Do you obey the 50 & 55 mph speed limits on Alcoa Hwy consistently?

Wed

Oct 31 2007

04:57:am

By: bizgrrl shortURL

Topics:

There was some discussion on

Submitted by R. Neal on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 09:17.

There was some discussion on knoxviews.com a while back (I think) about a German engineer (I think) who advocates getting rid of virtually all traffic controls (stop signs, traffic lights, speed limits, etc.) and letting people sort it out, the theory being that everybody will be forced to be more careful (and courteous) in the interest of self preservation.

no thanks!

Submitted by mello on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 09:54.

While in another state the hot issue was whether or not the county should spend the money on those metal lane reflectors I know and love.

The side unwilling to spend the money said that if it is dark or raining I should not need the assistance provided by those reflectors. I should slow down and be more careful. Well, I do slow down and be more careful in the dark and in the wet. But that theory puts me to mind of wearing a seatbelt or using a child restraint. Why bother with those if all I have to do is slow down and be more careful?

Night vision

Submitted by Joe328 on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 20:43.

Try dimming the dash lights, the reduced glare will greatly improve your night vision, and the reflectors may not be needed after all.

I think I learned that trick

Submitted by mello on Sat, 11/03/2007 - 08:39.

I think I learned that trick back when they taught me---

that there is no such thing as blinker fluid so I should always use a turn signal.

that if the weather is such that I must use my wipers then I must turn on my head lights

to break before the curve or when crossing a railroad track and to accelerate through the curve or over the tracks

My simple point is we need to do what protects all of us. I can't stop the local idiots from driving left of center around curves but I can expect TDOT to not make matters worse.

Second-generation traffic

Submitted by bizgrrl on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 09:13.

Second-generation traffic calming ideas

Wow, I'll have to ponder this a while. The psychology of driving, who'd a thunk.

Roads can and should be

Submitted by K.T. on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 06:59.

Roads can and should be built to support the speed limit. Wide, straight, boring roads encourage fast driving...think of all of the residential subdivisions with 25 mph posted speedlimits. Nobody drives 25 mph (even though they love children and don't want to hit Rover) because the roads are way too wide, the intersections have corners that don't require one to stop or slow down too much, every other house looks the same unless it is tarted up in holiday lights so there's not much to look at, etc. Drivers have to keep reminding themselves to keep their speed down because the road encourages driving faster than the speed limit. Widening country roads also encourages higher speeds.

Certainly drivers are responsible for their speed, but I think that it is interesting for us to start to notice on which roads we naturally keep to the speed limit and on which roads we have to constantly remind ourselves to check our speed. There are ways to build roads to keep speeds low "naturally."

Frankly, Alcoa HWY is such an armpit that it is no wonder that drivers try to get through there as quickly as possible.

BTW, I drive within 5 mph of the speed limit on it because the road scares me and I'm a rule-follower.

Traffic light nightmares

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 10:40.

According to John Lamb putting commercial on high speed roads causes something called "turbulence". Which is government speak for it screws up traffic flow.

Commercial business wants to where traffic is slow, traffic lights are present, and efficient ingress' and egress' exist or can exist.

Frankly, Alcoa HWY is such an armpit that it is no wonder that drivers try to get through there as quickly as possible.

That's your opinion. With the exception of the metal buildings, many find the 411 beautiful. In fact before the metal buildings, many found that it was beautiful enough to designate it a scenic highway.

As for commerce on 411, Madisonville and Vonore are both growing. They now have their own Wal-Mart (apparently the big attraction Blount offers). So in the future what would be the use for 411? People from Georgia who would like to take the scenic route in lieu of I-75.

That is if the "scenic" route doesn't turn into Chapman Highway leaving only traffic lights and nothing for people to see.

Different roads

Submitted by K.T. on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 12:42.

I think that we're talking about different roads. I'm talking about 129...and specifically the Motor Mile, which is an awful stretch of road.

According to John Lamb

Submitted by mello on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 12:25.

According to John Lamb putting commercial on high speed roads causes something called "turbulence". Which is government speak for it screws up traffic flow.

Speaking of this very subject, I overheard a question he was ask in the hall way last night and that is not the answer he gave. Perhaps the person who ask the question will fill in the blanks for us....

Based on your theory, it

Submitted by bizgrrl on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 07:12.

Based on your theory, it would seem people would drive slower on Alcoa Hwy since it is so dangerous and scary.

We who care appreciate that you keep it within 5 mph of the speed limit. Of course, this is hoping you know what the speed limits are on the different sections of Alcoa Hwy.

In the Knox County area near Court South and the two shopping centers, do you slow down as suggested by the caution signs for 45 mph?

The uncertainty of where

Submitted by K.T. on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 09:07.

The uncertainty of where cars are entering and exiting Alcoa Hwy keeps me driving slowly especially since I'm an infrequent motorist there. I'm guessing that speeders have adjusted to the uncertainty and are completely bored, focused on their destination, and/or see no good reason for staying on Alcoa Hwy any longer than they absolutely have to. And, I would argue that these potential reactions of speeding motorists are legitimate reactions given the way that the road and surrounding environment are constructed.

Changing the speed limit signs for different areas probably does little good without also changing something about the road in those areas.

Second-generation traffic calming ideas might be really useful to us. We've already seen how first-generation traffic calming ideas have fared. Speed bumps, speed-limit signs, and getting angry at speeding motorists have gotten us where we are today...where might we go tomorrow if we consider the problem differently?

(link...)

There should be a "most of

Submitted by R. Neal on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 06:15.

There should be a "most of the time" option. I think most people try to drive at a safe speed given the conditions and the flow of the traffic. Sometimes that's slower than the speed limit, and sometimes it's faster.