Minneapolis/St. Paul to LOWER Speed Limits on Local Streets (Woodbury: city hall, neighborhood)

[Doctor Z]

Well there goes the Cities! I will no longer be able to navigate around town in a timely manner. And it's all because people can't LOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE CROSSING THE STREET!

https://www.visionzerompls.com/speedlimit-s?

[Ghengis]

What we need is larger and more sturdy pedestrians

[spectre000]

Cities around the world have 25mph limits and people do just fine. Drivers will adapt.

I do think 20mph is too slow. I feel like I'd need to ride my brake constantly to not go that fast. I visited Deadwood SD last year. In that town I recall the speed limit was something like 20 or 25mph and that felt agonizingly slow.

[WoodburyWoody]

Or, I dunno, simply enforce current limits, traffic laws, etc.

This whole honor system on traffic laws that Minneapolis, St. Paul and the surrounding 'burbs have adopted clearly is a failure. I drive across the east metro from Woodbury into Minneapolis and back daily, using a variety of routes. I see a ton of bad (dangerous) driving and a ton of moving violations. I rarely ever see cops out there, with the exception of troopers on 94 east of St. Paul, and that is rare.

Seriously, most people will not do the right thing any more unless by stick or carrot. We've passed that point as a society, sadly.

[Doctor Z]

Originally Posted by spectre000

Cities around the world have 25mph limits and people do just fine. Drivers will adapt.

This is America, and we mostly invented the modern paved road. We've PROGRESSED beyond the Horse-and-Buggy era where 20 MPH was max in town. I need to get around town in a timely manner. The longer that takes the less time I have to do what I WANT to be doing instead of the things I HAVE TO be doing.

The whole purpose of a paved roadway is to MOVE traffic along. As a long time proponent of abolishing Speed Limits we should strictly enforce distracted driving laws instead. Speed does NOT kill, inattentive driving/walking/riding/drunkeness does.

I don't feel I should have to suffer because others are not willing to stay focused when behind the wheel or walking/riding/standing near the roadway goofing off!


Those that feel 20 MPH is too slow, should go down and MARCH on City Hall. They should call for the removal of their elected officials; but they won't. Like sheep the city residents will just roll over and take it which is why I moved out of the Cities a long time ago--but the "City" is creeping out here into the country and starting to infringe on my Personal Freedoms and I don't like it!

Furthermore, I still have to work at my DRIVING job in the Cities. The longer it takes me to get to my destinations the LESS time I have for my BREAKS. This will increase my fatigue which will make me a more dangerous person behind the wheel as I will be falling asleep all the time. My employer surely isn't going to allot me more time for BREAKS to compensate for the lower speed limits.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by Doctor Z

This is America, and we mostly invented the modern paved road. We've PROGRESSED beyond the Horse-and-Buggy era where 20 MPH was max in town. I need to get around town in a timely manner. The longer that takes the less time I have to do what I WANT to be doing instead of the things I HAVE TO be doing.

The whole purpose of a paved roadway is to MOVE traffic along. As a long time proponent of abolishing Speed Limits we should strictly enforce distracted driving laws instead. Speed does NOT kill, inattentive driving/walking/riding/drunkeness does.

I don't feel I should have to suffer because others are not willing to stay focused when behind the wheel or walking/riding/standing near the roadway goofing off!


Those that feel 20 MPH is too slow, should go down and MARCH on City Hall. They should call for the removal of their elected officials; but they won't. Like sheep the city residents will just roll over and take it which is why I moved out of the Cities a long time ago--but the "City" is creeping out here into the country and starting to infringe on my Personal Freedoms and I don't like it!

Furthermore, I still have to work at my DRIVING job in the Cities. The longer it takes me to get to my destinations the LESS time I have for my BREAKS. This will increase my fatigue which will make me a more dangerous person behind the wheel as I will be falling asleep all the time. My employer surely isn't going to allot me more time for BREAKS to compensate for the lower speed limits.

I disagree. The purpose of a paved road is to give people a place to put their car while they sit in gridlocked traffic checking their email.

[wamer27]

Nothing is gonna change in reality. Neighborhood streets will go to 25, but cities won't spend any money to put signs on them, because zero of them currently have signs. As pointed out in another thread recently, Mpls city council doesn't want free federal money for more cops, so cops won't enforce this 20 or 25 mph changes.

[Doctor Z]

Originally Posted by wamer27

Nothing is gonna change in reality. Neighborhood streets will go to 25,

I heard they are lowering to 20 MPH, and that live video and speed detectors are going to beam real time speeding to the nearest cop who will write you a ticket without actually clocking you speeding.

Infractions will be written starting at 21 MPH!

Minneapolis is preparing for automated enforcement technology — even though state law doesn’t allow it (yet).
Vision Zero sets the groundwork for installing technology on streets and sidewalks that aim to catch illegal behavior by drivers, while freeing up officers for other things. The technology could be cameras at signalized intersections to catch red-light runners or speed trackers on neighborhood streets to ensure motorists obey the limits, but the plan does not include details.
https://www.minnpost.com/metro/2019/...street-safety/

It's time to wake up and smell the coffee!

[wamer27]

Originally Posted by Doctor Z

I heard they are lowering to 20 MPH, and that live video and speed detectors are going to beam real time speeding to the nearest cop who will write you a ticket without actually clocking you speeding.

Infractions will be written starting at 21 MPH!

Minneapolis is preparing for automated enforcement technology — even though state law doesn’t allow it (yet).
Vision Zero sets the groundwork for installing technology on streets and sidewalks that aim to catch illegal behavior by drivers, while freeing up officers for other things. The technology could be cameras at signalized intersections to catch red-light runners or speed trackers on neighborhood streets to ensure motorists obey the limits, but the plan does not include details.
https://www.minnpost.com/metro/2019/...street-safety/

It's time to wake up and smell the coffee!

Yeah, that’s not gonna happen. The cameras didn’t last long on Washington and Broadway many years ago. If Mpls thinks their above the state, that’s funny. Broadway in NE was changed to two lanes with center turn lane last fall. It works better now. The article mentions certain areas where accidents happen all the time, something does need to change there to cut back on them. Figuring that out is the hard part.

[tijlover]

Speed limit, 25MPH, and most will drive 30-35MPH
Speed limit 20MPH, and they'll drive 25 ort 30MPH.
Highways speed limit of 65, and they drive close to 75MPH.

In Las Vegas, they have 45MPH speed limits on all their major avenues, and nobody observes it, they do 50-55-60MPH, yes, on city streets.