We all know speeding is very deadly and dangerous, but what are you supposed to do when you’re faced with ridiculously low speed limits like the ten listed below?
10.) DC’s Capital BeltWay 55 MPH Limit
Outside of rush hour traffic, 55 might seem reasonable. Then you attempt to merge and everyone around you is flying by at nearly 20 over. It makes for an incredibly dangerous situation. Why don’t traffic engineers take this kind of stuff into consideration?
Suggested By: pauljones, Photo Credit: Google
9.) 5 MPH EZ-Pass Toll Lanes
Maybe back in the days of extremely limited technology was it necessary for drivers to go through these toll plaza lanes at 5 MPH, but still now in 2015? I say down with the 5 MPH toll lanes!
Suggested By: Turbolence88: Stall-Free Since June 4, Photo Credit: Google
8.) New Jersey’s I-295 45 MPH Speed Limit
It seems that in New Jersey there are so many examples of ‘non-existent’ construction zones that never seem to have any actual work being done. Specifically on this road, the speed limit drops from 65 to 55 to 45 for construction zones. If there wasn’t one of those white Crown Vics sitting in the middle of it all, I’d be in shock.
Suggested By: Stapleface, Photo Credit: Google
7.) North Carolina’s US-1 60 MPH Speed Limit
This 60 MPH speed limit might not be so bad if the road wasn’t straight for twenty miles and if the police patrolling it were a tad more lenient. Reader Justin Westbrook has had his fair share of encounters with the local law enforcers:
I’ve been waiting for this.
US1 From Sanford (Tramway), NC to Aberdeen, NC. It is 60mph on a stretch of road with one major intersection with 15-501 (where there is a light close to Tramway) and then miles of near-nothing, save for a few exits. It’s a four lane highway, which on the other side of Sanford goes up to 70mph through 6 consecutive city exits for Sanford. So 60mph for 20 miles and a few exits, 70mph for 5 miles and 6 exits. What. I’ve gotten 2 tickets on this road for going 70. Speedtrap.
Suggested By: Justin Westbrook , Photo Credit: Google
6.) California’s 101 Freeway 55 MPH Speed Limit
Don’t you love when almost all of the highways in the state are enforced with one speed limit, then you get to one indifferent stretch of road that has a poorly marked lower speed limit? I guess the Highway Patrol has to meet their quotas somehow.
Suggested By: Ohto Kangas, Photo Credit: Google
5.) Virginia’s I-395/I-95 55 MPH Speed Limit
Never speed in Virginia. We all know that. I’m just going to let reader XYCromersome directly share his frustration:
I-395 into I-95 through Northern Virginia.
We have a 4 lane wide mega highway WITH EXPRESS LANES to deal with DC congestion and we still have the dumb Speed Limit at 55 mph. Not only that, everyone is so afraid of Virginia’s Highway Gustapo Police Force, they drive 5-10mph BELOW the speed limit. On clear day, doing maybe 70 mph, it takes 10-15 minutes to get from the edge of the beltway to downtown. With the speed limit and people, it’s a 1-2 hour ordeal EVERY. DAMN. DAY.
Suggested By: XYCromersome , Photo Credit: Google
4.) Tennessee’s Tail of the Dragon 30 MPH Speed Limit
The Tail of the Dragon is an 11 mile road with 318 corners and a speed limit of 30 MPH for half of it. Could you imagine being speed restricted on a road like that? Oh wait...
Suggested By: SidewaysOnDirt, Photo Credit: Google
3.) Nevada Desert’s 75 MPH Limit
It’s stunning how mind-numbingly boring it can be to a travel on a straight road for miles on miles on miles. Nevada’s 75 MPH speed limit doesn’t help either.
Suggested By: UnfriendlyMoose, Photo Credit: Google
2.) New York’s Ocean Parkway 25 MPH Speed Limit
As part of “Vision Zero”, an initiative led by Mayor Bill DeBlasio to lower the amount of traffic and pedestrian deaths to zero, the Mayor’s Office and the NYC Department of Transportation have lowered the speed limits on almost all local NYC streets to a blistering 25 MPH.
It’s already insanely hard to follow on the streets of midtown, but on Brooklyn’s Ocean Parkway, a major arterial road that basically cuts directly through Brooklyn? Come on.
Is there really anyone following this law?
Suggested By: Scoob, Photo Credit: Google
1.) Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway’s 45 MPH Limit
The Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway is most well known for its beautifully scenic views, demanding corners and its diverse road dynamics. Unfortunately at its most generous speed of 45 MPH, not much of that matters.
Suggested By: waveridin1959, Photo Credit: Google
Welcome back to Answers of the Day - our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day’s Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It’s by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
Top Photo Credit: Helldini via Flickr