Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.7.0.10 $; site faust
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ima!inmet!faust!rm
From: rm@faust.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Orphaned Response
Message-ID: <40000017@faust>
Date: Mon, 24-Feb-86 19:48:00 EST
Article-I.D.: faust.40000017
Posted: Mon Feb 24 19:48:00 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 31-Mar-86 03:32:10 EST
References: <3287@hplabsb.UUCP>
Lines: 29
Nf-ID: #R:hplabsb.UUCP:3287:faust:40000017:000:1023
Nf-From: faust.UUCP!rm    Feb 24 19:48:00 1986


**  replace this line with your replace this line  **

It may be of some interest to this discussion to know HOW the police
or local traffic authority determine the speed limit for a particular
piece of road.

One of the more common methods is to secretly monitor the speeds of
cars on the road.  Averages from many cars and from a wide variety
of road conditions are collected.  The speed limit is then set at the
85th percentile of the speeds collected.

I'm sure that no noe goes through all of this work for interstate
highways which are produced for certain speeds by design.  It's also
obvious that small municipalities aren't going to go through all of
this just to post a speed limit.  But it is generally considered to
be the preferred method of speed limit calculation.

This does tend to put a nail in the argument that people will travel
at 10 mph above the posted limit, no matter what the limit is.



R.M. Mottola
Intermetrics Inc.
733 Concord Ave.
Cambridge MA. 02138

UUCP: {cca!ima,ihnp4}!inmet!faust!rm