Illinois to let truckiers drive 65 on interstates starting Jan 1

http://www.sj-r.com/news/x730414505/...s-to-go-65-mph

THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Posted Dec 06, 2009 @ 12:30 AM
Last update Dec 06, 2009 @ 08:21 AM

The most significant change in Illinois speed-limit law in more than
three decades will require fewer signs, not more. About 500 fewer.

The Illinois Department of Transportation expects to begin removing 55
mph speed-limit signs for truckers from rural interstates — pretty
much everything outside of metropolitan Chicago — shortly after the
first of the year as the big rigs join the rest of the traffic with a
speed limit of 65 mph.

Agency spokeswoman Paris Ervin said planning has begun for the switch
but that IDOT officials concluded it would be best to begin phasing
out the 55 mph signs a few days into the new year rather than try to
make the switch all at once.

“Our plan is to wait until the week of Jan. 4 to begin removing and
modifying the signs, weather permitting. For us, the big issue will be
the weather,� Ervin said, adding that the estimated cost of sign
removal is $75,000.

Some new and modified 55 mph signs will be required on two-lane,
limited-access and urban interstate routes not covered by the new
state law.

Shot up, run down

A typical state highway or interstate sign lasts 10 to 12 years with a
few exceptions, said Joe Athey, section chief of the central sign shop
for the Illinois Department of Transportation.

“We have them come through with bullet holes in them, or they have
been run over,� said Athey, who oversees a work force of approximately
14 at the shop on West Reynolds Street in Springfield.

He said the central shop produces 70,000 signs a year for use
statewide — everything from yield to tourism signs — but about 40,000
to 50,000 are refurbished signs. The recycled signs are flattened,
stripped of lettering and paint with high-pressure water, “kissed�
with a belt sander down to the basic aluminum and repainted.

The new informational lettering or traffic-safety designs go on, and
it’s back out to the roadways.

But in the case of the new 65 mph speed limit for big trucks, the
major work will be taking down 55 mph signs on 1,800 miles of rural
interstate statewide, including Interstates 55 and 72 through
Springfield.

“On a good day, we can probably do 30 or so,� said Dave Riedle, a lead
worker on IDOT crews that will begin taking down the signs early next
month.

Transportation officials said in the case of wooden posts, the signs
would simply be taken down with a chainsaw, while those on metal posts
would have to be unbolted for the trip to the central shop in
Springfield.

The local shop also has worked up a prototype of new signs that will
be used in Chicago and the collar counties where dual-speed zones will
remain in force for trucks of more than four tons.

Only six states left

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, only
Arkansas, California, Indiana, Michigan, Oregon and Washington state
still maintain differential, daytime speed limits for trucks and cars
on rural interstates.

An institute analysis concluded traffic deaths on rural interstates
jumped 25-30 percent when states began increasing overall speed limits
in 1987 but that “there is no definitive research� on differential
speeds for cars and trucks.

The institute also found that drivers overall — car or truck, uniform
speeds or not — are going faster these days.

“Within one year after speed limits were raised from 55 to 70 mph on
three urban freeways in Texas, the percent of passenger vehicles
traveling faster than 70 mph increased from 15 to 50 percent; the
percent exceeding 75 mph increased from 4 to 17 percent,� the study
states.

Speed limits are 70 mph or higher in 33 states.

Lawrence Gregg, acting engineer for traffic operations at IDOT in
Springfield, recalled the fight over truck speed limits in Illinois
began during the administration of Gov. James R. Thompson in the
1980s.

“Legislatures would pass it, and the governor would veto it,� Gregg
said.

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich vetoed the change three times. Gov. Pat
Quinn approved the measure with little fanfare in August.

Enforcement begins Jan. 1

The Illinois State Police requested that the sign changes take place
after the law takes effect to avoid confusion, Capt. Scott Compton
said.

“If you’re putting the signs up early, you would have people thinking
they could drive 65. The law takes effect Jan. 1, and that’s when
state police will begin enforcement,� Compton said, adding that
truckers generally are more tuned in to speed-limit changes than most.

“Someone who is in their vehicle that much, they are certainly aware
of their surroundings. Only where it’s 65 for cars now will the speed
limits go up to 65 for trucks,� Compton said.

Tim Landis can be reached at 788-1536.
OTHER MIDWESTERN SPEED LIMITS HIGHER


Rural interstate speed limits in other Midwest states (cars and
trucks, unless otherwise noted)

* Indiana: 70 cars, 65 trucks
* Iowa: 70
* Michigan: 70 cars, 60 trucks
* Minnesota: 70
* Missouri: 70
* Ohio: 65

Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

BASIC CHANGES TO TRUCKS' SPEED LIMIT

* Maximum speed limit increases to 65 mph on interstates outside
Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties, with the
exception of trucks of more than four tons.
* New limits also apply to motor-homes, campers and vehicles
towing trailers.

SPEED LIMIT HISTORY

The Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act of 1974 imposed a
nationwide speed limit of 55 mph in response to a 1973 oil embargo
imposed by what became known as the Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries, OPEC.

The law was repealed in 1995, and Illinois increased maximum speeds
for cars to 65 mph on rural interstates; a series of governors,
including former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, vetoed increase for big trucks.
Gov. Patrick Quinn signed a bill approving the increase last summer.

Source: Illinois Department of Transportation

SPEED LIMIT DEBATE

Opponents and proponents have gone back and forth for years in
Illinois over the benefits or dangers of a uniform speed limit for
cars and trucks. The Federal Highway Administration analyzed
collisions state-by-state in the 1990s based on uniform (USL) and
differential speed-law (DSL) changes. Car-truck collisions accounted
for the following proportion of all accidents, based on the type of
collision:

* Rear-end car into truck: USL, 10.9 percent; DSL, 13.70 percent.
* Rear-end truck into car: 10.78 percent; DSL, percent 6.86.
* Sideswipe, car into truck: USL 22.12 percent; DSL, 21.52
percent.
* Sidewise, truck into car: USL percent, 21.07; DSL, 14.96
percent.
* Other car into truck: USL percent, 2.75; DSL percent, 2.07.
* Other truck into car: USL percent, 2 percent; DSL, 0.99 percent.

The conclusion: “Speed characteristics were generally unaffected by
USL or DSL policy. Except for Virginia, mean speeds tended to increase
over the 1990s regardless of whether the state maintained USL,
maintained DSL or changed from one to the other. In some cases, the
increased speed was significant, in other cases, it was not.

“No consistent safety effects of DSL as opposed to USL were observed
within the scope of the study. The mean speed and crash rates tended
to increase over the 10-year period, regardless of whether a USL or
DSL limit was employed.�

BAN ON TEXTING TO START, TOO

Texting and driving, and talking on a cell phone in construction and
school zones, also will be banned Jan. 1 in Illinois.

One measure signed in August by Gov. Pat Quinn will make it illegal to
“compose, send or read text messages, e-mail on a cell phone, or surf
the Internet while driving.� The ban also includes personal digital
assistants and portable or mobile computers but does not include
global positioning or navigation systems.

A separate bill bans use of cell phones in construction and
school-speed zones unless it is a hands-free device. Drivers still
will be allowed to use the phones in voice-activated mode or in
emergencies.

On 2009-12-07, lyon_wonder > wrote:



> He said the central shop produces 70,000 signs a year for use
> statewide ? everything from yield to tourism signs ? but about 40,000
> to 50,000 are refurbished signs. The recycled signs are flattened,
> stripped of lettering and paint with high-pressure water, ?kissed?
> with a belt sander down to the basic aluminum and repainted.

What a waste of money. It's just standard AL sheet. I wonder what
politically connected persons benefit from that. The labor costs way
more than just buying new sheet stock and cutting it. I suppose large
overhead signs might be worth it, maybe, but probably not. Sell the old
signs to a place that recycles AL and their equipment will handle it.
Far more cost effective all the way around.

> Speed limits are 70 mph or higher in 33 states.

Not ass-backwards IL.

> ?Legislatures would pass it, and the governor would veto it,? Gregg
> said.
>
> Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich vetoed the change three times. Gov. Pat
> Quinn approved the measure with little fanfare in August.

Money, that's why. Stupid laws bring in revenue.

On Dec 6, 11:33*pm, lyon_wonder > wrote:
> http://www.sj-r.com/news/x730414505/...rucks-to-go-65...


> Only six states left
>
> According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, only
> Arkansas, California, Indiana, Michigan, Oregon and Washington state
> still maintain differential, daytime speed limits for trucks and cars
> on rural interstates.

So IL will fix this

> Speed limits are 70 mph or higher in 33 states.

> Rural interstate speed limits in other Midwest states (cars and
> trucks, unless otherwise noted)
>
> * * * Indiana: 70 cars, 65 trucks
> * * * Iowa: 70
> * * * Michigan: 70 cars, 60 trucks
> * * * Minnesota: 70
> * * * Missouri: 70
> * * * Ohio: 65

But along with OH, remain out of balance on passenger cars.
Brilliant.

The irony is, when I'm tooling along on I-94 in MI going about 74-76
and get blasted past by a speed-rocket, more often than not the car
has IL plates. They know how to drive 70+, they just aren't allowed.

lyon_wonder > wrote in
:

> http://www.sj-r.com/news/x730414505/...cks-to-go-65-m
> ph
>
> THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
> Posted Dec 06, 2009 @ 12:30 AM
> Last update Dec 06, 2009 @ 08:21 AM
>
> The most significant change in Illinois speed-limit law in more than
> three decades will require fewer signs, not more. About 500 fewer.
>
> The Illinois Department of Transportation expects to begin removing 55
> mph speed-limit signs for truckers from rural interstates — pretty
> much everything outside of metropolitan Chicago — shortly after the
> first of the year as the big rigs join the rest of the traffic with a
> speed limit of 65 mph.
>
>

Once again we see the heavy hand of the auto industry bribing officials
into raising speed limits and causing more crashes which will mean more car
sales.

Gary V wrote:
> On Dec 6, 11:33 pm, lyon_wonder > wrote:
>> http://www.sj-r.com/news/x730414505/...rucks-to-go-65...
>
>
>> Only six states left
>>
>> According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, only
>> Arkansas, California, Indiana, Michigan, Oregon and Washington state
>> still maintain differential, daytime speed limits for trucks and cars
>> on rural interstates.
>
> So IL will fix this
>
>> Speed limits are 70 mph or higher in 33 states.
>
>> Rural interstate speed limits in other Midwest states (cars and
>> trucks, unless otherwise noted)
>>
>> * Indiana: 70 cars, 65 trucks
>> * Iowa: 70
>> * Michigan: 70 cars, 60 trucks
>> * Minnesota: 70
>> * Missouri: 70
>> * Ohio: 65
>
> But along with OH, remain out of balance on passenger cars.
> Brilliant.
>
> The irony is, when I'm tooling along on I-94 in MI going about 74-76
> and get blasted past by a speed-rocket, more often than not the car
> has IL plates. They know how to drive 70+, they just aren't allowed.


And what's even more ironic than that, perhaps, is that on my late
October trip to Champaign to watch RichRod get waxed by a 3-9 Illinois
team, is that I was among the fastest vehicles on I-57 with my cruise
set to about 71. They drive like bats out of hell in Michigan and
Cook/collar counties, but they're very tame downstate, those
Ill-annoyances. ;-)

--
Larry Harvilla
e-mail: larry AT phatpage DOT org
http://www.phatpage.org/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/larrysphatpage

On Dec 7, 12:00*am, Brent > wrote:
> On 2009-12-07, lyon_wonder > wrote:
>
> > He said the central shop produces 70,000 signs a year for use
> > statewide ? everything from yield to tourism signs ? but about 40,000
> > to 50,000 are refurbished signs. The recycled signs are flattened,
> > stripped of lettering and paint with high-pressure water, ?kissed?
> > with a belt sander down to the basic aluminum and repainted.
>
> What a waste of money. It's just standard AL sheet.

Which aluminum alloy is "standard"...?

> I wonder what
> politically connected persons benefit from that.

Well, I guess we can rule out the scrap aluminum industry... maybe the
sandblasting media industry...?

> The labor costs way
> more than just buying new sheet stock and cutting it.

Does that include the cost of obtaining and maintaining a sheet metal
shear?

Holes drilled by hand, or CNC punched...?

> I suppose large
> overhead signs might be worth it, maybe, but probably not. Sell the old
> signs to a place that recycles AL and their equipment will handle it.
> Far more cost effective all the way around.

You seem very knowledgeable.

Which aluminum alloy is used for road signs?

I would be pleasantly surpr... dumbfounded... if you could break down
for us these "far more cost effective" costs.

I'll expect your usual deafening silence whenever asked to
substantiate what you profess to know.
-----

- gpsman

On Dec 8, 12:09*am, "Speeders & Drunk Drivers are MURDERERS"
> wrote:
I was wondering what happened to our little brain dead troll

Master_Shake wrote:

> I was wondering what happened to our little brain dead troll

Why?


--

Remember: The Ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by professionals.

Requiescas in pace o email
Ex turpi causa non oritur actio
Eppure si rinfresca

ICBM Targeting Information: http://tinyurl.com/4sqczs
http://tinyurl.com/7tp8ml

On Dec 8, 10:24*am, Larry Sheldon > wrote:
> Master_Shake wrote:
> > I was wondering what happened to our little brain dead troll
>
> Why?
>
> --
>
> Remember: *The Ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by professionals.
>
> Requiescas in pace o email
> Ex turpi causa non oritur actio
> Eppure si rinfresca
>
> ICBM Targeting Information: *http://tinyurl.com/4sqczshttp://tinyurl.com/7tp8ml

Bored.

Master_Shake > wrote in news:ade69801-a64c-4cef-9f7f-
:

> On Dec 8, 12:09*am, "Speeders & Drunk Drivers are MURDERERS"
> > wrote:
> I was wondering what happened to our little brain dead troll

The board notes you evaded the issue and made a personal attack instead.
It must really suck to be a hater.