Quote:
Originally posted by Cube Inmate+Aug 10 2004, 10:35 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Cube Inmate @ Aug 10 2004, 10:35 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Claeren
I agree with what both you and Cow have to say... speed limits on some roads in Calgary are ridiculous, but you can't protest that fact without running the risk of getting caught and paying the fine.
Just another response to your rant...
<!--QuoteBegin-Claeren@Aug 10 2004, 06:25 AM
That is before looking at improvements in road/ interchange/intersection design, advanced road materials and markings (surprising if you look into it), tire manufacture, glass manufacture, street light proliferation, etc.
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As for improved road design, vehicle capabilities, etc...the transportation engineers have not caught up with those facts. They're still working with manuals that are 30 years old, which INSIST that a road X metres wide, with an R metre radius of curvature must have a speed limit of exactly 80 km/h even though it's safe up to 120 km/h. They literally have a manual which defines the ideal speed limit on every type of road, in every possible setting...and not one of them would ever allow his common sense to override the manual and increase the limit (decrease it, sure!). That, and they have the attitude that people are going to break the laws, so the laws have to be ridiculously restrictive in the first place!
A situation in my old neighbourhood taught me how stupid their methods are: There are a bunch of 4-way stops with painted crosswalks, and I guess somebody complained that people were stopping IN the crosswalks (of those few people who actually do stop for a 4-way). Rather than enforce the rules as they're written (stop before the crosswalk), the city decided to paint additional stop lines 4 feet ahead of the crosswalks! What the hell is an extra dollop of slippery paint going to do!!?!? You've got to educate the drivers!! But that's their way of dealing with problems...if people don't follow the rules, make more restrictive rules!
Hmmm...I didn't intend for this to turn into a rant, but it did! [/b][/quote]
Wow, I think it's rather Ironic that someone with Dilbert as their avatar doesn't understand the concept of a safety factor. Sure road planners have books that tell them that such and such a radius is safe at X speed. Just like I have a book that tells me that a certain diameter of coil tubing is good to a certain load, and guess what, they have safety factors built in too. There are safety standards that everyone must follow. A road planner can't just decide to change the speed limit because it's safe at 120 instead of 80, he would loose his job if he did.
And as for the stop line. The problem is that people don't understand to not stop in a crosswalk. But guess what, people do understand to stop at a big white line that says stop. People are dumb, it's easier to paint a line than it is to try to reason with stupid people.