[MelZ]

Originally Posted by Talk Host

In 62 years, I can't recall ever seeing a police patrol car with "their families" inside. When I was a deputy sheriff, I had my mother and father in the patrol car one time. I drove them from a parking lot into the Ohio State fair grounds as a courtesy, after getting permission from the Sheriff.

Oh, and how do you know these were family members of the cop? Is it possible that all of these officers you've seen were rushing families to a hospital to be with a dying family member. Many times, I was dispatched to pick up a family and take them to an emergency room where a close relative was dying from an accident or shooting or whatever. One night I drove an entire family (mother father and two little children) home after their car hit and killed an elderly couple walking across the Ohio turnpike at night.

Even so, if it what you say is true, does it justify your speeding? Nice try.

Did you ever "flash you tin" to get out of a ticket? Be honest

[memason]

I'm still a wannabe; couple years away, but I had to weigh in on this discussion. I do acquire my share of speeding tickets, in the US. I have been living in Germany for the last 6 months and driving the infamous autobahn....ie NO SPEED LIMIT! It's amazing how well we can all get along at 120MPH and it's rare that I see an accident. Some things are strictly illegal here though, like passing on the right. For that offense, you will get a hefty fine. Consequently, most drivers stay in the right lane, unless they are passing another vehicle. I have a 320 diesel BMW that will cruise at 125 to 130MPH all day long and get still get 30+ miles per gallon. Not sure why we can't build 'em that way in the US ???? Driving at 80MPH nets over 40MPG. By the way, at 125 MPH, I spend most of my time in the right lane!

Although the autobahn is speed limit free, all other roads have speed limits. In cities, the predominant speed limit is 50KM/h (31mph) and construction and school zones are 30km/h (18mph)...no exceptions. The interesting thing is they seldom stop a car...rather, they take your picture and mail you a ticket. Pretty efficient...the picture show you behind the wheel and your license plate, along with the speed you are driving. Tough to argue...

I know many of you will not share my fondness of a wide open autobahn, but I suspect there are few of you that would just like get out there and let 'er rip!

Next time I'm in the Villages, I guess I better watch my speed!

Enjoy.....

[Talk Host]

Originally Posted by MelZ

Did you ever "flash you tin" to get out of a ticket? Be honest

No, I never had to "flash my BADGE" because I was never in that situation.

[Pocadot55]

The speed limit on Buena Vista was 35 mph when the people purchased a house there so raising the speed limit past their house is not fair to them and the great investment they have made. If you raise the speed limit to 45mph people will drive 55mph. Most drivers drive over the speed limit but try to stay within 10mph of it because they assume the police will give them that much. They next time you drive down your street push up the speed 20mph and see if you would like cars passing your house at that speed. That's 10mph that you want to make legal and the extra 10 mph that most people will drive. People on 466A bought (I assume) their homes there with that speed limit and knew what they were buying.

[Peggy D]

Speeding is speeding no matter what the posted limit.

What I want to know is were are the police when some idiot cuts me (or other drivers)
off in the roundabouts? And I am told to epect worse when the snowbirds arrive

Good grief

[Cliff]

For those recommending the speed limit be raised on Buena Vista have you considered that this is a golf cart community which entitles "street legal LSVs" to travel with traffic on 35mph roads? I am surprised that the LSV crowd has not jumped all over this thread. As far as the speeding ticket argument is concerned, part of the driver's responsibility is to be aware of the speed limits on the roads that he travels and to obey the posted speed limits. For whatever reason, it is the driver's responsibility to comply with the law. Why do posters love to recommend disobeying the law? If you get tickets, you are not obeying the law, you are endangering your life and the lives of your passengers, and, most importantly, you are endangering me. I would love to see a police officer sit outside your house and ticket you the moment you depart your residence. He may save a life each and every time he/she gave you a ticket. Hopefully for you, you will get some sense in your head before you run out of your money budgeted for the courts. Advising motorists of where police are checking speeds is not doing anyone a favor. Let the speeders get the tickets. Consider yourself lucky if you are driving the speed limit and see the offender sitting on the side of the road getting written-up.

[dillywho]

Speed limits are exactly what they say they are.......limits. Not going over the limit = no ticket for speeding. No brainer, IMHO. Leave earlier or just be late. As Kathy on here says, "I consider on time to be when I get there." Oops, sorry....that's Kathi.

[NJblue]

If you get tickets, you are not obeying the law, you are endangering your life and the lives of your passengers, and, most importantly, you are endangering me. I would love to see a police officer sit outside your house and ticket you the moment you depart your residence. He may save a life each and every time he/she gave you a ticket.

You have missed my point - which is that driving 45 on 4-lane divided highways is still a very safe speed. Just because some arbitrary decision was made to post the speed limit at 35 does not mean that the road is unsafe to be driven at any higher speed. Following your logic, all of the other 4-lane divided highways around the country where people are driving the speed limit are all driving unsafely since the speed limits are above 35.

Higher speeds are not by themselves unsafe. What is unsafe is driving above the speed that is warranted for the road and the conditions. In the case of Morse and Buena Vista south of 466, they can easily accomodate safe driving at 45 MPH.

Lest you misunderstand me even more, I am not advocating breaking the law - just questioning the rationale of the law.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by NJblue

You have missed my point - which is that driving 45 on 4-lane divided highways is still a very safe speed. Just because some arbitrary decision was made to post the speed limit at 35 does not mean that the road is unsafe to be driven at any higher speed. Following your logic, all of the other 4-lane divided highways around the country where people are driving the speed limit are all driving unsafely since the speed limits are above 35.

Higher speeds are not by themselves unsafe. What is unsafe is driving above the speed that is warranted for the road and the conditions. In the case of Morse and Buena Vista south of 466, they can easily accomodate safe driving at 45 MPH.

Lest you misunderstand me even more, I am not advocating breaking the law - just questioning the rationale of the law.

It is what it is.

[Ooper]

Originally Posted by Peggy D

Speeding is speeding no matter what the posted limit.

What I want to know is were are the police when some idiot cuts me (or other drivers)
off in the roundabouts? And I am told to epect worse when the snowbirds arrive

Good grief

If people navigated the round-a-bouts in the correct lanes, there would be no "cutting off". I suspect if you were cut off, you were in the wrong lane!

[Hancle704]

Originally Posted by NJblue

You have missed my point - which is that driving 45 on 4-lane divided highways is still a very safe speed. Just because some arbitrary decision was made to post the speed limit at 35 does not mean that the road is unsafe to be driven at any higher speed. Following your logic, all of the other 4-lane divided highways around the country where people are driving the speed limit are all driving unsafely since the speed limits are above 35.

Higher speeds are not by themselves unsafe. What is unsafe is driving above the speed that is warranted for the road and the conditions. In the case of Morse and Buena Vista south of 466, they can easily accomodate safe driving at 45 MPH.

Lest you misunderstand me even more, I am not advocating breaking the law - just questioning the rationale of the law.

Since we are only talking about driving roads in TV and not the rest of the country, we should remember that while these roads can accomodate driving at 45 MPH, we are sharing the same roads with bicyclists, licensed low speed vehicles and many visitors who are not familiar with the roads or where they are going. Add to that mix senior drivers who may have slower reaction time and it seems perfectly sensible to me to have lower speed limits in our community. I have also noted that there is a good reason for lower speeds limits on bridges entering LSL, but some drivers still have not accepted the lower limits.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by Peggy D

And I am told to epect worse when the snowbirds arrive
Good grief

Those darn snowbirds get blamed for just about everything! Restaurant lineups, unsuitable tee times, and now bad driving in roundabouts! Watch out, we'll soon be on our way.

[Pocadot55]

Instead of considering Buena Vista a divided four-lane highway, think of it as a lovely residential street (which is what it actually is) designed to accommodate moderately heavy traffic through a retirement community. It is not Interstate 75.

[Taj44]

Originally Posted by NJblue

Which is why I really don't like the unrealistically low speed limits and the strict enforcement of them. It stacks the deck against people around here in terms of the potential for increased insurance costs. After over 40 years of driving, one gets to intuitively know what the speed limit of a road should be by its layout. When the limit is artificially reduced it makes it very difficult to drive within the law.

Besides, slower is not necessarily safer. When a speed limit is much lower than the conditions would normally call for, it creates a situation where you have two different types of drivers - those who go the speed limit and those who drive based on the condition of the road. It is the resulting inequity in speed that produces an unsafe condition.

However, if safety were the real issue, the cops would be far better off camping themselves at a traffic circle and ticketing those who insist on using the outside lanes no matter where they want to end up. These are the people who are the cause for most of the close calls that I have had while being here. I have never seen a near accident caused by someone going 45 on Buena Vista.

What you said is exactly on the mark. I'm a retired traffic engineer, and what people don't realize is that artificially lowering speed limits actually can increase accidents rather than reduce them. The best speed limit on a roadway is the speed that the majority of the traffic want to drive and is generally based on the geometry of the road, amount of roadside development, driveway density, accident history, etc. School zones are an exemption to this rule. Also, urban areas are often zoned a particular speed - such as 30 mph within the city limits. The goal in setting speed limits is to maintain free flowing traffic. This tends to reduce accidents and congestion. In NY state the speed limits are set by a joint analysis done by traffic engineers and the state police. I'm not familiar with the process here in Florida, so will not comment on the situation here in The Villages.

There is a big problem at the roundabouts when people get in the wrong lane and cut others off. I think they need an education plan, along with posting police at some of the major trouble spots and giving tickets and/or warnings.

[billethkid]

traffic circle rules apply to them. If you exclude the newbies or visitors and make allowances for the too mature to be driving, most of the problems are residents who just don't care....and non-residents who could care even less.

In the case of the latter two groups....ticket....ticket and more tickets.....

They must be in a hurry to go home and get their geritol and take a nap. Maybe it reminds them of being on their roads back home where even more could care less about rules, regulations, rights of way.

Where ever they hail from they need a simple lesson in courtesy (yes a labotomy!!).

btk