May 13, 2006
By BILL HETHCOCK - THE COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE
Drivers have slowed down in areas in which speed limits were increased, a city traffic survey shows.
Yes, you read that right.
After extensive speed studies, the city last year began raising speed limits on 147 miles of road and lowering them on 1,134 miles. The increases sparked complaints from residents who feared higher limits would encourage people to drive faster, making roads more dangerous.
But two to six months after speed signs were switched, a survey shows speeds decreased in most places where the limits were raised, said David Krauth, the city's principal traffic engineer.
Some examples: Speeds dropped by 2 mph on Carlson Drive when the limit was raised to 30 mph from 25. Speed fell by 20 mph on Mirage Drive when the limit was raised from 30 mph to 35.
The vast majority of people drive whatever speed they're comfortable, Krauth said. They do not look at the speed limit and add 5 miles per hour to it if they're driving in an urban area.
Traffic engineers calculated the limits by recording drivers' nonrush-hour speeds on 1,109 segments of well-traveled roads and determining the effective speed limit the one that 85 percent of drivers obeyed. The effective limit was then rounded down to the nearest 5 mph increment to become the official limit. Other factors were considered, including proximity to homes, crash rates and the presence of pedestrians.
Copyright: 2006 THE COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE