The in basket: Last year, when the state raised the speed limit
on Highway 16 between Gorst and Tremont Avenue, I was surprised to
see they made it 60 mph in both directions.
A state spokesman had said earlier that it would be raised only
southbound, which struck me as a good idea. Northbound, the highway
has an S-curve, crosses a narrow bridge over Highway 166 and the
speed limit drops to 40 mph at Gorst. Since most traffic was doing
60 or better there when the speed limit was 50 mph, I thought 50
mph northbound was appropriate.
Another surprising change was beginning the southbound 60 mph zone
back in Gorst, rather than after a driver passes Anderson Hill
Road, an on-grade intersection.
I asked why they went beyond increasing the southbound limit south
of Anderson Hill Road.
The out basket: Steve Bennett, an engineer with the state Olympic
Region, which includes our area, says, “As you know, speed
limits are based on the actual vehicle speeds through the
corridor. While it may seem counter-intuitive to set speed
limits based on the actual vehicle speeds, this method, called the
“85 percentile method” makes for the safest roadway and has become
the national standard for the setting of speed limits.
“This 85th percentile speed is the speed at which, or below
which, 85 per cent of drivers are traveling. It is based upon
national roadway studies which have shown that the majority of
drivers travel at a speed they believe to be reasonable and
prudent, and setting the speed limit accordingly actually results
in the fewest accidents.
“An artificially low speed limit is ignored by the great majority
of drivers and may provide a false sense of security for someone
who actually expects drivers to travel at the lower
speed.
“The risk of accidents increases when a few law-abiding motorists
travel at the lower posted speed and the majority of drivers come
up behind them at a rate of speed they believe to be safe and
prudent. Unexpected swerves, skids, or unsafe passing
maneuvers, and hence more accidents, are the result
South of Gorst, he said, “We conducted speed studies in both
directions and found that 60 miles per hour was a closer fit to the
speed of existing traffic. We will be watching the area and we
can make adjustments if needed.”
Road Warrior Travis Baker blogs about the problems and idiosyncrasies of Kitsap highways and byways.
They should also increase the speed limit to 60 mph on northbound 3 between Viking Fence and Bremerton.
Southbound 3 in that area should stay at 50 mph because of the car lots on the right side of the road.
Did I read Travis’s words correctly! I’ve been spouting the 80-something rule since the ’60s. This is truly a breath of fresh air in traffic management. Now to get rid of stop lights. But then we wouldn’t need imported oil or pollution control devices on our cars.
Maybe if they used the 85% rule they would change the speed limit back on Lincoln Road in Poulsbo. You can’t even get up the hill at 25 mph you have to go at least 35 mph to get up the hill.
Remember this quote the next time a speed limit is lowered inspite of the traffic. “Steve Bennett, an engineer with the state Olympic Region, which includes our area, says, “As you know, speed limits are based on the actual vehicle speeds through the corridor. While it may seem counter-intuitive to set speed limits based on the actual vehicle speeds, this method, called the “85 percentile method” makes for the safest roadway and has become the national standard for the setting of speed limits.”
The 85th percentile can be trumped by one hyper-active soccer mom or someone too timid to exit their driveway onto a busy road. Such examples are the Seabeck-Holly road near Lake Symington, Hood Canal Drive and Tracyton boulevard. In each case, an individual complaint lowered the speed limit to the detriment of all who travel that road.