Speed limit increase stalls in committee

DES MOINES — A bill seeking to raise the speed limit to 75 mph on rural interstate highways in Iowa got pulled to the side of the road in committee Tuesday and apparently parked in the legislative process.

Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Waterloo, requested that the Senate Transportation Committee defer on Senate File 213 to give him more time to consider a measure that was speeding through the legislative process.

'I have been supportive of this concept in the past,' said Danielson, who noted he sponsored and was floor manager of a 2005 bill that raised Iowa's interstate speed limit from 65 to 70 mph. However, he told fellow committee members 'I am not at this moment prepared on this committee — don't feel comfortable that I've done enough homework and due diligence on this to vote on this one way or the other today' in requesting action on S.F. 213 be postponed.

'I'm not necessarily opposed to the idea but I think there needs to be a little more thought put into it,' he added.

Committee chairman Sen. Tod Bowman, D-Maquoketa, said the issue likely would stay tabled for the 2015 session unless the idea would get resurrected as an amendment to another measure later in the session. Friday marks a self-imposed legislative deadline for non-money bills to pass at least one committee to remain eligible for consideration this year.

Bowman said he expected the committee would meet once more before Friday's 'funnel' deadline but he did not expect the 75-mph speed limit proposal to be on a future agenda. Asked by reporters if the issue was done for this year, Bowman said 'I would say it's looking that way.'

Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, who introduced S.F. 213, said the bill was dead for this session and while he was disappointed, he also was pleased that the issue generated conversation among Iowans and got a fair hearing from Bowman.

'This is something that could come up next session,' Zaun said. There also might be an opportunity to reintroduce the idea as an amendment to another bill but that was a long shot.

Sen. Chris Brase, D-Muscatine, was the bill's manager but he did not favor its passage.

'Personally, I do not support this bill, but I do believe in the process,' said Brase, who noted he was overruled on a 2-1 vote in subcommittee. 'I believe by increasing the speed limit the stats and the data will show that it will increase fatalities on the road. Being a firefighter/paramedic, it's not something that I can support.'

During the subcommittee discussion, Steve Gent of the state Department of Transportation said research data indicates that, while not 'huge numbers,' there would be more crashes and fatalities on Iowa interstates if the maximum speed was increased. He also said the change likely would result in increased construction costs to install new warning or advisory speed signs for some highway sections and any future reconstruction of interstates would have to be designed at 80 mph to accommodate traffic up to 5 mph over the posted limit.

Speed limits on Iowa interstates since 1959

After Iowa increased the speed limit on rural interstates from 65 to 70 mph in 2005, Gent said the average speed on Iowa's interstates only increased about 1.5 mph, to between 72 and 73 mph. He added that 72 mph is now the average speed on Iowa interstates. He also noted the last two years have marked the lowest annual traffic fatalities since World War II.

Representatives of insurance companies opposed the proposal to raise Iowa's maximum speed limit from 70 to 75 mph.

According to DOT data, Iowa's speed limit on interstate highways was 75 mph from 1959 to 1974. The maximum speed was lowered to 55 mph in 1974 to promote conservation during the nation's 'energy crisis' years before it was raised to 65 mph in 1987 and then to 70 mph in July 2005.

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