70 mph limit takes effect on rural Ohio highways today

[Evergrey]

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index...ult#incart_hbx

70 mph limit takes effect on rural Ohio highways today




COLUMBUS, Ohio — Drivers can legally zip along some rural interstate highways more quickly as a new 70 mph speed limit takes effect along some sections of roadway around Ohio.

The change beginning today raises the speed limit in some areas from 65 mph to 70 mph.

The Ohio Department of Transportation has said the speed limit is increasing on more than 570 miles of interstate highway. The increase applies to parts of Interstates 70, 71, 75, 76, 77 and 90. It doesn’t cover sections of those roads in major metropolitan areas and a few smaller cities along the way.

New or updated signs will alert drivers about the higher speed limits.

A 70-mph limit already is in effect for the Ohio Turnpike stretching across the northern part of the state.

[LMich]

'bout damned time, if you ask me. Keep it moving, Buckeyes, and stay to the right; grown folks are coming through.

No, but seriously, good to see this happening.

[Rail Claimore]

Originally Posted by LMich

'bout damned time, if you ask me. Keep it moving, Buckeyes, and stay to the right; grown folks are coming through.

No, but seriously, good to see this happening.

Illinois should also be joining the 70mph club on January 1 if the governor signs the bill on his desk.

[LMich]

Originally Posted by Rail Claimore

Illinois should also be joining the 70mph club on January 1 if the governor signs the bill on his desk.

I was really kind of being tongue-in-cheek since Ohio and Michigan's interstate limits are generally the same, with the caveat that Michigan allows 70 MPH on a lot more of its urban freeways, I'm pretty sure. It just seems our neighbors in the rest of this region have a slower driving culture, and with a comparitively more strict enforcement of the limits. I've found that at least in the more urban area of the state here in Michigan, so long as you're not going over 80 and/or driving with the traffic, the MSP doesn't hassle drivers too much.

[antinimby]

Yeah but now it gets a bit more dangerous and deadly.

[harryc]

Originally Posted by antinimby

Yeah but now it gets a bit more dangerous and deadly.

And now those of us doing our PATRIOTIC duty by lowering gas consumption, and lowering dependence on FORIEGN AAARAB oil, those of us who understand GOD's word as expressed in the eloquently simple equation E=MVV -and who act on it by driving 55 Mph. We will be pummeled by those more interested in their personal convenience than the welfare of the country.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by LMich

I was really kind of being tongue-in-cheek since Ohio and Michigan's interstate limits are generally the same, with the caveat that Michigan allows 70 MPH on a lot more of its urban freeways, I'm pretty sure. It just seems our neighbors in the rest of this region have a slower driving culture, and with a comparitively more strict enforcement of the limits. I've found that at least in the more urban area of the state here in Michigan, so long as you're not going over 80 and/or driving with the traffic, the MSP doesn't hassle drivers too much.

I think Michigan is the only state in the region, until Ohio, that allowed 70 MPH. I drove from New York to Detroit over Memorial Day and was surprised to see the 70 MPH limit on I-80 after crossing into Ohio from Pennsylvania.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I think Michigan is the only state in the region, until Ohio, that allowed 70 MPH. I drove from New York to Detroit over Memorial Day and was surprised to see the 70 MPH limit on I-80 after crossing into Ohio from Pennsylvania.

West Virginia allows 70.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by Rail Claimore

Illinois should also be joining the 70mph club on January 1 if the governor signs the bill on his desk.

It's extremely annoying that I can legally drive 75 in Kansas but not even 70 in Illinois, across an identical landscape. I should be able to put my cruise control on 80 driving to Chicago. In Missouri you can push close to 80 mph without fear of a ticket (on interstates), the highway patrol is less visible on interstates and seems to focus more on those halfling 4 lane highways around the state. Illinois on the other hand...


http://upload.wikimedia.org

[ColDayMan]

Originally Posted by LMich

'bout damned time, if you ask me. Keep it moving, Buckeyes, and stay to the right; grown folks are coming through.

No, but seriously, good to see this happening.

I know you're joking but I've met many Michiganders that feel that way and I simply respond: "Yeah, YOU try dealing with Ohio State Patrol and 'keep it moving' until your wallet shrinks." Drivers in this state have been terrorized on a local and state level regarding OSP. They don't play (though now you can go 75 and now get pulled over).

[Buckeye Native 001]

^Seriously. While my driving experiences in Ohio are limited, I've never seen as many state troopers patrolling the highways (usually I-71 from Columbus to Cincinnati and back and I-275 around Cincinnati, although I-71 from Columbus to Cleveland is bad as well) elsewhere as I have in my home state.

They're everywhere...

[uaarkson]

It's no joke. I drove through Ohio on the way to Memphis last month and counted exactly 48 state police troopers pulling people over, between Toledo and Cincinnati. It felt a little over-the-top, especially between Dayton and Cincinnati.

[LMich]

Originally Posted by ColDayMan

I know you're joking but I've met many Michiganders that feel that way and I simply respond: "Yeah, YOU try dealing with Ohio State Patrol and 'keep it moving' until your wallet shrinks." Drivers in this state have been terrorized on a local and state level regarding OSP. They don't play (though now you can go 75 and now get pulled over).

You don't have to tell me. On our cross country trips (I-75 from Toledo to Cincy) we did. not. play. in Ohio. The OSP is a trip. You can only imagine how relieved we were upon seeing a "Say Yes to Michigan" sign at the border or crossing the Ohio into Kentucky. I guess this is testimony to the fact that speed limits can mean something if you enforce them.

[Trae]

The tollways in DFW are 70 mph. The freeways in Houston should be 70. The speed limits are artificially low across the country. If you raise the speed limit in urban areas to 70, I think there would be less traffic and there would be less people hogging the middle to left lanes. More people would stay to the right since everyone is going 70. On the tollways in dfw, most people drive the same speeds as they do on the freeways with 60 mph speed limits. You're just not worries about getting pulled over. Dat revenue.

Originally Posted by harryc

And now those of us doing our PATRIOTIC duty by lowering gas consumption, and lowering dependence on FORIEGN AAARAB oil, those of us who understand GOD's word as expressed in the eloquently simple equation E=MVV -and who act on it by driving 55 Mph. We will be pummeled by those more interested in their personal convenience than the welfare of the country.

Going 55 doesn't make you a saint. i see so many idiots on the road going slow driving side by side on the freeway, causing traffic to bunch up behind them. But, because they are going the speed limit at 60, they are being "safe". Lol, how about moving over behind the person already going your speed. If everyone would pass the cars to their right and kept traffic flowing, there would not be random slow downs for no reason. Oh, and leave some damn space. at least the length of one and a half 18 wheelers, in all lanes. Leave even more space in rural areas.

[Eightball]

More accidents and deaths, plus worse fuel efficiency! Dope manne, dope.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by uaarkson

It's no joke. I drove through Ohio on the way to Memphis last month and counted exactly 48 state police troopers pulling people over, between Toledo and Cincinnati. It felt a little over-the-top, especially between Dayton and Cincinnati.

Yeah, I usually drive through Kentucky on I-64 out of St. Louis going east towards D.C. if I don't plan on making any stops. It's like the forgotten interstate... on the other hand I detest I-70.

[harryc]

I am disappointed that in THIS forum all the discussion is me, me, me.

to double your speed you use 4 times more energy at a minimum, it's physics.

[Roadcruiser1]

It's not dangerous if you ask me. Germans have been driving on the Autobahn for 70 years. They have no speed limits. In fact I think it's about time the United States build an Autobahn. We could really use one.

[Trae]

Originally Posted by Roadcruiser1

It's not dangerous if you ask me. Germans have been driving on the Autobahn for 70 years. They have no speed limits. In fact I think it's about time the United States build an Autobahn. We could really use one.

They also have higher speed limits in the urban areas on their freeways, while America's are kept low. Part of this is that the average American driver is stupid compared to a German one.

[Blitz]

Now if only Ontario would get out of the Stone Age. Maximum here is 100 km/h (62 mph) even on the straight flat 4-lane highways in the rural southwest part of the province. On the road signs they list the conversion speed limit as 60 mph (for the Americans). Tickets aren't given unless the driver is going over 120 km/h though - but not everyone knows this.