Texas Considers Raising Speed Limit



SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Drivers on two West Texas highways could soon be able to go 80
mph without risking a speeding ticket.

A proposal by the state Department of Transportation seeks to raise the speed limit on
Interstates 10 and 20 in West Texas, despite opposition from fuel conservation
advocates. The Texas Transportation Commission could take up the proposal next week.

Legislation passed last year allows for higher speeds in 10 West Texas counties, most of
which currently have 75 mph speed limits.

Carlos Lopez, director of traffic operations for the transportation department, said a
survey of both interstates found that 85 percent of motorists already were driving up to
79 mph.

``If people begin to think that the number on the sign is unreasonable, then they won't
respect it,'' Lopez said. ``Just putting up a lower number on the highway isn't going to
slow down traffic.''

But with gas prices at a premium, some groups said drivers should be encouraged to
slow down rather than speed up.

Increasing the speed limit ``will have a perverse reaction,'' said Peter Iwanowicz,
director of environmental health at the American Lung Association. ``Increasing the
speed limit will increase fuel use.''

U.S. Department of Energy studies show gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds
above 60 mph.

Transportation department spokesman Randall Dillard said the 80 mph speed limit was
also intended to make the interstate safer, because motorists would be traveling at a
uniform speed.

 

man they need to do this in cali

 

They need to adopt Montana's "speed limit"

 

if they did that in NY everyone would be dead

 

troof

 

i agree with cobss

 

its cool that i live here and they finally raised the speed limit. driving on I-20 with no cops sucks at going only 75mph.

 

FYI it applies to highways only out in West Texas, for example on I-10 it starts and stops once it gets close to san antonio..if anyone has been on I-10 before there isn't a car on there that does under 80 to begin with, I've been cruising at 80 and got passed by two modded BMW 7 series V12s doing about 100+.

Eitherway if you've been west of SAN AN you will notice that there IS NOTHING OUT THERE, its just endless plains and desert, so it makes sence to up the limit.

 

yeah i know. i live in Odessa, Tx. when i travel west i saw them changing the speed limite signs. yes there is nothing out here and we should be allowed to drive that fast.

 

Wow, a thread where I can post some of the useless information I have stored in my head..

While driving along the other day, I noticed that in my SS S/C 80mph = exactly 3k rpms in 5th gear.

That is all...

 

on i10 in far west texas they have already been raised like in the Ozona area west of san angelo

 

Yeah I thought it was already 80 out west ...Old news...

 

sounds like fun, but i dooubt they ever raise the speed limit anywhere around here. it would be useful though since people here cruise around 80mph as well. at least raise it to 70mph. this 60 and 55 stuff sucks!

 

Higher speed limits would be so cool here, but there's just too much traffic

 

I was out west about 2 years ago when I took this pic. The speed limit changed on the other side of San Antonio somewhere around Kerrville or Junction...I haven't been back out that way to see if it has changed to 80 like I heard...

[IMG][/IMG]

 

haha true that , plus no one understands how big texas is until you have to drive across it i bet it would take you 15 hours+ to go from el paso to the tip of louisiana

 

It can be done in less but not by much....On the trip when I took that picture above I basically drove across the state and where I ended up was about 70 miles from El Paso and I started in Freeport, actually Lake Jackson, but I did it in 11 hours only stopping for gas and eating on the fly...

Here's a link to the distance I traveled...Road trip...

 

Oddly, over thanksgiving, I noticed my car got great gas mileage while cruising between 75 and 90 mph. I averaged just over 32 mpg for the entire trip. The whole thing about worse gas mileage is only half true. If a car is set up for it, they will get decent mileage. Hell, just do like germany. Make it illegal to run out of gas. And I think most people in a 70 or 75 zone definitely cruise closer to 80-85.