One of those compromises was the lowered speed limit. The very designation of Legacy “Parkway” calls for it. If part of the appeal of a road is the scenic beauty and the recreational aspects associated with it, then it makes sense that 55 mph is not too pokey. Legacy Parkway provides an alternative to the crowds and speeds of I-15. If all we wanted was another super highway, we could have just tacked on a couple of lanes on I-15 and called it good.
What’s the hurry anyway? Traveling Legacy is a nice change of pace from the speedway of the Interstate. For a few extra minutes of travel time, it is decidedly less hectic. Leave the freeway to the speeders. No one is forcing you to take Legacy.
Interestingly, calls to increase the speed on Legacy come at the same time that a Salt Lake Tribune poll shows that 71 percent of Utahns complain that rising gas prices have caused “some hardship” for them and their families.
Not to dismiss the concern, but has anyone thought about taking steps such as driving slower to save money?
One of the best strategies for saving gas is simply to reduce your speed. As the speedometer goes up, your fuel efficiency goes down. By some calculations, every 5 mph over 60 costs you approximately 24 cents more per gallon. Instead of griping about gas prices, why don’t we demand that all interstates go back to a standard 55 mph and force fuel savings?
Sort of like foregoing ice cream, hitting the gym, and eating the salad instead of the fries; what’s best for us isn’t always the most fun. No doubt about it, racing to Salt Lake with the needle inching past 70 can be thrilling, but saving money at the pump along with the proven reduction of highway fatalities at lower speeds makes the most sense.
Leave Legacy a Parkway. Take the time to enjoy the view and the hum of the tire on the sound-reducing surface. Leave the frustrated Indy racers to I-15 and laugh all the way to the pump.
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