Report: ICC Could See Speed Limit Raised To 70 MPH
A House bill that would raise the maximum speed limit on interstates and expressways statewide from 65 to 70 mph will be introduced during the current General Assembly session, The Gazette reports.
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A House bill co-sponsored by Del. Aruna Miller (D-Dist. 15) of Darnestown and Del. Neil Parrott (R-Dist. 2B) of Hagerstown could force a change in the speed limit on the Intercounty Connector, according to a report by The Gazette.
The bill would raise the maximum speed limit on interstates and expressways statewide from 65 to 70 mph, according to the report, and automatically increase the ICC's speed limit from 55 to 70.
Miller cited three reasons the change is necessary.
“One, the posted speed limit is way too low,” she said, according to the report. “Two, the toll is way too high. And three, the enforcement is excessive.”
A separate bill by Sen. Jennie Forehand (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville, would raise the speed limit on the ICC to 60, according to the report.
The highway was designed for speeds of up to 60 mph.
Read the full story on the two bills that could raise the ICC speed limit on The Gazette.
Related Content:
- Report: Police Aggressively Issue Tickets On ICC (Jan. 16, 2013)
- Report: Study Shows ICC Speed Limit Can Safely Increase To 60 MPH (Dec. 21, 2012)
- SPEAK OUT: Is The ICC Underused and Overpriced? (Dec. 8, 2012)
- County Council Member Says ICC Underused, Too Expensive (Dec. 5, 2012)
Bill Redmond
4:51 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
"The highway was designed for speeds of up to 60 mph."
Every highway has a safety margin built into its 'design speed' but to raise the limit above the design speed (e.g. 70 for the ICC designed to 60) would be irresponsible, particularly since many drivers will push beyond that to find the enforcement threshold.
Stewart Williams
6:05 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Am I missing some logic here? If the ICC is engineered to safely handle vehicles traveling up to 60 MPH, why would the speed limit be raised to 70 MPH?
When driving I270, for example, many drivers already push their speed ten MPH over the posted speed limit. Aggressive driving is nearly out of control in this area. It's frightening to think that many of the very same aggressive drivers could be suddenly appearing in your rear view mirror going in excess of 80 MPH.
Sharon Adams
1:00 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
To both Bill and Stewart: Couldn't have said it better! I love the solution that in order to curtail those who speed State Highway & government officials immediately RAISE the speed limit! DUH??!!!! Be ready, safe drivers, to open your trunk and give those speeding daredevils behind you (who are in a rush to get nowhere) a free ride in the rear of your car. And, if one abides by speed limit, the aggressive drivers come out of the woodwork to harass you on the highway!
Kevin Brooks
7:23 am on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
DAH......this is a very safe highway and should raise the limit ASAP! The current speed limit is a mockery for anyone on that road. The speed limit at 55 is designed to raise revenue only.....for "speeders". I have never been on this road where someone has not been pulled over.....70 makes good sense and more people may use the road.
Stephen Pollock
10:11 am on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Exactly, Kevin, my thoughts exactly.
Gary Morris
8:01 am on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
'Designed for 60' may leave details untold. It probably means safe for all vehicles at 60, including dumpy trucks and tractor trailers. They can always have a lower limit for trucks if unsafe.
jnrentz1
8:03 am on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Miller cited three reasons the change is necessary.
“One, the posted speed limit is way too low,” she said, according to the report. “Two, the toll is way too high. And three, the enforcement is excessive.”
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I agree with Ms. Miller regarding points 1 and 2, and disagree regarding point three. Even 1 mph over a posted speed limit is a violation. The current enforcement on the ICC is not excessive.
I would like to see the speed limit in the ICC raised to 65 or 70 mph.
Bill Redmond
10:44 am on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Well, you're right but you have to admit that the MTA Police enforce the limit on the ICC far more aggressively than the MD State Police enforce the limit on I270.
Can anybody explain why we're paying the overhead to have the MTA Police (separate admin, command structure, maintenance and barracks, etc.) instead of wrapping them into the MD State Police?
Diana G
8:49 am on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Since no one is ever on the ICC in the first place, raising the speed limit to 70mph is brilliant. It's not a safety issue. People routinely go 70 or higher on the ICC anyway. This removes one barrier for making proper use of the ICC. The tolls are ridiculous so at least this makes the roadway enticing in the smallest!
Wayne Lashley
10:09 am on Saturday, February 2, 2013
i use the ICC five days a week and 55mph is to slow i think 65mph will work also police out there are doing a great job because i see alot of drivers going way to fast safe driving is so inportant if your running late you are just late but you are alive and in one piece drive safe. Wayne L
Eric S.
10:14 am on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Raise the speed limit to 70, and lower the fees by a good percentage all around. The money you lose in tickets (because, really, it's a several mile speed trap right now) would be made up in volume of people actually using the damn thing.
Steve
1:26 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
The Bob Ehrlich Expressway has been a big bust.
Rocky
4:03 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
What is Mr Cohen's proof that the ICC was "designed for speeds up to 60"---That would be crazy---This is a brand new road with all the most current safety features. It should be 70 mph!
John Smith
12:59 am on Thursday, January 31, 2013
This shouldn't be an issue for anybody, unless you're an a**hole driver who doesn't keep right and holds up people on the left lane.
Ken Sleeman
12:57 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
I support raising the speed limit on all interstate highways to at least 65 mph.
Fred
12:59 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
As a regular daily driver of the ICC both in my personal car (twice per day) and as the driver of a Montgomery County school bus (4 trips per day) I protest in the strongest possible terms this proposed raising of the speed limit on the ICC.
Currently with the 55 mph ‘limit’ most vehicles exceed it now.
Driving 55-60 mph I witness countless cars, trucks and buses fly past me doing between 75 and 80. This road was conceived and built under the guise of being environmentally designed and ecologically friendly. I ask you, is raising the speed limit environmentally friendly?
I will tell you now that were I to have a crash on a road that the government knew wasn’t designed for high speed traffic I’d be in court with a lawsuit as soon as I was able.
There are far more important issues to be addressed in government these days and I suggest the sponsors of this bill get to work rather then bowing to the requests of people that would gain a few short minutes on their drive as opposed to keeping the roads safe at their correctly posted and enforced speeds.
55mph is a limit drivers should learn to live with, be safer with, be more in tune with the environment and stop whining about the 3 to 4 minutes they may spend on a complete trip on the road.
F. Flaharty
MNCPPC Planning Dept. (Retired)
Montgomery County Transportation Dept. School Bus Operator
Duke Ganote
6:09 am on Thursday, February 28, 2013
Mr. Flaharty, whipping up a frothy lather about speed limits -- on the ICC or other freeways -- which shows DANGEROUS IGNORANCE. Maryland's rural interstate fatality rate in 2009 was 0.06 -- FAR FAR lower that the all-road rate of 1.07 deaths per 100 million travel miles. Why? Simple physics! Traffic engineers very effectively adapt roads for higher speeds by eliminating opposing traffic, crossing traffic, and roadside hazards. Furthermore, "design speed" is a MINIMUM specification for features like curvature and sight visibility; the "as built" curves may FAR exceed minimum requirements. Bluntly, Mr Flaharty and his students are at more risk on every other part of his route than on the ICC-- and he's shockingly unaware of where the real road risks are!
John Seng
12:45 pm on Saturday, February 2, 2013
If the speed limit is raised at all, proper sound walls must be built along the ENTIRE stretch of the highway, protecting ALL communities.