Rose Hammond has pushed the authorities for many years to reduce the speed limit of 55 miles per hour on a two -lane road that passes its auxiliary living community, church, two schools and a busy park with many youth sports leagues.
“What are you waiting for someone will be killed?” 85-year-old officials in the Northwest Ohio complained that almost daily did not do about motorcycles that race almost daily.
With the increase in public pressure, Sylvania Township March Asked county engineers to analyze whether the speed announced by the Mitchaw Road is too high. A surprising answer: Technically, it is too small for 5 miles per hour.
The cause dates back to 1930-1940. Rural road research, which still plays a major role when speed restrictions are imposed throughout the US – even in the city.
Born from this study, a concept, known as the 85% rule, which indicates that the speed announced by the road should be linked to the 15 fastest vehicle out of 100, which drives it freely running, rounded to the nearest 5 miles per hour increase.
However, after decades, the rule of the rule, some of the states with a federal government, seek to change, if not to change it by setting guidelines, how local engineers should decide what speed limit to announce.
Drivers set speeds
This concept assumes that the safest road speed is those that travel most vehicles – neither too high nor too low. If drivers believe that the speed limit should be increased, they can simply step on the gas and “vote with their feet” as an old brochure of the Institute of Transport Engineers.
“The problem of this approach is that it creates this feedback,” said Jenny O’Connell, director of members of the National Association of City Transport Officials. “People’s speed, and then speed restrictions will be collected to match that speed.”
The Association has created an alternative to a rule of 85% called “city boundaries” aimed at reducing the risk of all several consumer injuries, determining speed restriction, taking into account the formula that operates at street activity level and conflict, such as collisions.
The report states that the 85% rule is based on dated research and that “these historical roads are far from vibrant streets and arteries that describe the city streets today.”
Recently died on the roads across the country, the Federal Highway Administration has sent a subtle but important message that the 85% rule is not the rule in fact and it has imposed too much weight restrictions. In the first update since 2009 The agency stated that communities should also take into account things as road, pedestrians and accidents at frequency of accident and accidents.
Leah Shahum, which runs the Vision Zero network, not a profit for street safety, said she wanted the manager to be further reducing the 85% rule, but admits that the amendment has already affected the speed limit for some countries. But others still take the simplicity and cognition of a long -term approach, she said.
“The 85th percentile should not be a holy Grail or Bible, and again and again it is accepted as follows,” said Shahum.
To rethink the need for speed
Following its “20 is much” campaign, the capital of Madison Wisconsin changes signs throughout the city this summer, reducing speed limit from 25 miles per hour to 20 miles per hour on local streets.
When Seattle took a similar step in the test program seven years ago, not only not only noticed a noticeable reduction in serious injuries, but also 7% decreased at 85 -percentile speed based on the Vision Zero network.
In California, the 85% rule follows even more than most states, as its basis imposes speed restrictions. However, legislators have slightly relieve municipal restrictions in recent years, allowing them to deviate from guidelines if they can quote a proven safety need. Pedestrian and cyclist supporters say change helps, but not enough.
“We still have to go a long way in California, with regard to the value of all road users,” said Kendra Ramsey, Executive Director of the California Bicycle Coalition. “There is still a very difficult idea that cars are the main way of travel and should be given priority and respect.”
However, Jay Beeber, Executive Director of the National Association of Drivers, National Motorrist Association, said that according to 85%, the rule is usually the safest way to reduce speed differences between drivers and those who are significantly exceeding it.
“No matter what number you put on the sign,” Beber said. “The average driver is driving a road road nature. It would be obvious to the government to build a road that encourages people to drive 45 miles per hour, put a 30 -mile speed limit and then tickets for everyone for doing what they made.
80 is the new 55
The fear of oil prices led to the Congress in the 1970s set a 55 -mile speed of speed limit, which later relaxed to 65 miles per hour, before in 1995. By abolishing the law and transferring power to states. Since then, the speed restrictions have been climbing, and this summer the ninth state has become the ninth state that allows drivers to drive 80 miles per hour on the highway. Texas has a 40 -mile segment between Austin and San Antony, where 85 miles per hour are allowed.
Although high -speed motorways outside the main population centers are not the 85% rule to facilitate the rule of 2019. Investigation of the Automotive Insurance Institute -Abi insurers funded by the research unit-the risk is the risk. Each increase in 5 miles per hour to the maximum speed limit of the state increases the likelihood of death by 8.5% of cross -border highways and 2.8% on other roads, found to be found in the study.
“Maybe when you were driving a model, you really felt how fast you go, but in modern vehicles you don’t have an understanding of what is 80 miles per hour. You are a cocoon,” said Chuck Farmer, a Vice -President of the Institute.
City attempt at change
If Sylvania Township, Ohio State officials, would have been dramatically reduced by Mitchaw Road, from 55 miles per hour per hour per hour. The County conclusion that the 85% rule requires increasing it to 60 miles per hour, surprised by the city leaders, but not the engineer who led the investigation.
“If we do not make decisions based on data, it is very difficult to make good decisions,” said Lucas County engineer Mike Pniewski.
So far, the speed limit will remain as it is. This is because Ohio laws determine the maximum speed of 15 different types of roads, regardless of what the 85% rule indicates.
And Ohio’s guidelines develop. The state is now more of the context of the road road and allows cities to reduce speed restrictions, taking into account the lower 50th percentile speed standard when there is a high presence of pedestrians and cyclists. There, the authorities have recently hired a consultant who would consider additional changes on the basis of what other states are doing.
“States have started to move very slowly from the 85th percentile as a peculiar standard of gold decision-making,” said Michelle May, who manages the Ohio Highway Safety Program. “People travel and live differently than 40 years ago, and we want to pay more attention to security.”
It is unclear whether any of these changes will eventually affect the speed announced by the Mitchaw Road. After many years of meaningless calls and email Hammond, the state, county and town officials, says she does not hold her breath.
“I’m just so discouraged,” she said.