https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRPm3VDGqWE

If you needed more proof of the inefficiency of humans driving #cars, here's another example with #Lego bricks.

The #TrafficJam is granted after a certain number of cars. Just one car more, and everything slows down.

Human reaction times are bad.

Humans being drunk or unstable are worse.

Higher speed limits are the worst.

So, to limit traffic jam, we need:
- lower #SpeedLimits
- no drunk humans
- no unstable humans
- less human drivers
- less cars

Bellevue plans speed limit reductions on most city streets + Take their survey

The City of Bellevue has released a plan to reduce the speed limits on nearly every city street where limits are currently higher than 25. Most streets would see their limits dropped by 5 mph though a couple, including NE Bellevue-Redmond Road and NE 20th Street, would drop 10 mph from 35 to 25 while 148th Ave NE would drop from 40 to 30. The entire downtown grid would be reduced to 25.

The plan joins an existing measure already passed and ready to go into effect this year that will lower nearly all non-arterial residential street speed limits in the city to 20 mph. The city also piloted speed reductions on sections of four arterial streets starting last summer, and those results are informing the larger speed reduction plan.

You can learn more on the city’s project page and from this interactive map of the proposed speed limit changes. An online survey is open until March 30. The Bellevue City Council is set to discuss the plan this summer.

While the plan is bold in places, such as setting a 25 mph speed limit for Bel-Red Road, the effect of these changes will be limited without also changing the designs of the streets. A street with too many lanes that are too wide encourages faster driving regardless of the number on a sign. Hopefully the Council’s new membership will reconsider some of the body’s previous resistance to safe roadway designs on roads like Bel-Red.

It’s also not clear why some street segments would keep their 35 mph speed limits, such as Coal Creek Parkway, a bike route with painted bike lanes and traffic that is far too fast.

#SEAbikes #Seattle

Summary of new California #transportation laws for 2026 is on pages 11-12 of Transportation Agency for Monterey County’s Bike and Pedestrian Facilities Advisory Committee meeting packet for Feb: https://www.tamcmonterey.org/files/e73eb70df/BPC+Agenda+Packet+February+4+Meeting.pdf

Among the new laws:
AB 382 (Berman) – #Pedestrian safety: #SchoolZones: #SpeedLimits
AB 1014 (Rogers) – #TrafficSafety: #SpeedLimits
SB 671 (Cervantes) – #PedestrianCrossing signals
SB 71 (Wiener) – California #Environmental Quality Act: exemptions: #transit projects [AND #ActiveTransportation projects]
AB 544 (Davies) – #ElectricBicycles: required equipment
AB 875 (Murasutchi) – Vehicle removal — In part, "grants law enforcement authority to #impound certain noncompliant electric vehicles. Officers may remove electric vehicles with fewer than four wheels that exceed legal #speed thresholds and do not qualify as #ebikes, as well as Class 3 e-bikes operated
by riders under 16 years old or without required helmets.”

#TrafficLaws #biking #walking #PublicSafety #DriverEducation #BikersEd #youth

#Australia #RoadRules #SpeedLimits #Auspol

Lack of maintainence is huge problem. The government takes the money via fuel excise into general revenue, not funding the required repairs and upgrades.

https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/have-your-say/regulatory-impact-analysis-reduce-open-road-default-speed-limit

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/15/switching-50kmh-speed-limits-to-30kmh-would-protect-cyclists-while-barely-affecting-commutes-research-finds?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

“Reducing residential #speedlimits from 50km/h to 30 km/h would protect cyclists from danger and make riding less stressful while not causing traffic delays for cars,”

The weird thing about driving in Ireland is that everyone drives *under* the speed limit. I was on one of the big motorways, speed limit 120km/h, and most drivers were going around 85-90, even under perfect driving conditions.

Then I got onto a country road, and maybe I understand why.

Imagine driving for hours on in a lane barely wider than your tiny car, with no shoulder — just a stone wall or hedgerow immediately beside your. And the road twists and makes sharp turns, so you never know when a camper van or lorry or bus will be suddenly upon you in the oncoming lane, encroaching your side of the road.

And the speed limit? 80kmph. Sometime 100. If anyone actually drove the speed limit on those roads, they’d die within minutes.

#Ireland #speedLimits #driving