On Wed, 19 Sep 2018 13:54:47 +0200
Tobias Zwick <o...@westnordost.de> wrote:

> This does not present a problem:
> 
> > The first set  
> 
> Well, as you write yourself, they may be authorized to set own speed
> limits, but they need to signpost it.
> 
> > The second  
> 
> So these are the type of regulations I mean with "default speed
> limits".
> 
> > The third law  
> 
> As Martin Koppenhoefer stated on another discussion branch, this kind
> of paragraph in legislation is not specific to the US. All/most
> legislations have a sentence like this - it only differs how a breach
> of this is persecuted. But well, Martin Koppenhoefer and Colin Smale
> already wrote what there is to say about it.

RCW 46.61.405, 46.61.410, and 46.61.415 all require that an engineering
study be performed before setting the speed limit.  Thus, for the vast
majority of roads with signed limits, a highway engineer has determined
that the signed limit is a "reasonable and prudent" speed under
ordinary conditions.

My point is that no such guarantee exists for roads without speed limit
signs.  Yes, the numeric limit for something like Glenwood Road might
be 50 mph, but the road was designed around farm trucks going no more
than 20 mph, and has the tight curves, short sight lines, and poor
surface quality you'd expect for that speed.

--
Mark

> On 19/09/2018 07:15, Mark Wagner wrote:
> > On Tue, 18 Sep 2018 20:36:06 +0200
> > Tobias Zwick <o...@westnordost.de> wrote:
> >   
> >> From your anecdote, it seems, an implicit speed limit tagging
> >> scheme is even more important in the US than for example in the
> >> UK  
> > 
> > In my part of the US, a meaningful implicit speed limit tagging
> > scheme is impossible, due to the three sets of laws regarding speed
> > limits.
> > 
> > The first set is RCW 46.61.405, 46.61.410, 46.61.415, and 46.61.419,
> > which give various people the authority to set signed speed limits,
> > obedience to which is required by RCW 46.61.050.
> > 
> > The second is RCW 46.61.400(2), which establishes default speeds of
> > 25 MPH on city streets, 50 MPH on county roads, and 60 MPH on state
> > highways.  This would seem rather comprehensive, except for:
> > 
> > The third law: RCW 46.61.400(1).  "No person shall drive a vehicle
> > on a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent
> > under the conditions and having regard to the actual and potential
> > hazards then existing."
> > 
> > As a highway engineer pointed out to me recently, most county roads,
> > especially unpaved ones, are designed around a speed limit of
> > "reasonable and prudent".  The 50 MPH limit established by RCW
> > 46.61.400(2)(b) simply sets a firm upper boundary; it's quite
> > possible to get a speeding ticket at a lower speed.
> > 
> > Sure, you can put a number on any road.  But for most rural roads
> > without speed-limit signs, the number is unrelated to how fast you
> > can drive on that road.
> >   
> 
> 
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