UPDATE on The Politics of Speed: Jason Atkinson Pushes for Higher Limits

Our own contributing RP, Jason Atkinson, has a need for speed.

Specifically, he’s pushing to raise the interstate speed limit in Oregon, which is the slowest state west of the Mississippi.

Here is what the (Southern Oregon) Mail Tribune reports:

Sen. Jason Atkinson, R-Central Point, has joined Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Hillsboro, in a push to increase the speed limit to at least 70 mph for noncommercial vehicles and 60 mph for semitrucks and other commercial traffic.

They’ve proposed an amendment to a House transportation bill (HB 3150) that would give the Oregon Transportation Safety Division the authority to raise the limit to a maximum 75 mph at its discretion. Atkinson said he hopes OTSD will meet in the middle with an increase of 5 mph.

Atkinson, who is on the state committee for Business, Transportation and Economic Development, said raising the speed limit would streamline traffic on the interstates.

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