EFFECT OF RAISING SPEED LIMITS ON URBAN ARTERIAL STREETS

IN 1956, 1957 AND EARLY 1958 SPEED LIMITS ON ABOUT 22 MI ON PORTIONS OF 11 ARTERIAL STREETS WITHIN THE CITY OF ST. PAUL WERE RAISED FROM 30 MPH TO 35 AND IN SOME CASES TO 40 MPH. THE STREETS AFFECTED CARRY FROM 4,000 TO 26,000 VEH PER DAY, HAVE NO SPECIAL ACCESS CONTROL, AND ARE ADJACENT TO A VARIETY OF LAND USES. MOST OF THE SPOT SPEEDS INVOLVED ARE FROM 25 TO 40 MPH. THE NEW LIMITS WERE SET SUBSTANTIALLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE 85 PERCENTILE SPEED, A PRACTICE WIDELY USED ON RURAL ROADS BUT NOT, IT IS BELIEVED, EXTENSIVELY USED WITHIN MUNICIPALITIES ON LOCAL ARTERIAL STREETS. THE PURPOSE OF THE CHANGE WAS TO ESTABLISH A REASONABLE AND ENFORCEABLE SPEED LIMIT ON CERTAIN STREETS UPON WHICH IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE 30 MPH LIMIT WAS UNREASONABLY LOW. RESULTS ARE GIVEN OF EXTENSIVE BEFORE AND AFTER STUDIES OF THE SPEED CHARACTERISTICS. IT IS HOPED THAT THESE FINDINGS WILL BE OF ASSISTANCE TO THOSE CONTEMPLATING A SPEED REZONING PROGRAM ON MAJOR STREETS WITHIN MUNICIPALITIES. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbbulletin/244/244-005.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • No 244, pp 88-97, 11 TAB, 5 REF Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Avery, Eugene V
• Publication Date: 1960

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: 10p
• Monograph Title: Effects of traffic control devices
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Bulletin
  • Issue Number: 244
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: 85th percentile speed; Access control (Transportation); Before and after studies; Land use; Speed limits; Speed zones; Spot speed; Urban highways
• Uncontrolled Terms: Access control
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225367
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Sep 12 1994 12:00AM