Q: If the variable speed limit signs on I-285 are not working, what is the default speed limit? Also, how do the police know what is the current speed limit when they give someone a ticket?
—Harry Keller, Tucker
A: If the variable speed limit signs are inoperable, drivers should default to the regular posted speed limit of 65 mph, Sgt. Brian Blankenship of the Georgia State Patrol told Q&A on the News.
The variable speed limit signs are intended to regulate traffic by adjusting the speed limit when I-285 has a high volume of vehicles or an accident.
If the variable speed limit signs display a speed limit of 65 mph, traffic is running smoothly, and the state patrol can ticket motorists exceeding the speed limit.
“We err on the side of caution and common sense,” Blankenship said. “If there’s any doubt, we’re going to go with the regular posted speed of 65 mph.”
If the signs signal a speed limit below 65 mph, traffic on I-285 likely is heavy, either because of an accident, weather or volume, and the state patrol would not necessarily target the highway for speeding.
“If they do reduce that speed, there’s something going on, and we’re not going to be able to run speed timing devices like radar or lasers,” he said. “(Traffic is) going to be so thick that it’s not going to be in any way possible for us to do it.”
The variable speed limit system was installed in 2014.
Will Robinson with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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