Posts about Speed Limits
Roads
Successful speed cameras require fair speed limits
Underlying the current discussion of speed cameras is the assumption that speed limits are rationally set, presumably by expert traffic engineers and safety officials. This assumption isn't necessarily valid, and a speed camera set up in conjunction with an irrationally low speed limit will be a problem.
Porter Street. Photo by the author.
The principal guide for setting a rational speed limit is the 85th-percentile speed of traffic. On "the theory that the large majority of drivers are reasonable and prudent, [and] do not want to be involved in a crash," the speed limit is "generally set at the nearest 5-mph increment at or below the 85th percentile speed." (See the 2006 DDOT Speed Study.)
Are there exceptions to this guideline? Yes, "an agency may choose, on the basis of one or more of these data"
Now, an example, namely Porter Street/Klingle Road between Cleveland Park and Mount Pleasant. This looks like a bit of interstate highway plunked down in the middle of the city, evidence of a long-forgotten plan to make Piney Branch Parkway into an inner-city crosstown highway. It's a four-lane divided roadway, limited access, no residences, no businesses, no crosswalks, no cross traffic, and it's no wonder that drivers speed up at this point, not because they're crazy speedsters, but because the road is clearly built for higher speeds.
The 85th-percentile speed for this road is 41 mph, as indicated by the 2006 Speed Study Map. Hence, the speed limit should be 40 mph, or maybe, if we're being conservative, 35 mph. But in actual fact, the posted limit is 30 mph, which is more than "slightly lower" than the 85th percentile. It comes as no surprise that the speed camera placed at this location has been a bountiful source of speeding tickets.
The MPD belatedly argues that "there is a lot of pedestrian and bicycle traffic accessing the park" here. But there's no bike lane, no sidewalk on the north side ("Pedestrians Prohibited" is posted), and the sidewalk on the south side is virtually by vegetation. These are indications that pedestrian access is, to say the least, discouraged. As for bicyclists, as one of that tribe, I can say that this is one of the most bicycle-hostile locations in the city, and not because of traffic speed, but because of road design.
So, is the 30 mph speed limit appropriate? There's no apparent justification for such a large deviation from the 85th percentile speed. In fact, just to the west of this location there are apartment houses and parked cars and driveways, and traffic speed there might be expected to be a greater concern than down where this "highway" opens up. But that's not where the speed camera is pointed, suggesting that the MPD is not really interested in the safety of residents, but in issuing lots of $125 speeding tickets.
The speed camera wouldn't matter if the speed limit were reasonable. Nobody can complain about a ticket for going much over the 85th percentile speed. The problem is not the speed camera, but the unreasonable speed limit, such that that 85th-percentile driver would, in this case, be exceeding the posted limit by a solid 11 mph.
So one has to wonder about other speed-camera locations in the District. The question is not the speed camera, but the appropriateness of the speed limit where the camera is located. Anyone defending a speed camera at a certain location should begin by confirming that the speed limit at that location is reasonable.
Government
Councilmember's reckless driving threatens public safety
Prince George's County Councilmember Karen Toles (D–Suitland) is a habitually bad driver. Police recently stopped her for allegedly driving at 105 mph across multiple lanes of the Capital Beltway. This is only the latest example of the legislator's dangerous pattern of disregarding Maryland's traffic and public safety laws.
Councilmember Toles. Photo by MDGovpics on Flickr,
Even more troubling is the failure of the county police to cite the councilmember for her reckless driving and for evading and obstructing the police. It smacks of a political double standard, and sets a bad example for the county. Police command or the State's Attorney's Office need to investigate and correct this failure.
According to the Washington Post, Toles was traveling on the Beltway on February 22, in her county-issued Ford Edge SUV, when a county police officer observed her veering across several lanes of traffic while going 105 mph in a 55 mph zone, near the Branch Avenue exit.
A police department statement pointedly noted that Toles's "violations [were] observed by a uniformed patrol officer operating a marked police cruiser on the Capital Beltway..."
Apparently, it took more than the usual amount of effort from police to stop the speeding councilmember. The Examiner reports that Toles's vehicle was "surrounded by officers" Multiple officer accounts state that Toles repeatedly identified and referred to herself as the District 7 county councilmember and acted in a belligerent manner toward the officers throughout the traffic stop.
After police realized that they had stopped a member of the county council and not some ordinary scofflaw, they decided to issue her a citation only for an unsafe lane change, which carries a $90 fine and one point against her driver's license. The officer gave Toles a written warning for speeding.
Police defend their actions, claim no preferential treatment
Police were quick to defend their initial handling of this matter. However, they also left open the possibility that additional charges may be forthcoming after further review of the situation by police brass.
In response to growing concerns from the media and the public about apparent preferential treatment of a county official, the police stated: For the county police to suggest that the issuance of a warning under such circumstances is "consistent with the typical discretion applied by police officers to speeding motorists" defies logic.
Toles released a statement shortly after the incident, stating that she "consider[s] moving violations serious matters," that she regrets the incident, and that she intends to pay the $90 ticket for the unsafe lane change. She later said she would temporarily give up her county vehicle and also take a driver safety course.
Toles is no stranger to serious traffic violations
Based on her driving record over the past couple of years, the public has ample reason to question whether Toles genuinely regards moving violations as "serious matters."
On August 5, 2010, Toles pled guilty in Upper Marlboro District Court to making an unsafe lane change on March 31, 2010, at Martin Luther King Jr. Hwy and Greenleaf Road. She paid a $90 fine. This is the exact same charge for which she received a ticket in the February 22, 2012 incident.
On April 1, 2011, Toles pled guilty in Hyattsville District Court to driving off the roadway while passing a vehicle on September 7, 2010, at the Capital Beltway and Pennsylvania Avenue. She also pled guilty to failing to display her registration card upon demand by the police during that same incident. She paid a total of $150 in fines.
In both of those 2010 instances, court records reflect that Toles' driver's license was temporarily suspended for several weeks, prior to her guilty pleas, after the councilmember failed to appear in court to answer the charges.
Justice and fair play require that Toles face charges
After the Jack and Leslie Johnson scandals, the last thing Prince George's County needs is for another of its public officials to get away with gaming the system by trading on their political office.
Two days before Toles was stopped by police, another driver killed herself and injured 4 others in a horrendous crash. She was driving similar 100+ mph speeds on Martin Luther King Jr. Highway. Like Toles, the driver in that fatal incident was a repeat traffic offender. Indeed, she actually had received a ticket on January 22 for traveling 91 mph in a 55 mph zone Toles knew exactly what she was doing when she belligerently and repeatedly identified herself as a county councilmember after leading police on a high-speed chase. She wanted to intimidate the police into not charging her with serious traffic violations. And in that effort, she has been successful Based on the police officer accounts that have been reported thus far, there appears to be ample probable cause to support charging Toles with multiple serious traffic violations arising out of the February 22 incident, including but not limited to reckless driving, fleeing or eluding police, and obstruction of justice.
Police claim that one of the reasons the ticketing officer did not cite Toles for exceeding the speed limit initially was that the officer had no radar, had not properly calibrated his speedometer, and did not have time to pace her actual speed while giving chase. However, the determination of Toles's precise speed is not an essential element to either of the above charges.
Under Maryland's point system, a conviction on these traffic charges could result in mandatory suspension or revocation of Toles's license, in addition to any other applicable fines or jail time.
The Prince George's County Police have said they will review the situation and may charge Toles with additional violations. Hopefully, Chief Mark Magaw, Assistant Chief Kevin Davis (301-772-4740), and the rest of the executive review panel will take this opportunity to do the right thing and charge the council member in the same manner as any other driver would have been charged under similar circumstances.
If the police don't do their job, then it is up to the State's Attorney's Office to protect the interests of Maryland's citizens in Prince George's County. The office's District Court Division, headed by Chief Mary Brennan (304-952-3967) and Assistant Chief Michael Glynn (301-952-2875), is ultimately responsible for prosecuting misdemeanor crimes in Prince George's. That office should not hesitate to pursue these charges directly if the county police department lacks the political will.
Once properly charged, Councilmember Toles should be afforded all the constitutional protections and presumptions that any other criminal defendant would have under our justice system Repeated reckless driving on Maryland's roads is, to use Karen Toles's own description, a very "serious matter." Nearly 600 people die each year in Maryland as a result of automobile crashes. If the police saw the councilmember engaging in such conduct on February 22, as multiple media reports suggest, they should not turn a blind eye toward that conduct, and neither should the State's Attorney's Office.
In AmericaThe issuance of a warning citation for the speed is consistent with the typical discretion applied by police officers to speeding motorists. The traffic violations were captured on the police officer's in-car camera, and the incident will be subject to command review. At the moment, the video is evidence in a pending District Court traffic case, and will not be released.
Clearly, most drivers who are observed by a uniformed police officer going 50 miles over the speed limit would be immediately ticketed, and possibly arrested for reckless driving. This is especially so if, like Toles, they are crossing multiple lanes on the Capital Beltway, not immediately stopping in response to multiple police lights and sirens, and acting belligerently toward police, who felt the need to draw their weapons in response to the traffic stop.
Roads
Distribute enforcement camera money to residents, Alaska-style
Whenever speed cameras and red-light cameras go into a city, many people loudly object.
Photo from City of Irving, Texas.
A Washington Post article last month cited many cases of citizens hating the cameras, voting against them, vandalizing them and otherwise being significantly opposed. The cameras don't bother me, since I do not speed or run red lights. That is is the ultimate weapon against the cameras: don't speed or run the light.
However, objectors make one good point: governments often become addicted to the revenue from the cameras. At the end of the day, if everyone obeyed the rules, the cameras would collect no revenue, which is a laudable goal. However, until that day, the cameras are collecting fines. Instead of spending the money on budget priorities, money could be strategically used to garner support for the use of the cameras themselves.
The Post reported that DC collected about $36 million in revenue for fiscal year 2008 from camera fines. Some of that revenue went to operate the cameras and administer the fines (I don't know how much), but that leaves plenty of extra revenue.
Instead of spending the money, DC could take a lesson from the state of Alaska. The Alaska Permanent Fund, which collects the state's share of mineral royalties, pays out its surplus to all residents of the state. DC could do likewise, refunding each citizen their share of the camera excess revenues fund. Some have suggested a similar system for a potential carbon tax or road pricing.
If half of the camera revenue went to enforcement and maintenance (and it's probably less), then each citizen would get a check for about $30. That's not an enormous amount, but it helps resolve two key issues. Arguments about the cameras being used primarily as revenue generators would become moot, since the city would not keep any revenues beyond the costs of administering the program. And second, support would strengthen, particularly among law abiders and non-car owners. I know that if my household were going to get a check every year from fining criminal drivers, I would be very supportive.
Roads
Speed limits don't match road designs
The trip from my house to the Beltway follows several major roads. Route 1 has narrow lanes, no median, and buildings close to the street, while others like Ritz Way sport generous medians and huge "clear zones" at the sides. However, the speed limits bear no relationship to the design of the roads. To the contrary, the high limits on Route 1 encourage dangerous speeding, while Ritz Way has such a low limit that police regularly ticket drivers.
Route 1 is four lanes wide between Ritz Way and Contee Road, the southern border of the town of Laurel. Only a double yellow line separates traffic in each direction. There is also a transit station on this route, Muirkirk MARC, though it does not generate much pedestrian traffic). The speed limit on Route 1 is 50 mph.
In Beltsville and Laurel along Route 1, there is a great deal of cross traffic, curb cuts, building frontage, and pedestrian traffic. There is a soft median separating traffic flow, which allows left turning vehicles to turn across traffic. The speed limit there is 40mph.
The other half of the route follows a newer road that was redesigned a couple years ago to increase vehicular access from Route 1 to I-95. It changes names several times, from Ritz Way to Virginia Manor Road, Ammendale Road, and Powder Mill Road. For simplicity's sake, let's call it Ritz Way. This route is 4-6 lanes wide with a wide grassy median along the entire stretch between US-1 and I-95. Most of the buildings along the route are office parks with no direct frontage to the street. Yet the speed limit is 35 mph. On one stretch, it drops to 30.
Police often run a speed trap atop a hill along the route. The road's design uses freeway geometries and a wide-open feel. I-95 has a speed limit of 65 mph, but when drivers exit, they find themselves on a road with similar geometry at half the speed limit.
Meanwhile, the higher speed limit on Route 1 makes driving in heavier volumes a harrowing experience, particularly with left turning traffic at arbitrary points between blocks. On the stretch between Laurel and Beltsville where there is no median, traveling at high speeds is even more dangerous. Perhaps lowering the speed limit on these stretches could even help control congestion like the Wilson Bridge construction project.
Traffic laws ought to embrace uniformity. Along these two stretches, just the opposite occurs, and without crossing any municipal boundaries. Freeway speeds should go with freeway geometries and road design, and boulevard designs should have the slower speed limits. Without a congruent relationship between the form and function of our roads, roads will only be more confusing and thus less safe.
Roads
Design for speed, collect the dough
Maryland is considering a bill to allow more speed cameras throughout the state. Supporters argue that the goal is safety, while opponents claim that local jurisdictions use the cameras more as a revenue tool than anything else. They're both right.
Logo for Montgomery County's speed camera program.
Lon Anderson, director of public and government affairs at AAA Mid-Atlantic, felt that Chevy Chase had taken advantage of the pilot program by designating Connecticut Avenue, a six-lane boulevard that leads into Washington, as a "neighborhood street." Last year, the city reported $1.2 million dollars in earnings from the cameras, he said.I actually agree with Lon this time. Chevy Chase, and Montgomery in general, has created a double standard with Connecticut. On the one hand, it's a huge, six-lane road with
The average driver would argue that we need a higher speed limit. Maybe. But there's another side to this coin: If the road didn't feel like such a freeway, people would drive slower even without the speed traps. As soon as drivers cross into DC, they slow down. That's not because the speed limit drops, but because the road feels slower. Lanes are narrower. Buildings come right up to the sidewalk. All of the visual cues tell drivers that this is a 25- or 30-mph area instead of a 50-mph area.
If Montgomery County or Chevy Chase Village wants a 30-mph neighborhood street, they ought to design one. Unfortunately, Montgomery is moving the opposite direction. The recent Road Code, which our buddy Lon helped write, bans trees in the medians of boulevards to avoid narrowing drivers' fields of vision. The longer sight lines from treeless medians encourages faster driving. If Maryland officials are serious about slowing traffic instead of just raking in the dough in Chevy Chase, they'd allow trees and start slowing drivers by designing slower streets from the start.
@ggwash
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