POLL - Speed Limit

[Island Lover]

Originally Posted by rickstr66

... It makes no sense that if you support a 45 mph speed limit you would anwser a poll with a 60 mph limit. Does it? Why would you if in your heart you believe 45mph is the right thing to do?

Do you think everybody that supports HB162 thinks 45 is the perfect speed? Sorry, it doesn't work that way.

I believe 60 is the best answer. But the way it stands I have two choices, support 45 mph or support no limit. I chose 45. Other people might rather have no limit that 45, that is their choice.

45 is better than nothing!

If you think a poll is a great idea start your own. I recommend you chose the option that displays the name of everybody that votes. That makes it much harder to fix.

[Fat Jack]

Originally Posted by Island Lover

If you think a poll is a great idea start your own.

No internet poll is going to mean anything or be valid...ever. If you want a valid poll, hire a legitimate polling firm like Gallup or American Research Group to conduct one using scientifically proven polling techniques. And be sure the questions are not leading and the results say where the respondents are from.

[Ski Man]

Originally Posted by Island Lover

I believe 60 is the best answer.

IL,
We agree in most cases, but not here. There is not a single jurisdiction that has tried a 60mph limit, so we have no evidence that a 60mph limit will work, as 45mph limits have been proven to do. 45/25 is the norm, some as low as 40. Those have all proven enforceable and effective, as at Lake George. And 45 is plenty fast in a boat, surely fast enough for any type of safe boating activity.

With the unfortunate admissions from Glendale about their lack of desire for this law (a "burden" to Barrett versus a "tool" to Schneider), and the tolerance that all law enforcers give to all speed limits, a 60mph limit would probably be enforced at 75mph. Who wants boats flying around our crowded lakes going 75MPH with MP saying "I told you so"? Isn't that exaclty the kind of speed that brought this whole issue up?

And with a 45 mph limit, a patrol boat can easily determine speed by following ("I was following him your honor, my boat was going 55MPH, as fast as it could go, and I could not keep up, so I know he was going over 55."). The MP has no boats that can go 80MPH to use this tactic with a 60MPH limit. To get them such a boat would require just the kind of funding that the opposers are objecting to. Recall that Schneider has previously explained that their speed limit actually saves them money rather than costs, because it reduces the complaints and need for officers when the traffic is going slower.

45/25 works so perfectly at Lake George, which is such a parallel lake to so many of ours in so many ways. It is the perfect example, and we are foolish if we do not learn from and copy it.

Perhaps the 160MPH event under the eyes of Lake George MP (assuming that actually happened) was in one of those supervised events like HB162 also allows?

Must head off for work now.

[Woodsy]

Originally Posted by Ski Man

Perhaps the 160MPH event under the eyes of Lake George MP (assuming that actually happened) was in one of those supervised events like HB162 also allows?

Must head off for work now.

Hey Ski Man...

Are saying that I am making this event up? Perhaps calling me a liar? Maybe if you actually boated on Lake George you might have witnessed this event. It was not a sanctioned event.

Woodsy

[Bear Lover]

Woodsy

I'm wondering why you are telling us that high performance boats are going 160 mph on Lake George in violation of a 45 mph speed limit. Do you think Lt. Schneider has told his officers to allow boats to go 115 mph over the speed limit without a ticket or even a warning? I don't think that's plausible!

This doesn't make us like the idea of having these boats on Winni. It seems to argue we should be trying to keep them away.

Do you think this boat going 160 mph was a safe thing, or an unsafe thing?

[Seaplane Pilot]

Originally Posted by Bear Lover

This doesn't make us like the idea of having these boats on Winni. It seems to argue we should be trying to keep them away.

Which clearly demonstrates Winnfabs' true agenda - to rid the lake of high performance boats.

[Woodsy]

I have it on video... it occured about 3-4 years ago in September.

There was next to nobody on Lake George when this event occured.... the boat was more than capable of going that fast safely during the prevalent conditions. The only one who risked getting hurt was the driver.

I personally would never go 160 MPH, I don't have that desire. However, if the conditions were right, I don't particulaly care if someone else wants to go that fast. Thats were the "reasonable & prudent" kicks in. Would I find that 160MPH is "reasonable & proper" on a crowded summer saturday in the broads? No I wouldn't.

It really boils down to the prevalent conditions at the time. Sometimes, I think anything greater than headway speed is too fast in areas like the Weirs or Meredith Bay on July 4th. Other times, there is next to nobody on the lake. Why does anyone care how fast a person goes then?

Woodsy

[John A. Birdsall]

It seems to me that sometime in the 1940's the story goes that their was a varnish boat on the lake, that was kicked off cause it went too fast. It went 77 MPH. It had to get to a wide section of the lake to turn around at high speeds. I recall Officer Cates in Alton Bay, he would have a hard time he had a 14-16' starcraft with a 35 hp evinrude on it. try catching one of the boats on the lake today. But he knew where every boat lived in Alton Bay. Especailly mine!