Kudos, Mr Flaharty! I agree with you enirely and could not have expressed/stated my opposition to the insanity myself. Thank you for you well-thought out and intelligent editorial in opposition of the Powers That Be merely creating yet another Indianapolis Speedway jeopardizing your safety & the rest of us by merely placating those (impatient & with lead feet) who are basically in a hurry to get nowhere!.

i always wanted the speed limit raised to 60mph i understand what the writer is talking about . speed limit / limit means the point edge or line beyond which something cannot or may not proceed a supposed allowable 12mph really yes i've heard of that but if that's true then the meaning or word limit should be removed from the sign

I feel the speed limit should be raised to at least 65mph. I've driven this road and anyone can safely drive faster than 55mph. There are plenty of lanes on this road, if you want to drive 55mph get over and stay in the right lane. In my opinion its not the people who speed who cause the accidents its those people who drive at or below the speed in the left lane that cause accidents as everyone must go around them. I really hope this bill passes!!!

I agree with the author, and Ms. Adams, it does not matter which of the three lanes you choose, people just drive 80., well written and I hope that the legislators take notice to the comments of Mr. Flaharty, did anyone notice that party affilitation was not mentioned, bravo!

I disagree with the author in the strongest terms. The ICC is the most heavily patrrolled stretch of road in the entire metro area and the relentless ticketing program by dedicated ICC police vehicles has most knowledgeable ICC users moving at a crawl. I have rarely used the ICC and not seen a motorist pullled over by the police, or seen a police vehicle waiting on the shoulder for speeders. The ICC is an uncongested limited access highway with on/off ramps every few miles or so, and there is no earthly reason why motorists could not safely drive at higher speed limits. Currently, the 55 mph speed limit on this sprawling highway is just 15mph higher than the speed limit on Rockville Pike, a road jammed with cars, traffic signals, crosswalks, etc. This is irrational. Motorists naturally drive at speeds that are comfortable for them in consideration of the road conditions, their age, skill, automobile and other factors. There is no factual basis to the claim that motorists will automatically drive 12 mph above the posted speed limit no matter what it is. If the limit is raised to 65, you will find most motorists adhering to that because it is a comfortable speed for the average motorist.

have there been accidents cuased by speed .
Keep to the right lane except to let people merge onto the road and you will not have any problems. As you say they are already going that fast so it must no be that unsafe.

I agree and disagree. As someone who does not go the "allowable" 12 miles over (I may do 5), I find the 55 mph annoying. So with that said, I agree the speed limit should be raised. I also see your point that if the speed limit is raised people are going to drive at extremely excessive speeds. However, this is something that should be taken up with county police officers (who also drive at excessive speeds imo). Why is 12 over allowable?? If a speed limit is set, it should be upheld. If county officers find it to mundane to pull people over for speeding, then the limit should stay at 55.

Before making comments on roads designed with certain speeds in mind show me the proof that the ICC was engineered for only 55. Come on now, that road can easily handle faster speeds. It seems that 55 was set only to generate income for the state as it is heavily patrolled and has its own division to patrol it. Good luck on your lawsuit!!! Go ahead and drive 55 in the right lane. You have that right.

MDTA already is planning to raise the speed limit on the ICC to 60 mph next month.

I agree that it would be preferable to address ideas like excluding high occupancy vehicles from the cost of tolls - it would encourage use of the road instead of the beltway and distribute traffic across the two roads more evenly.

It doesn't matter what you (the public) wants in the speed limit. It will be changed or not changed based on a civil servent sitting some where in a non reachable corner of the government complex. You have no vote, only a small voice in the night.

Raising the speed limit is a poor alternative to lowering the cost.

I do NOT believe the ICC was "engineered for a 55 mph speed" and no evidence supporting this allegation has been provided! I do believe a speed limit of 60 mph would be more appropriate for this road, and perhaps vehicles such as SCHOOL BUSES, and other (large) slow accelerating, difficult to maneuver vehicles should be excluded, or restricted as to times and lanes they could use! Drivers with slow reactions, and/or vehicles that slowly react, are hazards in congested, high speed traffic on any road. (Perhaps reaction time needs testing, on ALL drivers?)--As a driver for over 40 years, I see "slow reacting" drivers/vehicles every day, and these drivers should be restricted as to when and where they can operate, to enhance highway safety and traffic flow! (I am an ALERT "senior citizen")

I, like other posters here, also find it incredibly hard to believe that the ICC was only designed for 55 mph. It makes no sense to me that a newly designed, highly expensive, major highway can only handle 55-60mph. BS! I agree with Ch. They deliberately set the limit low, knowing people will instinctively want to drive much faster and have cops out there ticketing. There just desperately trying to find ways to generate money for the county.

I wish people would learn grammar before ranting. ("There"????, you mean "they're" as in they are).

Bill, The MDTA Officers are assigned to ALL TOLL Roadways in Md. as well as the area around BWI-TM Airport. They enforce speed as well as all other laws in Md. They have a Drug Taskforce team that works the interstates, a CRASH team to investigate serious motor vehicle accidents and other various specialty units within the department. There has been talk for years of them merging with the MDSP, however it never seems to happen.

The engineering report asserts a "design speed" of 60 mph without defining the term. Engineers know that "operating speeds and even posted speed limits can be higher than design speeds without necessarily compromising safety." Indeed, roads "often appear adequate for speeds far above the designated design speed". ICC drivers recognize this intuitively with average speeds exceeding 60 mph.
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/speedmgt/ref_mats/fhwasa10001/#f18

Clearly the speed limit should be 65 or 70 mph! The report's own reference (link above) says "Speed limits are only meaningful if the majority of motorists comply voluntarily and that occurs only if a speed limit is reasonable.

Maryland's rural interstate fatality rate in 2009 was 0.06 -- FAR FAR lower that the all-road rate of 1.07 deaths per 100 million travel miles. Why? Simple physics! Traffic engineers very effectively adapt roads for higher speeds by eliminating opposing traffic, crossing traffic, and roadside hazards. Furthermore, "design speed" is a MINIMUM specification for features like curvature and sight visibility; the "as built" curves may FAR exceed minimum requirements.

Bluntly, everyone is safer on the ICC than almost any other road-- yet 99% of the commentors are shockingly unaware of where the real road risks are!

The traffic engineer who pointed out the references to me assured me that a nominal "design speed" usually has a wide safety margin. Sharper curves should be (as the ICC engineering report stated) have specific warning signage.