OHIO TURNPIKE Foes want to put the brakes on plan to raise truck speed

Some motorists see a benefit to a uniform speed limit on the turnpike.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Gov. Bob Taft's plan to raise the speed limit for trucks on the Ohio Turnpike doesn't thrill some Mahoning Valley residents, who say truckers are already going too fast.
"This is one of Gov. Taft's more unbelievable initiatives," said Dale Duncan of Austintown. "Vehicles, specifically truckers, already exceed the speed limit. By raising it to 65, an invitation is being issued for more speed, more extensive accidents and far more danger."
Jeanne McDermott of Youngstown says that most trucks already travel 65 mph on the turnpike, though the legal limit for trucks on the highway is 55 mph, and that increasing the limit will mean truckers now will go 75 mph.
"With cars already doing that, we will end up with a real drag strip and anyone doing the normal limit ... will have a difficult time," she said. "Picture a truck going downhill at 75 and picking up speed; scary."
Others see it as a step in the right direction.
"Truck drivers need a break, and timing is very important for them when on the road," said Kathy Johnson of Lisbon.
"I think it's a good idea; 55 or 65, either speed is going to kill you in a crash, but it's much better for everyone to be going the same speed," added Patricia Barfay of Fowler.
Plan announced
Taft announced Wednesday that he wants to increase the truck speed limit from 55 mph to 65 mph, the same speed for cars, and lower tolls for truckers on a trial basis on the Ohio Turnpike in an attempt to move the vehicles off overloaded two-lane side roads. The Ohio Turnpike Commission is expected to approve the speed increase at its Aug. 23 meeting. Ohio is among six states in the country with split speed limits.
The Ohio Trucking Association lobbied the governor and legislators to increase the turnpike's speed limit.
Rick Barringer, president of Southwind Transportation Trucking Co., an Austintown company with 30 tractors and 60 trailers, said he strongly supports Taft's decision to lower the tolls on the turnpike.
"That is the greatest thing because it will keep truckers off the side roads," he said. "The pike is the safest road, but it's expensive now. It's a safety issue. You're much safer on a highway than a rural road."
But Barringer isn't convinced increasing the speed limit for trucks on the turnpike is a good move.
"I don't like to see trucks going 65 mph," he said. "I think if you've got 80,000 pounds of steel running down the highway, it shouldn't be going 65 mph."
Same opinion
State Rep. Sylvester D. Patton Jr. of Youngstown, D-60th, strongly opposes increasing the speed of trucks on the turnpike but supports lowering tolls for truckers. As a member of the state House Transportation and Public Safety Committee, Patton said he's been a leading advocate against increasing the truck speed limit.
"Cars do their best to get away from 18-wheelers," he said. "Cars need to be able to separate themselves from trucks. If the speed limit goes to 65, they'll go 75. They're doing 65 now when the limit is 55. It's good to get truckers off the two-lane roads. But if they're using those roads, they should make it illegal for them to use them."
Other Valley members of the state Legislature disagree.
"I'm all for it," said state Rep. Charles Blasdel of East Liverpool, R-1st. "I've long been an advocate for a uniform speed limit for all vehicles. It's more dangerous to have trucks and cars traveling at different speeds. Reducing the tolls is also a good idea."
State Sen. Robert F. Hagan of Youngstown, one of Taft's most vocal critics, said he's hard pressed to disagree with the governor on this issue.
"If the governor can get trucks onto three-lane highways and off the side roads, I have no problem with it," said Hagan, D-33rd and a member of the Senate's Highways and Transportation Committee. "Increasing speed is always dangerous, but uniform speed is a better way to go. Truckers go 65, 70 anyway. They're just legalizing what they already do."
Calls for plan
State Sen. Marc Dann of Liberty, who also serves on the Senate's Highway and Transportation Committee, said trucks need to stop using side roads, such as U.S. Route 422, to avoid paying the Ohio Turnpike toll, which is $42.45 to cross the state. The roads aren't built to support large trucks, and their presence poses a safety concern, he said.
"I'm open to the idea of raising the speed limit," said Dann, D-32nd. "I'm open to hearing the governor's arguments, but this isn't something you should do on the back of a napkin. You need to plan this out."
Brian Newbacher, spokesman for the AAA Ohio Motorists Association, said the agency's membership is opposed to raising the truck speed limit but acknowledges it will happen.
"There is a potential benefit in that it could make the adjacent roads safer," he said. "It could be a trade-off, but we'd like to see strict enforcement. Trucks shouldn't take this as a liberty to travel 70, 75 mph. I hope they strictly enforce it."
As for lowering the tolls for trucks, Newbacher says other motorists deserve to have their tolls reduced as well.
skolnick@vindy.com