Higher speed limits are coming. But the case against them isn’t based on road safety alone – claims of increased economic efficiency are not supported by the evidence, either.
Issue being, people are always going to drive the speed they feel safe at. A sign, a rule, a law will do nothing to change that, unless you have a pig on every corner enforcing them perfectly. The way you change that is to ~not make the roads feel safe at faster speeds~. Fewer, narrower lanes and traffic calming features will do more for the issues than any speed limit signs will.
At the end of the day, a straight, flat, multi-laned road gives the feeling of safety at high speeds. I won’t say this is THE intent, but at very least is a side effect of the multiple lanes in each direction. Lower that to a travel lane in each direction and a turning lane. Add some medians. Add a chicane or two. Suddenly people drive slower because that’s what the road actually supports.
Issue being, people are always going to drive the speed they feel safe at. A sign, a rule, a law will do nothing to change that, unless you have a pig on every corner enforcing them perfectly. The way you change that is to ~not make the roads feel safe at faster speeds~. Fewer, narrower lanes and traffic calming features will do more for the issues than any speed limit signs will.
At the end of the day, a straight, flat, multi-laned road gives the feeling of safety at high speeds. I won’t say this is THE intent, but at very least is a side effect of the multiple lanes in each direction. Lower that to a travel lane in each direction and a turning lane. Add some medians. Add a chicane or two. Suddenly people drive slower because that’s what the road actually supports.