2008 Woodie Awards
I-4 Inconvenience
Adjustable traffic signs reduce speeds to 35mph to put an end to fatalities.
Meghan Waters
Issue date: 4/29/05 Section: Life & Times
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Starting in May 2005, a stretch of Interstate 4 in Orange and Seminole counties will be lined with variable speed limit signs that will change with time of day and traffic congestion information. The Florida Department of transportation chose central Florida as the location of a two year case study on the effects of adjustable speed limit signs and their overall effect on traffic congestion and deadly accidents.
You might find yourself having to drive 35 mph after work on I-4 or getting ticketed by the police for driving 50 mph on an interstate highway. As frustrating as this might sound, it may actually be more beneficial to I-4 drivers and their commute time than you may think. Slowing down at pre-ordained locations will eliminate the infamously frustrating stop-and-go traffic that accompanies rush hour traffic and accident congestion. It is all about logistics: you could either drive a steady 35 mph without congestion or drive 65 mph and then hit stop-and-go traffic for an extra half hour.
This tactic may also decrease the instances of traffic accidents that end in fatalities by reducing head-on collisions and hit-and-runs. How can you drive away from a crash if you can only drive a little above 30 mph and a dozen drivers witnessed the accident?
The decision to implement adjustable speed limit signs may also be beneficial to loyal I-4 commuters. Those commuters who become frustrated with the 35 mph speed limit may prompt to take an alternative route to work or home, thus clearing the roads even more for those drivers left standing.
What is inconvenient now, may actually help Orlando and cities around the country in the long run by easing the flow of traffic and saving lives. After all, if the new system doesn't work out, we can always look forward to the same deadly accidents and traffic frustration in another two years.
You might find yourself having to drive 35 mph after work on I-4 or getting ticketed by the police for driving 50 mph on an interstate highway. As frustrating as this might sound, it may actually be more beneficial to I-4 drivers and their commute time than you may think. Slowing down at pre-ordained locations will eliminate the infamously frustrating stop-and-go traffic that accompanies rush hour traffic and accident congestion. It is all about logistics: you could either drive a steady 35 mph without congestion or drive 65 mph and then hit stop-and-go traffic for an extra half hour.
This tactic may also decrease the instances of traffic accidents that end in fatalities by reducing head-on collisions and hit-and-runs. How can you drive away from a crash if you can only drive a little above 30 mph and a dozen drivers witnessed the accident?
The decision to implement adjustable speed limit signs may also be beneficial to loyal I-4 commuters. Those commuters who become frustrated with the 35 mph speed limit may prompt to take an alternative route to work or home, thus clearing the roads even more for those drivers left standing.
What is inconvenient now, may actually help Orlando and cities around the country in the long run by easing the flow of traffic and saving lives. After all, if the new system doesn't work out, we can always look forward to the same deadly accidents and traffic frustration in another two years.