Varying Ohio speed limits?

Some of you don’t think much of the state’s idea to test variable speed limits on some highways to fight stop-and-start driving that causes congestion.

Robert L. Lindsey thinks the idea “makes about as much sense as turning red light cameras off because they reduced crashes. Very few people pay any attention to the speed limit or any other traffic law. The answer would be for more people to start using good sense and a little courtesy.”

Lynn Johnson writes: “The DOT got part of the problem right but the solution wrong. Starting and stopping is an extreme symptom. The real issue is not all vehicles moving at the same speed. If every vehicle moved at exactly the same speed and direction, none would ever collide. Some simple mathematics shows that any highway can handle more vehicles at higher speed than it can at lower speed.

“What is needed is some incentive to get everyone to drive at the same speed. Posting variable speed limits on an interstate does not provide any incentive to drivers. On Interstates they just want to go fast. The place where this is most easily done is on streets with traffic lights.”

Thoughts? Email rrollins@coxohio.com.

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