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I'd argue it's both. Even if drivers were to obey the maximum speed limit of 25 mph, and if MPD were to actually enforce it, and if MPD were to enforce it without giving a 50% grace buffer (making it effectively 36mph speed limit), they'd still be driving too fast in congested pedestrian areas and in neighborhood streets where there is likely to be pedestrian traffic.

I'd be fine with a 20 mph speed limit on all non-arterial streets in DC, if there were guaranteed enforcement, either with synchronized speed cameras, or (if we're going to get into fantasyland) with required speed limiters for vehicles operated in the city limits.

Obviously, that's not going to happen, so if you're going to spot everyone 10 mph over the posted speed limit--lest you open MPD up to charges of being unfair ("They can't change the rules in the middle of the game!!!")--you need to post a speed limit that tells drivers how fast they should be driving.

In our culture of near-universal driver scofflawism, "15" means "20". But drivers want to have it both ways: 15 is far, far too low, and undermines government authority; therefore, we should set the posted speed limit to whatever speed drivers feel they're entitled to drive, regardless of the danger posed to non-driving folks with whom they're sharing public space. Of course, we have to lard another 10-15 mph on top of that posted speed limit. Because somehow enforcing the posted speed limit is unfair. Which means, in the final accounting, the lowest possible effective speed limit we can impose is something like 35-40 mph.

Whatever we decide to set our residential speed limit to--and speeds of 15-20mph are quite common in residential suburban communities--we should be looking into automated enforcement mechanisms that work in the neighborhoods. We'll make our neighborhoods safer, we'll make a ton of cash, mostly from non-residents.

by oboe on Nov 2, 2011 5:59 pm • link • report