Fixing San Francisco's EV problem

[DonTom]

Well, this will help, but this is the exception. Where EV Charge stations will probably help the locals more than the visitors--much like gas stations in that way.

Most EV drivers these days will not even look at EV charge stations within 150 miles/ 240 KM (unless towing something or driving >85 mph). But most in SF cannot home charge.

It's kinda stupid to drive an EV super fast on a long road trip, you cannot make up for the charge times even with fast charging.

I always say when on a long RV trip, "if in a big hurry, drive slowly." But for my 99.0 miles from this driveway to my driveway in my Auburn house, I can go any speed I want and still have more than half my charge left over, even if cold and in the hills. Besides, I can home charge there as well as here.

Perhaps there will be less speeders when the world is all EVs.

But other issues also in SF, making EVs not a great choice for many. Shouldn't fast charge every time if you want the battery to live longer than both, you and the EV.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Derby6]

Perhaps there will be less speeders when the world is all EVs.

Doubt that ever happens. Definitely not as long as I’m alive.

 

[DonTom]

Doubt that ever happens. Definitely not as long as I’m alive.

I think I agree. I think most speeders do NOT speed to get places fast. They just get bored with slow driving.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Ray-IN]

Well, this will help, but this is the exception. Where EV Charge stations will probably help the locals more than the visitors--much like gas stations in that way.

Most EV drivers these days will not even look at EV charge stations within 150 miles/ 240 KM (unless towing something or driving >85 mph). But most in SF cannot home charge.

It's kinda stupid to drive an EV super fast on a long road trip, you cannot make up for the charge times even with fast charging.

I always say when on a long RV trip, "if in a big hurry, drive slowly." But for my 99.0 miles from this driveway to my driveway in my Auburn house, I can go any speed I want and still have more than half my charge left over, even if cold and in the hills. Besides, I can home charge there as well as here.

Perhaps there will be less speeders when the world is all EVs.

But other issues also in SF, making EVs not a great choice for many. Shouldn't fast charge every time if you want the battery to live longer than both, you and the EV.

-Don- Reno, NV

By the time the world is all EV's, there will be so many on the roads speeding will be impossible, and finding a parking spot away from home will be an entirely different game.
IMO that's when autonomous driving will be perfected and accepted. Every vehicle will be limited to moving at the same speed on interstates

 

[DonTom]

Every vehicle will be limited to moving at the same speed on interstates

Sounds like a lot of loss revenue from speeding tickets.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[John From Detroit]

Perhaps there will be less speeders when the world is all EVs.

I know it's fiction and well the magazine (Sicence fiction type) had a feature called "Probability zero" Usually 1-2 pages long.. This was one of them..
The story setting: Two researchers working on a faster than light drive carpooling to/from work.
Well Congress keeps raising the speed limit. and they keep obeying it and people zoom past em cause don't you know Americans have a god given right to speed (I used lower case for God on purpose there.. Different god Gives that right).

Finally one of 'em gets a grand idea convinces congress to set the speed limit to 300 million meters per second (What is that 186,282 miles or some such) and sure enough within a week there is some idiot exercising his "god given right to speed"

How does that apply here..

Well.. there are many who do indeed feel they have a "god given right to speed".

 

[TheBar]

I think most speeders do NOT speed to get places fast. They just get bored with slow driving.

I definitely speed to get places fast. Usually not more than 7 mph over the speed limit. That takes an hour off a 10 hour drive. You may not but I consider my time to be valuable. On many of my trips this past year going slower would have turned a 1 day trip into 2 days, or 4 days roundtrip. That essentially kills a 1 week vacation.

 

[Skookum]

So, you just ignore laws when they're inconvenient for you? Back the blue, law and order?

 

[DonTom]

So, you just ignore laws when they're inconvenient for you? Back the blue, law and order?

Unless a cop is seen, I find on the freeways that very few cars go less than 7 MPH over the speed limit where there is a 65/70 MPH speed limit.

In CA, I don't think I have ever seen any truck follow the 55-MPH speed limit, unless they are going uphill and cannot go faster.

I find most do NOT go over the speed limit when the speed limit is 80 or 85 MPH.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Tulecreeper]

So, you just ignore laws when they're inconvenient for you? Back the blue, law and order?

Unless a cop is seen, I find on the freeways that very few cars go less than 7 MPH over the speed limit where there is a 65/70 MPH speed limit.

In CA, I don't think I have ever seen any truck follow the 55-MPH speed limit, unless they are going uphill and cannot go faster.

I find most do NOT go over the speed limit when the speed limit is 80 or 85 MPH.

-Don- Reno, NV

I have a rule I have followed for most of my adult life; especially from the time I started in LE. I will go 5 MPH over the speed limit, or 10%, whichever is faster. So, in a 55 MPH zone I will do 61 (10% of 55 is 5.5, rounded up to 6); in a 60 MPH zone I will do 66. Once the legal speed limit reaches 65 MPH, however, I stay with the speed limit - 65 in a 65, 70 in a 70, etc. I won't noticeably make it to may destination that much quicker by going any faster. If I have 6 hours of driving time on a long trip, driving 70 MPH instead of 60 will get me there 52 minutes sooner, while doing 66 in a 60 will get me there 36 minutes sooner. Saving 16 minutes by driving that much faster is not worth it.

And no cop is going to cite you for doing less than 10 MPH over the limit, unless you're in a residential area.

 

[DonTom]

And no cop is going to cite you for doing less than 10 MPH over the limit, unless you're in a residential area.

I recall speed traps in CA where the cops would bust people at 3 MPH over the posted speed limits, according to the news media.

Sometimes they are just looking for revenue.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Tulecreeper]

I recall speed traps in CA where the cops would bust people at 3 MPH over the posted speed limits, according to the news media.

Sometimes they are just looking for revenue.

-Don- Reno, NV

Yes, that was in the old days. Now, there is no cop who would cite you for anything less than about 10-12 MPH over as it would never hold up in court.

 

[DonTom]

Now, there is no cop who would cite you for anything less than about 10-12 MPH over as it would never hold up in court.

If it's within spec of the radar gun, why not?

BTW, I know back when I worked in San Francisco, any speeding ticket at 5 MPH or less over any speed limit would be excused automatically when you went to the Hall of Justice to say you wanted to take it to court. SF cops would often issue such tickets as a warning of sorts. Such as if they were really 7 MPH over and you don't give the cop a lot of BS.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Onyrlef]

I know it's fiction and well the magazine (Sicence fiction type) had a feature called "Probability zero" Usually 1-2 pages long.. This was one of them..
The story setting: Two researchers working on a faster than light drive carpooling to/from work.
Well Congress keeps raising the speed limit. and they keep obeying it and people zoom past em cause don't you know Americans have a god given right to speed (I used lower case for God on purpose there.. Different god Gives that right).

Finally one of 'em gets a grand idea convinces congress to set the speed limit to 300 million meters per second (What is that 186,282 miles or some such) and sure enough within a week there is some idiot exercising his "god given right to speed"

How does that apply here..

Well.. there are many who do indeed feel they have a "god given right to speed".

The difficulty with writing a ticket to a faster than light speeder is he doesn’t have any mass. He’s like Chicken Man “ He’s everywhere, he’s everywhere”.

 

[Ray-IN]

I recall a buddy getting a speeding ticket on Ft. Harrison in the 1970's for driving 31MPH in a 30 MPH zone. He contested the ticket in federal court. When the judge read the ticket and asked my buddy about it, Frank said, " your honor, my speedometer is marked 20, 30, 35 mph and so on, how am I to distinguish between 30 and 31 MPH? The judge hammered his gavel, case dismissed, then gave the MP a lecture.

 

[John From Detroit]

31 in a 30 is either "I gave him a break" or and Attitude ticket...
Still my favorite speeding story (I was miles away listening to the radio traffic)
MSP (Michigan State Police) "Parked" an aircraft. Do not recall if fixed or rotary wing, over a section of Freeway N.W. of Detroit (I was downtown Detroit) I think it was a 55 zone at the time.. You had to be going 85 to get a ticket and they wrote 85 before the Aircraft had to return to base for refueling.
The top speed 105 mph

A few days later they did it again. only changed the aircraft (one was fixed one rotary that's why I can't recall which came first) Same state. 85 tickets all for 85+ MPH..
Why do I think it was the same idiot doing 105??? (Yup that was again the top speed)

Though they used my "Tactical" channel for the detail.. All the stats are per Detroit Free Press.

 

[Onyrlef]

I recall speed traps in CA where the cops would bust people at 3 MPH over the posted speed limits, according to the news media.

Sometimes they are just looking for revenue.

-Don- Reno, NV

Speedtraps are the greatest source of revenue for some small towns in rural La. A bill was floated 15 years ago in the State Leg. to curb the practice but it failed. Back when sections of State Hwy 165, otherwise known as the highway from hell, between Monroe on I-20 and S. to I-10 was being four laned, a project which took 10 years, local towns managed to postpone removal of contruction area speed zone restrictions for a full year after sections were fully completed. All they had to do was leave a few scattered orange barrels and a sign here and there, they had a field day.
A farmer on N. 165 outside of the little town ( I mean little too) of Bonita got so tired of the speedtrap there he erected a large billboard with a flashing yellow light in his cotton field alerting motorists to the speedtrap just ahead. It's there to this day.

 

[TheBar]

I don't exceed the speed limit inside city limits. It doesn't really save any time and in many places stoplights are timed to the speed limit. But on freeways where there should never be a kid on a bicycle I will do 77 in a 70 zone or 80 if all the others cars are doing 80. Which is pretty common.

 

[DonTom]

I don't exceed the speed limit inside city limits.

Where speed limits are extra low is where you can expect a cop is hiding with a radar gun. Especially as entering small towns.

-Don- Reno,NV

 

[Skookum]

Where speed limits are extra low is where you can expect a cop is hiding with a radar gun. Especially as entering small towns.

-Don- Reno,NV

Yeah, usually right where the speed drops. Like from 55 to 35 and coasting starting at the "reduced speed ahead" sign won't shave off enough speed. They LOVE that stuff.