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| Re: Atlantic Avenue speed limit lower to 25 mph (292291) | |||
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Re: Atlantic Avenue speed limit lower to 25 mph |
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Posted by Stephen Bauman on Mon Apr 14 23:34:22 2014, in response to Re: Atlantic Avenue speed limit lower to 25 mph, posted by BrooklynBus on Mon Apr 14 00:15:36 2014. "Road geometry is not the only determinant as to what safe speed is."So what exactly are you saying? You can build a road with a certain geometry. If that road is in upstate New York a 55 mph speed limit might be appropriate. Take that same road geometry and place it in the middle of Manhattan and it's insane to think 55 mph is appropriate. 40 mph may have been appropriate for Queens Blvd in Rego Park/Elmhurst in the late 1940's or early 1950's. That time expired by the late 1950's and early 1960's when Alexanders and Queens Center were built. They generated too much pedestrian traffic for vehicles to safely navigate Queens Blvd. That's exactly why we need longer amber cycles. The current 3 seconds for 30 mph assumes you immediately hit the brake, and you also have to slam down hard to stop before the crosswalk. The allowed reaction time from seeing a light turn from yellow to green is 1.0 seconds. That's independent of vehicle speed. If a driver cannot react in 1.0 seconds, he is most likely distracted. The braking rate is 10 fps/sec (6.7 mph/sec). That's also independent of vehicular speed. That braking rate will not cause skid marks. The 30 mph stopping distance, including reaction distance) is 146.25 feet. That's 2/3 of a city block. If you have problems stopping in that distance, you are either speeding, distracted or have a slow reaction time. If either of the last two apply, you should compensate by driving slower. That's exactly what they said about he 55 mph speed limit that no one listened to, not even the cops, and it was a big failure. Many have been raised back to 60 and 65 outside of NYC. The double nickel was implemented to reduce fuel use. One unexpected benefit was sharply reduced fatality rates. However, motorists preferred to die more quickly in a collision on a limited access highway. However, pedestrians did not buy into it. They would prefer live a bit longer. Reducing speeds will add 20 to 30 minutes to long trips, not 3 minutes. Just how far do you think trips solely on city streets are? |
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