Windy Boy 85 mph bill gets hearing

Although letters to the editor and newspaper editorials around the state have endorsed the idea, no one showed up at a public hearing Tuesday in favor of the proposal to raise the daytime speed limit to 85 mph on Montana highways.

The bill would raise the limit on two-lane highways, such as U.S. highways 2 and 87, to 80 mph.

The sponsor, Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, presented the proposal to the Highways and Transportation Committee Tuesday, giving his reasons for backing the bill and saying he would agree to amendments.

Montana Highway Patrol, the American Automobile Association and Motor Carriers of Montana, which represents truckers, spoke against the plan.

Major James Moody of the Highway Patrol said troopers opposed the change for a variety of reasons.

Among them, he said, is that the law allows people to go 10 mph over the speed limit. That means that on two-laners, people could drive at 90 mph when passing another vehicle.

He noted that the law applies not only to cars, but horse trailers, buses and other large vehicles.

Many of the highways are not in great shape, with poor shoulders, he said.

Texas is the only other state that allows such high limits on two-lane highways, he said. And it applies to only some highways.

The number of fatalities is up from the day Montanans were required to drive only at a "reasonable and prudent" speed, he said. But those are only raw numbers and don't take into account that the number of drivers has markedly increased.

Todd Burger of AAA said he was speaking not only as a representative of his organization but also as a father.

"It's all about safety," he said.

Truckers were concerned that they will still have to abide by the old limits.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Windy Boy answered questions from committee members.

"Sen. Windy Boy, why?" one member asked.

"Good question," he replied.

He said "times have changed."

"We have new cars. When you are going 80, it seems like you are only going 50," he said.

"We are a big state, and we only have 1 million people."

The committee had not scheduled a vote on the bill by this morning.