Arkansas Speed Limits Suck

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
11/22/2014 at 23:03 • Filed to: None

Today I drove all the way across Arkansas, from Texarkana to Little Rock on I-30, then Little Rock to Memphis on I-40. In AR, the limit for cars is 70, which is fine, but the limit for trucks is 65. And everybody pretty much goes the limit because there are so many state troopers and Highway Police (different from state troopers, but it's a long story). The problem with the tiered speed limit is that when you have a truck that is going 66 mph, he takes the left lane to pass another truck and then sits there, never speeding up enough to pass the other truck, and causing the faster cars to stack up in left lane. The truck in the right lane has no interest in slowing down, and the truck in the left lane never speeds up. This happened more times than I could count.

Cross the Mississippi River into Tennessee, where there is a single limit for all, and the problem disappears. Traffic moves smoothly. I really don't understand why they have tiered limits like this. Do they claim it's for safety? Cause it sure as hell doesn't help traffic flow.

DISCUSSION (12)

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > ttyymmnn
11/22/2014 at 23:07

Consider yourself lucky. Here our speed limit is 100 kph, or around 62 mph.

ttyymmnn > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
11/22/2014 at 23:10

I'm not complaining about the limit itself, it's the different limits at the same time that cause the problem.

thebigbossyboss > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
11/22/2014 at 23:10

Plus trucks governed at 105. I once waited 10 miles behind a truck trying to pass another.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > thebigbossyboss
11/22/2014 at 23:13

That's annoying as hell.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > ttyymmnn
11/22/2014 at 23:13

They're like that out west. Cars 75 and trucks 65. At least it was like that in the Dakotas and Wyoming if I remember last summers trip correctly.

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn
11/22/2014 at 23:55

Illinois finally did away with tiered limits. They are problematic.

Anon > ttyymmnn
11/23/2014 at 00:21

Haha! 75MPH master race!

Cé hé sin > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
11/23/2014 at 05:30

Consider yourself lucky. Here (in the EU) trucks are electronically limited to 90 kmh and buses to 100 kmh. Find yourself on a two lane motorway and truck 1 whose limiter allows 90 proceeds to overtake truck 2 who can only make 89.9 and spends the next ten minutes doing so.

Cé hé sin > thebigbossyboss
11/23/2014 at 05:31

Limited to 105? Think yourself lucky. Here it's 90 and some owners voluntarily opt for 85 or 80.

thebigbossyboss > Cé hé sin
11/23/2014 at 10:17

Omg. 80 is sooooo sloooow. Why would. An owner opt for that?

Cé hé sin > thebigbossyboss
11/23/2014 at 10:24

Fuel costs. Depends on the kind of driving you anticipate but if you're not going to be on motorways the whole time the costs of getting up to 90 for a short period when you're going to have to slow again shortly after outweigh the benefits in time.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > Anon
11/26/2014 at 18:58

80 mph supermaster SUCK IT!!