Quote:
Originally Posted by Soundy
Funny thing... I was in Edmonton all last week, and was amazed how many people stuck to the speed limits. Granted, a lot of them seemed more reasonable - most of the two-lane back highways are 100km/h - but even when it dipped to 70 or 50 going into the towns, everyone slowed down... the construction zones (and there were many), everyone was doing 50 (compare this to Hwy. 1 out here, where the construction zone limit is 80 and regular flow of traffic is still a steady 110 through the day).
Even on the open freeways (#2 heading south of town), where the limit was 110, almost everyone was doing 110 or a hair over... very very rarely did I see anyone go blazing past at 130 or more. And these are long, flat, straight, two-and-three-lane stretches where, if the Malahat should be "safe" at 120, these roads should reasonably allow 160 maximums.
Oddly, it seems few Albertans find these limits "too low" or has a problem following them.
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It may be true that if speed limits were higher, people would obey them... But at the same time, if someone were to go 130 in a 100 zone, and the speed limit was raised to 130, that person wouldn't be considered "speeding" anymore... You shouldn't accomodate a law like that just because "everyone does it". The speed limit hasn't changed in Vancouver for years, people should be used to it/plan their commute accordingly. There still isn't any excuse. The only people who may have a valid reason for speeding are those who are out of town and are not used to the lower speed limit, but even with that, they should adapt.
I haven't been to Edm, but if it is anything like calgary where most of their main roads are basically highways, then you could imagine the minor congestion they get during rush hour? Correct me if I am wrong, but when I was in Calgary last year, it seemed like they wouldn't experience the kind of traffic we do, so people wouldn't always be in a rush like they are in Vancouver.