.

[Soup DeVille]

Multiple wrecks because people were trying to manuever at 90 MPH in heavy traffic would cause even more congestion for those who escaped the actual collision.

Multiple wrecks because people are trying to manuever around people going 50 MPH in heavy traffic do the same thing.

[TBR]

It costs the general economy A LOT more money to operate @ 55 mph than it does @ 75.

Removing the minimum speed limit saves a couple billion a year IIRC.

And, the reason is simple, politicians are stupid and NY/NJ have an above average number of them (not sure how accurate that is, but the reasons speed limits are so ridiculously low, across the country, is because of the stupidity of politicians and lobby groups).

[TBR]

If everyone is going 80 you'll have a lot fewer people dodging through traffic.

[the nameless one]

Multiple wrecks because people are trying to manuever around people going 50 MPH in heavy traffic do the same thing.

Wrecks at 90 are worse.