Monday, July 11, 2005

Traffic "Violations"

So I have this endless frustration with our nation's road ways. Hypothetically, I'll be driving along a stretch of secondary highway, where the speed is marked "State Speed Limit 55". I'll then drive through a section marked "Speed Limit 35", and continue to drive that speed until I see the next speed limit sign. The problem is that I never see the next speed limit sign. It's not there. Quite obviously, since I'm now being passed by the angry line up behind me, the speed has changed back to 55, but there was never a sign to tell me that. At what point do I default back to the state speed limit? As we all know, unmarked roads can be assumed to be driven at the state speed limit, but when does the road I'm traveling on become an unmarked road? Two miles after the last speed limit sign? Three, four? This is an endless frustration for me.
Also, last night, as we were driving home from Binghamton, we drove through four road work areas. All four areas had the usual speed reduction signs and the warnings that fines are doubled in work areas. The frustration was that, there was no designated ending for any of the work areas. I was driving the designated 55 miles per hour in the work area, waiting for the "End Work Area" sign, followed by the "Speed Limit 65" sign. These signs were never there. But the thing that really made me see red was when, upon entering each subsequent work zone, I saw the same signs, telling me to slow down to the work zone speed limit. How could I slow down if I was already slowed down and had never left the previous work zone????!!!!!!! This happened four times, and I pretty much gave up all hope for New York State's highways.


Gerg

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ny state law is that when you past an intersection and there isn't a speed limit sign after it you go back up to the state limit 55. Atleast that is what I was taught. So, of there is no sign stating 35 or 45 after a light or road crossing the limit is 55 there. HTH
~A

Pinkey the Axe Fairy said...

Thanks, that's good to know! I got my license in the great State of Pennsylvania, so I don't know all the particulars about NY State traffic laws.