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Texas considers 1st 85 mph speed limit on new segment of toll road between Austin, San Antonio
StarTribune ^ | June 7, 2012 | RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI

Posted on 06/07/2012 5:28:32 PM PDT by bgill

The Texas Department of Transportation is considering the move on a portion of state Highway 130 that would run north-south between Austin and Seguin, a town just east of San Antonio, spokesman Mark Cross said Thursday.

The agency is looking at the toll road's topography, checking what speed most drivers are traveling on existing parts of the highway and ensuring the access points and cross-sections would still be safe with an 85 mph speed limit, Cross said.

(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: 85mph; speedlimit; texas; tollroad
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To: HiTech RedNeck
Well, I have had a chance to see what a “street legal” (no harley tax paid, wink wink) 883 does on the interstate. Pushing that puppy up to 70 is a fair challenge. 85, forget it. It ain’t a matter of stability — it felt to me like it was sitting in a parking lot — it’s a matter of oomph. Change the bike to a racing configuration and it’s a whole different story.

Something had to have been wrong with it. My scoot started as an 883 (54ci), granted taxes were paid, but it easily did 90mph with my large windscreen and my wife on the back. I put 74ci (1200cc) jugs on it, not to go faster but to give it the power to run a taller primary gear to lower rpm's at highway speeds. It's a very modest conversion with dished not domed pistons, very streetable mild cams, and a race ignition just for giggles. The bike is easily much faster than I am. Just like my SUV, it will go faster than I will . I did do 110 most of the way from Roswell to Carlsbad though.

Now you take a true race build. A sporty frame with an S&S engine, which has domed pistons, hot cams etc, and it will put out enough power that you'll have to ditch the belt and go with a chain. 100mph hour in 3rd gear, with 6 speed transmissions the norm for this type of build. It's truly the muscle car to a sport bikes Ferrari.

41 posted on 06/07/2012 10:23:59 PM PDT by Melas (u)
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To: JohnD9207

Just don’t go too slow or you may get a ticket for impeding traffic and others might note that the left lane is for passing only on 4 lane roads, too much time on the left and you can get a ticket for that also. My wife got a warning last week for that in between Big Spring and Midland on I-20.


42 posted on 06/08/2012 4:18:08 AM PDT by Dusty Road
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To: Melas

>>Why would anyone want to go that fast?

The essence of good transportation is speed. It is why over history we have valued fast horses, ships, trains, cars, aircraft, etc.

>>85mph speed limits are just asking for trouble.

The main reason we have a problem is poor driver training. Speed does not kill. Stupid, distracted, drugged/drunk drivers kill.

We should not limit our transportation because of least common denominator idiots and safety nannies. We should get the idiots off the road.


43 posted on 06/08/2012 4:37:27 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: truth_seeker
>>I lived in Germany, drove the Autobahn, and they are better drivers, and they will follow lane discipline, which makes it safe to go 85 and faster.

Precisely so. Central Italy is also quite good on this in my experience.

This image tells the tale, and is a reminder how things are supposed to work:

Unfortunately all too often we end up with some self-righteous SOB camped out in the fast lane doing the speed limit, or 5pmh under. Or some idiot jabbering on his cell phone doing the same thing. They both need to be ticketed for failing to yield right of way to the string of cars stacked up behind them.

44 posted on 06/08/2012 4:48:41 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: mamelukesabre; Blue Highway

I have never seen someone get, heard of someone who has seen someone get, or heard of someone who has gotten, a ticket for failure to yield right of way for camping out in the fast lane at too slow a speed.

I’ve often said if I were cop for a day, I would do nothing but write tickets for that and for burned out brake lights. One gets you a warning, two gets you a ticket.


45 posted on 06/08/2012 4:55:10 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: Regulator
I damn near got blown off the road going from Austin to Fredericksburg in the 1970s by a TDPS cruiser that blew by me (I was doing 70 in a 55) doing I dunno...90???

Saw him a bit later pulled into a truck stop having lunch.

Same thing happened to be on 290 east of Austin. I was running about 75 or better and DPS blew by me. I got the unit number, only to find it parked at Southside BBQ where I stop for sausage or other BBQ.

46 posted on 06/08/2012 5:19:33 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (It's time to take out the trash in DC.)
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To: FreedomPoster
Unfortunately all too often we end up with some self-righteous SOB camped out in the fast lane doing the speed limit, or 5pmh under

I was outside of Atlanta a few months ago and flashed my lights at someone doing 55 in the left lane. The bozo came to a dead stop in the left lane. The person was incredibly stupid or incredibly PO'd that I flashed them.

47 posted on 06/08/2012 5:27:36 AM PDT by EVO X
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To: RobbyS
He was on the Autobahn going toward Trier at 180.

I made it from K-Town to Spangdahlem in 55 minutes, but that was back in '81, and the autobahn through Wittlich hadn't been thought of. Did it in a Volvo 242GT.

I just checked Google maps: K-Town to Spangdahlem, 143km, 1 hour, 30 minutes. LOL!

48 posted on 06/08/2012 5:39:42 AM PDT by Night Hides Not (My dream ticket for 2012 is John Galt & Dagny Taggart!)
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To: Arrowhead1952
I got the unit number, only to find it parked at Southside BBQ where I stop for sausage or other BBQ.

I applaud the officer for making good use of his time.

49 posted on 06/08/2012 5:41:12 AM PDT by Night Hides Not (My dream ticket for 2012 is John Galt & Dagny Taggart!)
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To: EVO X

>>I was outside of Atlanta a few months ago and flashed my lights at someone doing 55 in the left lane. The bozo came to a dead stop in the left lane. The person was incredibly stupid or incredibly PO’d that I flashed them.

And for those not familiar with the driving conditions around here, 80 is the de facto speed limit. The fast lane is routinely doing 75 or better other than at rush hour.

EVO, I don’t think this was an either/or situation, more like both/and.


50 posted on 06/08/2012 5:51:26 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: FreedomPoster

I know a guy who got a ticket for driving in the “passing lane”. It is not the “fast lane” it is the “passing lane”. It is for passing only. It does not matter the speed you are traveling. He was the only car on a stretch of divided highway and he was driving the speed limit in the passing lane. Bam, got a ticket. This is the law in the state of Iowa.


51 posted on 06/08/2012 7:42:26 AM PDT by mamelukesabre
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To: mamelukesabre

Awesome. And yes, you are correct on terminology.

I always move right, both because it is the correct thing to do from a driving standpoint, and because cops are typically mostly watching the passing lane when they are running radar/laser.

I also signal lane changes religiously, another factor that makes me an oddball out there.


52 posted on 06/08/2012 7:53:30 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: FreedomPoster

It appears to me there are people camped out in the left lane because they are just ignorant of the rule. The friend of mine that got the ticket never knew there was such a law or even a rule of thumb. People who live their entire lives inside a large city do not learn this rule because the interstates are all 4 lanes each way and a mad free for all with people merging this way and that every step of the way. When these people get outside the city they don’t know what they are doing and don’t understand the rules of the road.

Also, there are those annoying jackasses who speed up when you try to pass them. If you are on cruise control and the jackass speeds up, what do you do? I wait for the jackass to slow back down and then pass. That means I’m in the left lane for a longer period of time. I believe this is another case of people spending too much time inside a big city. It is impossible to maintain a constant speed on an 8 lane divided interstate jammed with cars. So the people who never leave the city never learn to drive at a constant speed. Then when they do leave the city, they are complete jerks to everyone around them without ever even knowing it.


53 posted on 06/08/2012 8:27:49 AM PDT by mamelukesabre
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To: mamelukesabre

Yep, it’s real frustrating when you can’t use Cruise Control on relatively open road.


54 posted on 06/08/2012 8:30:30 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: mamelukesabre

I have positive anecdotal evidence of that first. Wife was in a lunchroom conversation a few years back, and one of the admins admitted to being completely ignorant of the whole “slower traffic keep right” concept. Had to be explained to her from the ground up. Woman was probably late 30s or so, been driving her whole life.


55 posted on 06/08/2012 9:06:53 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: Night Hides Not

I trust you had both hands on the steering wheel. ;)


56 posted on 06/08/2012 11:41:41 AM PDT by RobbyS (Christus rex.)
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To: FreedomPoster
Unfortunately all too often we end up with some self-righteous SOB camped out in the fast lane doing the speed limit...

I don't know about where you live, but in Texas you can't be cited if you're doing the MAXIMUM SPEED ALLOWED BY LAW. Slower traffic keep right, means slower than the speed limit. The few areas where the left lane is for passing only are clearly marked.

57 posted on 06/08/2012 11:43:08 AM PDT by Melas (u)
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To: FlyVet

Texas FM roads are excellent and usually in West Texas don’t have much traffic. I well remember driving back from Lubbock one night in ’57 after a Texas Tech game going toward Midland. The speed limit was 60.I was doing about 70 in my ’54 Chevie. Alone on the road almost;; very straight road. Then in my rear-view mirror I see headlights far in the distance. I look again in a minute and see them much closer. Soon a car passes me as if I were standing still.Much have been going at least 120. Not too long before before the tail rights were so far away they seemed to merge. Moonless night so I never saw what kind of car it was.


58 posted on 06/08/2012 11:50:53 AM PDT by RobbyS (Christus rex.)
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To: Melas

I take it you are one of those who insist on squatting in that passing lane at the speed limit, even though the flow of traffic is more like 75.


59 posted on 06/08/2012 11:55:42 AM PDT by RobbyS (Christus rex.)
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To: EVO X

I remembered back when I was a kid and we were driving through Georgia on the way back to Indiana from Florida. There was some dumb broad who sat in the left lane and refused to move over until a semi driver got on her @$$. A whole bunch of us passed her and you could see her outburst at all of us who passed by like waving her hand to indicate to slow down. I remembered my dad making some comments that the left lane is for passing and I agree to this day. Of course our P.C. media will not allow any kind of ads like on TV or radio educating drivers to that. But they promote that the left lane is like any other lane where you can drive the speed limit on and not have to move over.

I remembered when the 55 mph NMSL was repealed in 1995, the media morons like Dan Rather were aghast and upset such as making comments about safety being ignored.

> I was outside of Atlanta a few months ago and flashed my lights at someone doing 55 in the left lane. The bozo came to a dead stop in the left lane.


60 posted on 06/08/2012 12:08:08 PM PDT by CORedneck
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