Archive for the 'Speed Limit' Category

Now all Texans can be Nascar drivers

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on July 10, 2006
in Highway, Speed Limit and Texas
. 0 Comments

Well, its official. The Signs in parts of rural Texas have been changed to reflect the speed limit increases in that state. Hopefully they did something to educate people on how to handle a car appropriately at that speed. I’m all for higher speeds, I’ve experienced the autobahn, we just need to see a more rigorous driver certification program in the U.S. first…

Traffic Circles

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on May 12, 2006
in Congestion, Miami, South Florida, Speed Limit, Traffic and traffic circle
. 0 Comments


A relatively new character appearing in many of our daily commutes in South Florida is the Traffic Circle. Today, we will discuss the advantages of such traffic calming devices and how their widespread implementation can be so useful.

The idea for this topic came about because of the many traffic circles already in use or under construction in the Coral Gables and the Roads neighborhoods. They serve many advantageous purposes and when placed in effective locations can provide some or all of the following benefits:

  • Shorter commute times
  • Improved Traffic flow through neighborhoods
  • Lower installation/operation/maintenance costs than typical stoplight intersections
  • Save fuel
  • Reduce accidents
  • Enhance and beautify communities
  • Improve pedestrian traffic

With fewer stop signs and traffic signals, commuters travel time is decreased significantly while also reducing the demanding fuel consumption of stop and go traffic flow patterns. They reduce accidents by forcing traffic to slow down to more manageable speeds and increase driver awareness. A study by the NTSB, found that traffic circles reduced all accidents at intersections by 39% and serious accidents by 79%.