The Texas House approved a bill that would allow the speed limit on some highways to be raised to 85 mph, which would be the highest in the nation.
The measure passed Wednesday on a voice vote was part of a larger transportation bill. It would authorize the Texas Department of Transportation to raise the speed limit on designated lanes or entire stretches of roadway after doing engineering and traffic studies, the Dallas Morning News reported Thursday.
The Senate is considering a similar bill.
“They have high-speed roadways in Europe, and there could be some merit in having some of those highways in Texas,” said Rep. Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham, who introduced the bill. “Given the right engineering, we should consider it.”
The bill in question is HB1201, which is primarily about repealing the legislation that allowed the Trans Texas Corridor; the speed limit stuff is down in section 10 of the text. I don’t get out much to the parts of the state where this would be relevant, so I don’t have an opinion about whether or not the roads in question are suitable for such a change. I suppose there’s not that much difference between 80, the current limit on some of these roads, and 85, though one wonders why one bothers having a limit in the first place if it’s that high. (Answer: Because as Montana discovered, you can’t make a speeding ticket stick if you don’t specify a number.) At least this gives me an excuse to replay this old favorite, which in this context now seems almost quaint:
They will still write you up for 125. Of that you can be certain.
“They have high-speed roadways in Europe, and there could be some merit in having some of those highways in Texas”
One of these days I wish Republicans would come out with a list of European ideas that are pretty good, and a list of European ideas Which Will Destroy Society As We Know It.
Not that I’d expect them to stick to it or anything, but it would be nice to have the guideline.
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