Is there a more serious safety problem for Lake and Cook County TR-61 highway residents than shoulder rumble strips?
Unfortunately, the answer is YES! Highway 61 from Two Harbors to Canada will have the posted speed limit raised from 55 to 60 mph in 2019. The MN legislature commissioned a five-year study, which is now complete – 2018 Final Report on the Evaluation of Certain Trunk Highway Speed Limits.
After five years (and spending $1,179,402), and briefly monitoring 46 locations where the speed limit (was) increased to 60 miles per hour, and 22 areas where the speed limit remained at 55 mph, the report recommends to the legislature that it is safe to raise the speed limit to 60 mph for 7,000 miles of two-lane rural highways, including Highway 61 in Lake and Cook County! Below are the only lines of text in this report referring to safety:
“After raising the speed limit to 60, the ‘mean’ speed went from 59 to 60 mph! The average of the five highest speeds remained the same at 76 mph – page 7. In other words, more drivers traveled at a similar speed after speed limits increased. This is a desirable outcome, but this change is very slight and may not impact the frequency or severity of crashes. Page 8. It is important to remember that raising a posted speed limit is not inherently making a road ‘less safe.’”
And the Department of Public Safety (DPS) appears to be unaware that this is happening – just consider the following from the DPS & TZD websites:
Higher Speeds, Bigger Problems
1. Greater potential for loss of vehicle control. 2. Increased stopping distance. 3. Less time for driver response for crash avoidance. 4. Increased crash severity leading to more severe injuries and death!
(The laws of physics increase the energy contained by car and driver by 19 percent when the speed is increased from 55 to 60 – this means more accidents, more serious injuries and more deaths.)
Please, phone/e-mail/write the governor, our elected representatives, DPS and MnDOT to stop this change to 60 mph – you may just be saving your life or the life of a loved one.
Charles Flickinger
Hovland
P.S. Not meaning to be mean spirited, but having driven TR-61 for 19 years, our first road death not due to alcohol will be caused by a Canadian driver exceeding the new speed limit while passing just before our road’s blind curves.
Leave a Reply