[Acey]

Originally Posted by 4X4

The thing about Stoney and Deerfoot is that there are portions of it where they could easily bump up the limit. Most of the southern stretches of both are 4 lanes wide, and straight and mostly flat. Why can't those stretches go up to 110, and then bump down again when it narrows or turns?

Stoney yes, Deerfoot... no.

If the speed-reduced sections of Highway 16 west of Edmonton are any indication, people just blow through those short zones at the higher limit anyway; it's just better for the sake of simplicity to sign the whole thing at the lower limit. Grandfathering makes Stoney and Henday's limits look artificially low. Between Ivor Strong and Beddington, Deerfoot has no business being 100 according to the new standards (sightlines, Calf Robe and Memorial curves, etc.), but it's been grandfathered in so people like polak don't go burn down City Hall after they reduce the limit from 100 to 80. Deerfoot is 110 north of Beddington, so that's mostly fine... the ramps at Airport Trail would have to be fixed if you want to go beyond that. The proximity of the interchanges south of Ivor Strong to each other would be the reason that stretch won't ever be 110. The current southbound weave between McKenzie and Stoney/22X during the PM rush is tough for even competent drivers, but that's the kind of stuff the "crank everything to 140" crowd don't think about. Mazrim explained why Stoney and Henday are what they are and if people don't understand, then there's not much else to say.

The notion that Stoney Trail in its current state should be at 140, the highest speed limit in North America, with ~70,000 vehicles per day and its current weave zones is moronic. People screaming by at what will end up being 150+ with heavier vehicles at ~70 trying to merge uphill westbound at Beddington with others undertaking them trying to exit to Shag... might as well start stacking up the bodies. There is one road with a 85 mph (135) limit in Texas, and that's it - SH 130 between Austin and Seguin. Look at it on Google Maps, then look at Stoney Trail between Crowchild and Harvest Hills Blvd. Spoiler alert: SH 130 is more like an Autobahn and there is nothing even close to resembling a Beddington/Shag weave situation, nor 70,000 vehicles per day since it's a toll road bypass.

I'm a big advocate of higher speed limits, and we should start with QE2 by eliminating the remaining clovers and at-grade intersections, re-doing all ramps so they have acceleration/deceleration lanes of ~1,000 metres like the new diamond at 11A in Red Deer, then incrementally crank that bish up to 130-140.