If you don't count I-26, the major road that serves my Roebuck, SC neighborhood is Highway 221. I-26 really is more for intergalactic travel at warp speeds than it is a way to get around. The 221 is merely subsonic, and makes for an excellent commute into Spartanburg's downtown. It also has a very interesting feature.
Going north from my entrance to 221 at the Hot Spot convenience store, the speed limit is 45. It changes to 35 near Spartanburg (the real speed limit conversion factor anywhere along the route is 1.5X, where X is double the posted speed). The return trip begins normally at 35, then changes to the expected 45. So far, so good. But suddenly, hidden in a few branches, the posted speed limit changes to 55 for a spurt before dropping back down to 45. Why do I suddenly need to go sonic coming back from Spartanburg when a leisurely 1.5X works to get there?
So far, I don't see a reason for it. If there is something horrible that occasionally pops out of the woods along that stretch, then 55 isn't fast enough, even at the actual converted real speed of 135. Whatever the reason for the bit of oomph on the southbound side, there is a temptation present for northbound travelers. This is NASCAR country, so I'm waiting for the day when a northbound someone does a Hollywood 180 across the median to travel northbound at 1.5X in reverse on the southbound side. Don't tell anyone, though, because if they change the speed limit, there goes my first YouTube video.
