Article from: www.thenewspaper.com/news/09/910.asp

1/19/2006

Tennessee: Speed Limit Lowered for Revenue Now Raised for Safety
Town that lowered speed limits to raise revenue ten-fold has returned to higher limits over safety concerns.

Speed limits in Coopertown, Tennessee increased last week over concern that the slow speeds were creating a hazard. In 2005, speed limits were lowered as part of a plan by Mayor Danny Crosby to boost revenue. It worked. In the last six months of 2004, the town made just $10,172 from traffic citations compared with $152,324 in revenue from the first six months of 2005.

Crosby explained to the Robertson County Times that his personal experience showed the lowered speed limits were, in fact, dangerous. "I'm not going to get some innocent person killed," he said. "I witnessed a person doing the speed limit and three people passed crossing the double yellow lines. The last one almost had a head-on collision doing 70 (miles an hour). I know this for a fact because it was me."

The speed limit for back roads in the city will increase from 30 MPH back to 40. Highway 49 will return to 55 MPH from 45.

"The change has been made for the safety of Coopertown," Crosby emphasized.

Source: Coopertowns Highway 49 returns to 55 mph (Robertson County Times (TN), 1/18/2006)

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