News: Switzerland cutting speed limits to reduce emissions
 

Via EcoWordly: Speed Limit 80kmh - Pollution Ahead

In contrast to the thread: Utah Considers Joining 80 MPH Speed Limit Club ...

Apparently it's a variable limit, since pollution levels change with atmospheric conditions.

http://ecoworldly.com/2008/02/27/spe...llution-ahead/

This isn't the first I've heard about emissions based speed limits. Denmark has done similar things as well - specifically reduced the maximum speed on freeways that pass through or near residential areas.

In Spain they recently lowered the highway limit to 80 km/h (50 mph) in a large area around the city of Barcelona.

'Just by happy coincidence', the implementation of the new limit was a$tutely accompanied with the surprise installation of several unadvertised automatic speed radar cameras, with bizarre results. Each flash you see means a speed ticket:

YouTube - Radar vs. Discoteca

Back in the day (or so I'm told) in missouri they used to look at your turnpike toll slips to see if you covered the distance too fast and give you a ticket. I think this would be exceedingly easy to do with ezpass these days, but then people would start complaining that laws were being enforced, :p

I LOVE radar cameras. There is a pilot project in the province of Quebec with a few installed in strategic high crash rate areas. I hope they'll put them everywhere.

Man you'd really enjoy driving thru Spain.

http://aposta.files.wordpress.com/20...pa-radares.jpg

Almost two thousand gatsos would welcome you, in a country smaller than Manitoba province.

Very nice... at least somewhere the world is going in the right direction.

As a side note, my favorite is the 'run the red light' camerate that gives out tickets. I don't know why, but it really bugs me when people do this.

Together with enforcing speed limits by whatever means, there should be effective ways to enforce the law (if any) against tailgating. When you drive at the speed limit (in the right/slow lane naturally), it is just too often that there are impatient people following you too closely for comfort.

I wonder if the reduced speed limit increases traffic jams or smooths out the start-stop pattern that many traffic jams get into?
Or do people follow each other closer and maintain the same cars/hour rate?

Also speed camera's are kind of a stupidity tax, but I guess that's ok, the real problem is what are they set at?
In Ontario I have driven for 16 years using the 20 over rule. Stay below 20km/h over the limit, be it 50, 80, or 100km/h zone and you will not get a ticket. In some states 20km/h over would get you stopped 5 times a day...
Now I only use the 20 over rule for pulsing on the highway and in the city where 60 to 70km/h means my torque converter stays locked giving me better mileage than going slower would.