The Advantages of Increasing the ICC Speed Limit to 60 Miles per Hour - Essay Example

25 November The Advantages of Increasing the ICC Speed Limit to 60 Miles per Hour Discussions pertaining to the proposed increase on the ICC speed limit sparked state-wide debates among lawmakers and concerned citizens. Supporters of the proposal assert that aside from the fact that an increase of 5 miles per hour will reduce driving time, it will also aid in the economic activity in Maryland, as goods will spend less time in transit. Common concerns associated with increasing ICC speed limit are as follows: (1) postulated increase on the number of road accidents and incidents thereby implying poor road safety; (2) its adverse environmental effects; (3) have a little to no impact to the state’s economy. In an article written by Liz Essley for The Examiner, “Maryland officials are considering raising the speed limit on the Intercounty Connector to 60 mph, up from 55 mph” (Essley, “Maryland Considers Raising ICC Speed Limit to 60 mph”). Intense debates cropped up as a result of the proposal to raise the ICC speed limit from 55 miles per hour to 60 miles per hour. Nevertheless, no decisions are expected to arrive until by the end of the year as engineers are still evaluating the new ICC crash data, which will determine if 60 miles per hour is allowable or not. But despite the cynical reaction of some lawmakers and concerned non-governmental organizations, increasing the speed to 60 miles per hour will provide Maryland the following benefits: (1) enhance community mobility and [Student’s Last Name] 2 protection; (2) reduction of driving time, that is particularly advantageous in the prevention of shortfalls in small, medium and large businesses; (3) increased mobility that will improve homeland security. One of the main concerns in Maryland, particularly in the Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties is the extremely limited mobility, especially in its established parts, due in part by the lack of constant, uninterrupted high capacity transportation system and mobility (State Highway Administration, “Intercounty Connector”). Seen this way, lower speed limits would not put anything to the table but more negative results than beneficial. This could lead to the curb in the number of job opportunities, poor association with neighbouring districts, and dropping off of the quality of living. Lower ICC speed limit would mean higher traffic volumes; likewise, higher traffic volumes could result to traffic obstruction, longer driving times, and limited roadside space. This is not only particularly adverse to the community mobility but also to the economic gain and road safety in Maryland. When traffic congestion becomes worse, there is a higher possibility for road conflicts among motorists as competition for limited space will also increase. Conversely, increasing ICC speed limit by 5 miles per hour, setting the new ICC limit to 60 miles per hour will mean more traffic fluidity and less traffic congestion. Also, there should be no discussion whatsoever in regards to the security of the motorists. While there are some studies asserting that the rate of accidents increases with the pace of traffic, and the higher the speed limit the more speedily does accident occurrence goes up with rises in speed, this is repudiated by the Maryland Department of Transportation (State Highway Administration, “Speed Limits – Restrictions”) in a recent study that “posted speed limit has little effect on the speeds at which most motorists drive.” The department added that increasing the speed limit does not [Student’s Last Name] 3 considerably increase the speed at which travelers drive, lowering the speed does not significantly reduced their speeds (State Highway Administration, "Speed Limits - Restrictions"). Similarly, a study conducted in 1992 by the US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration found out that "majority or motorist do not alter their speed to conform to speed limits they perceive as unreasonable for prevailing conditions" (FHWA, "Effects of Raising and Lowering Speed Limits"). It is valid to say that most motorists prefer to drive at higher speeds; hence, in prevailing situations, it should always be expected that they would drive at higher speeds; thus, increasing ICC speed limits from 55 miles per hour to 60 miles per hour will reduce the number of traffic violations, incidents and accidents. In addition, another thing that should cause alarm to the lawmakers is the looming threat of road rage. In an interview conducted by the BBC World News (BBC Government Plans to Increase Speed Limit for HGVs”), AA President Edmund King remarked that “slower lorries can lead to tailbacks, dangerous overtaking and road rage.” He also added, “Freer-flowing traffic will benefit road safety by reducing dangerous overtaking and benefit the environment by reducing emissions.” Raising ICC speed limit to 60 miles per hour will also improve the economic gain of the state. As I have mentioned earlier, lower speed limits is disadvantageous in developed areas, especially on its economic gain in that the lower the ICC speed limit is, the more possibility for traffic congestions, which is relatively common sense. Also, with lower ICC speed limit, vehicles would travel according to the allowable speed so as not to commit traffic violation, which is likewise damaging for the state as this will cut the number of tickets that will be issued on traffic violators. As a matter of fact, the current ICC speed limit has recently provoked an ephemeral suspicion that “the speed is low so that the state can make money off speeders” (Essley, [Student’s Last Name] 4 “Maryland Considers Raising ICC Speed Limit to 60 mph”); thus, the state government loses. Furthermore, the possible traffic deceleration presents a horrifying impact on the business sector, this is because traffic congestion increases the costs of conducting business, which is due in some measure to the “longer travel times and unreliability to the detriment of the health of the economy” (State Highway Administrator, “Intercounty Connector”). Conversely, if the state government would increase the ICC speed limit by 5 miles per hour, there will be more fluidity in business operation; hence, there will be lesser travel time, lesser business costs, and healthier economy for Maryland. Finally, one of the most important services in the country is the homeland security, which is vital in the delivery of emergency assistance, protection from terroristic activities, and population evacuation when conflicts arise. Of course, in situations such as these, policies can be tweaked or frozen to respond to a prevailing situation that needs an immediate response. In other words, an exemption to the ICC speed limit could be imposed temporarily in response to an emergency situation. Nevertheless, this does not change the pre-existing conditions: traffic flow before the emergency took place, predating congestion, etc. As terroristic activities cannot be predicted most of the time, these conditions would remain up to the first point at which an incident or an emergency takes place. This is particularly difficult in that this is a game of surmise for the officials. Of course, an emergency situation cannot be declared if there is no apparent evidence that would justify such claim. So, it is highly beneficial for homeland security to make a considerable adjustment on the speed limit. This will offer more ease in emergency response and “would provide a grid of high capacity transportation needed in the event of an emergency or sudden need for access” (State Highway Administration, “Intercounty Connector”). Works Cited "Effects of Raising and Lowering Speed Limits." ibiblio. The US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, 1992. Web. 26 November 2012. Essley, Liz. "Maryland Considers Raising ICC Speed Limit to 60 mph." The Examiner 4 November 2012. Web. 26 November 2012. "Government Plans to Increase Speed Limit for HGVs." The BBC World News UK 9 November 2012. Web. 26 November 2012. "Intercounty Connector." iccproject. Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration, n.d. Web. 26 November 2012. State Highway Administration. Speed Limits - Restrictions. Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration, n.d. 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