Why isn't anyone griping about this yet? (Speed Limit Change)

7,485 Views | 77 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by Frio Cielo
l0u10itd4n
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Buzzard Article

Instead of owning that the new ramps are bad, they want to lower the speed limit on 6 because they can't figure out why there are more wrecks.
rsincs
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AG
I think it's a good idea.
armymom
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I for one think it is a good change! I don't know any other place in a populated area that the speed limit is 75mph on a 4 lane highway. Must be a good reason!
agnerd
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AG
Those wrecks aren't caused by the road. It's designed to handle more than 75 mph traffic with the changes to the ramps. It's not designed to handle people that don't know how to properly merge with traffic though. Unless you can teach people how to properly merge in the very near future, speed limit will be coming down.
SARATOGA
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Time to bang the drum again....

1) Since they refuse to build east/west roads without subsequently mucking them up with stoplights and bad development ingress/egress......the only reasonable way to get around in this town is the highway, so there is WAY more traffic on the highway than there should be.

2) Also people REFUSE to merge at highway speed. If the speed limit of the highway is X, you need to be going X by the time you've reached the end of the entrance ramp. It is the law.
.....People trying to merge at X -10 or X-20 miles per hour causes traffic problems, slow-downs, and accidents. Be conscious of your merging speed and merge at the posted speed limit. The ramps are shorter...Press harder on the pedal on the right to merge at the proper speed.

3) They could also widen 6 to 3 lanes from 21 to Peach Creek because the town has grown by 100k people in the last 10 years.

rhoswen
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AG
They really just need to widen 6.
And I'll agree that 75 may be a little much for such a populated area, but 60 is way too low. That being said, when I was there last week commuting from south CS (Barron Rd) to campus, I was not able to do 70 on hwy 6 either coming or going, because of traffic doing below 70.
SARATOGA
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quote:
"Jerry Ullman at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute said the speed limit change was likely not the major contributing factor. "
Correlation does not equal causation. Eagle fishing for a story.




Also considering that the ramp projects are not yet complete and we've been under construction for 5 straight years....it is too early to jump to conclusions.

InMyOpinion
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quote:
Time to bang the drum again....

2) Also people REFUSE to merge at highway speed. If the speed limit of the highway is X, you need to be going X by the time you've reached the end of the entrance ramp. It is the law.
.....People trying to merge at X -10 or X-20 miles per hour causes traffic problems, slow-downs, and accidents. Be conscious of your merging speed and merge at the posted speed limit. The ramps are shorter...Press harder on the pedal on the right to merge at the proper speed.


I have beat the drum to death over this. I just can't decide what pisses me of more this or LEFT LANE FOR PASSING ONLY
rc_cat
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It doesn't matter what speed limit they make it, there will still be the people who drive at 10 miles under the posted limit and think they're doing well.

The new ramps have greatly contributed to the problem - the right lane is now acting as a continuous merge lane, so cars have only one lane in which to keep up a sustained speed - and all it takes is one car to move over doing 65 instead of 75 to screw up the whole flow. The distances between the new on/off ramps are way too short, so even if people could get up to speed getting on to 6, there's no way they can maintain it because of the cars slowing down to get off 6 only a short distance ahead. (And, let's not even mention the 50% budget increase on those ramps - they couldn't even manage a consistent product - half the ramps have a full length merge lane on the feeder - half don''t - so there are the issues caused by cars not knowing whether or not they have to move to the left lane to get on the highway - and having to swing back into traffic when it turns out they don't.)

I don't think they should base their decision on what happened on 6 with construction occurring both north- and south-bound - unless they're just looking for a convenient excuse to lower the limit. Give it a chance and see what happens - then make a fair decision. Yeah, like that will happen.


BlazeHarper
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Hope they drop it to 60 so I can set the cruise control to 55
toocool
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+1 for the Blaze!
malibu9in1
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I see a on ramp as a leaving pit row trying to be the first. I hammer on the gas and merge with all the power this 3/4ton Silverado can make
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Oogway
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Honest question--am I doing this wrong: when merging, I get up to speed and look to see what traffic is coming along 6 in the right lane, then merge ahead, or if they are unable to get over and blocking, then merge behind. If I am driving on 6 and able (i.e. No one is barrelling down the left lane) then I get over in the left lane then swing back right when there is space. Good? Bad?
Fonzie Scheme
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AG
Lowering the speed is only OK if they set a MINIMUM speed as well.
Bunk Moreland
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should be 3 lanes both ways, and they should have started working on that 5 years ago. 75 has nothing to do with any perceived increase in accidents. As mentioned on this thread, there are so many times I have to drive for about 5 miles straight because 2 jackasses are going 65 in both lanes and you can't get around either.

Just earlier I got up on HWY 6 South at the entrance between university and texas. 2 cars in front of me were also getting on...entered highway at 55, sped up to 60 or so, and then as soon as it was time to merge, the car in front hits the breaks and starts looking around. Luckily the highway was empty and I had to hit my breaks and swerve to the far left lane to avoid running into the car in front of me that had to hit their breaks as well.

Just ridiculous. Merge at or near the speed of highway traffic and half of this **** goes away.
BrandoC
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AG
A complete dumbass could of done better with designing the on/off ramps in town. Txdot should be freaking embarrassed.
InMyOpinion
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quote:
Honest question--am I doing this wrong: when merging, I get up to speed and look to see what traffic is coming along 6 in the right lane, then merge ahead, or if they are unable to get over and blocking, then merge behind. If I am driving on 6 and able (i.e. No one is barrelling down the left lane) then I get over in the left lane then swing back right when there is space. Good? Bad?

As long as you get up to the proper speed your good

I always merge ahead cause I will hit 75+ on the on ramp, assuming there isn't an idiot that is afraid of using their gas pedal in front of me.
toolshed
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AG
From the article:
"Total accidents along Texas 6 in Brazos County have been steadily increasing over the past six years. Much of that can be attributed to increased congestion on the roadway, a transportation expert said, but the sharpest increase in accidents came in 2013. TxDOT crash statistics show there were 361 total accidents in 2013, up from 269 the year before. The speed limit along Texas 6 in Brazos County was increased from 70 to 75 miles per hour early in 2013, but Jerry Ullman at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute said the speed limit change was likely not the major contributing factor. Total accidents have steadily increased each year since, with 477 last year."

I don't believe the timeline in the article correlates to the changing of the ramps.

The biggest issue is congestion. If you drive the bypass at any point around rush hour times, you'll see the issue plain as day. They highway so so congested that merging traffic doesn't have anywhere to merge into. A third lane is sorely needed to help alleviate the issues, but the jacks agony that ride the left lane will just move over into it and slow it down as well. It drives me crazy when people merge on and shoot straight to the left lane, even when there is no traffic in the right and then drive at or under the speed limit.

Congestion and stupid drivers are the issues, not the ramps. But I realize that everyone is a critic and needs something to complain about.
MightyDuck
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We need "Accelerate to merging speed" signs at the start of every entrance ramp.
SumAggie
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quote:
Those wrecks aren't caused by the road. It's designed to handle more than 75 mph traffic with the changes to the ramps. It's not designed to handle people that don't know how to properly merge with traffic though. Unless you can teach people how to properly merge in the very near future, speed limit will be coming down.
75 is too fast. 65 would be much more reasonable.
frito bandito
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Probably need three or four stoplights, too. Make it more like 2818, now that's an shining example of a stellar highway project.
Kitten With A Whip
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Just ridiculous. Merge at or near the speed of highway traffic and half of this **** goes away.

That works fine except for when the jackholes won't/can't let you merge at the speed of traffic. The ramps are too short in some places and there is no where to go when this bull**** happens. Need more courteous drivers in this town.
Bunk Moreland
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quote:

That works fine except for when the jackholes won't/can't let you merge at the speed of traffic. The ramps are too short in some places and there is no where to go when this bull**** happens. Need more courteous drivers in this town.
oh I definitely agree the entrance/exit ramps are atrocious, and that was a complete fail by TXDoT.

However, back to my initial point...if they widened each way to 3 lanes, then you'd have more folks driving middle and left lane, and fewer folks in the right lane blocking you from attempting to get on the highway.
Kitten With A Whip
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I agree with you on that. I do think 3 lanes would help, but part of the solution has to be to rework some of the shorter entrance/exit ramps while they are widening.
Goat Man
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AG
quote:
Time to bang the drum again....

1) Since they refuse to build east/west roads without subsequently mucking them up with stoplights and bad development ingress/egress......the only reasonable way to get around in this town is the highway, so there is WAY more traffic on the highway than there should be.

2) Also people REFUSE to merge at highway speed. If the speed limit of the highway is X, you need to be going X by the time you've reached the end of the entrance ramp. It is the law.
.....People trying to merge at X -10 or X-20 miles per hour causes traffic problems, slow-downs, and accidents. Be conscious of your merging speed and merge at the posted speed limit. The ramps are shorter...Press harder on the pedal on the right to merge at the proper speed.

3) They could also widen 6 to 3 lanes from 21 to Peach Creek because the town has grown by 100k people in the last 10 years.



Completely agree with your points 1) and 3) above.
I don't understand point 2). Are you saying the minimum speed on HWY 6 bypass is 75? 'Cause if not then I don't see how it is against the law to merge at a speed less than 75. Honest question I have not seen a minimum speed posted on HWY 6 bypass.
And something else to consider, some of the cars entering the highway CANNOT accelerate from 55 to 75 in the space provided by the on ramps.
As much as it pains me to say it, 75 is too fast for the amount of traffic HWY 6 carries.
Mathguy64
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AG
quote:
And something else to consider, some of the cars entering the highway CANNOT accelerate from 55 to 75 in the space provided by the on ramps.
The issue is not that they cannot it is that some drivers refuse to try. What you cannot do is accelerate from 35-40 and get to 75 and too many hit the ramp at 35-40.
JR Ewing
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AG
The real issue continues to be people who are texting and driving while going 75mph. I drive that freeway everyday, and I see 6-8 people on their phones texting and driving by the time I've gotten to Bryan from South College Station. People are absolute idiots if they think going 75mph while texting won't come back to haunt them. And lowering the speed limit won't do anything to help that...
runawaytrain
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Things that need change
1. Highway 6 should be moved minimum to 3 lanes on both sides if not 4 for the amount of growth projected
2. 2818 needs an additional lane on both sides (very fast) based on number of apartments going up
3. Remove all left hand turn lanes on roads that have 60+ MPH speed limits, ie. 2818 and 60
4. 2818 and 60 should have (I am not sure what they are called) but round abouts that keep you from going to a full stop at high rate of speed
5. University and Texas need a real study done very quickly. As the University expands, and the development created on the old grad student dorm land, I question if they have enough lanes to support that development and how cars will go in and out without causing major accidents
Superfreak
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AG
75 is too fast. What the hell are all y'all in such a hurry for? Common sense suggest that higher speeds reduces margins for error and increases bodily injury on impact. Those suggesting otherwise need a physics class.
Fonzie Scheme
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AG
It isn't about being in a hurry. The posted speed limit is 75. That is the speed you should travel. If not, you are impeding traffic and you are just as much of a threat to safety as those wanting to go 90.
D_Wag97
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AG
In addition to merging at the correct speed, we need to teach people to actually merge. You don't have the right of way when getting on the highway. People just keep driving (without even looking for oncoming traffic) as if everyone on the highway should move over to the left lane. It's your responsibility to check traffic and merge at the proper time and speed..
InMyOpinion
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quote:
75 is too fast. What the hell are all y'all in such a hurry for? Common sense suggest that higher speeds reduces margins for error and increases bodily injury on impact. Those suggesting otherwise need a physics class.

You could say the same thing if the speed limit was 55 and suggest that people drive 35 on the hwy.
kraut
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AG
quote:
limit
limit/
noun

[ol]
  • 1.
    a point or level beyond which something does not or may not extend or pass.
    "the limits of presidential power"

  • 2.
    a restriction on the size or amount of something permissible or possible.
    "an age limit"
    synonyms:
    maximum, ceiling, limitation, upper limit; More
  • [/ol]
    FYI
    AggiePhil
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    AG
    And then you've got the people who completely ignore the 60 MPH construction zone speed limits.
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