Be careful what you promise...

In spite of City promises, a 10 mph speed limit has been signed on the Cedar Lake Trail.  This is old news – I got the picture a couple months ago and I’d guess it was added in the City’s signing binge around August or September.

I’m not necessarily opposed to speed limits for bicycles but I do have some questions about this particular speed limit:

1.  How and why was 10 mph chosen?  Why not 8?  or 13?  Does it have anything to do with the number of fingers on the average human hand?

2. Since this is the only speed limit sign on the Cedar Lake Trail (that I’ve seen), where does this speed zone begin or end?  If the speed limit is valid for the entire length of the trail, how are cyclists supposed to know before they come across this sign?

3.  Why is it dangerous for a bicycle to go 11 mph on a facility that’s seperated from all traffic except bicycles, but it’s safe for a bicycle to go 25 or 30 mph in mixed traffic?