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A few days before they actually did it there was an piece in the Portland Press Herald about the fact that Maine would be raising the speed limits, prompting the following rant from me on FB:
Sure, most people DO go 70 already, but a lot of people go 90, because they know they can get away with it because there's very little enforcement. If they ACTUALLY started enforcing the speed limit, instead of starting to enforce it at 20mph ABOVE the speed limit. If they are actually concerned about the delta between the lower speed and the higher speed traffic causing accidents, as they claim, they really need to start ENFORCING the damned speed LIMITS. (You could raise the minimum, which is currently 45, but the people who can't go faster than 45 are still going to have to take the highway, as it's the only direct route in this state.)
The new speed limit was posted a day or two after that article, and two days ago this happened:
I totally turned into That Guy on the highway. It was rainy and messy and I was tired and not in a mood to have anyone make me go the tiniest bit faster than I damned well felt like. Because that's unsafe, imho. When I picked Matt up I was telling him this, and I said "Delta? I'll give you fucking delta." He said, "And Continental, US Air, Jet Blue, United -" "No," I interrupted him, "No jets involved." "Prop Blue," he continued.
I mean, seriously, sometimes it's just not safe for some people to be going faster, and I might be playing a cranky old lady before my time, but I stand in solidarity with the elderly. Solidansk! (Not that I know how to spell that.)
Of course what I meant was Solidarność, the Solidarity movement at the Gdansk Shipyard - totally showing my age, as that happened when I was in high school. Possibly slightly showing my raising as well - this might have had more play and discussion in Maine at the time than a lot of places, as shipbuilding is important, here.
Sure, most people DO go 70 already, but a lot of people go 90, because they know they can get away with it because there's very little enforcement. If they ACTUALLY started enforcing the speed limit, instead of starting to enforce it at 20mph ABOVE the speed limit. If they are actually concerned about the delta between the lower speed and the higher speed traffic causing accidents, as they claim, they really need to start ENFORCING the damned speed LIMITS. (You could raise the minimum, which is currently 45, but the people who can't go faster than 45 are still going to have to take the highway, as it's the only direct route in this state.)
The new speed limit was posted a day or two after that article, and two days ago this happened:
I totally turned into That Guy on the highway. It was rainy and messy and I was tired and not in a mood to have anyone make me go the tiniest bit faster than I damned well felt like. Because that's unsafe, imho. When I picked Matt up I was telling him this, and I said "Delta? I'll give you fucking delta." He said, "And Continental, US Air, Jet Blue, United -" "No," I interrupted him, "No jets involved." "Prop Blue," he continued.
I mean, seriously, sometimes it's just not safe for some people to be going faster, and I might be playing a cranky old lady before my time, but I stand in solidarity with the elderly. Solidansk! (Not that I know how to spell that.)
Of course what I meant was Solidarność, the Solidarity movement at the Gdansk Shipyard - totally showing my age, as that happened when I was in high school. Possibly slightly showing my raising as well - this might have had more play and discussion in Maine at the time than a lot of places, as shipbuilding is important, here.