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(gentle music)

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- [Narrator] The speed limit sign

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is the traffic control device

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that virtually all drivers
interact with daily.

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Research and travel and engineering trends

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have a say in the location
and displayed speed.

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This implementation project

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from the Texas A&M
Transportation Institute

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and the Texas Department of Transportation

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aims to enhance the relationship
between posted speeds,

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the legal limit displayed

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on those familiar black and white signs,

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and operating speeds, the speed limit

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which most drivers are actually traveling.

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- Regulatory speed limits
are a highly complex issue

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involving engineering, human factors,

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and political and societal concerns.

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- The main issue that led to
the need for this research

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was the lack of a singular place

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to be able to find information
about speed zone studies,

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really for tech, stock,
and personnel to share

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with both local elected
officials, members of the public,

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just basically, anytime
somebody comes and says,

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"Hey, we would like a speed
zone or a speed reduction here."

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- [Kay] One of the things that we learned

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during the pandemic is that
when you have fewer cars

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and fewer police
enforcement, speeds increase,

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and speeding is associated
with more severe crashes.

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So there's just a
greater focus on speeding

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and how we can do a
better job of managing it.

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- Now, we have a one-stop
place for the public

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to come in for our local elected officials

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whenever they wanna get more
information on speed zones,

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and we have this pamphlet

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that we can easily hand out to 'em.

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They can talk to your secretary,

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they can talk to the engineer,
they can talk to anybody,

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and they're like, "Here you go,"

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and they're gonna get
the same information.

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- [Kay] There's videos for the engineers

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on speed limit-setting procedures

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and a video that is intended
to be used by citizens

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so that they have an understanding

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of how speed limits are set.

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- [Cathy] We collect speed
studies or we collect speed data

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of the cars traveling on
that section of roadway.

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We look at other conditions
within that roadway,

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whether it's crash data,
driveways, future developments,

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just general conditions
of that specific segment

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to determine if that 85th percentile

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that we've collected from
what drivers are driving

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along that stretch is reasonable
or if it should be reduced.

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- A citizen, if they're concerned
with the operating speed

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or with the posted speed limit,

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they can contact TXDOT or
the city with a request

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that that corridor be looked at

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in terms of resetting the speed limit.

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- [Narrator] For more information

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and to find the publication
for this project,

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please visit the TXDOT Research Library

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at the link shown below.