Comment Re:Bluff City is south of Bristol Motor Speedway (Score 1) 680
Ok, but what is a "reasonable speed limit"? And why is it based only on the design of the road?
Certainly the design is important - good sight lines, no pedestrians, no way for slow moving vehicles to suddenly slow, no chance of traffic light change. But I think there are other factors that affect the speed limit. Three quick examples:
Vehicle: A reasonable speed limit in a 2010 Mustang is a lot higher than one for a 1998 Ford Explorer with Firestone tires or for an 18-wheeler.
Weather: A reasonable speed when it is dry and light without direct sunlight is higher than what it would be in the rain at night.
Traffic: How much space is there between you and the car in front of you, and the car behind you?
Obviously intelligent, reasonable people are capable of making these decisions for themselves. Unfortunately, such people are also rare, so the nanny state sets a speed limit based on some pessimistic-average-case scenario.