Quote:
Originally Posted by Blueblaze
Half the reason there is so little respect for the law in general in 2021 is because we had an absurd 55mph national speed limit that nobody obeyed for the last quarter of the 20th century. We literally trained the population to ignore the law unless a cop was watching.
That 5 mph limit in a residential area is no more absurd than the 35 mph limit we have on four-lane divided parkways with limited access and no golf carts, like Morse, Bueno Vista, and El Camino, or the 45mph limit on long stretches of 466 and 466a. The most dangerous people on those roads are the ones who obstruct traffic by following the absurd speed limit.
My 30 mile Houston commute was less hectic than getting from Mulberry to Everglades! It would be nice if we didn't make it so difficult to enjoy ALL of the amenities we pay for, instead of just the ones we can reach by golf cart.
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Towards the end of the 55mph era, I commuted about 35 miles via freeway into Sacramento (I left home a 3:30 am so no traffic to speak of). At the time, I drove a Toyota Tundra pickup with a wonderful 4.7 liter v8. I decided to test the mileage, so one day (the test was more complicated, this is a summary) I went the usual 70mph (by then no one was keeping to 55) and one day I stuck to 55 (not easy, took a lot of will power) The truck managed 16mpg at 70 and got 23mpg at 55. The time diff was 5 or 6 minutes. I think that over time I would have saved a lot of $ on gas and the time difference did not amount to much. I was surprised at the big difference, and I guess the point of the 55 was to try to save on fuel during the gas shortage. All that said, I sure don't want to go back to 55. Better to get an electric car!