Subject: Re: [LPNY DISCUSS] More government nonsense Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 11:37:21 -0400 To: From: Bob Armstrong On Mon, 10 May 2004 10:45:06 -0400, Gary Popkin wrote: >=A0Each motor vehicle has some speed at which it gets its best gas= mileage, >=A0different for different vehicles. =A0Also, the optimum speed may= vary >=A0according to the load on the vehicle or whether it is going= uphill. =A0My >=A0intuition is that heavier loads and steeper hills demand a= lower speed for >=A0best gas mileage. When Xerox bought me east from Chicago to Rochester in 1980 ,= and I got a Porsche 924 turbo with full sports suspension ( with a gov= mandated 85 MPH speedometer ) , I loved the fact that it got about 20= MPG at 100 MPH ( calculated from the tach ) . >=A0When President Carter imposed the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit= nationally to >=A0reduce gasoline consumption, the rationale was that the average= optimum >=A0speed for all vehicles then on the road was 55 miles-per-hour.= =A0That means >=A0that roughly half the vehicles on the road had optimum speeds= in excess of >=A055 miles-per-hour, and half had lower. =A0That further means that= the >=A0imposition of the 55-mile-per-hour limit caused half the= vehicles on the >=A0road to drive at speeds lower than their optimum, and the other= half were >=A0permitted to drive at speeds higher than their optimum. =A0And= this to reduce >=A0gasoline consumption! The 55 limit also gave no economic value to time lost by going= absurdly slow in modern vehicles on modern expressways . >=A0There should be no speed limits. =A0Any damage that might be done= by >=A0fast-moving vehicles should be handled the way it is now.= =A0Speed limits are >=A0just a way for governments to raise revenue. Reckless driving IS a valid crime however . And that often= includes driving too fast for either the road's or the vehicle's= condition . I always tried to maintain a policy of getting down to 85 when= passing traffic - so as not to startle other drivers . --=A0 =A0Bob Armstrong -- http://CoSy.com -- 212-285-1864 A WTC vision : http://CoSy.com/CoSy/ConicAllConnect/ Libertarian Presidential Candidates =A0:= http://CoSy.com/Liberty.htm Restore our Right to Relax : =A0http://ny.lp.org/cgi-bin/petition.cgi?Against_the_Smoking_Ban =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A05/10/2004 11:25:06 AM