Topic: New Speed Limits in BC, Up To 120 KPH

[quadzilla]

There is one more that deserves noting here.  The "I won't pass no matter what" driver.  I was driving on a very quiet highway one day in the Miata, enjoying the scenery.  It was only a 90 posted, and I was dawdling along at 90-95.  This Golf comes right up behind me.  She has enough room to pass 10 semis, but does not.  Tailgates me.  Another passing section, I move to the right line (NEVER drive on the shoulder) and she still stays on my bumper.  I slow to 80 and wave her around.  Nope.  I slow to 60.  Nope.  I slow to 40.  Still still there, crawling along behind me.  I stop.  She stops!

I get out, walk back, and explain "IT'S SAFE TO PASS NOW!!"

   Sad but true.

[quadzilla]

I hate people that can't accelerate up hills...not major mountains, just hills. We have some very nice rolling terrain north of TO and people always go 110 down the one side and 50kph up the other side....repeat. Anybody that has driven Airport Rd knows exactly what I'm talking about.

[johngenx]

Another aspect I'm sure you experience, is when you're on a scenic road, like in the mountains, with virtually no traffic.  You're enjoying having the road entirely to yourself, something that's extremely uncommon these days.  Someone comes up behind you and decides they like your speed so they follow you forever.  Ack. Go away!

"Ducklings looking for mama."

Happens all the time.  Once I was driving the Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper, but we got off on highway 11 and went to Nordegg.  I had a Sienna that had been duckling on me since leaving LL, and I was happy to turn off onto 11 to lose them, and then they turned too!  Cripes.  All the way to Nordegg on my tail.  We pulled into Nordegg, they pulled in.  Stopping at the gas/store they got out and started wondering where Jasper was.  The morons had been so intent on following me they'd gone hundreds of kms out of their way!!  We were laughing so hard and yeah, making fun of them.

[Fobroader]

I vary my speed. I'll slow down going up a hill to 10 under the speed limit, then let it speed up as high as I feel safe to drive at going down. Use gravity wisely and it can improve your fuel consumption numbers. I stay in the right lane. If people don't like it, feel free to pass me in the passing lane.

Sometimes though I'll find a semi that drives similar to the way I drive and I'll draft it. From a good 3-4 seconds behind of course. I've done 10,000km of highway driving and my hood is still rock chip free.

Im either on cruise or maintaining my speed manually to whatever speed I choose. I hate people who are at 130 and then 90, then 120, then 100, then 80.....that so pisses me off. Pretty well every car on the road today has cruise....USE IT!!

You're from Alberta, right?  There aren't a lot of places in southwestern BC where it makes sense to use cruise control.  Either because of curves, changing speed limits, or traffic.  And cruise control should not be used by anyone who feels the slightest bit drowsy, or feels they may become drowsy.

As for those who can't drive at a steady pace, I fear there's no cure for them.  Hopefully they will be among the first to adopt fully automated driving.

Even being a passenger with such irregular drivers is a pain, as you repeatedly see them pass others, only to see those others have to pass again in a few minutes.

All I'm saying is that people should maintain their bloody speed. I dont care how, just do it. Any of the vehicles I own will hold whatever I choose with the cruise, even in BC. With my old Altima I could have set the speed at 120 and could have held that till the ferry terminal in Tsawassen.....if not for other people.

Sent from my Galaxy S3

[Fobroader]

I hate people that can't accelerate up hills...not major mountains, just hills. We have some very nice rolling terrain north of TO and people always go 110 down the one side and 50kph up the other side....repeat. Anybody that has driven Airport Rd knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Feck that pisses me off, especially when I am hauling my trailer. If all 13000 + lbs of me can do 110, Im sure your little 2000lb s$&tbox can do it.

Sent from my Galaxy S3

[dkaz]

On a two lane highway, I will never vary my speed even up the steepest hills, except to let my speed drift up going down a hill. On a four lane highway, I don't see the issue. If you don't like the speed(s) that I'm going, just pass me. Some people do it wrong though. They bomb up the hills then ride the brakes going downhill. They probably complain about crappy fuel economy too.

X-Traction, it was my 2012 Mazda 3 Skyactiv. That was going 5 above the limit constantly on the two lane sections (except down hills) and the speed limit on four lane sections including 110 on the Coq with a drift down to 10 under and drift up to whatever I felt was safe. Even coasting in 4th gear in my 6 speed manual, the car picks up good speed down the snow shed.

I have to note that I haven't owned a single car that's been able to do the speed limit up the snow shed. I usually do 80 up that hill, going up the centre lane. I'm in 2nd gear at over 5,500 RPM @ 85km/h, I try to upshifting to 3rd in which during that shift I lose a few km/h, then I'm down at 80km/h at 3,500 RPM and losing more speed because there's no oomph, so I have to downshift to 2nd again where I lose even more speed to 75 and it takes me 30 seconds to get back up to 85. Lol. That was my Mazda 5. I think my Mazda 3 is better.

But anyway I blow past semis which don't seem to be going faster than 20km/h up the right lane, and then Grand Cherokees and F150s blow past me doing the speed limit. Once or twice I've encountered a semi in the middle lane going 20 trying to overtake another semi that can only go 15. That's forcing me to get into the left lane to overtake these two semis and it's not a fun situation.

Maybe they should build a fourth lane up the snow shed and prohibit semis from the left two lanes.

[X-Traction]

Another aspect I'm sure you experience, is when you're on a scenic road, like in the mountains, with virtually no traffic.  You're enjoying having the road entirely to yourself, something that's extremely uncommon these days.  Someone comes up behind you and decides they like your speed so they follow you forever.  Ack. Go away!

"Ducklings looking for mama."

Happens all the time.  Once I was driving the Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper, but we got off on highway 11 and went to Nordegg.  I had a Sienna that had been duckling on me since leaving LL, and I was happy to turn off onto 11 to lose them, and then they turned too!  Cripes.  All the way to Nordegg on my tail.  We pulled into Nordegg, they pulled in.  Stopping at the gas/store they got out and started wondering where Jasper was.  The morons had been so intent on following me they'd gone hundreds of kms out of their way!!  We were laughing so hard and yeah, making fun of them.

Good one.

We've found that almost everyone staying along the Icefields Parkway hits the road at 9:00am.  So if you start driving at, say, 7:00am, you have that fantastic road to yourself for a couple of hours.  Must be one of the best driving experiences in the country (said as someone who has bicycled it at least 6 times).

[dkaz]

Another aspect I'm sure you experience, is when you're on a scenic road, like in the mountains, with virtually no traffic.  You're enjoying having the road entirely to yourself, something that's extremely uncommon these days.  Someone comes up behind you and decides they like your speed so they follow you forever.  Ack. Go away!

"Ducklings looking for mama."

Happens all the time.  Once I was driving the Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper, but we got off on highway 11 and went to Nordegg.  I had a Sienna that had been duckling on me since leaving LL, and I was happy to turn off onto 11 to lose them, and then they turned too!  Cripes.  All the way to Nordegg on my tail.  We pulled into Nordegg, they pulled in.  Stopping at the gas/store they got out and started wondering where Jasper was.  The morons had been so intent on following me they'd gone hundreds of kms out of their way!!  We were laughing so hard and yeah, making fun of them.

Lol. I'm not that bad of a duckling. If the mama goose takes an early exit, I wave them goodbye and continue on. 80% of the time, I choose a semi as a mama goose, which allows me to go a bit faster with no fuel consumption penalty.

[X-Traction]

On a two lane highway, I will never vary my speed even up the steepest hills, except to let my speed drift up going down a hill. On a four lane highway, I don't see the issue. If you don't like the speed(s) that I'm going, just pass me. Some people do it wrong though. They bomb up the hills then ride the brakes going downhill. They probably complain about crappy fuel economy too.

X-Traction, it was my 2012 Mazda 3 Skyactiv. That was going 5 above the limit constantly on the two lane sections (except down hills) and the speed limit on four lane sections including 110 on the Coq with a drift down to 10 under and drift up to whatever I felt was safe. Even coasting in 4th gear in my 6 speed manual, the car picks up good speed down the snow shed.

I have to note that I haven't owned a single car that's been able to do the speed limit up the snow shed. I usually do 80 up that hill, going up the centre lane. I'm in 2nd gear at over 5,500 RPM @ 85km/h, I try to upshifting to 3rd in which during that shift I lose a few km/h, then I'm down at 80km/h at 3,500 RPM and losing more speed because there's no oomph, so I have to downshift to 2nd again where I lose even more speed to 75 and it takes me 30 seconds to get back up to 85. Lol. That was my Mazda 5. I think my Mazda 3 is better.

But anyway I blow past semis which don't seem to be going faster than 20km/h up the right lane, and then Grand Cherokees and F150s blow past me doing the speed limit. Once or twice I've encountered a semi in the middle lane going 20 trying to overtake another semi that can only go 15. That's forcing me to get into the left lane to overtake these two semis and it's not a fun situation.

Maybe they should build a fourth lane up the snow shed and prohibit semis from the left two lanes.

That's amazing mileage for any drive that includes the Coq.

The truckers call the snowshed hill "the smasher".  Yes, they have their horsepower races also and it must be difficult to crawl up the hill at 15 when they could be doing 20.

I've never owned a car that couldn't go up that hill at 120.  Although the Escape Hybrid when fully loaded has to get the revs higher than I like to push it above 110 on that hill.  It's ok if I'm by myself.  These include a '79 Impala wagon with a 4bbl 350 that loafed up the hill, a Dodge Spirit with a 3L v6 that also did it with ease, a '91 Pathfinder, the '06 Grand Vitara, and the Escape.

btw, I think it's unsafe to come down that hill at 120.  The snow shed is a blind corner and 120 is far too fast if anything goes wrong on such a steep descent.  Yet people are exceeding even this high limit.

[dkaz]

I've had nothing but 4 bangers. My Honda Odyssey is the first vehicle I've owned with more than 200 HP (210), but also weights 4250 lb curb and up to 5500 lb by the time it's loaded up.

I don't know how semis are geared but I'm sure some trucks can do 20 but most of them do 15. Note I'm only guessing their speeds.

It's the same as going up a steep hill on a bicycle, one where you can barely do 7km/h at the absolute lowest gear. Go to second gear and one just doesn't have the power to do it. That or I'm severely out of shape.

[X-Traction]

btw, I think it's unsafe to come down that hill at 120.  The snow shed is a blind corner and 120 is far too fast if anything goes wrong on such a steep descent.  Yet people are exceeding even this high limit.

 :iagree:1000%. I think it is more unsafe when there is bright sunshine and your heading into the tunnel. I always in the "slow lane" amd gear down just before the steep descent begins, and I usually stay around 110km, it may not seem like much, but the 10kmph slower just gives me a little extra reaction time.

Slightly changing the subject, I actually don't like the 120kmph speed limit. Other then when I am climbing, I would  never see any bars on my fuel consumption meter when the speed was 110kmph. Now I see it between 7/8ll/100km. But having said that other then the downhill ascent near the snowshed, I do 120.

Given the snowshed is a left bend, you have the farthest view from the slow lane. But you're also more likely to come up behind a semi engine-braking down the hill in that lane.  There are some other curves on the Coq where you have to put some force into the steering wheel to go around them at 120kph, but not at 110. To me, that means the road has not been engineered for 120.

The Escape Hybrid will slow down on that descent if it's in "L", until the battery is fully charged. It runs out of battery capacity, and the regenerative braking ends at about the entry to the snow shed.  Then one has to use the brakes to keep it down to 110.

[Trainman]

It will be interesting to see if speed is a factor in this crash:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-tour-bus-crashes-on-coquihalla-highway-56-injured-6-critically-1.2749862

[X-Traction]

It will be interesting to see if speed is a factor in this crash:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-tour-bus-crashes-on-coquihalla-highway-56-injured-6-critically-1.2749862

If you try to simulate what happened, in order for the bus to have ended upright and facing in the right direction, it must have spun a full 360 degrees while sliding across the road on its side!  Despite some injuries being very serious, those people were very lucky.

Just wait until this winter and see what happens with the higher limit.

[dkaz]

Police determined that speed was not a factor.

[johngenx]

It's going to be carnage.  BC drivers are horrid.  I thought Albertans were bad, but BC drivers always shock me.  Driving into Vernon from Kelowna, the limit drops to 70, then to 50, and the only ones not careening into Vernon's downtown at 100 are Alberta drivers.  I've never seen such disrespect for urban speed limits.  Left lane bandits?  BC drivers seem completely clueless about keeping right.  Washington State is having special enforcement periods to try to get BC drivers form sitting on their Interstates in the left lane clogging traffic.

We in Alberta are conditioned.  Edmonton writes >200,000 speeding tickets per year.  Greater Vancouver is approx 50,000.

[Trainman]

Police determined that speed was not a factor.

It appears that speeding was not a factor, but if the speed limit was at 110 would the driver have been able to maintain control any better?  Would the results have been any less serious?

[dkaz]

It's going to be carnage.  BC drivers are horrid.  I thought Albertans were bad, but BC drivers always shock me.  Driving into Vernon from Kelowna, the limit drops to 70, then to 50, and the only ones not careening into Vernon's downtown at 100 are Alberta drivers.

I used to joke that Vancouverites drive 80km/h on Hwy 1 (limit 90) and on 1st Avenue (limit 50).

You have to admit that some speed limits are quite low. Not in Vernon where the highway actually becomes a fully urban street with many intersections and pedestrians, but a highway through a small town with intersections every km, wide shoulders, limited pedestrian access, 60-70 would be more reasonable.

I drove through LA and some of the urban arterial speed limits were 50... MPH. With frontage roads for houses on either side similar to what they have in Edmonton. That's excessive.

It appears that speeding was not a factor, but if the speed limit was at 110 would the driver have been able to maintain control any better?  Would the results have been any less serious?

True, but do we blame the speed limit or do we blame a distracted or drowsy driver? Thank goodness the driver didn't leave the roadway in nastier spot where there is no concrete barrier between the roadway and a seemingly endless cliff. It wouldn't have mattered what speed the bus was going, a lot of passengers on that bus would be dead.

[Schmengie]

It's going to be carnage.  BC drivers are horrid.  I thought Albertans were bad, but BC drivers always shock me.  Driving into Vernon from Kelowna, the limit drops to 70, then to 50, and the only ones not careening into Vernon's downtown at 100 are Alberta drivers.  I've never seen such disrespect for urban speed limits.  Left lane bandits?  BC drivers seem completely clueless about keeping right.  Washington State is having special enforcement periods to try to get BC drivers form sitting on their Interstates in the left lane clogging traffic.

We in Alberta are conditioned.  Edmonton writes >200,000 speeding tickets per year.  Greater Vancouver is approx 50,000.

I live in Vernon and while I agree that BC drivers aren't the best, they're just as bad in Alberta, maybe worse.  Watching vehicles coming into Vernon from the south, and that's a downhill road with a very steep grade, IIRC around 11%, almost everyone does what you describe and it can be VERY scary at times. On the other hand, having just spent a couple of weeks in Alberta, I can honestly say that during that whole time I saw no more than a handful of cop cars and more idiot drivers than than I care to remember. That and the fact that the roads are in much worse shape in Alberta made me glad to be back home.

[erich]

I think that higher speed limits are dangerous for the province's finances.
I am lucky to be in Alberta where we know how to find alternatives to oil revenue.

[Trainman]

It appears that speeding was not a factor, but if the speed limit was at 110 would the driver have been able to maintain control any better?  Would the results have been any less serious?

True, but do we blame the speed limit or do we blame a distracted or drowsy driver? Thank goodness the driver didn't leave the roadway in nastier spot where there is no concrete barrier between the roadway and a seemingly endless cliff. It wouldn't have mattered what speed the bus was going, a lot of passengers on that bus would be dead.

Hmm, I am not expressing myself very well today     I guess what I am getting at is that with increased speed (legal or otherwise) there comes reduced reaction times and greater force.  It would be interesting to know at what speed for the incident that the bus would have stayed upright.  Probably not an economic one.

As for the accident itself, unless they find some mechanical fault then I would guess distracted/impaired (maybe sleep?) driver as it seems they were coming back from a trip to the Rockies.  Good to see there will be some video that the RCMP can use.  And a very good thing it happened where it did (looks like Coldwater Flats from the pictures).  Imagine going off into the center just south of Mine Creek, or missing the curve into the Snowshed 

Having lived in Merritt for almost 20 years and for about half of that driving one phase or another of the Coq every day (for work or "pleasure") I have seen lots of nasty stuff; not the first time a bus has gone off but the response to this was amazing.  I wonder where they got all the ambulances as 3 years ago Merritt had less than 4, and staffing issues.

Doing my first drive on the Coq/Connector with the new speed limits Sept 8th.  Will be fun I am sure.....