Anyone driving through Portland on I-295 may notice some seemingly meaningless white signs on the way in. The signs read “50 mph.”
Wind resistance, or drag, increases with the square of speed, so the faster you go the harder your engine works. Driving 50 mph, instead of 65 mph, reduces fuel consumption and carbon pollution. Noise pollution decreases. Other pollutants, like particulate matter, microplastics and nitrogen oxides also decrease at lower speeds. Reducing speed is so effective that President Nixon implemented a nationwide 55 mph speed limit during the 1974 oil crisis to improve fuel efficiency.
Fifty mph is the current speed limit through Portland on I-295, but 65 mph is the actual average speed. At 50,000 vehicles per day, we are burning hundreds of thousands of extra gallons of gasoline every year just on the small stretch of I-295.
Noise and air pollution aside, the fuel cost savings to drivers, improved road safety and reduced wear and tear on the highway itself should be reason enough to drive the speed limit.
Enough with the state’s inconsequential commitments and pledges; let’s start enforcing the rules that already exist.
Kellan Simpson
Portland
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