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From: paulhus@euclid.DEC
Newsgroups: net.bicycle
Subject: 55 mph speed limit
Message-ID: <2097@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 9-May-85 14:16:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.2097
Posted: Thu May  9 14:16:43 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 11-May-85 20:51:37 EDT
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Organization: DEC Engineering Network
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	Topic: Bicyclists and the 55 mph speed limit

	I just got my "Bike USA" from LAW and was dumbstruck at something
	the National office has done recently: they came out in favor of
	retaining the 55 mph speed limit!
	Now, perhaps my viewpoint is too local, but in New England we would
	never have a >55 mph limit on a non-limited access highway, and 
	bicyclists cannot use the limited access highways.  So, for us 
	hereabouts, the issue of 55 vs.	higher speed traffic from a 
	bicyclist's point of view is a non-issue. With our great network of 
	state and town roads, we are never forced to want to ride the 
	interstate highways.
	So, my questions are: would bicyclists elsewhere be placed in more
	danger if the speed limit on limited access highways were allowed
	to go up?   Would people in your area stand for allowing the speed
	limit to go up ONLY on limited access highways?  Would bicyclists
	be placed in appreciably more danger if their non-limited access
	roads got higher speed limits (I seem to remember a 65 mph limit on
	one narrow road in Michigan back in '64 when I lived in Ann Arbor.)	  

	ps. I hope my HPV will be able to do well over 55!  I bought a 
	DeFilece recumbent and my rider, Chris Shelley (ranked about #2
	in New England) has started training on it.  The frame is still
	pieces of tubing. I plan to start on the shell after getting back
	from GEAR in the Bluegrass. The CAD plots look neat. I've got a
	guy building a recorder so we can get time-history printouts of
	practice runs.  And I'm finishing up on a custom trailer.  Just
	hope we get the HPV done well before Indy! Vancover in '86 would
	be one h*ll of a tow from Boston! 
	N. Chris Paulhus   DEC-Maynard
	decwrl!dec-10382!dec-euclid!paulhus