OHIO TURNPIKE Will big trucks going 65 mph spark push for other increases?

Groups, lawmakers and troopers will watch to see if there are more accidents.
TOLEDO (AP) -- Beginning next month, drivers of big trucks on the Ohio Turnpike will be free to travel 65 mph -- the same speed as other vehicles.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol will watch closely to see if the increased speed limit for tractor-trailers leads to more serious accidents.
And so will the Ohio Trucking Association and lawmakers who favor setting one speed limit on nearly all of the state's interstates.
They hope the change on the turnpike will prove their case that a uniform speed of 65 mph is safer than two speed limits and will build momentum for a change statewide.
"Down the road, with positive results, we will be looking at doing this on the other interstates," said Larry Davis, president of the Ohio Trucking Association. "As long as it comes out good."
Getting off two-lane roads
The Ohio Turnpike Commission and state transportation leaders hope that the new speed limit, which will take effect Sept. 8, and a proposed toll reduction not yet in place will move trucks off overloaded two-lane roads.
In recent years, there have been several failed attempts in the Ohio Legislature to raise the speed limit for trucks on interstates.
Opponents, most notably the Ohio State Highway Patrol, stopped the proposals by arguing that increased speeds would make highways more dangerous because semitrailers' weight makes them take longer to stop.
Advocates of equal speeds argue that requiring trucks to travel at 55 mph causes dangerous congestion as faster-moving vehicles jockey to pass.
The chairman of the Ohio Senate's Highways and Transportation Committee thinks that if the new turnpike speed works, it will knock down some arguments against allowing trucks to travel 65 mph.
"I would not advocate it at this point until we get through at least a year," said Sen. Jeffrey Armbruster, a North Ridgeville Republican.
But no matter what the results show, it's unlikely that the Ohio Department of Transportation and the patrol will change their opposition.
"If you look at the history of our position on this, I think our stance will remain strong on this issue," said patrol spokesman Lt. Richard Zwayer.
No comparison
Allowing higher speeds on the turnpike can't be compared with other highways, he said, because the turnpike has better pavement, fewer interchanges with merging traffic and it's easy to drive.
"It's very straight. It's not very hilly," Zwayer said. "It's a very good road. We also have troopers specifically assigned to the turnpike. That certainly makes a difference."
The truckers association will wait at least a year before deciding whether to make another attempt at asking for increased speeds elsewhere, Davis said.
If all goes well, he thinks higher speeds could work on interstates in rural areas and between Cleveland and Columbus on Interstate 71, which soon will have three lanes of traffic in each direction.
"Some of the cities, you certainly wouldn't want to do it," Davis said.
Republican Sen. Lynn Wachtmann, who in the past has sponsored legislation to increase speed limits for trucks, said he hopes that attitudes toward big rigs will change.
If accidents drop on the turnpike, that could help the cause, Wachtmann said. But he too said it's hard to compare what happens on the turnpike with the other interstates.
There's also a bias against trucks, he said.
"A lot of people have a built-in fear of trucks," said Wachtmann, of Napoleon. "I think, maybe in the end, that's the hurdle that's most challenging to overcome."