I
don’t know the speed limit on my street.
Might
sound silly.
“If
it’s a residential area,” you could be thinking, “the limit is
25 miles-per-hour.”
And,
truth be told, I wouldn’t even question you on that. Not even
going to look it up. I can easily nod in agreement that chances
are good in almost every situation, a residential area has a speed
limit of 25.
But…
you know… but…
Do
they all?
And
the answer is, no, they all don’t.
My
road is somewhat of a connecting corridor. Not truly a main street,
it does continue on for quite some time, and manages to wind along
and intersect with some major roads. Over a few stretches, there
are some decent runs with no intersections or traffic signals
of any kind. And, with a fair number of its residences are on
good-size lots, you have a really nice combination of properties,
woods, and unoccupied land. Heck, there are even snowmobile and
ATV runs that cross over it in places. A good and steady flow
for not a lot of traffic, not a lot of hazards and not a lot of
people.
I’ve
been led to believe the speed limit on the road is 55, but that
feels nothing short of ridiculous. Not even the state roads, often
with multiple lanes in each direction and heavier traffic, continue
at 55 for the full length. Those dip and dive up to and below
55, depending on communities, traffic signals, and, many might
suggest, to create interesting segments that seem especially noteworthy
for local law enforcement.
There
is a trick, however. At no point on my road is any speed limit
posted. No signs. No writing on the ground. No overpass with flashing
billboards.
Nothing.
Which,
in turn would suggest, residential.
What
I’m actually beginning to believe though is that no one knows
the speed limit for my street. That includes me, neighbors, visitors,
drivers passing by, police, sheriffs, deputies, state troopers,
mail carriers, the mayor, town hall and any other person or office
you might suggest.
(Writer’s
note: This is not a complain of any kind. Road is safe. Over several
years I’ve never seen any issues. I’m simply saying that I think
things are so calm and settled that no one needs to even look
at it. As a result, with years of being set to the side, no one
recalls much official about it.)
So…
no one knows the speed limit. Do I have proof?
Well,
nothing beyond years of living here and the lack of signage. But
the other day, something funny happened.
You
know those speed trailers? They’re the units that get placed occasionally
by the side of a road and have a display where they register your
current speed, show you the actual speed limit for comparison,
and basically cause everyone approaching to slam on their brakes
as they try to compare both numbers. Those. You know what I mean?
About
a week ago, one was set up on the street a few properties down
the road. On the unit is a section for the speed limit to be shown.
But, on this particular setup, it’s blank. Oh, it says “SPEED
LIMIT”, but the place where the numbers would go is empty. And,
perhaps in a funny but intentional way, the speed limit portion
of the unit has been placed so that it’s completely blocked by
the branches of a tree. I actually had to walk to it and get within
about four feet to make sure there was a section for the speed
limit and that it was empty. (And, for that, applause and congrats
for a good unintentional totally on purpose placement folks.)
Up
until now, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a car pulled over by the
authorities on my street. I know I’ve seen them pulled over on
nearby streets. There once was a truck that had an issue, but
that was handled relatively quickly and caused no traffic issues.
Heck,
as further evidence, I’ll nod toward my GPS units and apps. They
all show speed limits of roads as soon as I turn off my street
but none of them cover limits on any portion of my street.
Maybe
it is 25. Maybe it’s 55. And maybe no one really knows. Perhaps
I just live in some strange vacuum, or a bending of the space
time continuum. But sure enough, you can see cars with their brakes
being applied as soon as the speed flashes on the digital display.
And honestly, I’m just fine driving way under 55 as I approach
my house.