Sandbagging on Speed Limits

There is an article in the August Car and Driver magazine that affirms my claim that local communities purposely keep low or reduce speed limits to generate needed revenue for the local government.

This article explains how in Michigan there is a law that requires local governments to adjust their posted speed limits to the 85 percentile of the speed the natural traffic flow, regardless of posted speed limit, with some modification for the number of driveways and crossings along a particular length of road. If this is not done, then the speed defaults to 55 miles per hour.

Several towns have admitted that they have not complied with this law because it would reduce revenue from traffic tickets and at times they must increase enforcement to cover revenue shortfalls or layoff personnel. One such town of Ferndale, a suburb of Detroit, admitted to this by Michael Kitchen, the police chief.

I observe this as well in most Salt Lake Valley communities, especially Taylorsville and West Valley. I can always tell when sales tax revenue is down because I see a much higher enforcement along Bangerter Highway and along Sky Drive (25 mph) in South Jordan. One can see this with the posted speed limit on the newly widened 10400 South between Redwood Rd and Bangerter Hwy in South Jordan. It was 35 mph, but they have been forced to raise it to 40 mph, but it should be 45 mph, the same speed posted for South Jordan Parkway between I-15 and 1300 West and 10400 South between Bangerter Hwy and Day Break which is also 45 mph. The road design is no different and the number of cross streets and driveways are very similar. I can attest that 85% of drivers on Bangerter between 90th South and SR201 drives at 60 mph and the signal lights are timed to that speed also. But the posted is 55 mph in West Jordan and 50 mph in Taylorsville and West Valley and correctly post at 60 mph at 90th South and continuing south bound to the I-15 interchange.

So the next time you speed at what seems like the appropriate speed for that street and you get ticketed, just know that you are feeding the treasury of that community so they can meet budget demands.