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Supports retaining current speed limits

July 19, 2019   ·   0 Comments

I find it curious that the Citizen advocates higher speed limits while decrying the pollution and carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles.

Increasing one’s speed from 100 km/h to 120 km/h increases fuel consumption by 20%.  To conserve gasoline during the OPEC-imposed oil shortage of 1973, a 90 mph speed limit was imposed throughout the USA and Canada.  In Germany the OPEC oil restrictions were severe; so autobahn speed was reduced from no limit down to 100 km’h, and no driving at all was permitted on Sundays for several weeks.

There are several badly designed road junctions and signs in Ontario, where the resulting confusion at your advocated higher limits can cause serious collisions.  One such is the turnoff from Hwy 401 to Hwy 410, where the sign to keep right to turn off is on the left of the sign to keep left to continue on Hwy 401; another is at the north end of Hwy 410 where it joins Hwy 10.  Anyone not commuting daily and aware of the arrangements must find it difficult to recover from wrong lane changes and bad directions.  The best interim solution is to maintain reasonable speeds despite the wishes of impatient regular users. If you still wish to speed and a collision results, you must pay the penalty.

Charles Hooker  

East Garafraxa residen

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