Slow down
The posted speed limit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike is 65 mph.
That probably elicits a chuckle or two from drivers who use the toll road with any regularity. The truth is, maintaining a constant 65 mph on the turnpike is a good way to watch everyone else pass you by.
An Allegheny County lawmaker, Democratic Rep. Joe Preston, has introduced a bill that would raise the turnpike speed limit to 70 mph, the limit set for passenger cars in 1941 but not seen since 1973.
The House Transportation Committee endorsed Preston’s bill by a wide margin, but whether it reaches the House floor for a vote is up to the GOP majority.
The turnpike is said to have been designed with 70-mph traffic in mind for much of its 500-plus miles, so returning the speed limit to where it was just after the road opened might not seem to represent a major change. It could be that Preston’s bill simply represents the realization that few drivers limit their speed to 65 and that setting the limit a little higher is more realistic.
What we predict is that — absent stricter enforcement than is now the practice — a 70-mph limit will become an 80-mph (or higher) limit in the minds of aggressive drivers and perhaps others who just happen to be in a hurry. That translates into less time to react to trouble, more accidents and likely more serious injuries.
In addition, we can envision drivers booking along at 80 mph even less likely to observe speed restrictions in areas of congestion.
Finally, the mere thought of competing for road space with an 18-wheeler doing 70 mph or more is not for the faint of heart.
Even if Preston’s bill does advance through the lengthy legislative process and become law, motorists would see no change for a long time. Turnpike spokesman William Capone noted the months needed to complete traffic-safety engineering studies and the time required to change all the speed limit signs.
Work that doesn’t have to be done. The speed limit should stay right where it is. Many drivers drive too fast as it is.
Giving them an invitation to go even faster makes absolutely no sense.
Bucks County Courier Times